Have you ever wondered why there is a website called Good News Pilipinas? People keep sending me links to that website but every time I visit it, most of the stuff I find there consists of news items about superficial “wins” by Filipinos who won one “contest” or another somewhere locally or globally.
Worse, Efren Penaflorida‘s picture is permanently pasted on that site, as if to highlight how he is the true epitome of what a successful Filipino is. Even reigning beauty contestants’ photos grace the website just to showcase the “beauty” of the Philippines. It goes to show that some, if not most Filipinos haven’t got a clue as to why the words “successful” and “winner” still cannot be associated with the Philippines. It goes to show that, more often than not, “bad news” rather than “good news” is perceived by the public to regularly come out of mainstream media, to the extent that a website needs to be dedicated to exhibiting the tidbits of news that some, if not most Filipinos consider “good” — the sort of far-in-between news that comes out every now and then, like Manny Pacquiao’ s boxing wins or Charice Pempengco’s acting debut in Glee.
The general attitude found in the Good News Pilipinas website is basically the same as what you will find in the average Filipino: out-of-touch with reality, in denial, self-righteous, defensive, shallow, and most of all triumphalist. Most Filipinos have no stomach for “bad news” so they have to season the bitter pill they have to swallow with something sweet.
In response to the recent breast beating and shameful soul searching brought about by the Mendoza hostage tragedy on the 23rd of August 2010, the Good News Pilipinas website published another litany of what they consider to be a summary of outstanding “achievements” of individual Filipinos over the history of the Philippines. This is the website’s way of reminding everyone that we as a people have done something “good” in the past. Last I saw there were 2000 plus people who shared the article. This proves my earlier statement about the general attitude of the average Pinoy.
Because of the heavy criticism Filipinos received from around the world after the hostage drama which resulted in the avoidable deaths of eight Chinese tourists in the hands of both hostage taker Rolando Mendoza and the incompetent Philippine National Police, the author of the article “The Filipino Today: Let Us All Rise As One People” even went on to say that “We have to protect and defend the Filipino in each one of us” it’s because as he stated, “… there is so much more about the Filipino;” and that, “The Filipino heart is one of history’s biggest, one of the world’s rare jewels, and one of humanity’s greatest treasures.”
Those statements, especially the last one is what I can call a mother lode of exaggerated and triumphalist crap, and I am actually being polite here. It’s like the author of the article is claiming that the Filipino people are the only people in the world who possesses excellent virtues and that the world simply cannot live without us. Never mind that Mexicans can very well take over our slice of the domestic help jobs pie anytime, anywhere. I’m sure I am not the only one who didn’t see “rare jewels” in the behavior of some of the Filipinos who keep defending “Filipino pride” after the hostage fiasco, particularly those who kept saying that “buti nga sa mga Intsik beho na yan” or those who said that they “Don’t feel so bad about the death of people who are not our kind, let’s take care of our own.”
Of course, in their list of accomplished Filipinos who have gone beyond the call of duty is none other than Efren Penaflorida himself who won the CNN hero of the year award in 2009 (allegedly as a result of vote rigging) for his performance in pushing a cart full of books around Manila in an effort to teach under privileged kids to read. It’s not that there is anything wrong with that. I just think that Efren’s work should highlight more the systemic problem of the country’s education system rather than promote copying his band-aid solution to the problem. The fact that the population of the Philippines has just reached 100 million people proves that Efren’s work is certainly not the best way to educate Filipino kids.
Another Filipino in their list could be your average next-door-neighbor, Marites Perez-Galam who is lauded for returning a wallet full of cash while in a public toilet in Singapore. Huh?!? So, is a Filipino returning a wallet to its rightful owner now considered extraordinary and therefore a cause for celebration nowadays? I must have been living under a rock because I didn’t notice how times have really changed for the worse in the country. I guess just looking at pictures of students and police officers who had their pictures taken near the site of the Mendoza hostage tragedy at The Quirino Grandstand should be enough to convince anyone that the moral standards in the Philippines have gone so low that Filipinos now do get confused about what’s right and what’s wrong and celebrate deeds that most decent people ordinarily do.
Even the President of the Philippines, Noynoy Aquino does not even know when to put on and when not to put on a “smiling” face in front of the media. Because of his smiling face after the deaths of the Chinese tourists, Chinese people from Hong Kong have aptly named him “smiling dog.” Recently, he even let out a very insensitive statement saying that “Our problems now, in two or three years we can say that they are laughable when we recall that they were not that grave.” I, for one don’t have to wait “two or three” years before I can start laughing because every time P.Noy opens his mouth, I end up laughing so hard at him and the Filipinos who voted for him. I can laugh heartily now knowing that I have a volume of articles as vindication and proof that I already knew even before the presidential election in May 2010 that P.Noy was a chump and not a champ.
P.Noy, should try and get real for once so he doesn’t end up looking like a fool during his briefings with the media. His problem starts when he tries to act cool or tries so hard to please everyone. Even his previous statement “You are my boss” directed at the Filipino people seem so ridiculous now considering he can’t even be truthful to his “boss” with regard to where he was on the day of the hostage crisis.
Speaking of good news, recently, I have come to realize that I should never have to be ashamed of being Filipino — ever — for the following reasons:
1. I don’t vote for loser Presidents like P.Noy Aquino. And having a loser president should not define my identity as a Filipino.
2. I refuse to let other Filipinos’ decisions like their decision to vote for incompetent leaders pull down my life, so I will try my best to succeed in my own way.
3. I don’t have to use Efren Penaflorida’s or Charice’s achievements to define me as a person because I have my own achievements to speak of.
4. I just happen to be born in this country called the Philippines but it does not mean that I have to be imprisoned by the average Filipino’s mentality and way of life.
5. I have come to accept that losers don’t listen and never learn from their mistakes. The process of natural selection will take care of them soon enough.
6. I now know that smart people can actually make money out of losers because losers buy a lot of useless trinkets like that shirt with a Philippine map embroidered on it.
