The Philippines is under ‘undeclared martial law'

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According to Topix.net the Philippines is under an 'undeclared martial law'. How true is that? What we do know about Philippines politics is that there is a culture of power lusters and corruption, and collusion between the major parties. Consider for instance that President Arroyo pardoned deposed former president Joseph Estrada. Why would you do that unless you wanted the same treatment in opposition, that is to be unaccountable for your crimes. This is consistent with the perception that corruption has increased under Arroyo. I've only lived in the Philippines 2 years but I've seen a lot of corruption. The US government even expressed dismay at the high number of opposition leaders being murdered or disappearing, and the high level of political killings. A significant number of journalists have also been killed for expressing opinions against certain political interests.
Certainly there is no martial law in the Philippines, but the threat should be considered serious because Gloria Arroyo is currently prevented from running for a 2nd term. She is not without her options, and among them are:
1. Attempting to change the constitution. She has supported Federalism as a means of giving the Moros their lands in Muslim Mindanao. It would seem reasonable if the government had not spent the last 100 years trying to marginalise them through population resettlement and kill them. But fine, all is forgiven.
2. Declaring martial law. One of the problems with allowing a president to declare martial law is the chance of the law being misused. It would be easy enough for the president's supporters in the military to conspire to fabricate a 'civil emergency' that would justify martial law, whether its the killing of people, or more likely a series of bomb attacks around the Philippines.
3. Getting one of her children or supporters elected: If you can't get re-elected, why not get one of your supporters elected. Arroyo has family in politics. Maybe they will ascend as a proxy. No signs of that yet, but no election until 2010, so time to groom them for the presidency.

Reading the Topix story there seems to be confusion over terminology. Martial law is a period of enhanced presidental power. There is the concern that after 30 days, when martial law is due to expire (after the end of her term), that she could pay off a number of politicians to achieve an indefinite extension. More likely however would be a move to rewrite the Constitution. The Philippines has replaced its constitutions every 30 years on average. It needs to be conceded however that Arroyo has done a good job reforming the economy in many respects, so she is no slouch there. Of course they said the same about President Marcos, who failed to execute. Arroyo by contrast has just been slow. The trend however is positive. Could it be that she is just impatient with democracy. Aside from the political-related killings, it might be comparable with President Roosevelt's total disregard for the Constitution. eg. The IRS Code and abolition of the gold standard.

If one looks around the world it is a given that we are in a period of fascism, where corporate government alliance has far more power than that of the much maligned unions, consumer (given the weak regulation). Fascism today is far less confrontational than the pre-WWII days. It reads to be understood that there are blunter tools than guns to get what you want. Its easier to misappropriate funds and pay off your detractors. You will find some journalists are paid off to shut up, and they are the one's who don't respond to the threat of murdered journalists.

The Philippines language

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I was just having a conversation with my GF about the Tagalog (Philippine) language. She was explaining the reasons why she didn't like the language. I think its very easy for a person to discard their culture, language or values, as some collective trash, but really there is often some value in it. She was saying:
1. Tagalog was very repetitive: Upon discussion or critical appraisal of the language it was apparent that it was really quiet logical in its structure. She said it was an integration of Bahasa (Indonesian), Spanish and Chinese, and maybe local native dialects, but her example was not true.
2. Tagalog was emotive: I tend to agree with her point: I notice that she will talk in English with people, but when she wants to be emotional, she will switch to Tagalog. There is a pleading in the Philippine language. I don't however think this is a problem restricted to Tagalog. Having had Japanese and Korean girlfriends, and friends in Europe as well, I can say that a great many Asian and mainland European languages are pleading or tragic. People are like this way for a reason. They are seeking alms or concessions. Its a tool. Understandable that people use it to get what they want, but sadly the counterparty is unable or unwilling to counter it with reason. Herein lies a failure of Asian and mainland European thinking that manifests itself in language.
3. Tagalog is tiresome: Her argument was that it is much harder to explain things in Tagalog compared to English. This is not surprising, though clearly my GF could not appreciate the difference because she didn't appreciate the history of these cultures. English techical words like at the core of most languages because the Western world popularised their use though the Industrial revolution. Today English is the level of science and other technical subjects such as philosophy despite the illogical structure of English. The illogical structure of English however is incidental rather than core. Its incidental in the sense that the language borrowed from others. It borrowed frm others because science and commerce resulted in it engaging with the world, spreading its achievements, such that it morphed with other cultures, but its core remained strong because it learned from other cultures.

