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One hundred, and counting

Philippine Politics / by

Last week, Philippine President Noynoy Aquino celebrated his first 100 days in office.  In many countries, a new President’s first 100 days are considered very important, because they set a tone for his Administration’s direction.  The first 100 days are seen as a kind of test as to what the President is serious about, and if he is effective in getting things done.

So far, what has President Aquino accomplished?  Well, personally, as I think about it, I am not really sure what he has accomplished.  I cannot see any kind of landmark legislation that has been put in place.  I do not see any steps that have been taken that define a change in the direction of the country, at least not in a positive way.

Probably the one event that has defined Aquino’s Presidency so far was the Manila Massacre, a hostage crisis that took place on a bus in Metro Manila back in August.  In that crisis, a number of foreigners from Hong Kong were massacred.  The operation was botched by the team of Philippine National Police and left a very bad impression for everybody involved.  President Aquino was harshly criticized for his handling of the crisis.  Not only did the President take a very “hands off” approach to the entire situation, he even refused to take phone calls from the Hong Kong Prime Minister while the crisis was ongoing.  After the poor handling of the hostage situation, later the handling of the repatriation of the dead bodies of the Chinese Citizens was also bungled with some bodies being shipped to the wrong families.  After this crisis, President Aquino ordered an investigation to determine who was at fault, and to make recommendations on what to do about it.  That investigation was headed by Justice Secretary De Lima, and presented a full report to President Aquino.  So far, the President has held that report for several weeks, but no action has been taken.

When Aquino ran for President earlier this year, his number one issue was corruption.  He promised to eliminate corruption in the Government.  So far, there has been no sign of any action on this front.  Last week, President Aquino issued a warning, though.  He said that if corrupt officials do not clean up their act, they should look out, because soon he will start naming corrupt officials publicly and embarrassing them by doing so.

Huh?

So, in other words, if this is the case, President Aquino is saying that he knows of officials who are corrupt, but has done nothing.  If they don’t get it together and change their ways, he will name them.  Well, if he knows of corruption that is going on, isn’t it his responsibility to take actions, press charges against these people, and fire them?  But, nothing like that has been done, he has only threatened to expose them.  What if they stop their corrupt practices for a while, since the “heat is on”?  Then, when things settle down, they get back to business with their corrupt activities?  That doesn’t seem right, but based on the threat of exposure, it is something that seems likely.  For me, if a person runs for office on a promise of stopping corruption, they should take action if they know of corruption that is ongoing, not make threats.

When Noynoy Aquino ran for President, there were people who said that Aquino was not a strong leader, and really had no track record.  They said that he was only able to win the Presidency based on the name and reputation of his parents.  Others felt that Aquino was a very honest person who cared deeply and would turn the Philippine government around by cleaning up the corrupt practices of the past.  So far, who do you think was correct in their perceptions of the man?

I am not making any claims of my feelings on this, just presenting what I read in the papers and see on TV news.  It would not be my right to make a judgment about President Aquino’s actions or lack thereof, since I am not a citizen of the Philippines.  I am interested to hear, though… what do you think so far?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Well action speaks louder than words. A President who does not take action is not a Leader. I had high hopes for Aquino as did my wife. She has not been happy with him so far either. Although I am not living there yet what he does in the next 6 years might determine whether I will retire there or not. But more importantly than that, the PI needs a President that’s got a set of Kahuna’s and get the PI headed in the right direction. Same could be said for the U.S. President!

  3. Bob;
    I was reading that during the first hundred days, there has been 16 political murders, one journalist killed, and no campaign promises kept. The U.S. Navy has an expression for this, “SNAFU”, (Situation normal, all ____ up).

  4. I think only God knows what really happens in the Philippines when it comes to politics. The only positive movement I have been able to see is the billions of pesos that have come from the USA. A good thing I guess.
    I don’t think he will push too hard, I feel he fears for his life if he makes radical changes, might upset the status quo. I agree with Buckeyebob, this country needed a man with kuhunas to get the country pointed in the right direction.
    I feel that this is a golden opportunity and a turning point in the Philippines fortune, if he doesn’t get it right then I believe the country will sink into a fourth world nation or at best stay as a banana republic.
    While he is doing his best I will be taking a deserved break to go to where the grass is definitely greener and off to Australia with my partner. In the mean time best wishes to all who are left here in the Philippines, stay safe.

      • We are only going for one year, I have been increasingly concerned about our safety of late and I am hoping things improve in our absence. Also my wife will get the opportunity to see a kangaroo and meet my family lol.
        As you understand there are a few aspects of life that I dislike here but overall I really enjoy living here. I have always believed the country has huge potential and the people overall are fantastic.
        It’s just a gut feeling I have and I feel the time is right to go. Yes Sir Bob, ako balik balik.
        Ingat ka palagi.

    • Hi Boss

      I agree with you that he will not push too hard to upset too many people and put his life in danger. He is taking the easy way out just asking them to clean up there act instead of just getting rid of them. Its really sad for the filipino people, because the suffering will continue.

  5. Bob..it does not sound to me like he has done much of anything to honest with you. I think most people that are politicians talk big and yet do little. I am sure on his 100 day anniversary he ate some good foods and smiled heavy, wore the good clothes,while a lot of the Fillipino’s that belived in him that there would be some big changes and that they would benifit a little were eating their simple meal of rice and maybe a little salt and mumbling to their selfs that everything is the same as it has always been for them. All politicians no mater where they are at are all the same….they talk big…..and do little….like the old saying goes “words with out action are worthless” so I am thinking that after they look back on his great accomplishments when he is gone, they will be the same as all the rest before him…..Nothing..

