Manny Pacquiao and Other Things Wrong with Da Pinoy Mentality

The recent brouhaha with the people’s champ Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao has stirred quite a bit of trouble for him and the world of LGBTQs. AS it stands, international LGBTQ communities are now pushing for the withdrawal of some sports brands from sponsoring him for his homophobic remark.

Though Pacquiao has given a ‘sincere’ apology, most of those who called him out didn’t buy it, and for good reasons, too.

Before we begin this tirade, I must first set one thing straight: I will not tell you my sexual orientation as I believe it is irrelevant and is only a mere label. But should you insist that I label myself sexually, then I sexually identify myself as an Attack Helicopter. Ever since I was a boy I dreamed of soaring over the oilfields dropping hot sticky loads on disgusting foreigners. People say to me that a person being a helicopter is Impossible and I'm f*cking retarded but I don't care, I'm beautiful. I'm having a plastic surgeon install rotary blades, 30 mm cannons and AMG-114 Hellfire missiles on my body. From now on I want you guys to call me "Apache" and respect my right to kill from above and kill needlessly. If you can't accept me you're a heliphobe and need to check your vehicle privilege. Thank you for being so understanding.

Now, with that old internet joke aside, let’s get to the main point.

To be fair with Manny Pacquiao, I would say that it’s perfectly alright for him to say that he doesn’t agree with same sex marriage. That is perfectly understandable since, after all, it’s his personal belief and we’re living in a democratic country. Freedom of speech however has its price and things went awry for him when he claimed that LGBTQs are “worse than animals.”

He did apologize though for hurting some feelings but that he stands firm in his belief that homosexuality is unnatural, he is merely stating what the Bible says, and that he is against same sex marriage.

Now, let’ get things in perspective. With Pacquiao’s apologists claiming that what he said was right: I will have to agree. Technically, Pacquiao is right since the Bible (particularly Leviticus) claims: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

The funny thing here is, with Pacquiao giving his apology, his apologists in turn claim that they themselves do not condemn the LGBTQs. However, they still commend Pacquiao for his supposed “bravery” for merely telling the world what the popular opinion of Filipinos is regarding the LGBTQ community. Hilarious.

What was the meme again? Oh yeah—“Double standards. Double standards everywhere.”

Surely you cannot claim that you accept people but think that they are worse than animals, do you? The problem with the mentality of Filipinos is that it LOVES double standards.

Let’s get back to the bible passage. Sure, Filipinos can condemn every homosexual on earth that they can find because, as the bible says, a man lying with another man is an abomination. But lo and behold, there’s another Leviticus passage here. It says: “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

Pacquiao and Ms. Krista Ranillo

Cue the laugh track and the applause. People, remember the brouhaha about Pacquiao’s “alleged” mistresses: Krista Ranillo and Kat Ordonez? Hope you do. While Pacquiao and his staunch supporters may say what they like against LGBTQs, cheating is cheating.

We remember your sins, Pacquiao. Don’t go all high and mighty and condemn the “sins” of others.

Now here’s where things get funny: While Da Pinoy condemns those whose only “sin” is to love someone of the same sex, they admire, nay, they laud men who have multiple wives or mistresses. This stems from a twisted sense of machismo among Filipino men where the more women they can have sex with, the more “macho” a man is. Kinda like compensating for the fact that we have nothing much going on down the nethers and nothing much up in the brain too.

While cheating on a spouse destroys families, traumatizes children and entails a stigma for the mistress, it is quite fine for a dysfunctional society that the Philippines have. Never mind the long-term consequences of one night stands and extramarital affairs—Macho si Pacquiao e. Or worse: “Eh kasi lalaki.”

Truly, if you are to compare our collective maturity in terms of social acceptance, we are no better than the regressive, ultraconservative countries such as, say, Saudi Arabia (shots fired).