It did not self-righteously place up barriers like the Japanese, which were subsequently broken down by Admiral Perry, it was mostly open to other countries. I think that is the legacy of English. Its a stuffed language, declines in structure with every culture it influences, but its culture always retains the right attitude. Always? Well, no. I would suggest its concept of self interest (as defined by its bureaucrats) is too narrow and commercial in its political expression, but such is the influence of bad politics. If Asia wants to impress it really needs to adopt a better philosophical system. But personally I think you will read about such a system on these pages before you read about it from some Asian bureaucrat. Watch these pages...

My GF did appreciate that whilst she had these strong objections about the Philippines, she really needed to live overseas so that she could see their cultural failings. I would however caution against nit-picking over cultural differences and understanding why. Cultures are different for reasons. You can't expect a cutlture to be different from what it is because it did not depend on any one person, it is a summation of ideas. Neither should one define oneself as the product of a collectivist identity. We are all individuals, slaves to a government that purports to represent only enough of the swine that would have it elected, having colluded with the competition (other party) on the rules of engagement.
Anyway we as good swine do...go to Australia to teach my GF how bad the world is, to make so much money that we can escape its vile odour... the raucous smell of a government that cares not to identify its contradictions. Well I love the physiology of my country, never mind the boring decadence of it. But I also like to explore... to seek out new experiences.

Superstition in the Philippines

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Its interesting how seriously Filipinos treat spiritual matters. I guess I have surrounded myself with a lot of cultures over the years, but I suggest that Filipinos are the most superstitious. On the note I am comparing them with Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, with Eastern Europeans the runner-ups, followed by the Japanese. The examples that come to mind are the following:

1. Work colleagues who ask their boss for a day off because it has been foretold that there will be an earthquake in Manila and a lot of people are going to die. It made me laugh. I would hate to die because I took precautions. Offices are designed to withstand earthquakes - many Filipino house owners might remember that. :) The strength of houses depends on the design too of course.

2. Property buyers who dont want to buy a property because its 500m away from a graveyard. My personal opinion is that dead people make the best neighbours because they are very quiet. I dont know the statue of limitations on haughting. I dont know how far they can roam in a night. Maybe best to live next to a cell tower so you can call for help, and the electromagnetic radiation might repel them.

3. Not talking ill of other people because it just might happen. Being critical, I do this a lot, and I'm always impressed by my capacity to have people touching wood.

4. There is also a belief in gnomes, fairies and 'centals', though I care less what they are.

The Japanese are pretty uptight people too. Salt crystals near the window sill in the house to ward off evil spirits. This one makes me laugh because it caused the cement and paint to crumble after a few years. But its true - there was no evil spirits over that time.

Religion in the Philippines

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You can't breathe in the Philippines without seeing a statue or ediface of Jesus or Mary. For people who are 'truly blessed' you might wonder why they are so poor. Well they seem happy besides, except when they run out of money. Then there is the requirement to run to OFWs abroad to ask for a loan, which seldom gets repaid. 'Sorry bro, its been a bad week. Too much gambling and drinking. Thanks for the proceeds. All had a good time'. Quite often its the wife working abroad and the husband drinking, gambling and playing around. Not everyone mind you. Just wondering who owns these caricatures of Christ. Will the owner please put up his hand! Would the all knowing, all powerful Jesus please extend these people a loan. Sorry, but even the church can't seem to get enough. Churches around the world pay no tax, yet they still can't seem to get enough. The Saviour is short on change.