  7. We can’t expect much from the president on his 100th day in office most especially because he was thrust into power unprepared. As has been recorded, no bill of him was ever passed into law so we could conclude that he is still at an infant stage of his leadership and soon to bloom. We might as well give him more time for that. There are still 2090 days left for him to prove his worth.

    • Unless he has been living under a rock for the last ten years, I am sure he knows what he needs to do. Devise a plan for the future and then take one step at a time to accomplish his goals.

    • Jay;
      But the sad part is people do expect much during the first hundred days and beyond. Using your logic, anyone can be President, if we just give them time to learn the job. I wonder if Fortune 500 Companies hire the same way?

      • Ha ha…. for sure. The first 100 days are a sort of yard stick that people use to measure how serious a new leader is. So far, I am not sure there is much to measure.

  8. I am one of those who felt that he won because of his name but I had high hopes. So far, he has done absolutely nothing that I can see. And now I read from you article that he will name names of the corrupt if they don’t clean up their act! Say what? You know who they are? Show some stones Mr President.

    On another note, shortly after the incompetence of the PNP was shown by their handling of the hostage situaltion that led to the Manila Massacre, the PNP raided some girly bars in Angeles City in full gear with automatic weapons drawn to “resuce” some girls in bikinis. I guess they wanted to show the world that they could handle such “dangerous” missions.

  10. HI BOB

    THE POOR GET POORER AND THE RICH GET RICHER MATE………GOD BLESS

    FROM PETER MARTIN TASSIE

  11. As a ‘shirt-tail’ president, I don’t know that we can expect much. He’s a rich boy whose life and upbringing have nothing in common with the way most Filipinos live, which is typical . So far, he has fumbled the hostage situation and accepted huge amounts of money from the USA. Is it a coincidence that the Reproductive Health Bill has immediately become the big thing? I don’t think so. Isn’t birth control available to the poor? Yes it is, but not to high school and college students. Much has been said about abortion not being a part of this bill, but the exact same path was followed in the US. Very sad.

    • I wonder how much the President understands about the daily lives of the poor. It would seem that he never experienced it, for sure. But, I guess that few Presidents of any country ever experienced anything like that, though.

      • Change does not come from a vote for any particular politician…..it’s always in the best interest for the politician to govern and not upset the apple cart with those who really have the power in society. Seldom is there change in the changing of the guard. There may be some gestures extended to the “common” man….but no serious plan for a complete makover….here and elsewhere the reason these men or women are elected comes from the very corrupt people they ‘condem”.

        Societal change comes from the minds and hearts of the people on a grand scale.

        Do the people want change? Of course they do. Can they expect change ?

        Here it seems most of the people just struggle for the basics on a day to day basis. As the gap between the very wealthy and the rest increases we may see a demand for change that comes from the people….where that point comes…who knows??

          • Just a skeptic of a politicians promises….I am not an advocate of revolution, but I think “People Power” and the will of the people wanting real change must start with the people wanting real change…..real change is never easy and must come from the demand of the people. It’s really not in the best interest of the politicians to advocate real changes because the powers in power …..those with vested interests to keep the staus quo going are the ones with the money who give their money to buy the politians we rely on to make those changes for the better good of all.

            I don’t want to come off sounding like a revolutionary…I just see what to me seems like a revolving door of unkept promises in the states and elsewhere, when in reality those promises are just meant for the voting public, and soon forgotten after election time.

            • I was just curious, Greg, because you said that the people need to make change, and also said that voting was not really a way for them to make change. So, I was not sure what other ways were left.

  14. He did ban the use of sirens for all but emergency personnel….I think the typical Manila citizen will say he has been a success because of that one law. At least that’s whats on the news….

  15. Hey Bob,
    I don’t think P-Noy has what it takes to make the Philippines a competitive force. As an example, Japan after WWII was pretty much decimated, limited natural resources, but yet was able to make itself an economic force to be reckoned with. The Philippines has a potentially great workforce, and educated also. I would like to see the president put those resources to work.

  16. Hi Bob
    I really think you can’t expect a whole lot to change in 100 days. The economy will grow close to 8% this year though you can’t really give Aquino any credit for that (not at least until next year). Though the Manila hostage situation ended in tragedy, I don’t put any blame on Aquino for that, though he could have handled the situation much better like being more remorseful in that interview later that day and taken the calls from the HK leader. The main thing for now is to institute changes so when the next hostage situation it will be handled much better. I think one thing you didn’t give him credit for his handling of the budget deficit and the fairness he has put in place in the PDAF I think (the 70m pesos for congressman and 200m pesos for the Senate). GMA used it as a weapon to pressure members of congress to support her, and now everyone will get it, though in my opinion the whole program should be scrapped.
    You make a strong point about just naming names of those committing corruption is very weak and much much more needs to be done battling corruption. I don’t see that charging officials in the past with corruption has done anything to improve the situation. They need to put a hold/freeze on all assets that can’t be shown to have legally bought on their income with the outcome of the corrupt officials forfeiting their assets and serving time in jail. Knowing how slow the justice system is at least when they are charged they can’t do anything with their stolen assets.
    I do see some people thinking that the Philippines doesn’t have a bright future. I believe that is completely wrong. They have a young and growing population, with their OFW base sending money back to the Philippines. They don’t spend much money on their healthcare unlike the U.S. and other developed countries, you can say that is bad but at least the national government won’t go broke, and they have very small pensions unlike the ones in the U.S. and other countries. Does the Philippines have problems, yes they have many, but unlike the one in the U.S. where there are chances that many cities will file for bankruptcy in the future, states having trouble passing budgets every year and the federal government having a huge debt and large yearly deficits. The deficits in the Philippines should be manageable.