7. The existence of losers makes me feel like a real winner.
Get Real Philippines 
I noticed that most newscasters don’t like being constructive and view it as “being negative”. And I think that even some entertainers are promoting this kind of behavior in most Filipinos. Vice Ganda and co. are funny and all but they are what Filipinos emulate na mag “PARTY PARTY” na lang and essentially forget all these bad news. That’s what the Filipinos want and that’s what majority of the Filipinos listen to. Even if I talk to my employees about social issues such as the hostage crisis or the government budget, they have blank stares — which will eventually light up if I talk about a movie like “Sa Yo Lamang” or “In Your Eyes”. *puke*
Hi potaters
I also noticed that newscasters are always smiling. They are very annoying. Nowadays, they are counting down the days before Christmas again because it is already the start of the”ber” months. While spending is good for retailers, it is not good for families who do not have the money to spend. They are being tricked into spending just to be in the Christmas spirit.
What the people in responsible positions should be promoting in this kind of environment is thriftiness.
Do you remember this?
And did you cry watching this?
I’d like everybody to think about the true meaning of this…
Evidence (study of 18-month old toddlers) shows that altruism and kindness is born into every child.
Then the child grows up. Many things happen between age 18-months and age 20 years and older.
> things are not always what they seem
1. KFC wants to sell more chicken.
2. GMA7 wants to get more audiences.
3. Viewers get already satisfied by watching this while many poor people are still there.
4. Viewers misunderstand they are very kind and warmhearted themselves.
@UP nn grad
It is very obvious what happens as the child grows up. He becomes desensitized. Some people just learn to ignore the situation when they see it everyday. That’s why the minute someone comes back from a holiday overseas, they realize what’s wrong again. Scenes like that is an assault to the senses when you come back from a nice holiday abroad. But when you see it everyday, it becomes part of the daily existence. I often wonder though why the politicians who travel abroad still don’t get inspired to change the country for the better with what they see in other countries. It’s mind-boggling.
@Suzuki Yamaha Kawasaki Honda
Here’s the thing. KFC wants you to buy an extra meal for the street child thereby increasing their revenue. But it’s not really a permanent solution to the problem, right? Right. It’s only good for KFC’s bottom line. Meanwhile, AntiPinoy.com writers would rather focus on permanent solutions like curbing population growth, job creation and advocating for changes in the government and some of its vital policies. That way, the street children loitering around fast food joints will just be a thing of the past, something you can just view on Youtube.
Ciao baby!
thats why Philippines was voted as the happiest country in the world… all they do is mag PARTY-PARTY just to forget the problems/crisis they are in.
It’s a marketing racket – “good” news sells to people who constantly face problems – the masses. Networks capitalise on this, raking in ratings, such as the noontime shows that are all senseless dancing, poor-to-lip-sync singing by their favourite artists and cash prizes that people dream of getting.
Many of the afternoon and primetime soaps usually show people living in grand houses and driving around expensive cars, or show how a poor person somehow becomes rich. It’s all a sort of valium to the depressed masses that has been spoonfed to them, and now they’re addicted to it.
The marketing racket works only with the weak minded, which is the majority of the population, unfortunately.
It’s very much due to the nature of the average flip being escapists.
I’m listening to Yano’s “Esem”…
One thing at least…. Carandang, Lacierda and Ochoa have said absolutely nothing about Noynoy’s “Our problems now, 😯 in two or three years we can say that they are laughable when we recall that they were not that grave.”
At least a few inside Malacanang are beginning to learn the wisdom of silence. I will not be surprised if starting mid-2011, Noynoy Aquino will invoke 😕 “presidential privilege” so that his Cabinet members do not appear before Congressional 🙄 inquisitions.
That mess proved to be a kick in the nuts… I doubt I’d be sleeping well from here on out.
Well, the thing is, some of his people have outstanding achievements from local government (although I do wonder if the awards had any real basis) prior to their post with P.Noy’s administration. Like former Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo was the first Filipino local official to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service. After this fiasco though, he will be remembered for his inability to rise to the occasion. It’s been said that P.Noy’s staff’s perceived incompetence has also to do with P.Noy’s arrogance and the many layers of people you have to go through before you can actually communicate with him. What a nightmare.
We will NOT elevate to the next level if we:
1) Refuse to acknowledge our shortcomings and learn from them. 2) Ride on the success of others who only meant to achieve something for themselves.
3) Make a big deal about the garbage media feeds us on showbiz and pop culture.
4) Vote for incompetent leaders based on popularity, and/or with no proven track record. 5) Keep searching for a hero we may never find.
I know there’s more to list down, but the point is that real change begins with the individual. Let’s start with ourselves. If we don’t take the bad along with the good, then we’re only fooling ourselves. Unfortunately, we always seem to resort back to the stuff I mentioned above because “it feels good”. 🙄
Hey Homer! Welcome back!
As usual, your comments are spot on! 🙂
Filipinos want instant gratification – to feel good. We don’t want to be serious about life.
Though we need good news, here’s a bit of news for everyone who is in denial: face reality and find ways to fix it, not find ways to distract yourselves from the problems that you people are facing. Fun time’s over. Time for serious work, not for guano.
People should not be afraid of the truth. Personally, the more I know about the truth, the more I become relaxed about stuff I cannot do anything about.
i dont agree with your #5 though, as with Idiocracy, their sheer breeding rate will overwhelm us as their votes overwhelmed our votes for Gordon(or maybe they hocus PCOS’d it, maybe i’m a little too optimistic in thinking there couldn’t have been only around half a million smart enough to vote for Gordon amirite?).
@abner
As my former boss used to say while shaking his head: “If we don’t control our population, nature will.”
But you have a point too. They multiply like rabbits so napapalitan din kaagad. Parang D-day yan – dinaan na lang sa dami.
Not unless they possibly change the voting rules that can cut the idiocy in half maybe.
Or maybe if they did away with the stupid multi-party system as it is. Red+Green think of the same thing in the very core which the minor details that differ. Orange slightly but their priorities are too nationalist. The Tangerine+black+yellow are all under the same banner anyway.
I just found out about that site through this article. I laughed at the front page where it said “1/6th of crew on US command ship are Filipino.” Oh cool. What about the other 5/6th?