We might wonder whether we are expected to take responsibility for living. Ok. But should that not extend to ethics as well. Should we not develop our own philosophy without being extorted by Jesus. Anyway, I just wanted to celebrate the burning down of a church in Bohol some years ago. It made me wonder what their grievance was. I can't help thinking it was justified. Maybe I am remiss and it was 'natural causes'. God truly does work in mysterious ways. More paradoxical than mysterious because I see a great many churches burnt to the ground as I travel around the country. Wouldn't it be more suitable for the myth if that church near San Fernando was spared the ravages of the volcanic eruption of Mt Pinotubo about 20 years ago. I of course have a great deal to say on the ethics of religion. See my blog Religidiculous. Both hard concepts to swallow. :)

Jeepney, bus and taxi drivers hard up

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The Philippines is a poor country, so understandably there is a political incentive to regulate transport fares. Another self-evident fact is that most people would prefer to buy a tricycle or jeepney because apart from functioning as a personal transport vehicle, you can use them to generate income. More interesting perhaps is the lack of interest in riding bicycles in the Philippines. In Japan bicycles are greatly appreciated as a mode of transport, and have been for decades since the country was poor. More interestingly, given the poor quality of roads, is the fact that bicycles can ride faster over rough roads than bicycles, because I can attest to the fact that I am routinely overtaking them. Of course once you get to the open road jeepneys are the most economic transport mode. You might wonder whether hot climate is the reason why people dont like bicycles. That is a possibility. I think for Japanese they go from a walking to a bicycle to a motorbike or car, but given the excellent rail transport, they might not even buy a car.
In the Philippines there is no savings culture. They dont generally have surplus money. They spend everything they get. If they sell a property, they will buy a cheaper house near the highway to free up cash to spend rather than upscaling like people would do in the West. How is this sustainable you might ask? Well, unlike in the West, they have family abroad, and sometimes family in the country, who are willing to support them.
You might think they are happy with this existence. I'm sure some are, but after loading my bike on an SUV yesterday after a mountain bike ride, 'one' Filipino commented 'what a dickhead, riding a bike when he has an SUV'. Well it wasn't my SUV, but anyway. How dare I engage in recreation when people are less comfortable. I might respond 'How dare he think like that when I just bought his cousins property, and might well be buying his next'. How sustainable is his existence? The funny thing was, I was so against this family buying an SUV, and now they regret it. Why buy a vehicle equal to 1/4 the value of your house? And also I knew where fuel prices were going. Its an expense, not an asset.

Jeepney drivers just secured a P0.50 far increase from P8 to P8.50 for the first 4kms. Jeepneys are a great form of transport. Its amazing where you can go with them. Some go down dirt trails. I asked a driver about costs. He was telling me that he makes P500 per day, he pays P1500 per day on fuel, and he uses another driver (likely friend or family), he pays him P400, so he makes just P100 per day for leasing his vehicle. A new jeepney I believe costs around P400,000, so if they are making P100 per day, thats P36,000 per year. At 10% interest, you can't even cover interest and maintenance. So I would suggest they need that fare increase if the supply of jeepneys is going to be sustained. The problem is - these decisions become political.

Lawless and irregularities in the Wild West

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Well you might have thought I was talking about the Mid West United States in the 1700s, when gunslingers ruled the West and the nearest sheriff was 6 days ride from town. If the bad guys didn't get you, the Indians would pick you off trying to get help. Well for Americans things have indeed improved. For Filipinos sadly little has improved after 20 years of strong economic growth. Corruption is on the increase and power failures still doggedly appear.

In recent weeks I have seen a lot of science-based scams being perpetrated by Filipinos in the country. These scams include selling soaps that apparently contain a substance with magnetic properties that are supposed to have healing effects. There was another such product being sold outside of my apartment in Manila. Its noteworthy that these people advertise this way because they are less likely to be tracked down, though I'm sure there are too few with a critical mind that might question the science.