Here you have your common specie of Juan Tanga who spouts that their Jesus taught them to love one another, but end up ultimately not caring for those outside of their social circle. It’s all about da clan, da tribe, da pamili, da clique or what-have-you here. Heavens have mercy on your soul should you not belong to one of those.

We love claiming the love of God when in truth, most of us are scum who only think of himself. We love to spout bible verses but end up cherry-picking the only ones we can use as an excuse to hurt. But I digress.

Getting back on track, here’s where Pacquiao got it wrong again: That there are no homosexual animals. Wildlife scientists have observed animals such as Emperor Penguins mating with the same sex. Mind you, these penguins actually stay with one another and live together. Other animals observed to have homosexual mating patterns include Bonobo Monkeys, chimpanzees, domestic cats, dogs, dolphins, etc. The list goes on, but I’ll leave the researching to you. Read the Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl and enlighten yourself.

Having said what he said, it seemed that Pacquiao only revealed to his voters that he is not exactly the brightest bulb in the Christmas Tree. The problem, however, is that he might still win as majority of Filipino voters do not value intellect or capability in looking for candidates. What they value most can be summed up into three shallow qualities: (1) Looks; (2) Drama Queeniness; and (3) Popularity.

Never mind that someone running for Senate do not have the intellectual capacity or background for the job, so long as he has brought honor to the country, that he has good intentions or a  nice sob story worthy of your crappy afternoon shows, and that he is popular, he will win.

Truly, intelligence is not the strongest quality of the common Filipino. Being a lawmaker requires that one be objective in crafting laws; that he not be chained or influenced by any sector so that equality and justice is afforded to all.

Now, I don’t have any problem with Pacquiao running—that is to say, if he’s running on an obstacle course. No, he is running for a national position, one where the future of the country depends upon: One that has a very big difference to a boxing ring where errors can only result to a defeat—not a national crisis.

With the 2016 elections looming it cannot be stressed enough that the Philippines need to muster all of its thinking faculties as the status quo is bad enough even without more bozos adding to the fray.

Regardless of his stand on the same sex marriage brouhaha, it’s time for Da Pinoy to think whether a boxing ring is the same as the Senate; whether beating someone else to a pulp is the same to studying, crafting, and understanding laws. With that, I rest my case.

Oh and P.S.:

If your set of beliefs claim that its core is love and tells you to condemn or hate someone, especially just because their only sin is to love, then it’s high time you question it. Mag-isip isip ‘din mga Pinoy, mamaya sinasabihan na kayong magpakamatay, tatango tango lang kayo.

On Filipino Telenovelas

You know the drill—there's this beautiful maiden who came from a poor family and who fell in love with this handsome young man that came from, you guessed it, a middle class family.

To stop the blossoming romance between the two, the young man's family will do anything (murder is, apparently, included).

But in the end, after the recurring mind-numbing "twists" of forgotten identities, faked pregnancies orchestrated by the show's main antagonist, and a bloody final showdown between the protagonists and the villains, everything will be fine and the male and female leads shall be named husband and wife and everyone lives happily ever after.

Yadda yadda, et cetera, et cetera.*Vomits*

Source: http://www.jgreenwalt.com/
archives/crap-greeting-card-illustration

Such is the mindless formula presented by the brilliant mind of writers, producers and directors of Philippine Telenovelas. Besides from the cheesy lines, the overly trite "morals" they try to imbue to the viewers' minds and the plethora of actors who can't even properly practice their craft, these soap operas have nothing else to offer in the values department.

Don't get me wrong though, there are times when Filipino soap operas do try hard to at least impart some sort of rudimentary lessons. First is that you can love anyone and get away with anything so long as you're beautiful.

Though there is nothing wrong with loving anyone regardless of any external factor, the scenarios presented by Telenovelas are simply too idiotic to the point of delusional. The coming of the 20^th century marked the beginning of the Feminist movement hence the slow death of the "Damsel in Distress" stereotypes. Filipino Telenovelas often project themselves as a form of empowerment to women yet they stick to the formula of a female protagonist pure of heart whilst being treated a sex object, downtrodden in poverty, and utterly helpless in her woes until her Prince Charming came from out of the blue. Huzzah!