Yeah, right! I wonder how many seamen would rather they find a job at home? A lot I’m sure. And I wonder how many of the Filipino crews were actually born in America already? I’m sure a lot too. Which means, we can’t really consider them Pinoys anymore.
Ilda, I was thinking about that article too… The Filipino Today… i thought it was a load of bullshit thrown right at my face! It’s just so funny how we continue to be proud of individual Filipinos’ achievements… I just find it to be downright ridiculous. Those are their own achievements not of the Filipino people. When can the average Filipino begin to comprehend that???? He also mentioned those people who returned valuable things and you’re right on the money, is our society so far down the gutter that we actually celebrate when people do the right thing????
We Filipinos should stop sugarcoating everything and stop living in denial of our shameful deeds. I do believe that once the proud Filipino people realise and accept that there are a lot of things we ought to be ashamed of, that’s when we should start kicking ourselves in the butt and start doing something we can all be proud of as a nation/society.
@helios
Thank goodness I’m not the only one who felt the same way about that site!
@helios
Its almost mirroring the lauded and superficial current nigger culture of certain African American communities. Many in those live with the creed of get it how you live, meaning they recognize and reward those with material goods that represent social status. Of course to me that is all not bad if one worked hard and earned it, and they have other, more beneficial things to show for. Also are those (and this is a carryover in another comment I made) about justifying how they are good parents, as opposed to being recognized as bad ones per se? I mean, WTF.
Of course its not just the African American culture related but other ethnic groups as well with what they view as productive members to society and others are products of mediocrity in people.
That reminds me of what Ivan Drago said when his promoter told him that he disgraced the Soviets by losing to Rocky on Soviet soil:
“Ya oderzhu pobedu dlya sebya! Dlya sebya!”
(Translation: “I fight to win for myself! For myself!”)
i just visited the website, and around 6,000 people “liked” it… those 6k people need a good slapping in the face… on both cheeks!
That won’t be enough… I’d have given them nutcrackers.
Gee. That certainly proves what I said in my article. Feel good article kasi eh. Oh, well, their brain is wired differently…wait…I feel inspired to write another blog about that 🙂
anyone watched penoy’s interview/whatever you call it? Dang, those who were able to catch it said it was full of LOL.
Please send me the link because I didn’t get the chance to see it. thanks
hi there, Im a regular reader of your site and most of your posts eh “thumbs up” para sakin
itong post, medyo hindi ko nagustuhan, but siguro dahil di ako kasing smart ninyo or Im one of those average Filipinos na “out-of-touch with reality, in denial, self-righteous, defensive, shallow, and most of all triumphalist”
🙂 okay lang naman
matanong ko lang po:
1. kasi proud ako ke Charice, Manny, Efren, Venus at any Filipino or half Filipino na nakapagbibigay pride sa ating bansa…..does this make me the average Filipino na out-of-touch with reality etc etc ? sa anong aspeto po ba nagiging mali yung pagiging proud sa kababayan?
Sa inyong previous posts, if my cerebellum serves me well, pag na memention or nakukumpara ang 9/11 attack at yung Rolando thingy, eh sinasabi nyong walang basehan, malayo at magkaibang basketball court
In your post, after mentioning Marites Perez-Galam eh ibinalik nyo dun sa mga students na nag picture taking….
i think magkaibang court din po yung circumstances…para lang ba masabing utak bulinaw pa rin ang Pinoy despite the good deeds ng ibang kababayan?
sabihin na nating hindi sa lahat ng oras eh tama ang pagiging “happy go lucky” , pero hindi rin naman masama na “mag chill” or maging masaya sa mga achievements ng mga pinoy…
hindi po lahat ng tao mataas ang standards pagdating sa kung sino at ano ang dapat ipagdiwang or ikaka-proud….
please dont get me wrong….saludo po ako sa mga insights nyo, kung hindi ko po nakuha ng malalim yung point nyo…i am more than willing na marinig po ang side nyo
pasensya na po
sa tingin nyo, paano po ba dapat mag-isip ang isang Pinoy para makatulong sa pag unlad ng ating bayan? ano po mga suggestions nyo para sa aming “average thinkers”?
salamat po and more power
Angelieu, sa tingin ko naka address sa AP writers yung tanong mo, kaya hahayaan kong sila ang sumagot 🙂 i’m a regular reader too and tulad mo hindi naman lahat ng articles ay sinasangayunan ko. i think asking them to clarify things is only fair so you shouldnt be too apologetic about it.
There’s a difference between being proud OF someone and being proud BECAUSE of someone! Give credit where credit is due; don’t take the credit on behalf of them.
@Angelieu
Five stars for your comment. I’m glad you asked for clarification about these things rather than just turn your back completely from our site. If only lahat ng Filipino readers katulad mo, eh magkaka-intindihan tayong lahat!
Here are the answers to your questions:
1. It is actually ok to be proud of Manny, Charice, Efren or anyone who succeeds in their endeavor. But what’s not ok is when you become proud as a Filipino because of them. Their achievements are entirely their own not the whole country.
Kung iisipin mo, we admire Charice dahil maganda ang boses nya pero not everyone in the Phils has a nice voice. So ang ibig kong sabihin, hinde lahat tayo pwedeng mag-sabi na “ang galing talaga ng Pinoy!” dahil lang maganda ang boses ni Charice at napunta sya sa Hollywood.
Ganuon din si Manny P. Hinde lahat ng Pinoy ay pwedeng maging boxi-ngero 🙂 So pag-sinabi mo na “I’m proud to be Filipino” after Manny wins a fight, hinde tama yuon dahil ang dami-dami dyan na mga Pinoy na nag-fail din sa boxing – isa lang si Manny sa pag-kadami-daming gustong manalo.
When it comes to Efren, ok yung ginawa nya sa kanyang advocacy to teach the underprivileded kids to read pero, marami pa din ang nag-sasabi na kaya lang siya nanalo ng CNN award ay dahil ang mga overzealous Pinoys flooded the internet voting site. Kung baga, maraming nag-tatanong ngayon kung deserving nga ba si Efren manalo against the other nominees o nanalo lang sya dahil sa dami ng Pinoy na bomoto. Yung iba kasi hinde lang once bumoto, medyo paulit-ulit. Diba medyo unfair yun? Of course.