I dont want to suggest that such scammery is limited to Filipinos. It goes with the territory. Filipinos will dominate because its their country, and I dare say the schemes come from another unregulated market - China or India. Afterall the products are manufactured somewhere. You can also observe that Western companies are rejoicing in the opportunity to engage in unregulated markets. Sunlife of Canada comes to mind. I can't accuse them of doing anything wrong from a legal standpoint, but actually the way they sell insurance is actually contrary to the interests of their investors in the Philippines. They require large upfront payments into their managed insurance fund scheme. They require those to payoff the agents who are not well-versed in the products they sell. The idea is to employ middle-aged housewives with a lot of friends and teach them how to flog off their product for a large upfront fee. The problem is - when there is a significant market correction, investors have lost 20% on what was a significant amount of money. More important to them was their lost friends. I am sure Sunlife has all the disclaimers and warnings about how treacherous markets can be. But I think its contrary to the interests of their customers how they package the service with an upfront fee. A better scheme would take a smaller payment from investors so they dont suffer as much loss in their is any short term fall. Friendships are being lost because of the way this company structures its scheme - all because it wants to grab the market lead before the market is regulated as it is in the West.

Politicians in developing countries are often just as culpable. In some instances they forgo business (ethics) standards for the sake of financial gain, whether national income or personal kickbacks. There was BHP's operation of Porgera in PNG which pumped tailings into the nearest river, which destroyed the livelihood of villages downstream. There are incidences of lax departmental processes that result in poorly engineered projects receiving approval. In many cases these approvals were bought. I understand in takes 2 years to get BFAD approval for a manufactured product in the Philippines, but if you pay a $US10,000 kickback you can get the product in several months.

How to stay alive in the Philippines

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Here are two horrific stories involving the murder of Australian and English men by their respective partners in 2 separate incidents. As sad as these murders are, I don't believe they were totally unexpected. People don't suddenly reveal themselves as murderers, or accessories to a murder. The areas and girls where these guys lived are famous for being drug and prostitution districts of the Philippines. One of the men even married a bar girl. What do they say 'You can take the girl out of the bar, but you can't take the bar out of the girl'. 'Good girls' dont even drink in this country, so best to stay away from those girls.
I dont think a person really knows themself at 25yo, so to marry a person from a different culture at that age, and from a poor country as well, you are just looking for trouble. not easy to understand women at that age. A PhD in psychology probably wouldn't help. A lot of life experience needs to pass under the bridge before you marry a foreign girl from a poor country.
Here are some tips:
1. Dont get involved with a girl with educational qualifications less than you. Why? Where is the basis for respect. A Filipino qualification will mean less than a foreign one (sadly), so they are already at a disadvantage.
2. Dont get involved with a girl more than 15 years younger than you. Age does matter. I think age differences over 15yo are likely to breed differences over time.
3. Dont get involved with a girl with relatives in prison or doing drugs. I wouldn't even do it in Australia. Knew an Australian girl once whose father was in prison for murder. Dropped her as soon as she said. It didn't even matter that she told me upfront. Don't want him tracking me down if we ever broke up.
4. Avoid girls with a sense of entitlement
5. Avoid girls without a good job
6. Avoid girls with family who dont have good jobs
7. Avoid girls if you dont get along with the family
8. Avoid girls with dependents, you are likely to feel the pressure to finance their education
9. Avoid girls that show any hint of delusion, unreasonableness
10. Avoid religious girls. Their hypocrisy will manifest in delusion. Avoid dogma. This is particularly important if they are ambitious.
11. Avoid frivilous, social climbers overly concerned with appearances

Of course these are general rules, and if you have a PhD you might think better of such guidelines. Of course these tragic murders might be taken as evidence of the Filipino character. I personally have met some pretty pathetic Filipinos on previous trips, but I was more impacted by the fine people I met. I met a few really sincere, real people on a few trips, and having surrounded myself with good Filipino people, I actually seldom meet the bad. There are little things, but not the murderous-types.