If we are to nitpick and correlate this with the Philippines, I'd say that this is one of the many reasons why some women believe that their Prince Charming will someday come and take them away from their poverty. Never mind that they themselves can make the change they wanted. In fact, I think this is one of the many reasons why our society is apathetic when it comes to national affairs. We believe that one day, a savior (or our Prince Charming) will come and eradicate all the problems of the nation as if by magic.

Second, Telenovelas teach us that there are always only two sides: the evil black, and the good white. Completely moronic, I know, but this has been a recurring theme on every Filipino soap opera. Never mind the complexity of morality and the human mind, for one will always be branded as either good or evil. There are no spaces in between as that will only complicate the story, and the average Filipino viewer doesn't have the adequate amount of brain cells to process the beauty of the reality that humans can also be gray.

The notion that the world is divided into two sides (False Dichotomy) is an idiocy we as a people need to abandon. Telenovelas portray the good protagonists to be family-oriented, religious and god-fearing people, and downright martyrs while their antagonists are polar opposites. But in the real world, goodness goes beyond being family-oriented, religious and god-fearing and being a martyr.

Sure, you can be a family-oriented person, but have you also been generous to those who are not your kin or padrino? Filipinos can be well-behaved and civil but we also have a clannish mindset. I have mentioned this already a few times from my previous articles and I cannot emphasize that enough. We care only for our immediate circles.

Speaking of which, remember the brouhaha over the 'Yaya' meals sold in the exclusive Balesin Resort? That is a prime example of what I'm talking about.

Second, you can be religious and god-fearing to your heart's content or as much as you want to claim, but one look at Kris Aquino and her brother will make you think again whether if religiosity really equates to goodness.

Third, often female protagonists are depicted as these innocent jailbait martyrs who couldn't find it in their purity to hurt a fly. Hey, people are always up for a cutie with a kind heart but the way these protagonists are portrayed, you will ultimately be compelled to root for the villain. Apparently, being good is equal to being stupid and desensitized to the pain inflicted upon them.

No wonder Filipinos are oblivious and apathetic to national issues, their soap opera role models of goodness taught them to be desensitized.

Common sense will tell you that the Mass Media is a great contributor to the education of a society given its reach, accessibility and influence. However, instead of using these capabilities to the overall progress of the society and the collective intelligence of the Filipino people, it seems that corporate media are busy profiteering from the ignorance and decadence of the masses to simply care at all.

Sure, Telenovelas have their share of lessons but these purported lessons are so crude you'd think that the writers of the show were either cavemen who live in the recesses of the Tabon or simply senile, deluded old men and women who lived in the era when Polo y Servicios is legal and celebrated and Filipino mestizos are pejoratively called Indios.

Instead of focusing on important questions such as the workings of the universe, the implications of class and power in the society, or the controversial topics of same-sex marriages, use of contraceptives, the relevance of religion in the 21^st century and many others, we focus on mundane things such as celebrity weddings and Cinderella endings.

Often, we view love and marriage as an ending to a good story. When in fact, those two are just the beginnings of a new chapter. No one simply lives happily ever after once they are married, life just doesn't work that way. What we need right now is to get real and stay real. No Prince Charming will save us now. 'Wag kasi tayo puro kalandian at kalibugan.

The Legacy of the 1986 EDSA "Revolution" and What the Philippines Needs Now

The 25^th of February is supposedly the turning point in Philippine History as this day marked the fall of the political strongman and alleged tyrant, Ferdinand Marcos. During this day, we celebrate how the Aquinos supposedly liberated the Philippines from a rotting dictatorial political system to an allegedly democratic one.