2. I’m not sure I understand your question about the comparison with the 9/11 and the Mendoza Hostage tragedy. I did mention in my last blog that it was said by some prominent Chinese personality that the Chinese in Hong Kong consider what happened on the 23rd of August their 9/11.
3. Ok, you are wondering why I mentioned the students who had their photos taken sa site of the hostage drama. Ang sagot ko dyan – yuon kasing article sa Goodnews Pilipinas, ibinaggit nung writer na “The Filipino heart is one of history’s biggest, one of the world’s rare jewels, and one of humanity’s greatest treasures.” I really don’t think that we are that special because if you look around you, there are millions of Filipinos who do not obey the law, our public officials included.
Meron mang mga taong exception kagaya nuong nag-balik ng wallet na napulot nya, pero evidently, mas marami pa ring ungas ang pag-uugali. Yung mga nag-pa-picture duon sa hostage site ay isa lang na ehemplo ng mga taong hinde na alam na mali ang kanilang ginawa.
4. Alam mo, hinde naman masamang mag-saya or mag-celebrate kapag merong okasyon, pero sa mga Pilipino kasi lahat na lang ng bagay ay binibigyan ng reason to celebrate. Gaya na lang ng pag-bisita sa cementeryo kapag Nov 1. Parang fiesta na lang sa cementeryo hinde na solemn ang okasyon tapos ang kalat, ay naku! Napapagastos tuloy lalo ang mga taong wala na nga halos pera. Dahil we are still a poor country, sana mas magsumikap tayo. We must work extra harded. When we achieve economic stability, we can reward ourselves, yes.
I hope you are satisfied with my answer. Kung hinde naman, just ask me again.
Ciao 🙂
Angelieu,
The answer is, “Charice, Manny, Efren, Venus at any Filipino or half Filipino na nakapagbibigay pride sa ating bansa,” serve as temporary escapes from the real problems of the Philippines. Same as the “12 little things” by Alex Lacson. They tell you to focus on few positive things, pero they also encourage to forget the bad things. That is wrong. It’s OK to admire Charice and others, but they do not solve the problems of the country. Kung baga, the pride they give us is only temporary relief. Also, they take us away from a better source of pride to work on – fixing our broken country.
We also think that getting addicted to “good news” makes you want to escape problems. Yes, it’s a normal human reaction, but that doesn’t make it right. This addiction to good news (I call it Pleasantry Addiction in one of my articles) causes us to delude ourselves with “there’s nothing wrong with the Philippines,” “we’re the best in the world,” and “we’re oppressed by other countries,” and all that. It’s nothing but wallowing in lies.
There may be good news about the Philippines, but don’t push out or try to forget the bad news… because that doesn’t make the problems go away. You face them squarely and work on the solutions. Look at BongV’s post on the “12 little things.” The Eight Big Things at the end of article is how to face those problems squarely.
to answer that clause on being proud of Manny, Charice, etc…
Ugaling Pinoy na yung naghahanap ng pansin sa mundo pag may sumikat na isang Pinoy. Imbes na maging inspirasyon nila ang mga taong nagpakahirap para makuha nila ang tagumpay, inaangkin nila yung tagumpay nung tao dahil sa rason na sila ay Pinoy.
“Wow Charice is on Glee! I’m proud to be a Filipino!”
“Manny is the best fighter in the world! I’m proud to be a Filipino”
Nung World Cup 2k10 nga may nakita pa akong Tweet tungkol sa pagkapanalo ng Spain
“Viva España! With a little of my blood mixed with Spanish heritage, it’s close for me to be proud of being a Pinoy!” What a BS.
If Pinoys want to become a proud “race” (kung meron man), they have to achieve it collectively as a nation, hindi yung nakiki-ride lang sa kasikatan ng iba.
Kung napahiya ang Pilipinas noong Aug. 23 dahil sa hostage drama, puede rin naman natin ipagmalaki ang Pilipinas, kung makikita ng ibang bansa ang ipagmamalaki natin dahil ginawa natin bilang isang bansa at hindi dahil gawa ng isang Pinoy. 🙂
@Angeliu
For me naman, basehan sa isang George Carlin vid, pwede naman maging proud sa gawahin ng tao, o ating mga ginagawa in terms of accolades and accomplishments. Ang nangyayari kasi nga minsan, kinukuha sina Venus, APL, Charice, Efren Penaflorida, Manny, etc. at ginagawa ang kanilang personal accomplishments na Pride of the country. Nagiging na ang kanilang gawa ay kabahagi din ng mga pinoy sa buong mundo, dahil pinoy sila.
Honestly, you see this tactic coming the moment they find out anyone in the western world kahit may kahalong dugong pinoy like Dave Bautista (WWE) or Tim Lincecum (MLB CY young national league last year) that have no idea of the Filipino culture, they will try ensnare them into it.
At ikan ni Carlin, ‘You can’t be proud of a genetic accident’. Wala naman effort nung pinanganak tayong Pinoy eh. So ung salita na proud to be __________(insert ethnic origin) ay parang walang kahulugan dahil wala syang logical sense sa statement na iyon, except to draw blind patriotism and nationalism. I mean, I can’t be proud being born with a high chance for high blood pressure and diabetes since its genetic. However you can be happy or be any emotion, of the situation you were brought into.
Anong “If my cerebellum serves me well.”?
Baka cerebrum. hehe. 😀
Itsura pa lang ng presidente natin ‘joke’ na 😛
Sumakay ako sa taxi nung umuwi ako ng Pinas.Sabi ba naman sa akin ng driver, “Alam mo miss, si Noynoy lang talaga ang iboboto ko.SIya ang mag-aahon sa ating bansa. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, hintayin mo lang manalo yan, at sasabihin mo sa sarili mo na maling akala pala ang lahat..Siguro ngayon nagsisisi na yung taxi driver na yun..
Ano ba yan. . kung di lang anak yan ni Cory, wala dyang boboto ano. Pasalamat siya Aquino ang apelyido niya.
