September 11, 2010
By Janet
just wanted to share this e mail (as forwarded by a Filipino friend working in Shanghai)
Think about this.
Interesting contrast/parallels……
The known facts are these:
On August 19, 2005, Emmanuel “Bong” Madrigal, a Manila-based Filipino executive of the multinational Shell, was visiting Beijing on vacation with his wife Vivian, his daughter Regina Mia, and two younger daughters. That day, they rode a tourist bus to Tiananmen Square, the heart of the capitol.
Upon arriving at the square, Emmanuel Madrigal was the first to descend from the bus, followed by Vivian and Regina Mia. A Chinese man wielding a scythe–in some reports it was described as a sword–suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hacked Emmanuel across his torso. He died on the spot. The man also attacked and seriously wounded Vivian. He then slashed at and killed Regina Mia. By this time, bystanders were trying to subdue the man, and Vivian shouted to her two other daughters to get away and save themselves. Somehow the girls made their way back to the hotel. Vivian was brought to a Beijing hospital, where she died several days later of her injuries.
An Associated Press report still circulating on the internet states that the killer was Wang Gongzuo, 25, a farmer from eastern China’s Jiangsu province. He was sentenced to death for the murder of the Madrigals and executed a few weeks later, in September. The AP report states: ‘Wang’s motive for killing the two is unclear. After the incident occurred the Beijing Morning Post reported that he had wanted to ‘affect society using extreme actions,’ but didn’t elaborate.”
Reflect on the parallels. A family of vacationers on a tourist bus: the Leungs and the Madrigals. A killer out to “affect society using extreme actions”: Mendoza and Wang. A massacre in a public place of symbolic significance: The Quirino grandstand, where the presidential inauguration had been held just weeks before, and site of the civil society protests against the Marcos regime; and Tiananmen Square, since ancient times the symbol of the centralized power of the Chinese state, and site of the 1991 civil protests against the government.
In both incidents, the state failed miserably in protecting innocent tourists.
And there the parallels end.
President Aquino has apologized to the families of Mendoza’s victims and conveyed his sorrow to the people of Hongkong, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and Ambassador Lin Jian Chao. The Philippine National Police acknowledge that they botched matters beyond comprehension. Philippine legislators, ahead of their Hongkong counterparts, called for a full investigation. Philippine media organizations are looking to their own culpability in the affair. And masses of ordinary Filipinos, on TV, radio, print, and the Internet, are expressing collective horror, remorse and pity over the terrible fate of the innocent tourists, and bow their heads in shame before the Hong Kong people’s sorrow and anger.
That is how it should be, that is only right. But.
To this day, five years after it happened, there is no public record of any Chinese official acknowledging the tourist killings in Tiananmen Square and apologizing to the Madrigals, much less the Filipino people, for the murder of Emmanuel, Regina Mia and Vivian. Not a single expression of regret that the Chinese police failed in their duty to protect the lives of innocent tourists in the very heart of Beijing, in the symbolic center of a state that prides itself most of all for its ability to control and contain disorder. There was a total blackout on the part of the Chinese press, and, according to another news report, government censors quickly blocked many internet sites where Chinese users had begun to post comments about the killing. So we will likely never know what ordinary Chinese citizens had to say about about the incident. Maybe some of them were actually sorry for what happened.
The closest thing to expressed regret was in fact the final reported action of the killer Wang, who waived his right to appeal the sentence of execution, and got a bullet in the back of his head.
To add to the horror, it would appear that the Arroyo administration was complicit in the silence. No public statement was ever made by the Philippine government regarding the incident. Unlike in Hongkong, no flags were flown at half-mast in Manila, and no three-minute silence was observed to mark the deaths of the innocent Filipino tourists. No demand has ever been made by any Filipino official for an apology, and for an accounting.
A full investigation of the Quirino Grandstand killing is ongoing. But what of that other killing, also in August, five years ago in Tiananmen Square?
September 12, 2010
By Orca
The reason why the Philippines is a laggard amongst the other Asian Tigers is very simple and basic. We have no clear and long range strategy as a nation.
Please take note, I said ‘strategy as a nation’. Regardless of our diverse political and religious affiliations, or regional status, or local climate conditions, we as a nation must be on a single path, if we ever want to go some place. Without that path, we should not wonder why we are on the some spot again and again, despite travelling all day.
We as a people should convene an independent economic council, composed of representatives from the academe, civil society, government economists, etc., with the objective of formulating 20-year and 40-year economic plans.
These plans should then be presented to the congress for approval and converted into laws.
Government officials will then be elected based on their fidelity to these plans. They can be removed from power if found deviating from the plans.
This is the only way that the country can claim to be on some path. If other countries see that the Philippines is a predictable path, then investments will not be a problem.
Sa ngayon, kada Presidente may kanya-kanyang gustong gawin. Ngunit di sapat ang 6 years para sa isang meaningful economic step. Kaya tuloy, walang economic step na natatapos. Pabalik balik lang tayo sa kanal kung saan tayo nahulog noon pa.
Dapat, iboboto ang isang presidente base sa kanyang plano kung papaano nya dudugtungan ang 20-year at 40-year plan.
September 18, 2010
Some old people will say that during their days it was very convenient to live even in Metro Manila. There is no shortage in water or the cost of electricity is withing the consumer’s reach. Now there are days when water supply is interrupted, least to say that even in Metro Manila there are communities without potable water. During the 60′s and 70′s, one need not elbow his or her way just to ride the bus or the jeepney. It seems that traveling during those days to your workplace is just a breeze unlike today when you get fatigued early in the morning rush just to get on the LRT or MRT. And believe it or not I have experienced first hand the agony of daily commute that you need not move when you ride the MRT because you will be pushed inside or out by the sea of people riding them daily. Such a horror in the life of the ordinary Pinoy!