    • The world cannot be changed in 100 days, neil, without a doubt. However, the first 100 days has been an established yardstick for political leaders world round. I don’t think we could expect to see major change in place, but at least getting a start on it would be nice.

      Since P-Noy has yet to have a budget of his own in place, I can see no reason why he would get credit for such. It will be next year before his budget would be enacted.

      • Hi Bob
        You’re right that his budget for next year has yet to be passed, but the deficit for this year was running a lot higher then expected and I think he is making improvements to limit that higher deficit for this year. It could have been GMA front loading all the government spending to make the economy look better, but most banks believe that the economy will still grow at the same pace for the last 6 months of the year.

  17. I haven’t been particularly impressed to date with Mr Aquino but then i was aware of his track record previously of not having introduced any legislation the 8 previous years in congress . Still , hope springs eternal and sometimes a man is thrust upon the world stage with an opportunity so i will take a wait and see attitude .

    At this point i am not encouraged however . yes , he did return from the US with a bucket full of money and promises for investment but then pretty much every head of state returned with a bucket full of money . Regarding investment i suspect it has more to do with all of Asia receiving more rather than the Philippines being an exceptional in some way .

    I am discouraged by the talk of upgrading the educational system to a 12 year plan while at the same time cutting the education budget even further . In the end i really don’t know much any president can get done in this cultural and maybe it will come down to another crisis of some sort to shake the country enough for real progress but i hope i am wrong .

  18. The Phillipines is a victim of it’s culture. The country has a population that is complacent, has no love of country, is generally rude, selfish, and has a me first attitude. Until this changes nothing will change. It’s the culture. Mabe they should stop electing the same dodo’s to office on a local and regional level. Aquino has a golden opportunity to start change everything by example but he needs to act now and start charging people publicly. It’s really all a joke. For those of us that loves the country it is so frustrating not to have any power ourselves to do anything. It almost makes you wish for a national solution along the lines to what Mayor Duterte had been successful doing in Bucanna so they say wink wink.

    • Hi Thomad – Rody Duterte has certainly implemented some major change in Davao. I, for one, believe that a person like that could do wonders for the country.

  19. Obvious that he is afraid to be killed for giving up criminals in his political arena. Just seems until the Catholic church has a reason to clean up the Phil, there wont be any change. How do we expect to reason with smiling corrupt officials. Seems after all the talking is done we need a civil war with lives laid down and a rescue of the US to come in and flat out take over. Just my opinions!!

    • have a look around the world -some of the most corrupt countries are those where the Catholic church has influence. I cannot think of any country where the church has tried to”clean things up” – individual priests and bishops have tried but the church as an organisation will not rock the boat. Remember the movement known as Liberation Theology in South America? It was firmly stamped on by the church and brought into line.

      • The Church certainly cleaned things up in Poland and other Eastern European countries in the years leading to the fall of communism in 1989. The ouster of Marcos was not without considerable Catholic influence. Efforts continue in Cuba to ease oppression and corruption. So there are some examples I can think of.

      • Is it the Catholic influence, or is more of a Spanish influence ? Philippines, Latin America, and so forth.

  20. At the time of the Bus Siege, as I was watching, I commented that it should result in the President’s resignation, unless he was seen to publicly go ballistic about the whole affair and implement dozens of changes. Neither happened. Great job…well enough paid, good pension, no accountability.

    Doubt if he’d reply to a letter outlining the people’s concerns either. That’s democracy for you I suppose. I begin to suspect that a real hard line dictator might do better. Most Filipino’s I meed hanker back fondly to the Marcos days when “things were much better”. (Mind you, the population was considerably less then…more of the good stuff to go round).

    • Hi Jim – I hear people saying that the Philippines needs a strong man, or a benevolent dictator. I, for one disagree. But, they need a strong elected leader who can get things done.

  21. Hit return before my last paragraph. I’m not sure this is an altogether wise topic to be publicly discussing. Not sure how you feel about that Bob?

    • Hi Jim – When it comes to specifically commenting on people and the job they are doing, I am trying to only say what is in the papers, not my personal opinion.

  22. Thats what i like about you Bob, you are full steam ahead with topics and issues. Although Jim made me think about a foreigner talking about such issues in town. The mentality in town might not appreciate what you do, what you provide. My Nenong is baranguy capt there and says we just need to blend in, accept the culture and keep our opinions to ourselves. I dont agree with the opinion part but i do take his advice as he has made it ok for me with the Muslims near Queensland. Of course i expect you to continue without bias the fine work you are doing for us your bloggers. Living in the same town with you although i am not there at the moment, i am just giving you my take on the feel i get on the streets there. Just trying to help!!

    • Hi Anthony – I do feel that for the most part, when it comes to politics and such, we foreigners are better to move on to other subjects. For today’s topic… I am admittedly trying to tread lightly….. 😉

    • I’m a little confused Anthony, by your statement..”he has made it ok for me with he Muslims near Queensland”. Is there an area in the Phils. known as Queensland, or am I reading the whole post upside down inside out?