The “L” sign is very appropriate for the word “loser” 😆
Yeah, right on! 😀
…. daaaang…. we have a japayuki in da haus… pekeng sakang… no wonder flips are fcuked-up…
I dont find anything wrong for putting up a website dedicated to show the triumphs of Filipinos. And celebrating about being a Filipino doesn’t mean we are already neglecting or forgetting the bad things that are happening around us.
Hi Mike
In a free world, anyone can put up a website like Goodnews Pilipinas. But unfortunately, there’s not enough substance in that site. What’s even worse is that they glorify little “wins” by a few individuals and make the majority of Filipinos think that everyone else can ride on their success. The mere fact that the writer had to remind people about the success of Manny, Efren, Charice and etc., just to make Filipinos feel better about themselves after the criticism we received from around the world after the hostage fiasco leaves a bad taste in any logical person’s mind.
This article is not really directed at the Good News website, but at the people who keep sending the links to the author. Their point is the old argument, “can’t you be more positive?” The answer is, it’s not only hard, but callous and uncaring to keep on trying to escape the negative stuff that’s so loud and hard to miss by wallowing in the “positive.”
The right thing to do is to tough oneself up and face the negative stuff squarely and accept the solutions, which are mentioned in BongV’s answer to the “12 little things” article. Good News Pilipinas tries to serve a purpose, but that purpose at this moment is misdirected.
ladies and gentlemen,
the president of the philippines
http://www.pcoo.gov.ph/multimedia.htm
Link didn’t work. Oh, well. I’ll just look it up 🙂
Naiintindihan ko na po, salamat ng major major!
It’s not right to claim Filipino Pride on the personal achievements of other Filipinos dahil hindi naman yun collective effort…siguro kung naka produce tayo ng outstanding businessmen or scientistsssss (na di sisairain ng media) it would imply a success on our educational system, at pwedeng ipagdiwang
now I understand why my mother has a different perspective on what we can proud of as Filipinos, for her Filipinos don’t know what patriotism is, no matter how much they/we preach about it…because for her most Filipinos don’t believe in themselves…low self-esteem…other nationalities look down on Filipinos because Filipinos themselves look down on themselves…I can understand her since she lived in an era when Philippines was just next to Japan in terms of tiger economy , then democracy entered the picture…and too much freedom led to lack of discipline and self-control…
i think the only time I can be proud of myself (being a Filipino) is when Im able to make myself useful (goal-wise) and contribute something to Philippines (within my reach)…gayunpaman, being a Filipino means that I am part of a heritage where family ties are of utmost importance and where respect for elders is taken to heart…for that I am HAPPY to be a Filipino
@Angelieu
Sorry, I know you are happy to be Filipino because of our apparent “strong family ties” and “respect for elders.” But the truth is, the downside to too much deference to our elders is that, the young people in our society do not have a voice or say in how things are being run in the country. We are discouraged from voicing our opinions to people who are older than us. Likewise, some young people think that we cannot question the decisions of the elders anymore.
If you think about it, it was the older generation who contributed to the decline of the morals of our society and not to mention the decay of the country’s infrastructure. Because of the decades of apathy and indifference by our “elders”, the country is now “the sick man of Asia.” From generation to generation, the mentality that we cannot question authority has contributed to our country’s downfall. This is why I have said in the past that Filipinos need to question authority intelligently.
Which would normally beggar the interrogative: When should authority be questioned? (My answer: When it is too incompetent to be considered authority.)
I agree with the substance of Angelieu in which she stated that life was comfortable enough during her mother’s time, but went south when too much democracy was introduced. Come to think of it, I don’t blame her. My grandmother is (most likely) of her mother’s generation, and she said the same thing. And the thing is, we don’t defer too much to our elders. Sure, we’re close to them, but with my mom’s side, we’re encouraged to think, to share our thoughts, to express ourselves. As opposed to my stepfather’s side, Templar-like all the way; young ones such as myself can’t think jack with the elders, almost all of them Aquinolaters. Which means on one side, I’m of a house that valued the ethos of the Roman Empire, while on the other, I’m of a Medieval house that suppresses free thought. God willing, I’ll live to see the Renaissance.
@Aegis
Well, if you are talking to P.Noy supporters, they will tell you that the Renaissance has already started – “ang matinong daan”… or highway to hell.
The CBCP is privately also encouraging Noynoy to go forth and multiply and to remember that condoms 😳 is against Vatican teachings.
—————
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20100909-291352/Bachelor-Aquino-admits-he-has-no-time-to-date-anymore
MANILA, Philippines – Asked about his love life during a panel interview supposed to focus on the August 23 hostage crisis, President Aquino said on Thursday he has been too busy to go out on a date.
He said if ever he had time, he and his date would not have enough privacy, anyway.
“Many want to take my picture with them,” Mr. Aquino said.
Asked about the probability of having a first lady, the bachelor President said: “Hope springs eternal.”
They call this “Renaissance” and “matinong daan?!” As much as CGMA was a real robber baron, at least nag-matino siya, my PNoy-worshipping stepdad be damned! If this were the Renaissance, Fine Arts, High Culture, and Relevant Science would be FLOURISHING under the guidance of inspired minds! However, Fine Arts are near-nonexistent, High Culture is spat upon, and Relevant Science is at a standstill. We can’t call this time a Renaissance, it’s the Dark Ages altogether! Yes, we are in the Dark Ages, with leaders that raise hell and the benevolent ayatollahs of the CBCP causing the real leaders to end up with heads up their asses. At least during the Renaissance, there was less stupidity and more of progress!
I wouldn’t blame it on democracy. I would blame it on misuse of democracy. In truth, we’re not actually practicing democracy. Actually, things were starting to go down after World War 2, when the Lopez family dabbled in politics. This is according to my reading of Greed and Betrayal by Cecilio Arillo. The Lopezes dabbled into politics, supporting certain candidates to get connections for business the dirty way. They fund someone, then when they get tired, they drop him and move to another candidate. They basically owned so many businesses that they could practically rule Metro Manila. They also took over media networks (Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network… you what what that means) because there were effective means to control culture.
