Pinoys Are Honest

Not character but leadership

Inquirer News Service

IT'S common for leaders to blame their failures on the people. Thus Hitler, just before he fired the pistol that blew out his evil brains, whined that the German people were not worthy of his leadership. Pol Pot tried to kill as many Cambodians as possible in order to change them. Shortly after her election last year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued an executive order for a program to change the character "flaws" of the Filipino people.

Yet, in the entire history of mankind, there is no instance in which an entire people had to change their collective character so that their fate would change. England became great because of leaders like Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill. America achieved independence through the statesmanship of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Malaysia and Singapore have become economically successful because of Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew; and China is now a superpower because of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiao Peng. The 1.2 billion Chinese people did not have to change their character to achieve economic progress.

Japan, which is not a Christian nation, has a kinder and gentler social system that takes much better care of retirees and elders than ours. It has much greater harmony and peace than our country.

Jose Enrique Yulo, in his letter, titled "Character flaws, change from within," (Inquirer, 7/25/05) expressed a very poor opinion of the Filipino character. This is typical of our colonial elite. Yet, Jose Rizal, in his essay, "The [alleged] Indolence of the Filipino People," pointed out that Filipinos are industrious and honest. He noted that our ancestors, in trading with the Chinese, invariably paid for the wares by leaving their payment on the shores for the Chinese traders to pick up. A recent test (conducted by GMA Network television), wherein "lost" wallets containing P200 were dropped in various parts of Metro Manila, showed that 85 percent of the wallets were returned intact. Another survey showed that most jeepney passengers, coming from ordinary families, paid the correct fare even though they had the opportunity to just get off without paying.

Filipino workers and employees abroad are appreciated for their industry and honesty, and that is the reason our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are in demand among employers abroad. If Ms Arroyo said that by going abroad, some eight million Filipinos were "voting with their feet," it is not because they have failed our country; it is because our leaders have failed them.

Leaders make promises; they are elected to office; they get to use billions of pesos in taxes from the people; they get the power to direct an immense bureaucracy. If they fail, why blame the people? A great leader, John F. Kennedy said, "To whom much is given, much is required." We give much to our leaders, in terms of honor, money and obedience. What do we get in return? Shall we also get insult in addition to injury?

MANUEL F. ALMARIO (via e-mail)

Garci's Pal

Posted by Avigail Olarte 
PCIJ

COMMISSION on Elections official Ray Sumalipao has confirmed that the conversation between him and ex-Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano on the wiretapped tapes is true.

Sumalipao was the Lanao del Sur provincial election supervisor in May 2004 and is now the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao assistant regional director.

In an interview with Marawi City reporters, Sumalipao said he spoke with Garcillano on May 30, 2004 about the ongoing canvassing in Lumba-Bayabao in Lanao del Sur.

Before Sumalipao, former presidential staff officer Michaelangelo Zuce had  confirmed the authenticity of the recorded conversation between him and his uncle, Garcillano. 

Alioden Dalaig, Comelec law department director, had also told Newsbreak that he was the one on the tape discussing with Garcillano about President Arroyo's Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures.

This was the conversation between Sumalipao and Garcillano: 

Conversation between Gary (V. Garcillano) and Ray (believed to be Ray Sumalipao) on 30 13:30  hotel May '04

Ray: Hello?
Garcillano: Hello, Ray.
Ray: Sir.
Garcillano: O kumusta na kayo dyan?
Ray: Ah, ok lang, dito sa NBC ng ano, ng lugar ng (garbled)
Garcillano: Lumba-Bayabao?
Ray: Oo, sir.
Garcillano: Anong kwan dyan sa Lumba-Bayabao?
Ray: Nagka-canvassing. In-order to continue the canvassing pero wala namang proclamation. Yun ang order sa en banc, sir, di ba?
Garcillano: Meron ba?
Ray: Meron na, sir.
Garcillano: Ha?
Ray: Meron, sir. To continue with the canvassing but suspend the proclamation.

Sumalipao said the conversation "had nothing to do with defrauding somebody during the elections."

Read Sun Star's article on Sumalipao's interview here .  See also PCIJ's post, "The Lanao del Sur vote."

OFW's View

An OFW's message for Arroyo

INQ7.net

I WAS planning to write a very long feedback just to voice out my frustrations and disappointment with what is going on in our country but I decided not to waste your time on that. I'll just make it straight and short:

Dear Ms Arroyo, when you say that you are fighting for the average Filipino, have you ever considered what are the repercussions for the average Filipino of your being hardheaded and greedy for power? Since your apology was aired on the TV, have the prices of basic necessities (food, clothing, etc.), which the average Filipino needs, ever gone down?

The exchange rate of peso against the dollar has not improved. Actually, as an overseas Filipino worker, I should be happy with what you are doing because the money I send to my family will have more value in pesos. But what value? That hard-earned money is not enough to buy the basic things my family needs.

I just wish that you would stop being a pathetic loser trying to stay in your office when most of the Filipinos do not want you there. Please step down! That is at least one step that will surely help the economy of our country.

How do you expect our country to improve when you cannot function properly, as your time is not enough to stabilize the situation? The longer you fight for your office the longer will it take for Philippines to get back on its feet. How do you expect foreign investors to come in and provide employment to our people when they are not sure what kind of government we will have in the next five years?

If you are really fighting for the average Filipino, be man enough to accept your defeat and leave your office!

JOJO ALVIEDO, Lorong 40 Geylang, Singapore (via e-mail)