Culture of Corruption & Culture of Poverty

Biklish has an interesting post on how the cultures of poverty and corruption were embedded in the Filipino psychology. The posts say that it's a result of the legitimization provided by the government, the people and the Church.

A portion of the post is as follows:

[...] a few individuals in the government became greedy. They became corrupt until corruption became a virus. By their silence, the people seemed to have allowed the virus to spread...

To give moral legitimacy to corruption, the Church also had her part. For instance, during the Marcos-Aquino presidential elections, Cardinal Sin was at the forefront saying: Ang pera sa bulsa, ang boto sa balota...

This was further strengthened when the high-ranking members of the Church admitted accepting money from PAGCOR, or money from gambling operations...

But more than the strengthening of the culture of corruption, the Church also has a role to play in strengthening the culture of poverty. Intentionally or not, she had been espousing a mis-contextualized Biblical passage “Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”... In the proper context, though, poverty should not be with a child of God. Again, basing from the Bible and even the Q’ran, man was created in the image of God. And God is not poor. As a matter of fact, God gave man the authority over everything on earth. Man can utilize that, etc., etc.

Of course, to be blamed also are the people. They accept things without questions. And they treat alleged authorities with pure reverence. Just like their treatment for the government. Just like their treatment with the Church. Otherwise, another people power uprising should have transpired even without the leadership of the Church[...]

War and Lip Service

"Just like America."

This statement bests describe the administration of Aling Gloria as she tries to project that her government is also a power-that-be. Mantakin niyong mag-utos ang ale na: "I have specified a timeline -- three years -- to end armed rebellion in the Philippines.” Galeng di ba? As if ang choppers ng AFP ay di bumabagsak pag inaabutan ng hangin. As if ang ulo ng mga marines ay ulo lang ng teddy bear na kinatay ni Biboy. As if kaya nga talaga. Hanep, di ba?

Dagdag pa: We too will fight back and repel the incursions of insurgency and terrorism. We will not stop until the bandits find no more nook to hide in the land they have blighted and no sanctuary to seek from the people they have terrorized and used as shields.

Galing! Paano na nga ba nakuha ang pari na na-kidnap a few weeks ago? May nakakaalala pa ba?

Sabagay, ever since naman, trying hard copycat ang Pinas at ang ale. At the brink of collapse, Bush declared war against Afghanistan and Iraq kaya natalo si Kerry. Sabi nga sa film ni Jackie Chan na Rush Hour 3, war freak ang mga kano at parang di sila kano kung walang giyera. So Gloria tried to copy that. Ang problema, mukhang di swak ang script sa totoong mga pangyayari. Ano ang ibabala sa mga baril ng mga sundalo, laway? O gagawa na naman kayo ng excuse para dagdagan ang budgetary allotment sa AFP? At budgetary allotment din sa intelligence funds? Hmmmnnnn.....

One time, nahuli si Tikboy ng prof niya na nangongopya during exams. Even then, di ito pinahiya ng prof. Nang i-release ang result ng exams, negative ang resulta ni Tikboy so he asked his prof why. Sagot ng prof: Mangongopya ka na nga lang mali pa? So dahil dalawang beses ka nagpalpak, negative ang binigay ko sa iyo.

Similarly, nangongopya na nga si Aling Gloria, mali pa ang kinokopya. Ba't di na lang tularan ang Switzerland? O kaya ang mga free country sa iba't ibang lupalop ng mundo? Ang Japan? Sila, walang masyadong focus sa giyera. Focus nila, paano pagsilbihan ang mga constituents nila at ma-satisfy ang gusto ng mga ito. Similarly, if Gloria will focus on social welfare and poverty alleviation, nobody will be thinking of fighting for food and joining the terrorist for the sake of income. And nobody will go to the streets and shout their grievances. Di ba malinaw ang kasabihang "Don't talk when your mouth is full"? Ibig sabihin, kung busog ang mga tao, nobody will cry foul and nobody will want her ouster.

Omens and Lumens

Who says GMA is copying Tabako Ramos?

More than a decade ago, El Presidente Fidel "Tabako" Ramos proposed NIC-hood. Marami ang umangal at umangil. Erap was said to have copied the vision and renamed it by including the same in the agenda of his Jeep ni Erap. Later, Gloria in the Palace also was said to have copied the NIC-hood only that the name was changed to "Strong Republic" added with the spice of cha-cha, tango, etc.

Pero mali pala. Mas matindi pala ang pangarap ni Gloria. Quoting her 2007 SONA:

Hangarin kong mapabilang ang Pilipinas sa mayayamang bansa sa loob ng
dalawampung taon. By then poverty shall have been marginalized; and
the marginalized raised to a robust middle class.

We will have achieved the hallmarks of a modern society, where
institutions are strong.

By 2010, the Philippines should be well on its way to achieving that vision.

So, will she stay until 2037? Grabe naman yun.

Pero teka, mukhang Kristiyana nga talaga si Gloria. Sabi sa Bible: And the poor shall always be with you. So Gloria said: After 20 years, poverty shall have been marginalized; and the marginalized raised to a robust middle class.

Mukhang lugi tayo dun ah. So she isn't serious in eradicating poverty. Sabagay, if there is no poverty, wala rin silang pera. As there is money in garbage so is there richness in poverty. Asan na ba ang mga international loans ng bansang Pilipinas just to eradicate poverty? At magkano na nga ba ang loans na yun? At asan na rin ang mga batas at polisiya ntumutugon sa kahirapan? Pabahay ni Noli na kung wala ng pambayad ang nakatira palalayasin na? Rice and noodles na ibinebenta sa murang halaga at itsa-puwera ang walang pera? Trabaho na contractualization ang sistema at after six months tanggalan blues na? Palayasin ang mga professionals natin at ipagtabuyan sa ibang bansa para maging DH ang titsers at maging nurse ang doktor? Are these the ways to address poverty? Galing naman no?

Well, these are omens. And these luminates us what our "strong leader" is doing to make us weak.