Marcos had the chance to correct it, but replaced oligarchs with cronies. With Cory, oligarchs just came back. Cory’s gov’t quickened the downtrend. Then came the 1997 Asian crisis. How sunk we were basically remained after that, because of our oligarch-dependent economy. However, these oligarchs churn out media and culture that ruin our values. Media is one reason why many people have low self-esteem, because they love portraying people with low self-esteem as the heroes. Filipinos look down on themselves because the media looks down on them.
Agree with Ilda, some of the old people are themselves part of the problem since they lived in the time that Lopez-owned and other oligarch-owned media fed them ideas that they are always oppressed, that if they were still poor, they can get dole outs instead of work, and criminals are cool heroes against the police, etc (criminal movies of the 70s and 80s… and we’re still in Lopez-owned media times today). It’s time to boycott our local media and look elsewhere for better content. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Isocrates: “Democracy destroys itself because it abuses its right to freedom and equality. Because it teaches its citizens to consider audacity as a right, lawlessness as a freedom, abrasive speech as equality, and anarchy as progress.”
Read More http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010?printable=true#ixzz0z6O0o3Ut
I admit, i do love my family. But the mentality of giving out ‘sustento’ to all of the family is getting in my nerves. Because of this ‘strong family ties’, the offsprings are being asked to help ‘support the family. I hate the fact that even my own family guilt me into it. Instead of saving for my future family, now I’m stuck with relatives who only wanted money and this ‘utang-na-loob’ guilt tripping.
It’s not my fault my parents have a bunch of kids.Suddenly it’s my ‘responsibility to feed and educate my siblings, cousins etc.. just because ‘nakaka-angat’ daw ako.. Geez, .. kung minsan nakakapagod na talaga.
@nymphetamine
Sabi nga nila, “success is relative” … but only in da Philippines 🙂
Hundreds, if not thousands of Filipinos feel the same way as you do. You can only do so much. Spoon feeding them is not good to you and to them. They have to learn to be self-sufficient soon.
They have only learned to rely on those who are working hard. I can’t turn my back on my family though, they mean so much to me, but the rest.. I don’t really care. It’s like when you’re in this small town, where everyone knows you, they expect you to ‘remember’ them when in fact there’s absolutely nothing to be remembered about. All they ask is for pasalubong, they don’t even ask for my well-being. I hate it so much, sometimes I’d go back to our country not letting anyone know except my family. LOL That way, walang buong baranggay na sasalubong at hihingi lang nga pakunswelo.
It’s really disappointing whenever I go back and see the Philippines. Not just the people but the surroundings as well.
@nymphetamine
I know where you are coming from. I can understand some assistance, like paying for their school so when they finish they can find a job and sustain themselves. I’m going to be a in a certain situation like that soon, but I have a plan for it. An evil plan, because I’m going to turn them into thinkers in return 😈 But being in charge of their well being as well? This is where the utang ng loob is a double edged sword. You have your own goals to keep in mind, as any human who longs for success and accomplishment, but they take a step back to your family who know has someone to ‘leech’ on for some financial assistance.
“6. I now know that smart people can actually make money out of losers because losers buy a lot of useless trinkets like that shirt with a Philippine map embroidered on it. ”
i always hated that shirt and jacket >_< (yep they made a jacket with the phil map embroidered on it…………..reedunkoulous)
@kiku… daaang…. hey japayuki aka pekeng sakang…. you should write VELY FUNNY to be believable… kasi, sakangs pronounce “L” as “R” and vice versa… like FRIED RICE, it’s phonetically proununced as FLIED LICE… that’s more like it…
I wouldn’t pop my vein over this little thing… but it does symbolize how people try to use patriotism the wrong way, like just to get a high… you wave the Firipin flag, shout you’re proud to be Firipino… then eight foreign hostages die… still say proud to be Firipino….
It’s a sign of desperation… things are so bad, nothing makes me proud or happy… I’ll just fake being proud or happy anyway.
Dang! Why didn’t I think of that! I should be raking in the dough right now…it’s not too late to cash in on the emotional clientele. Especially now with this tragedy, Filipinos are looking for something they can hold on to. Maybe a mug or a keychain with P.Noy’s photo on it while having lunch at Emerald? But of course, it has to be made in China 🙂
When you cannot find anything working in your country. You have to feature successful and famous Filipinos. To make yourself feel better. And not suffer from Depression or Nervous Breakdown. Every nationality has its great people; it has also its worst people. It has its successful people; it has also its failures. We should look at our problems. Solve them. Elect competent leaders. Demolish the Political Family Dynasties. Take a good look at Ourselves. Live in our REALITIES. Get out from that idiotic EDSA delusion; useless nationalistic fervor; etc… They will never give us a cavan of rice; or solve the squatter problems. The more we accept our Realities. The better, we can become… 8)
“It’s simple, really. But not for the small minded.”
– by Benign0 🙂
To the information of everybody: This AP Website is attacked by a Hacker. They Duplicated the Website. They manipulated the Website; so that you cannot put a Blog Comment. Especially, if they know your emaIl address. When you put a Blog it says: “Wrong CAPTCHA” or “Wrong Email Address. I was a former Blogger at FV. So, they know my email. When you log in, in the AP. You can see; there are two PATHS being opened. Just Delete the First Path, and enter your comments.
members of my family are never subscribers to individual filipino achievements (manny’s, charice’s, & who is that efren person ba? 😯 ) to show to the world that we are proud to be filipino, so i can really say my family are still in this world. my question though is: what are those things in us and in our history that we can be proud of collectively as filipinos? here’s mine:
1) people power (edsa 1): although i eagerly chanted “marcos pa rin!” 😈 , that event has shown to the world that filipinos can grab power by peaceful means. my cousins who were in US that time were loved by their non-filipino friends there because it was an achievement of our being peace-loving 😯 people. unfortunately, it’s abused now, so i don’t know if i should still be proud of it.
2) kicking the US bases: i hated it because gifts i get from americans stopped coming, but it showed to the world that we have that drive to be on our own, to be not controlled by foreign entities. however, with the present situation now, i wonder if we really made the right choice.