      I agree with you entirely though; I have also felt strongly a local opinion that seems to say “foreigners should keep out of our business and keep their opinion to themselves”. We’re okay as long as we’re paying, it would seem, but keep our mouths shut otherwise. (That’s a generalism of course, and I meet many very friendly people who are happy to sit and chat about everything and anything over a red-horse or three).

  23. I hadn’t heard that Aquino wouldn’t take/return the HK PM’s calls, that is shocking!

    As a foreigner, I was more supportive of seeing the incumbent & their party & spporters removed, than whoever would replace her, as I was when his mother came to power. Though it is too early in the game to foretell, to date, he seems as ineffectual as his mother in promoting change.

    Still, how difficult it must be to have the mantle of responsibility in reducing endemic corruption. It seems to me to be an impossible accomplishment in other than small, carefully considered, steps. As shame is a very significant thing in Philippine culture, perhaps, his method will have a greater impact & permanent change than to simply start removing people, left & right.

    Regardless, I would think that the average journalist is able to sleep easier at night, these days.

    In the early ’90s, I asked a Chinese-Filipino businessman in Davao what he thought of Cory, as opposed to Marcos. He said that the only difference was two bags of rice, instead of three. That really took me by surprise.

    I see nothing wrong with foreigners discussing the political situation in the country they reside in. Decisions made by the governments in any given country affect all residents, not just the citizens of that country. Still, no matter what our opinions are, we live by the “Doris Day principle”; “Que sera sera!”

    • Hi Mike – Yes, the Hong Kong PM made many calls during the crisis, but was never allowed to speak to the President. This was a big part of the basis for the anger in HK over the incident.

      Don’t know why the average journalist would be sleeping better… killings of journalists have not slowed down during P-Noy’s term.

      The reason it is not advisable for us foreigners to discuss political issues here is that we can be deported for doing so.

  24. Just hoping that the president will not be totally defend on his party (LP) decisions. definitely should not be eaten by a rotten political system of the country…evrybody should not react to much instead suggest what changes will be made. Enough for street parliament.. enough for arm struggle..let’s do even a little way in our own grounds.. in our little office..Change will start on us not because of Pnoy… kaya nga sinabi niya” kayo ang boss ko”

    • If us the filipino people is really his boss, then why did he not kick his best buddy out, DILG USec Rico Puno when the people are now clamoring for it?
      He already knows who are the corrupt and corruptible people around him so why only warn them?
      I believe he will be just like his mother…nothin doin, just change the faces of the thieves.

  25. Hello Oliver – I hope that P-Noy will make some positive change for the Philippines. Of course it starts with the people…the people got the ball rolling by voting!

  26. We live across from Queensland at executive homes ,it is primarily a muslim area. Apparently Americans are not received well there. Just giving insight!!! My wife knows i dont go to Queensland except for exercise walks!!

  27. Bob,

    I am not a pro-pnoy, and 100 days is not sufficient enough for me to judge his administration, I am very critical of his next moves and I don’t believe what the news and media is telling the people, all I know is I felt the effect of Pnoy’s administration, one of the thing that we must not overlooked is , his work has been hampered by the people appointed by the previous administration, case in point – the Truth Commission – how can it go forward if the very department who supposed to investigate it is an arroyo appointee? I am not talking about De Lima, I am talking about merciditas, If you will think about it, the truth commission is unnecessary because the Ombudsman should handle it but since the very person who run that department is an arroyo alley, Pnoy must create the truth commission independently – and now many people are against it.

    the changes pnoy made in his 100 days may probably very small for the people to see the effect but generally, there are things that has been done. DILG who is a very notorious when it comes to corruption is much more transparent now, you can see their financial report in their website.

    the dissolve of unnecessary 10 offices established by the arroyo government,
    the investigation of GOCC and other government owned companies salaries which lead to suspension of their bonuses etc..

    philippines has so many problems and most of its problem are well hidden by the previous administration. – I can understand that those problem has to be solve first before it can solve the bigger one.

    i will just keep my hopes high but not that very high for me to commit suicide if things didn’t go well.

    • Hi Dans – Please don’t get your hopes too high… if you were to commit suicide, I would miss your comments here! 😯

      It’s good to get a Filipino perspective here on LiP, especially on an issue like this, please keep it coming!

          • Bob- These are the things you don’t hear from the media…

            President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered on Friday
            all state universities and colleges as well as the Department of Agriculture to help agriculture professionals, farmers and growers use modern technology to produce high quality seeds.

            The Chief Executive issued the directive in his speech keynoting the closing ceremony of the three-day 7th Philippine National Corn Congress at
            the compound of the P500 million state-of-the-art Reina Mercedes Corn Processing Center (RM-CPC), the biggest post harvest facility in the country and probably in South East Asia.

            The President cited Dr. Alfonso Uy, president and chairman of the Mindanao Grain Processing Co., Inc., for selecting Reina Mercedes town to host the 30-hectare Corn Processing Center for the benefits not only of the small
            farmers but the whole of Region 2, as well.

            The 7th Philippine corn congress is a three-day event organized by the Philippine Maize Federation, Inc., in conjunction with the celebration of World Food Month and the Launching of the Reina Mercedes Post Harvest Facility and Corn Processing Center.

            The Corn Congress is an annual gathering of more than 3000 small corn farmers and leaders, government and private sector agricultural technicians and other private sector industry stakeholders.

            The RM-CPC was established to improve agricultural efficiency, increase farming income, develop long-term food security and promote social justice not only among the farmers of Isabela but also for the whole region.

            —8<—

            this move will definitely change the corn industry in mindanao!

