In review and in prospect
Perhaps this is what is at the root of the dysfunctional national "debate" -- a lack of a capacity for introspection and underdeveloped self-awareness. The Philippines is, after all, a country of ako muna (me first) and kanya-kanya (every one for one's self). There is no looking towards a collective aspiration bigger than one's self, much less for one's community. This is why large-scale public transport continues to progress at a snail's pace. This endeavour is up against a headwind of what can be summed up as a simple small-mindedness baked into the psyche of an entire people.
The Philippines’ public transport situation is a microcosm of this national affliction. Jeepneys started as a grassroots effort to address what, at the time, was a pressing need for ordinary peoples’ transportation needs. It has since become a monstrous social problem that now hobbles efforts to modernise public transport and is a cause of vast amounts of petty and unnecessary “debate”. The latter is particularly acute and endemic at every level — drivers clambering over one another (and over law enforcement assets) for road space, operators jostling for political clout, manufacturers clinging to “traditional” industrial practice, and “activists” using all that as fodder for their virtue signalling.
Amidst all that, the public suffers and the nation’s reputation (given that public transport is a key measure of social progress as cars are increasingly seen as a social cancer) flags.
Step back and regard political “activism” and its particularly pedestrian flavour — social media “blogging” — and it is easy to see the same pattern. What started as a grassroots activity amongst intellectually curious participants is now a full-blown showcase of human degeneracy. “Major” participants now exhibit parasitical behaviour; known more from the perspective of the cults of personality they cling to and the money trails they follow and less for their intellectual integrity and sense of bigger purpose.
Just like the Philippines’ derelict public transport landscape we see today — one building on the back of Filipinos’ renowned penchant for mediocrity and funded by sketchy money — the space where smart public debate will have been expected is infested by freaks scrounging around for their next buck and “fighting” for manufactured “causes” that are all but irrelevant to most Filipinos.
Last week’s blog posts
Shutdown SMNI and Seize Quiboloy’s Assets!
November 6, 2023 by Oman
"Quiboloy, a known close associate of former President Rodrigo Road Duterte, is known to be strongly sympathetic to China and has allowed SMNI to be used for pro-China propaganda on the WPS."
Demolishing Inday Sara Duterte: the VP needs a more competent comms team and smarter “influencers”
November 5, 2023 by Ramon Ortoll
"This is probably what Duterte foresaw when he made the statement about Marcos being a weak leader and why he wanted Inday to either run for president or be Bong Go’s running mate."
November 4, 2023 by Ramon Ortoll
"In reality, six years is not enough time to solve our problem which needs both a medium and long-term solution. We can’t afford to continue with current system of changing governments every six years."
Foreign policy must never be dictated by emotions
October 31, 2023 by The Unpopular Opinion
"Unfortunately, many Filipinos and politicians seem unwilling to bridge the gap between what’s ideal from what’s practical, where they would rather point fingers at China instead of recalibrating its position."