3) servant mentality – totally degrading, but the world has to achieve balance & we participated actively by being down there. yak! still totally degrading.
i can’t think of anything else…coz i’m looking for achievements in sciences, in politics, in philosophies, in literature, in art etc. for example, in television art, filipinos lead in evolving a new genre. do we have it? or in sports, we are the world champion for sepak takraw (a team sport unlike individualized boxing) & everybody is playing sepak takraw on the streets, parks with tv channels devoted to it. but we don’t have a team sport that we as a nation are fond of and has achieved greatness for it (ha ha for people who thinks: basketball!). manny would be someone we can be proud of collectively as filipino only if most filipinos are really playing boxing. but most filipinos are just boxing cheerers, so we can’t own boxing & manny as boxing champion as our collective achievement, because we never really participated in the sport itself.
so what else have we really achieved collectively? 🙄
Trolling and vandalism.
@palebluedot
Sigh. Looking at the summary of our “highs” in the past, I can’t help but notice that we seem to overdo things once we get famous for it. No wonder it becomes a source of our “lows.” People power is a classic example of this. We were praised for a peaceful revolution but then we had to do it again and again like some kind of junkie. It’s because we just want to be famous with minimal effort. We don’t want to think first about the consequences of our actions before doing it.
We will never achieve world class status as a people if what the majority only care about is being famous. We should strive to be good at something first. Fame and fortune will come naturally if we really are good at something. Even if it doesn’t come, we should just live peacefully as a people.
… daaang… i do not patronize “SUCKCESSPOOL” flips… i don’t give a flying kahoot who won what, who’s da best boksingero, who sings what and where, who made this and that… i have my own basura biznez to run… and daaaang, it’s thriving… why can’t y’all do the same?…. kasi, flips are too much politika, too much relihiyon, too much tsismis, too much inggit, etchastera, etc… ME? i’m just having a helluva good taym… kaya kayong mga flips, y’all harden der (manigas kayo)… 😳
@ulong pare,
also, too much rice, too much baboy… too much cholesterol.. hindi makapunta ang dugo sa utak.
@nfa r: i learned long time ago that flips were/are of a different breed… they are shallow but notoriously wicked… with a little of this, and a pinch of that, flips are easy to manipulate… i call it “transformational relationship”… personally, i’m a connoiseur of galunggong fritti en blanched kang kong, and a cup of basmati rice washed down by a century old, thousand dollar choktong ooooopsie champagne… lechon kawali, adidas, and bulaklak followed by a shot of tumbanog w/ pasas for special occasion… to circulate blood in all my extremeties, a good fcuk is it…. don’t y’all know that a good fcuk is comparable to a 6 mile run?
Trolls with aneurysms make more sense than you do.
Fluent English: you must learn it. Tossing out words that sound good but not really knowing what it actually means defeats the purpose of your comments.
Darned, Buloy, why focus on the form when the substance is always a hundred times more important.
@buloy… you’re a receipient of my wisdom… admit it… and, take it… learn something from it… you can impart the same wisdom to your fellow gung gongs, one gung gong at a time… someday, you’ll see what you have accomplished… o hayan ha, dat’s beri-beri simpol inles… nat pluwent inles…
4. I just happen to be born in this country called the Philippines but it does not mean that I have to be imprisoned by the average Filipino’s mentality and way of life
–bingo.
I just happen to be born in my country called Japan and it means that I have to shoulder criticizm against other Japanese mentality, way of life and our past history.
“5. I have come to accept that losers don’t listen and never learn from their mistakes. The process of natural selection will take care of them soon enough. ”
One problem in Philippine society is this: It is an ANTI INTELLECTUAL society with parents breeding children and teaching them the same anti intellectual platitudes and philosophy that their children grow up with. Hence children grow up and marry people who share similar backward values who are most likely going to grow up marry similar people who share that backward mentality.
Lamarckian evolution does not work in the Philippines.
But Darwinian rules are in effect. Let the lesser minds breed themselves to kingdom come… We have PLENTY of calamities to thin them down, in any case. The true humans will be safe from these hells, while those pathetic excuses for men and women would eventually be eliminated.
That’s why you need an enabling environment – or the Darwinian environment will take over. No ifs, no buts, .. it will take over. Lesser minds will die from another Ondoy.
How many Ondoys do you think it will take before the lesser minds finally man up and become worthy of the title “Human?”
“Speaking of good news, recently, I have come to realize that I should never have to be ashamed of being Filipino — ever — for the following reasons:”
That reminds me, I recently wrote on my FB status” “Some people seem to believe that if you’re not proud to be Filipino, you are ashamed, and vice versa. This is wrong; it is a false dichotomy. You can still be Filipino and not be ‘proud’ or ‘ashamed.’ It’s more appropriate to be ‘humbled’ at this time.”
If people wish to discuss opposites:
Pride / Humility
Shame / Honor
Shame and pride are not the exact opposites… for me at least.
P.Noy’s immediate responses towards the whole hostage crisis was shameful. He needs some lessons in humility. Unfortunately, there was still no hint of humility in his recent press conference. He should be ashamed of himself.
@chinof: there’s no shame in me as being a filipino…. my peers know better.. prez gung gong’s dossier speaks volume about him (personally)… he does not represent me or any homeyz in my outfit. in my ‘hood (where i work), filipinos are treasured lot…. by the way, we are different kind of basureros…
Sir ChinoF,
I’ve been thinking how they can change their idea…
Actually, we can’t convert other people’s idea.
They have to realize it by themselves from kind of heavy personal experience.
The point is, they have to confront their identity crisis once at least.
One thing is for sure… I’m a loser… But, I feel more optimistic to know that there are other loser out there… And some of them… are worse than me… Which makes me a winner… And PNoy’s doing is such a annoyance which I wish I wasn’t born here… Yet, I’m proud to be a Filipino under my own accord!
@Ryunken
The fact that you recognise that there is a need for improvement in you and in our society does not make you a loser in my book.