  28. Unfortunately this President seems to be like his mother – an extremely honest and nice person but completely out of his depth. There is absolutely no chance that things will change politically as the system is totally corrupt from top to bottom.After Cory came to power there was a huge feeling of optimism in the country,help was being offered from all over the world – 75% of the financial aid was never used because the politicians could not agree on what to do with it.If changes were going to be made then was the time to do it but the opportunity was squandered and it is unlikely that it will be possible in the future.The criminal corrupt politicians are, in many cases, the same people that ran the country in the time of Marcos and amassed huge fortunes – we all know the names. Expatriates like us should accept the country for what it is -we cannot change anything,enjoy our life here and privately mourn the fact that it could be so much better for the Filipino people.The only way things could change would be with a brutal revolution which destroyed the ruling class completely and allowed some visionary leader to take power and it is not in the nature of the people here to ever do this.

    • Hi Bryan – I share many of your sentiments. You are right that we, as foreigners, cannot and really should not change the country. It is not our place to do so.

  29. thanks Bob.. The change we need maybe not more on materially since financially we are drained considering the huge debt of our country from the world bank. Let us join hand start condemning red tape in all government agencies system of procurement and anomalies. we in media should broadcast all the anomalies.

  31. My two cents on this subject …

    To a large part, the Philippines government and most of the country’s entire way of “wealth building” has been — and will always be — based on and mired in corruption. Not just at the top levels of government but all the way down to the police on the street, for a large part — corruption is rampant. Marcos was a prime example.

    Even if the current president “wants” to clean up corruption, he knows if he tries too hard to do so or implicates too many important people, it would be political suicide or even worse — he could very easily end up with a bullet in his brain.

    I expect he will find a few easy targets and offer them up to the public as proof that he is serious about cleaning up corruption, and then things will be the same as always, or as Paul Thompson so eloquently summed things up early in this post: “SNAFU”, (Situation normal, all _____ up).

    By the way, Paul, I always thought that was an Army term! lol

    • Hi Rich – If P-Noy felt that way, he chose the wrong platform to run on. Political suicide should not be a consideration, since he can’t run for more than one term anyway.

      • Perhaps, Bob, my post was pretty negative.

        I should have mentioned that I “do” wish him well and hope he is successful in cleaning up corruption, among other problems. However, in general, I have a low opinion of politicians, both here and in other parts of the world. I view them in the same way I would view a tiny ant floating down a raging river on a sinking leaf. They can see where they need to go but have little power to actually get to the safety of solid ground. All they can really expect is to hold on to what they have.

        Google says the Philippines ranks 141st out of 179 countries surveyed in the Perceived 2010 Corruption Index. Americans should not gloat — we ranked only 19th. That means a lot of countries were far less corrupt than America and 38 countries were more corrupt than the Philippines.

    • Rich, I think you sum it up well – anyone that looks like succeeding in taking action against the corrupt will be eliminated rapidly. The only person that I can remember being jailed for corruption was some little old lady in Quezon city who malversed some postage stamps.It is a sad situation but if the Filipino people accept the situation what can we do?Never forget it is not some colonial power oppressing the people – it is the Filipino people themselves.Those who are exploited would be the exploiters if they had the chance.A culture of dishonesty prevails and I do not think any elected president can make the slightest difference.

      • Hi Bryan – Joseph Estrada was jailed for corruption.. they called it “Plunder”. He was convicted. Unfortunately, he was then pardoned. But, he did serve a number of years in prison.

        • Bob – Dont you think that the Estrada case proves the point – how long did he actually spend in prison? The trial took 6 years because nobody actually wanted to be involved with convicting him in case he regained power. There is no decision making ability in Philippine society – I call it the land of the definite maybe – there is no way that you can get a simple yes or no to a question – the answer to any question depends on what the person asking would like to hear,not the truth. Have you ever asked for directions while driving ?No-one will ever say I dont know – that would be a loss of face and make you feel bad so you are given an answer that will please you.

          • Hi Bryan – I could not agree more. In fact, we got a taste of this today. President Aquino issued complete amnesty to the Mutineers who took over the hotel in Manila a few years back, including Trillanes. Is there anything you can do in the Philippines that you actually get punished for?

            • Many media people have been punished for telling the truth! I came to the Philippines in 1986 shortly after I was married – just after Cory became President,the air of optimism was incredible,there was a feeling that things would improve rapidly.After about a year it became obvious that the only difference was that about 4 people had left the country. When I came to work here in 1988 I intended to invest in some project in the Philippines but after encountering a few foreigners who had tried and failed owing to corrupt Filipino business partners I backed off – all I have is a house in Las Pinas.There appears to be no long term planning – it is all short termism -rip off somebody today instead of taking care of customers to keep them coming back. It would be my greatest wish to see prosperity and a better life for the people, as, like most of us I love the place and have had many good days here.I, like many of us make criticisms not from dislike but a desire to make things better – we are privileged to be independent and not reliant on anyone else for our living which I am sure is many times better than that of the average citizen.It is a sad fact that it is unlikely that we will see any meaningful changes in the foreseable future .A start could be made as has been suggested to allow foreign companies to come here under conditions that do not penalise them to protect the business interests of politicians and their cronies. I do not think that western companies would exploit the workers to the same extent.

              • Hi Bryan – I think that one of the big problems with Cory is also present with Noynoy…. expectations are way too high! A lot of people think that simply because of the name, they can basically solve any problem. Cory proved that it is not so. But, people expect the same from Noynoy as well.

