Thread: Philippine politics and economics
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11-05-13 11:52 #65
Posts: 1459Originally Posted by Cbea20 [View Original Post]
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11-05-13 10:40 #64
Posts: 232Senator Estrada
Dude, the article is satire. Read the comments.
Originally Posted by Hutsori [View Original Post]
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11-05-13 08:30 #63
Posts: 1459Sen. Jinggoy Estrada Arrested After Trying to Smuggle Money
The latest brouhaha.
http://sowhatsnews.wordpress.com/201...-breast-to-us/
Yeah, I know.
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11-05-13 08:27 #62
Posts: 4050Originally Posted by Red Kilt [View Original Post]
There's an article in today's Philippine Inquirer citing a recent World Bank study that indicates the country must create approximately 10 million new jobs every year. I doubt that more than 2 million are actually created, so, sad to say, the current level of poverty will likely remain, or perhaps even grow.
However, the current, corrupt system of doling out hand-outs by individual politicians, using taxpayer funds to do so, can be changed with sufficient political vision (an oxymoron here I know) and by capacitating existing agencies to do what they were created to do: by making DPWH responsible for the maintenance of all national roads, for example, or by empowering the Department of Social Welfare to do the job that it's mandated to do. This wouldn't really take long if the political class here had any interest in effecting meaningful change.
The fact is, this will never happen, as politicians relish the feudalism that indentures poorer voters, amd with 1. 9 million new Filipinos being born every year, the stock of poor Filipinos is constantly replenished.
GE
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11-05-13 04:38 #61
Posts: 3230Originally Posted by Capistrano [View Original Post]
You have to spend time in the provinces and in the barangays to realize that very small amounts of money make a huge difference to many families' lives, and sometimes the money they give saves lives, even if it is still a form of 'delayed vote-buying".
Just last week I heard about a local congressman in Luzon who gave a family 500 pesos to buy some urgently needed medicine for a new baby, and now that pollie will be forever supported by that grateful family. We all know how people go cap in hand to local members to seek cash for funerals, medicines and for paying bills to get family members out of hospital etc.
I am not advocating the continuation of this system but with no government-regulated safety nets these desperately poor people have no other options but to rely on handouts when crises strike. Most of the time they get by with virtually nothing, surviving on their subsistence farming activity.
The whole system needs changing, but with such mind-boggling numbers of poor people in barangays all over the Philippines, it cannot be easily changed nor can it be done quickly.
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11-05-13 03:01 #60
Posts: 1685For some interesting stuff.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/tv/tv...en/873876.html
I was amazed that since 2000, the number of childhood pregnancies went up. What went wrong?
Did the politicians make it ok for getting pregnant and possibly encouraged it?
Possibly as a way to keep the poor as poor, and my friends in PH insist that the rise has to do with the uncontrolled migration of people to
In a far away country, a distant relative of ours was tasked to coming up with educational programs for estate workers, and my 'uncle' thought of some good high-tech programs. When the minister found out the course content, my uncle was scolded by the minister with the exact following words:
"Don't teach these bastards good stuff. Later they will question me and throw me out of power. Teach them stuff like motorcycle repair, car repair, basic electrical stuff. That's enough. Teach them IT and stuff, they will take over my job."
Well, I see the same in PH.
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10-30-13 05:10 #59
Posts: 47Originally Posted by Wicked Roger [View Original Post]
Just my opinion.
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10-28-13 19:14 #58
Posts: 6781Politics Philippine style
This article made me chuckle and really there is little hope for change when the barangay elections are rife with vote buying etc.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/516211/...t-for-p1k-each
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10-28-13 17:10 #57
Posts: 458Lest we think this uniquely a Filipino morass
Wallace's commentary concludes with:
<<What went wrong? In a word, politicians. The corruption and crony capture under Marcos started it all. The restrictive Constitution under Cory changed the people but kept the capture of the economy by too few.
Comical the preponderant liberal bent of postings here when reality is moderate politicians of both wings are captured in USA, not so unlike what Wallace writes of the PI. How many criminal indictments has the Obama administration served in the six years he's been in office following the trillions of dollars stolen and redistributed upwards? How many USD has he clawed back from the scores of billionairres who's wealth grew feverishly while average incomes dropped? Nada. Frontline's expose on Obama's DOJ esp criminal div point man Lanny Breuer illustrates to all but the delusional the capture in the US, even under the liberal's precious Democratic banner.
By comparison, the last 30 years in the USA not so different (save the printing press we call reserve currency allowing elites to narcotize the masses, that petulant possibly rebellious and growing 47%). Our 17 trillion in debt has bought us effective governance, though most nations such as the PI do not have the luxury our central bank has.
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10-28-13 06:05 #56
Posts: 1562Originally Posted by Hutsori [View Original Post]
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10-27-13 15:24 #55
Posts: 4050Originally Posted by Asian Rain [View Original Post]
As to the "sexpat" characterization, I'd have to reject that as well, if by it you mean someone whose primary motivation in living here is the ready availability of sex. I've been an expatriate for the better part of 3 decades, which means I've lived in the chocolate factory way too long to be fascinated by, or even attracted to the candy. Again, most of the longer-term expats I know, be it here, in Thailand, throughout Africa and other places have much the same perspective. I'm sure that most of the guys reading this board would find my life fairly dull.
Many if not most of us do what we can to help those we're capable of helping. That is, we do what we can to make life a bit better for a few.
ISG and other, less sexually oriented forums may represent a relatively safe way of venting the frustration of living in a place with huge potential that will never be realized.
GE
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10-27-13 15:04 #54
Posts: 3230Originally Posted by Asian Rain [View Original Post]
I also am helping 4 "poorest of the poor" kids through a Foundation to attend Night High School; each of the 4 kids are now in tertiary studies.
All it takes is 12, 000 php per year (or 3000 per student)
A very meagre offering I know but I do feel I am making a difference to some peoples' lives.
I'm not boasting; Just saying.
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10-27-13 09:48 #53
Posts: 1459A good read
Those of you interested in the goings on in the West Philippine Sea may find this report interesting, http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/...sea/?ref=world
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10-27-13 07:36 #52
Posts: 946Originally Posted by Wicked Roger [View Original Post]
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10-27-13 07:07 #51
Posts: 47Originally Posted by KongKing [View Original Post]