If I have to be realistic about it, there are Filipinos who will be affected by the hostage tragedy and P.Noy’s incompetence. Our tourism industry will suffer and some OFW’s in HK and China might have to bear the brunt of the fallout. In short, it is not a good time to be a Filipino right now for some.
What we need to do now is to be less reliant on our government. We need to find ways of surviving even when the crisis becomes crippling. Since the economy of the Philippines is unstable, we need to spend less and save so that we can survive the next time P.Noy makes his devastating gaffe that will affect international relations.
Let us not be victims of clever marketing. I know it’s hard especially if you see an Apple store but if you live in the Phils, you never know when the next crisis will hit you.
That is true. I fear going to HK ever since that thing happened. I don’t know if this is real but I have heard that some Chinese in Hk sprayed acids to some Filipinos living there. I felt sad and outraged, but there’s really nothing that we can do about it. Also, a lot were fired from work. I hope the President realizes the outcome of his actions.
Halos ang mga OFW ang nagpapakain sa libo-libong pamilya sa Pilipinas. Alam dapat ng presidente ito. How stupid our president can get?
daaaang…. FACT: stupidity has no cure….. unfortunately, flip majority are stupid… ay sus ginoo…
@everyone
Tagalugin ko na ha, sana hindi bawal…mas epektibo ang sasabihin ko pag sa ganitong paraan eh.
Alam nyo naman ang ugali nating mga Pinoy eh, mahilig maki-ride on pag may magandang nangyari sa isang tao. Pag may nanalo sa lotto, lahat ng kapitbahay hihingi ng balato. Pag nanalo si Pacquiao sa boksing, marami ring hihingi ng balato sa kanya. Putsa nga, sa office namin, pag naka-close ka ng sale eh inaasahan ng mga kasama mo na manlilibre ka. Pag hindi mo ginawa iyon sasabihin nila na madamot ka. WTF?! (End Tagalog mode)
Here’s the bottom line: these people earned their victories/achievements through blood, sweat, tears and a whole lotta sacrifice to their own comfort. They are the only ones who deserve to receive the fruits of their labor. And then you expect me to just accept it if after the victory, the leeches would come and try to share in the benefits of what obviously they did not earn?!
Ika nga, “ako ang nagtanim, ako ang nagsaing, iba ang kumain.” Several generations ago this kind of attitude was frowned upon, as proven by that old Pinoy proverb. What the effing hell happened that this attitude has not only become commonplace, but is now even considered as “proudly Pinoy”?
Excellent post, AP.
Didn’t St. Paul say something along those lines? 2Thess 3:10 shoves the socialist ethos up its advocates’ collective ass.
2 Thess. 3:10
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
Exactamundo, Padre.
As a nominal Christian, I knew we had the light of reason.
Heck, even God is on our side on this one. 😉
But they have their own interpretation of the Bible 😦
@Ronald
That’s a good one. I might use it for my future posts.
ciao
I WTF’ed to myself as I read the words under the site’s logo. “Positive Action. Triumphs. Inspirational Stories.” We have gotten so low we need a website such that advertises those three said things to lift our spirits up.
Also,
“6. I now know that smart people can actually make money out of losers because losers buy a lot of useless trinkets like that shirt with a Philippine map embroidered on it.”
I remember one time having a conversation with my sibling about the inanity of those dog tags from Ako Mismo and the way anything that had a sun and three stars (or a map of the Philippines) sold well. Since avian flu was the disease of the time and Filipinos were making a fuss over facial masks, I blurted out sarcastically that I could make quite an amount of money churning out facial masks that “show our patriotism”. 😐 🙄
@Kotobuki
Yeah, I wanted to include their motto in my article at first. They really are a triumphalist bunch, aren’t they? 🙂
They are the type who will buy feel good books/paraphernalia so you better take advantage of this.
Thank you Ilda for mentioning Natural Selection, I usually reserve those words for bad motorists, and pilipinos in general.
My family does not like it one little bit when I say those words, dismissing me as arrogant, but when you’re on the side of virtue, I don’t think there’s any contest.
Darwin will take care of the pilipinos.
100 millions Filipinos all in one place. Somebody’s bound to get mad. No wonder other’s end up killing each other.
@Paolo
Huwag mo namang lahatin. Kahit mga estupido na Pilipino na lang ang mawala sa Pilipinas tatanggapin ko na rin iyon. 😉
“I now know that smart people can actually make money out of losers because losers buy a lot of useless trinkets like that shirt with a Philippine map embroidered on it.”
Judging from the abundance of ads in GoodNewsPilipinas. I think the creators of that website are actually earning lots of money from exploiting the triumphalist mentality of the Filipinos. The creators are not they are not contributing positively to the problem. Instead, the creator further reinforces the Filipino dependence on shallow good news to temporarily heal their shattered pride. So I guess, this is a form of crab-mentality: fellow Filipinos exploiting each other’s weaknesses to feed their own self-interests.
As always, another nicely-written article with a huge dose of honesty and analysis. Great article, Ilda! How I wish you could replace those shallow-minded and incompetent columnists in the newspapers.
🙂
@LightBulb!
You know I’m glad you mentioned that because I couldn’t stand staying in that site too long so I didn’t notice it myself. I just read a few articles that get sent to me once in a while. I do notice though that every time I go to a Filipino site like Inquirer.net, they always have ads that are provocative or those dating sites with photos of Filipino women in daring shots.
The ads in Goodnews Pilipinas prove that the owner of the site is not really genuinely that concerned about the overall welfare of the country but are more concerned with the income they can generate with the number of hits. Unless they specifically state that the proceeds from the ads go to a good cause.
Thanks for the compliment 🙂
“The ads in Goodnews Pilipinas prove that the owner of the site is not really genuinely that concerned about the overall welfare of the country but are more concerned with the income they can generate with the number of hits. ”
ilda, i’ve never really opened that goodnews site ever, basically because i do not want them to gain something from me. just by opening their site, that’s kaching! for them. by featuring a link in your blog, you have actually “promoted” them & made them richer 😛
Can anyone do an article on Kuro-kuro.com . . . i want to know what the AP blogger’s thoughts are on this site.
it’s Kuro-kuro.org
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