  32. We will know when he decides on Usec Puno. If Puno stays, Aquino is just like all the others before him. If Aquino boots Puno, Aquino becomes the first president to emerge after ages who’s not corrupt.

  33. Hi Bob,

    Here is a new question.

    Does anyone think President Aquino will remain in office for his entire term?

    • If he makes a lot of sweeping changes too soon too many people will be upset and could find his term shortened. If he maintains the status quo and “looks” like his doing something with smoke and mirrors then yes he will go all the way. Yet if he took the middle ground and made some hard decisions the boat will rock a while but I think he could ride out the storm.

      One area he needs to look at is taxation, reform the tax system and have a band of highly trained tax agents who have the full support of the law and then you will set the cat amongst the pigeons. If you or your family have substantial assets on a an average salary that tells a big story.
      It worked to get Capone, it would surely work here.

  34. Unless there is a specific law that prohibits foreigners from discussing political issues, I am of the opinion that discussing politics per se would not get a foreigner deported. However, slandering Filipino officials might get a foreigner in trouble within or without the context of a political discussion, but not in the discussion of politics itself. Innocuous articles like this are exactly the type that triggers passionate responses and comments in some people, during which they may start throwing – against their better judgment – unfounded accusations against the public official in question. This would be the only caveat to foreigners discussing politics, IMHO. The Philippines is not Myanmar or China, afterall.

    With respect to President Aquino, he may appear “weak” in the early going, but, at least, he doesn’t seem to be the type who would steal from the Filipino people, though I have not kept up with the latest development regarding irregularities at his family’s Hacienda Luisita as some of his political opponents have alleged.

    As to the suggestion that, maybe, it’s time for the Philippines to begin experimenting with the alternative solution – absolute power invested in a strongman leader with an iron fist like Lee Kuan Yew during his 30-years leading Singapore, Aristotle espoused this very idea of a single political leader beholden to no one, and who will dictate the policies of the nation without the encumbrances of power sharing with other individuals or institutions as the best form of government.

    This political idea though has its own pitfalls that could be worse than that found in present day democratic Philippines. For a single leader could become a tyrant in the long run (remember the axiom, “absolute power corrupts absolutely”) and the only way he can be removed from office if he doesn’t voluntarily step down is by coup d’etat, people power, or assassination.

    In a democracy, at least, you have the checks and balances – the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches – the institutional mechanisms that temper abuse and tyranny, or so they say in the Philippines. 🙂

    In fairness to the idea of having an authoritarian figure to lead the Philippines, though, all we need to do is look at a former strongman’s legacy, that of today’s fastest growing economy in the world known as Singapore.

    • Whatever your opinion is, John, foreigners have been deported for merely discussing political issues. Several years back, some European men were deported and blacklisted for only being at a political event in Manila during a SONA speech.

    • John, we had a strongman rule the country many years ago…and you probably know what he (and his wife) did to the country. I say, NEVER again. I do not believe in benevolent dictatorship – for the simple reason you have stated that absolute power corrupts. The Singapore experiment may have succeeded but that was for relatively small country – a city state. The Philippines is way too vast and too complex of a political, social and cultural environment in comparison for something like that to succeed. I would rather opt for a painstakingly slow progress – as long as it’s going on the right direction. The US took well over two centuries, as an independent country, to be were they are right now.

      It is interesting to read comments here from an outsider’s perspective. However, I find many of them way too simplistic and inaccurate, including this article, in terms of analysis. So far the best assessment that I’ve found of P-Noy’s first 100 days is Winnie Monsod’s ‘reality check’ which unfortunately, is mostly in Tagalog:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ba2XD61P50

      • Jose, I am in no way condoning what the Marcoses have done to the Philippines, but aside from the plunder and embezzlement, political repression and human rights violations that characterized his regime, you have to admit that Marcos also did a lot of good for the country, a feat that none of his successors to date have remotely come close to duplicating. His infrastructure development alone is worthy of note. The Philippine economy in the 1970s during his second term was actually very strong with budgetary and trade surpluses, while the GNP rose from P56B to P193B in 1980! (Source: Wikipedia). Moreover, during the same decade, tourism rose, contributing to the economy’s growth – all this, long before OFW remittances began to make a strong impact on the Philippine economy.

        What I am going to say next will seem contradictory. While I am not advocating a return to dictatorship rule along the lines of Mao, Stalin, and Marcos, having a strongman to lead a country that is stagnant and largely undisciplined would be, in my opinion, a better alternative to having a succession of presidents who are either corrupt, ineffective or are beholden to certain segments of Philippine society.

        • John, I also use to think that Marcos did a lot of good for the country but that was then, when I was very young and naive. The older I got, the more I realize the truth to what my father told me when Marcos left in 1986, that we Filipinos had all been duped – BIG time – by the nation’s biggest kleptomaniac. While all those figures you quoted look good superficially on paper, at what cost were they achieved? Our external debts increased from just over a $1 billion in 1972 to a staggering $28 billion in 1986! I’m no economist but if you calculate debt to GNP ratio, there was indeed growth in production but at the cost of exponentially increasing debt. And since those GNP figures quoted are in peso, one also has to take into account rate of inflation as well the devaluation of the peso against the dollar over time.

          I really could not think of any better type government for the Philippines than what we have right now. Yes, indeed it has a lot of inherent flaws along with socio-cultural challenges uniquely ours, but any other alternatives, I think, would just make things worse. I do not believe in a messianic leader nor do I subscribe to an authoritarian/totalitarian regime. There is still no substitute for a free nation able to determine and charter its own course, however difficult and chaotic it may be. At the moment, Noynoy Aquino looks very promising. For the first time, we have a president who has a family reputation and legacy of honorable and honest service to protect and abide by. I hope and pray for his success.

