I remembered how I discussed with the K+12 program during one of my conversations with a college professor. I was asked by him, "What do you think of the K+12?" I soon said, "We need to change the attitude of people first." Then I was told, "That will take forever! The Philippines is too used to associating the Pinoy identity to enjoy their blunder." I felt down after that discussion and it gave me thought that system change must happen first. I saw ow K+12 education system would be needed first before the change can happen. It's time to discuss more about how the old dysfunctional system has to go kaboom in order to make it more fun in the Philippines.
The current democracy of the Philippines is based on popularity and mob rule instead of a democracy that seeks long-term improvements
It's more than time to ask why is the Philippines is occupied by least qualified people in power? It's no thanks to a democracy that's a government for stupid people, by stupid people and for stupid people. It reminds me of how Joseph "Sherap" Ejercito-Estrada won by popularity and later Noynoy Aquino won by popularity. This popularity-based contests encourages Filipinos to vote for athletes and actors who know nothing about politics and running a country. They could have voted for economists and competent lawmakers who could have done a better job but a popularity-based system doesn't encourage that.
How is the Philippines a democracy based on mob rule or the bandwagon mentality? Think about how often presidents get into power and get kicked out of power. The late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and Sherap were both installed into power by the mob and got kicked out of power by the mob. Maybe Senator Leila De Lima can also be an example of having been thrown out by mob rule. The problem with the mob rule is that trends change too much. It was last decade when people were afraid of Panfilo Lacson as president because he was too "fierce" but later President Duterte's tough leadership later appealed to them. Mob rules are always affected by the shift of trend and many times the majority has been wrong. Wasn't it the mob rule that got created a Cory Aquino presidency in the first place?
There are two warnings that should be brought up namely "With great power comes great responsibility." and George Orwell's famous statement "Beware lest democracies turn into tyrannies." Democracy is a great power so it must be handled responsibly or there will be dire consequences. Democracies can turn into tyrannies either by nominating tyrants into power or when the government ends up following the rule of majority whether it's wrong or not. Either way both are tyrannies that must be avoided when having a democracy. Democracy is needed but there should be rules and regulations built to regulate it.
On the other hand, a parliamentary-federal system would encourage more accountability than winnability in Philippine politics. One could think what if the Philippines were a parliamentary system? Noynoy could have been easily ousted for a more competent head of state through a vote of no confidence. The presidential system doesn't give you alternatives for a better head of state. Just imagine what if Noynoy got beheaded in Saudi Arabia last 2013. It would automatically mean that Jejomar Binay would have automatically been president. Should Duterte lose his competitiveness as a prime minister then a vote of no confidence can be done or a snap election can be declared for a new head of state should he decide to resign. It wouldn't make Leni Loud Gerona-Robredo the new prime minister. Instead, it's Leni Loud vs. every competent candidate. It would be Leni Loud vs. Alan Cayetano vs. Bongbong Marcos vs. Grace Poe-Llamanzares to serve as Duterte's replacement.
Current laws and policies that are encouraging impunity need to be replaced with just and proper disciplinary laws and policies
It's stupid to say that we need to train the youth first before we repeal Senator Kiko Pangilinan's bill that increased the age of liability to crime. De Lima's proposal not to lower down the age of criminal liability will encourage minors to do crime. Raissa Espinosa-Robles' saying that curfews means martial law is back. What these idiots don't realize is that the current laws encourage impunity. I even what to ask Robles herself if she wants to see her children getting mauled by thugs all because they weren't home when thieves and robbers are at their most active. I would ask Senator Kiko if whether or not how would he feel if any of his daughters got attacked by teenage crooks.
The way that the Commission on Human Rights is doing things promotes the culture of impunity. It was one of the agencies that was installed by the 1987 Constitution. While it claims to defend human rights but it ends up defending the right to impunity. Good examples would be how the Commission on Human Rights has a series of impunity lovers such as De Lima, Etta Rosales and currently Chito Gascon. They claim that we're living in "dangerous times". Yes it's dangerous times for them because that organization has a dirty track record. As Lee Kuan Yew said that the rights of law abiding citizens come first and not that of criminals. While criminals do have the right to a fair and just trial or not to be punished beyond their offense but the rights of law abiding citizens come first. I guess this is why so many OFWs think they have impunity abroad is because they are so used to impunity back in their home country.
The progress of countries like Japan, Singapore and Taiwan can also be attributed to people who follow simple guidelines and strict law enforcement. One reason why the Philippines doesn't progress is because people who are not following simple guidelines is the norm. Worse, there are some people who think that they'd rather commit suicide if they have to follow rules. Do they even realize that rules exist for a purpose? If people throw their garbage in the right place then there will be less flooding. If people don't smoke in no smoking areas then there will be less accidents caused by smoking. If people follow traffic rules then there will be less accidents. If there's more effective law enforcement systems then think of how people will be afraid to break the law. If people are afraid to commit civil offenses because there's a justifiable fine then they will learn to follow bigger rules. If people can't be trusted not to violate the rules against civil offenses then think how much more will they can't be trusted not to do criminal offenses. Critics of PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa and Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre Jr. should ask themselves whether or not Alan Purisima and De Lima did a good job during their time as PNP Chief and Justice Secretary.