Fast forward to twenty-nine years later and one would be forgiven to scratch his head raw, wondering just what exactly have we accomplished (notice my copious use of uncertain words in the first paragraph).  Looking at a historical perspective, we may sum up the good effects of the EDSA 'Revolution' in one word: Nothing.

Twenty-nine years from EDSA I, we still clamor for change. We still suffer from the same slave masters: the oligarchs, the despots guised as freedom fighters, and political "activists" who spew nothing but stupidity and who have sinister agenda underneath their sleeves.

Twenty-nine years from EDSA I, some of us still celebrate (and even liken to saints) the Aquino regime, despite the overwhelming failure of the Mother and now, goodness forbid, the Son. Some of us still hold on to the crazy notion that an Aquino will redeem our nation. Never mind that Cory Aquino approved the sale of state-run businesses including the Philippine Airlines, banks and subsidiaries of the national oil company, leaving major businesses in the country and in turn, the people, at the mercy of the oligarchs. Never mind that Benigno Simeon 'BS' Aquino is following in his mother's legacy of epic failure with the 2010 Manila Hostage Crisis, the forging of the unconstitutional national sellout Bangsamoro Basic Law, and the recent and horrifying deaths of the SAF 44 among many others.

But what exactly is wrong in the Philippines?

Simple. While it is true that we are ruled by incompetent leaders, it was the typical Filipino who put them to place. The Philippines need to change the ones seated in power but more importantly, the Filipinos need to change themselves. For if anything, the government is only a reflection of the society it serves.

The Philippine Government is corrupt, crass, mediocre, self-serving, and vengeful. But so are common Filipinos (if not much worse).

The typical Filipino is self-entitled, immune to even the simplest rules and regulations that otherwise apply to common mortals. He does not pay heed to the laws of traffic nor the simple no littering or "Bawal umihi dito, hindi ka aso." The typical Filipino has no need for such abstract constructs as he is above the rest.

The typical Filipino is infallible. He can criticize foreigners to his heart's content but he will cry foul when he is criticized. No matter where you are born, if you happen to be recognized and happen to have even the smallest drop of Pinoy blood, you are Pinoy and basta Pinoy, da best! Though, collectively, we are yet to prove our worth (besides the cheap labor force) to the world.

The typical Filipino is crass and mediocre. He celebrates stupidity and ignorance. He hates those who are ambitious; for in this country, being called 'ambisyoso' or 'ambisyosa' often has a negative connotation. He makes fun of intellectuals—like bullies in the kindergarten playground. Observe how they often become derisive of knowledgeable people. How they make foolish jokes as to how a smart remark made their noses bleed, or how English speakers are stigmatized as spoiled, anti-poor, rich kids just because they fail to understand the language and that they simply refuse to learn the language.

If the collective intelligence of the
Philippines is a Financial Statement,
we are dangerously close to
filing for Bankruptcy.

The typical Filipino thrives in the mundane and refuses to think deep, or rather, to think at all. Why else would Kris Aquino gain fame despite her insufferable mouth and in-your-face attitude? Why else would the 'Royal' DongYan wedding get the attention it garnered? Why else would soap operas, and movies that have idiotic plots, bland characters, and script that have little to no literary value be watched at all? Seriously, if the collective intelligence of the Philippines is a Financial Statement, we are dangerously close to filing for Bankruptcy.

The typical Filipino is self-serving. He will not join causes for the sake of change, but he will join because he knows that he will benefit from it. He will not vote properly for he had not been offered the right amount. He will not help those in need if he knows that there will be no debt of gratitude (utang na loob). Each one for himself.

The typical Filipino is vengeful. Utak squatter. One look at how BS Aquino runs his office will show you definitive proof of this. Rizal once said that "There are no tyrants if there are no slaves." While this is true in its essence, the problem here is that the typical Filipino often seeks revenge to offenses whether real or imagined. He is the epitome of legendary butthurt. There will be no tyrants if there are those who don't allow themselves be enslaved. However as time goes by, we develop a vicious cycle wherein the former slaves become the tyrants themselves and their slaves in turn, will become the tyrants of the next generation and so on. Intellectuals and revolutionaries here are bad, but self-service and vendetta are a-OK.