          • Jose, I hope a majority of Filipinos feel the way you do – for the good of the Philippines. But if you take the time to read some of the observations here by foreigners no less, the general sentiment is that the country is a laid-back, slow-moving country, a land of “definite maybe”, no one seems to want to step up and make a decision, no one wants to take the responsibility for anything, etc. With a single leader who is beholden to no one, a lot of things can be done within a short period of time and without the need to have to consult endlessly with different people or different branches of government who are wrapped up with their own agendas.

            I’m with you on Noynoy. As I have stated earlier, he doesm’t look to be the type who would steal from the Filipino people.

            • Also, Jose, this thing about the renegade Trillianes recently being forgiven and Honasan some years ago becoming a Philippine Senator despite having staged unsuccessful coups against the government while he was a Colonel in the Armed Forces – the very institution that is specifically charged with the responsibility of upholding the Constitution – this was one of the reasons why I called the Philippines undisciplined in a previous post. An undisciplined society can never hope to achieve greatness, in my opinion. A strongman leader, on the other hand, would never allow such nonsense to happen.

              I personally wish the Philippines remains a democracy, and I know that plenty of good arguments can be made in support of a democratic form government for the Philippines, but how can you whip an undisciplined society in line without a strongman leader?

    • Democracy simply won’t work in the Philippines. What we need is a strongman. Marcos would have fill the bill, but he had a handicap- his wife, although with subsequent presidents, Marcos would look like a Boy Scout.

      • What, you trying to say Marcos governed the Philippines? Yeah right, anyone who is married knows who ran the country, Imelda did lol.

        • I seem to recall he had a bit more control before he had his ‘affair’, but after that Imelda took him over…

  35. Hey Bob,
    Thinking more about this, There are some very rich familys their in the philippines. What have they brought? Agriculture? Malls? What the Philippines needs, in my humble opinion, is heavy industry, like automotive in Japan, or like ship-building in korea. The Philippines have Engineers. The government needs to give incentives to people with capital to start heavy industries. A steel plant would be a good start.

    • Hi Hudson – There used to be a steel plant in Iligan City, National Steel Corporation. It went out of business because there just was not enough business to keep it going.

      • Hi Bob – For info (National Steel Corporation was under the Office of the Liquidator from 1999 (officially beginning 2000) to 2004. It was acquired by Global Steel Holdings, Ltd. [GSHL] of Pramod Mittal’s Ispat Group. Initially known as as Global Steelworks Infrastucture Inc. [GSII], then SEC-registered on October 2005 as Global Steel Philippines [SPV-AMC], Inc. Pramod Mittal is the younger brother of Lakshmi Mittal, the owner of the biggest steelmakers in the world under the name, what else: Mittal Steel. )

  36. Hi Bob – One Hundred Days and the President is under the microscope to see what he has achieved so far. If he is to be judged as a successful president it must be towards the end of his first term. That’s when he will either seek re-election on what he has achieved to date or throw in the towel and stand down. Democracy is about electing politicians whom the electorate are confident can manage the country in the best interests of all and sundry. Should the candidate(s) chosen not manage the country effectively then during the next election a change is sought. That’s the theory, we as observers will just have to lean on the fence and spectate and trust true democracy will succeed eventually. One thing is for certain, the people here deserve better than what they have.
    Kind regards.
    Jim.

    • Hi Jim – I am sorry, but you are basing your theory on a flawed conclusion… in the Philippines, a President cannot be re-elected. The term of office here is only one term of six years. Re-election is not allowed.

      Of course, at the end of his term, that is when President Aquino will be judged. However, it is a well established standard worldwide to take a look at the first 100 days to see how the progress is shaping up. It is not something that I invented.

      But, to reiterate, the only way that Noynoy Aquino can ever be re-elected as President is if he changes the Constitution, because it allows him only one term as President.

  37. Hi Bob- Of course you are correct I was basing my theory on our own ie UK and US system of government.
    Regards.
    Jim.

  38. Hi Bob

    Contrary to many sceptical posts, I noted Dr Florangel Braid’s column in the Manila Bulletin of Oct 8th when I was in PI last week:

    [QUOTE FOLLOWS]

    MANILA, Philippines – With a performance score card of 71% from SWS, P-Noy has certainly enough reason to celebrate. Even Sen. Joker Arroyo who had been critical of some of his policies had given him high marks, having sustained public trust.

    Among others, P-Noy’s noted these highlights of the government’s accomplishments during the last three months: Exposed anomalous benefits of government-owned and controlled corporations; minimized government spending through careful evaluation of projects; upgraded PAGASA’s weather forecasting capability; strengthened battle against tax evaders; removal from the Tax Haven list; increase in the gross international reserves; initiated projects on increasing the number of airports and LRT lines; and AFP modernization. We can even boast of having one of the best performing stock markets in Asia! Among the current program thrusts are the K-12 educational reform which will add two years to the present 10-year basic education cycle, expansion of the conditional cash transfer program for the poorest of the poor, focus on food security and productivity, job generation, and meeting targets for the Millennium Development Goals.

    What makes us hopeful is that we are assured that this is a “listening government” which is “prepared to tell the truth” and lead us to the “matuwid na daan.”
    [END OF QUOTE]

    IMHO this is all promising, and a refreshing change from GMA’s blatant crony-ism.