Then we ask ourselves what happened. What went wrong? Of course we can blame the past dictatorship. We can always blame the inept government employees for deteriorating social services. We can always claim that the corrupt officials milked the coffers dry of public funds for their personal gain. Our children in public school has to bear the agony of attending their classes under the trees or in classrooms with falling ceilings, broken windows and flooded floors! But again who do we blame for all the miseries of this ever-developing nation of ours?
I dare say that the root of all our miseries is over population! Yes, it is plain and simple mathematics. When there are 10 people sharing one pizza, surely one will get a small slice and end up still hungry and craving. Yes our cultural orientation of considering 12 kids as a blessing from the Lord. Maybe it is but if parents cannot support their children and nurture them in the most loving way by providing them with the basic necessities, then I believe it is sinful, immoral and downright recklessness. And who do we look at when every minute a child is born with a future that hangs on the balance of irresponsibility. The church is partly to blame, if not solely to blame, for instilling in then populace distorted sense of well being. Government likewise is to blame for not having the backbone to implement an honest to goodness population management program and responsible parenthood. Government also failed to educate the masses on over population because they are afraid to cross the church and its antiquated teachings. Again why does this phenomenon exists? Because a lot of uneducated masses is the platform for political ambition.
Unless we curb population growth, the Philippines will never take off the ground and fly high with our ASEAN neighbors like Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand. Unless we stand on our principles of pushing responsible parenthood to the grassroots level we will never achieve economic growth. Unless we institute a population management program that will ensure that we create quality citizens, productive and dynamic, we will forever dream of a Philippines that will rise above adversities.
Lastly we must as an individual, take responsibility in managing our own families and pass on this value to our children so they too will live espouse our principles. Then government must really take up the challenge of managing population growth to ensure that its citizens are of good stock able to interact productively with other nationalities.
September 18, 2010
By nivadel
Ang bansa natin ay nabansagan na isa sa mga corrupt na bansa sa Asya, at marahil karamihan sa atin ay may personal na karanasan o di kaya’y reliable information tungkol dito.
Madalas matataas na tao sa ating pamahalaan at pribadong sektor ang nahe-headline na ina-akusahang umabuso sa kanilang kapangyarihan at kumupit sa kaban ng bayan, at malungkot isipin na iilan lamang sa kanila ang nahatulan , naparusahan at nakapag-bayad ng kanilang pagkakasala sa lipunan.
Sa aking pananaw, ang kultura ng corruption sa Pilipinas ay nagdulot na ng samu’t saring epekto sa ating mga Pilipino, at marahil sasangayon kayo sa aking mga obserbasyon. Ito ang aking mga napansin na naging masamang naidulot ng kultura ng corruption:
- naging natural na ang ‘lagay’ o ‘padulas system’ para mapabilis ang serbisyo…madalas natin itong maranasan tuwing magre-renew ng lisensya, business permits, civil registry records at iba pang transaksyon sa mga ahensya ng gobyreno.
- kawalan ng tiwala at kredibiladad ng mga opisyal dahil ang tingin ng marami na ‘lahat naman ng opisyal eh nangungurakot…yung iba simpleng magnanakaw, habang may ilan na garapal mangurakot.’
- marami ang nagdadalawang-isip na tumanggap ng posisyon at mag-silbi sa pamahalaan dahil maaring mabahiran ang kanilang pangalan.
- ang kakulangan ng pondo na nawawala dahil sa corruption na nagiging dahilan ng hindi pag-abot ng kaunlaran lalo na sa mga kanayunan, ay nagdudulot ng pagbaba ng antas ng pamumuhay lalo ng mga kapus-palad.
- ang mga imbestigasyon ukol sa mga umanong corruption ay umuubos ng oras ng ating mga mambabatas sa halip na maituon ang atensyon sa paglutas sa mga pangunahing suliranin ng bansa.
- nagkakaroon ng disgusto sa ating mga kasundaluhan at kapulisan na nawawalan ng moral dahil sa ito ay taliwas sa kanilang mga ipinaglalaban na pagsilbihan ng tapat ang mamayan.
- napag-iiwanan ang ating bansa sa mga direct foreign investment kumpara sa ating mga karatig bansa dahil sa red tape at lagayan para makakuha ng kontrata sa pamahalaan.
- maraming mga negosyo at mamamayan ang ayaw magbayad ng tamang buwis dahil sa pananawa na ‘nanakawin lang naman yung ibabayad ko.’
- natataboy ang mga posibleng mga turista na bisitahin ang bansa dahil karamihan sa kanilang mga pinagmulang bansa ay hindi katanggap-tangap ang kultura ng corruption.
- ang kahirapan na dulot ng corruption ay naghihikayat sa mga tao na kumapit sa patalim para lang mabuhay sa araw-araw
Ilan lamang ito sa mga naging masamang epekto ng baluktot na kultura ng corruption at sigurado ako na napakarami pa kayong maaring maisip. Kaya naman marahil naging malaki ang tiwala ng taong bayan kay Pangulong Noynoy Aquino na maibalik ang integridad at kredibilidad sa pamahalaan, at ito ang aabangan ng lahat sa loob ng kanyang 6 na taon ng panunungkulan. Kung maging matagumpay sya, ito ang kanyang magiging tatak na nawa’y tuluyang makapagbabago sa landas na tatahakin ng ating bansa sa mga susunod na panahon.