This also goes for the prevalence of tabloid media. Why do you think organizations like ABiaS-CBN, Philippine Daily Non-Inquirer, Crappler and GMA-7 get so much power? It's because the system allows it. There are hardly any rules for responsible journalism. As much as there should be freedom of speech but to be an irresponsible idiot like Raissa Gaga is uncalled for. There are still rules and regulations to voicing out one's opinion and views on what's going on. What these tabloid media are doing are stepping out of the boundaries of freedom of speech. Worse, a lot of these people who are in the tabloid media are people with very thick faces and very thin skins at the same time.
Filipinos can't be taught the importance of being competitive if they're under economic overprotectionism
Should the Philippines wait until Filipinos are all educated in economics because many have been too used to backward thinking. It's also stupid to say that we must wait until the local businesses will be competent before we open up the economy. The reason why many local businesses are incompetent is because of a lack of competition. How can you be encouraged to be competitive if there's no competition to start with? What you must realize is that if Lee Kuan Yew and Deng Xiaoping waited until their local businesses were competent to open up the economy then Singapore and China would have not rose up because of them. By opening up the economy the Singaporean and Chinese businesses were forced to compete or perish.
The culture of protectionism ends up feeding Filipinos with the culture of Pwede Na Yan. The services done by the oligarchy are so mediocre yet some Filipinos are satisfied paying high prices for low quality. The problem is with supply and demand. If supply is down and demand is high then prices should go high. How can you demand for higher pay when there's so little supply of work? Increasing the minimum wage from 350 to 750 is impossible as long as the Philippine economy is sunk. It's possible to get higher salaries in developed countries but not in the Philippines. To be satisfied with poor services which cost very high is indeed saying that you're okay with bad services all in the name of nationalism never mind efficiency and effectiveness are compromised in the process.
The idea of the "pambansang industriya" is just stupid. If that idea can't even work on an uncharted island then how can it work for any country to start with? The idea of economic protectionism is to protect the local business from foreigners. True, there should be a certain degree of protectionism but the Philippines is getting it wrong. They are taught that "only foreigners will get rich" when you allow foreigners to do their business in the Philippines. What they don't realize is that local businesses are still given a certain degree in protectionism when these non-Filipino companies are required to comply to Filipino laws and customs. That means all earnings whether it's from a local business or a foreign business are taxable. Then again what do you expect when the legacy of PNoy Pride means Okay Fine Whatever, Whenever, Wherever. He had six years to open up the economy but he refused to. In return, that mistake gave more power to organizations like Makabayad and Migraine International.
I guess most people can't even view the advantages of foreign investors. If there's healthy competition then there can be more cartels when it comes to homogeneous goods like rice and flour. You can be secretly getting or selling supplies (at the price of capital) from your competitors who is also your friends in real life at the same time. If there's more competition then you may also have more customers. A rice wholesaler could end up getting more profits if he sells to restaurants that compete against each other. He could tell his potential customer that the competitor buys from him and that alone could make competitors buy from him. It also means more suppliers of goods and services. A local businessman could profit from having both local and foreign service providers like he can enjoy having better Wifi than what PLDC and Globe has to offer while he avails of local suppliers. In short, it gives you more supply to fill in the demand.
The current Imperial Manila system is also another reason why decongestion for the Philippines can't be done
The idea that decentralization of the Philippines will only benefit Imperial Manila is 100% stupid. Don't tell me that equity was met according to the needs of each area of the Philippines through the Imperial Manila system? Why do you think people living outside the National Capital Region can't get their necessary documents on time under the unitary system? It's because of the lack of decentralization. So why are these anti-reform opponents claiming that federalism will just benefit Manila when the evidence says otherwise?
The whole Imperial Manila system or Tagalog imperialism is hypocritical. Why do these arrogant Tagalogs claim to be against imperialism while they adhere to a system that treats that Philippine archipelago like an empire instead of a republic of 7,107 islands? Is the Philippines only located in the National Capital Region and the rest of the non-Tagalog areas of the Philippines are just conquered lands under an imperial system? Are Filipinos only Tagalogs or are there non-Tagalog Filipinos? So are Filipinos only Filipinos if they are Tagalogs or are Filipinos anyone who pledge their allegiance to the Philippine government regardless of ethnicity?
If and if the Philippines were more decentralized then think how punctuality will be encouraged and Filipino time will mean Filipinos are on time. Tardiness will be discouraged and punctuality will be encouraged in a system that encourages efficiency and effectiveness. If and if decision making were more decentralized and authority were delegated then think how effective it would be. It should be a good thing that #OrasNaRoxasNa didn't happen. If he can't delegate authority then how can he be a good leader? I guess all his antics to gain a vote proved how inefficient the Imperial Manila system is. If he delegated the authority and showed how he could delegate it then maybe he could have won. But I guess Filipinos for change should be thankful that Mar was making a fool out of himself during his campaign period. Otherwise, he could have already been president and Mar-Leni would end up destroying the nation even more.
Why is decongesting the Philippines important? Let's use the illustration of a congested nose. Can you work properly if you have a stuffy nose? You need to unclog your nose out of any hardened mucus before you can work properly. If you can't breathe properly then how can you work properly? If your lungs don't receive enough air then how can oxygen be passed efficiently? If your brain doesn't receive enough oxygen then how can you think properly? If oxygen can't be evened out how can your whole body work properly? If the Philippines gets a system that will decongest it then it will become a more efficient country.
I wish that PCGG and CHR will be abolished and we want to return Philippine Constabulary and authoritarianism to tramp liberalism, democracy, civil liberties and basic rights to suppress our critics, dissidents and rebels while mainting law-abiding citizens to be afraid to break the law to fear and respect the laws.
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