  39. MindanaoBob says:
    October 14, 2010 at 8:20 am
    Hi John – Not sure you realize (it seems by what you wrote that you do not)… Trillanes is also a Senator

    That’s even worse, Bob! Onli in da Pilipins!

    • Hi John – Indeed… Try to overthrow the government… it is the surest way to become a Senator! He has been a Senator for several years now, but has not been able to attend sessions, because he is in jail! The Senate is thinking that because of the amnesty that he was issued by P-Noy, he will be able to start attending Senate sessions by the end of the year.

        • I think these Filipino rebel soldiers read the US Declaraton of Independence and tried to implement it, literally….

          At least Philippines doesn’t have a senator who solicits gay sex inside an airport’s restroom..HAHA
          ——————–
          We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
          —————–

          • Lol, there’s a lot more where that came from, Atong, but I think you already know that. Let’s just say that beneath the portals of the venerable U.S. Capitol pass some of the world’s most powerful men by day and the weakest (wickedest?) human beings by night!

            As for those rebel officers of the AFP invoking the U.S. Declaration of Independence on Philippine soil – can’t blame ’em. They were taught at the PMA that the Philippines is a mirror-image of the United States!

  40. Maayong buntag Bob
    I am not so quick to judge Noynoy. If he arrested everyone in the government that was corrupt the government would implode. Also he would need to have the courts on his side to prosecute anyone and from last I heard Aroyo had appointed most of the judges. As for getting all the corruption out of the government that will never happen in the Philippines or for that matter you will never get all the corruption out of the government in the States either. To me it looks like Noynoy is working in a positive direction for cleaning up the government but progress is and will be slow.

  41. I am currently in the Philippines, in Manila. The other day I had a long talk with a restaurant owner and his friends. We talked about the new president and changes that have been made.

    I should jump back just a bit, the owners of the restaurants were American and Filipino. All of them said they were very encouraged by the new president. That investors were of the mind set that things were going to change, things were changing.

    I also talk to many expats here and they say they see a slow change coming. That things are going in the right direction. Fixing the total MESS that is the Philippines is a bigger challenge than the incredible MESS Obama inherited in the United States. It takes time to turn things around.

    What I think Aquino is doing is setting the ground work for the coming months and years, and I personally think he has done a good job. I have talked with many filipinos here and a vast majority think the country is headed in the right direction. It takes time. My God, 100 days is nothing.

    I think Aquino realizes that corruption must be dealt with strongly but the time and energy it would take to go back and prosecute every filipino leader, official, or whomever who has been corrupt would lead to NOTHING being done. So offering a bit of amnesty is the way he is going about it. I totally agree. They can clean up their act and fly straight, or if they continue with their bad ways things are going to go bad for them.

    Let’s not jump to conclusions after just 100 days. Jesus, we all know how slow things move in the filipines. 100 days in the filipines is like 10 days somewhere else. I personally think this president is going to do a GREAT job and in a few years most will have to agree.

    • Hi Todd – I am sure that P-Noy is very happy that he can count you among his supporters. Now, if you could only vote! 😆

      Seriously, I hope that he can make a positive impact. I’m sure it will take time, because in my opinion, the first 100 days have shown nothing.

  42. I guess we have hugely different opinions on what is progress. I certainly do not expect any president of any country to do much in the first 100 days. Wow! It has only been 100 days!!!

    Aquino certainly has gone on record as showing it will NOT be the status quo any longer. Things will change, the problem with the filipines is that EVERY thing moves so slow. It is not the fact that filipinos do not care….although sometimes it seems that way…it is that they are soooooooooooo incredibly slow to get things going. It really is their way. But since I was here last in early May I have seen a difference in people. I see more optimism.

    We fiance and I were going to the Mall of Asia the other day in a taxi. Aquino was delivering a speech about filipinos needing to take account of themselves and their country. That things needed to change. The taxi cab driver said Aquino gave him and his family hope. Hope is a HUGE thing.

    Now the next 265 days and beyond is going to be really important, and there will have to be a LOT of things done to fix this country and get it on even ground with other emerging asian countries, but I think it will happen.

    Again Bob, you should know this about as well as anyone. The filipines moves at its own pace…so judging progress in just 100 days again is like judging progress in America in 10 days. It just is not the fair thing to do.

    • Todd – Every single Philippine newspaper, and every TV station in the Philippines that I am aware of had reports about Aquino’s progress on his first 100 days in office. But, me writing an article about it is “not the fair thing to do.” Uh, OK. Do I need to apologize for writing an article, or what should I do to atone for being so unfair? 😯

  43. Hi Bob,

    I’ve had similar discussions when I was working on assignment there about Aquino’s abilities, his strategy to win the election, and his productivity and performance. First 100 days: Budget – weird (increase in pork barrel, humonguous chunk to Social Welfare at the expense of other departments); Statesmanship – zero. Possible brownie point – Reproductive Health bill if he can deliver that without tampering with it. (I think his tete a tete with Hilary may have something to do with this.)

    He says in Tagalog, “daang matuwid” (straight road). My niece says his road is worst than the zigzag road to Baguio. My sense from the locals, he won because it was “anybody but Erap.” Based on reading Filipino forums, there’s resentment brewing.

    As for his commitment to fighting corruption, well, the problem is systemic. He tends to trivialize the issue. Maybe he should take a cue on what delivered his election fair and square, automation. But I understand he would rather play with his psp. Next year we will find out if Filipinos will be banging their head against the wall for trying too hard to believe in miracles.

    Alex