We need to change. Not just the system of the government, but also our culture of mediocrity and patronage politics. We need to change our self-serving attitude and vindictive nature. We need to change as a people, not drench ourselves year after year in some pipe dream that one day, a savior will come and turn the tides for the better. "Freedom" in itself is not necessarily the hallmark of a great nation. It's how we responsibly use that freedom to better ourselves that counts.

Every Filipino is Guilty

More than 24 hours have passed since the massacre or—as the government wants to put it: 'misencounter'—in Mamasapano, Maguindanao transpired. This inhumane incident involved the death of 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF) in the hands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Considered as an ambush more than anything else, where only 8 members of the MILF and BIFF were killed, the President along with his lackeys chose to call this abomination a 'misencounter.'

However, the misnomer and the insistence of that misnomer in the part of the government is but only the tip of a sinister iceberg. The truly disturbing part of it all is that for more than 24 hours that have passed, the President is yet to address his constituents. Until now, we receive no consolation, condemnation nor assurance in any action the government will take (if there is in fact, any at all).

Nothing.

For more than 24 hours that have passed, the only thing the government could do is to point fingers, call this incident a mis-encounter and—goodness forbid—even blame those who died for they were 'lost.' We receive no acknowledgment of losses, we receive no sympathy, no reprieve nor do we receive any messages for the Filipinos to remain strong and unite in times like this for we have no true leader. No, what we have seated in power are heartless parasites the dumbed-down, unthinking masses put in place.

For more than 24 hours that have passed, the people of the Philippines remain apathetic—consorting to a 'public outrage' that remains just that: a public outrage with no plans of actions to be taken. It may sound hypocritical coming from a blogger sitting behind a computer, but this is precisely why France is a developed country and the Philippines can only wish to be. During the killings in the Charlie Hebdo, a total of 12 people were killed and almost immediately, the French took to the streets and unleashed their national fury. Here though, you would be hard pushed to find such movements as Filipinos boast a clannish culture—each one to himself. Sure, one would be forgiven to say that they have driven a dictator and a mediocre statesman through People Power I and II, but a compelling question remains: Where are we now?

Logic and a basic understanding of the current hierarchy of the Philippine Government compel us to think that these slain men were mobilized by either the DILG Secretary or the PNP Chief, who takes direct orders from the President himself. This is to pursue BIFF Commander Basit Usman and Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian bomb expert with a 5 million dollar bounty on his head. Now, if it is also true that this massacre occurred because of poor intelligence (or whatever excuse that may be thrown for that matter), then it logically follows that every Filipino is guilty of having the blood of the 64 slain policemen as much as the MILF and the BIFF.

We put these people to power.

In our still feudal-colonial society, we vote the same crooks over and over again for we fear to think, we fear to change. We only help each other so long as we gain something in return. We cry of democracy and freedom, yet when it is time the Philippines needs us, we bow our heads and let the system of cruelty wash over us without even putting up a fight. In this day and age, we still nurture patronage politics and the padrino system despite of the evil these have caused us.

We move on, we recover and we put on a
retarded dog-like grin but
we never learn—we refuse to learn.

But never mind, the Filipinos are a resilient people. No matter what tragedy befalls us, we will get back up with a smile on our faces. The problem is... resilience is not synonymous to learning. Sure, we move on, we recover and we put on a retarded dog-like grin but we never learn—we refuse to learn. We scream foul of the inequities committed by those seated but we are bark and no bite. In fact, we even find it in us to stare in awe at these crooks whenever they break free of charges against them no matter the strength of evidence. Finally, we cry for change yet we are not willing to learn.

In the end, we are all to blame. Truly, it is more fun in the Philippines.