Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Who Do You Trust?
It turns out, according to several sources actually in Angeles City itself, that the police raided several establishments the other night and arrested some 400 GROs, bargirls. If past raids are anything to go by, several of those girls will have been raped while in police custody. All will be told if they post silly numbers for bail money they will be released. Of course they won;t have the money and so some will be able to buy their way out with sexual favors, others will simply be used by the misogynistic cops. The average Filipino male is not known for his emancipated views on equality of the sexes at the best of times and those in a position of power over someone else, less so.
The reason Smith was arrested was apparently because two of his staff are underage. Forget the fact that they produced official, Angeles City approved ID, backed by National Bureau of Investigation ID that they are over 18 , who they claim and have no criminal history. That is irrelevant in the Land Of Lip Service. It is not the responsibility of the government to provide authentic ID or prevent abuses and the issuance of false ID for favors and fee. No, it is the duty of the foreigner to make sure despite all the checks and balances required by law being in place, that these girls are of age. Please! yet go down the street to a Filipino owned bar and the girls are underage WITHOUT fake ID yet the owner is related to some petty official and pays the right people.
Welcome to da Pilipeens. If anyone doubts this post, feel free to prove me wrong. Not to any Filipino standard of proof such as ‘dat is our pride’ kind of standard. Proof. We can produce dozens of sworn affidavits as to what we know and have seen. Including statements from bar girls raped in custody. As for the fate of Smith, it all depends on how much he has to pay and who he pays it to. Forget justice. Court cases dragging on for years due to incompetence, corruption and greed… forget it. Pay up and get the hell out of Dodge is our advice.
Hypocrisy City
An Australian bar owner in Angeles City, Terence Smith, is facing life in prison for ‘Human Trafficking’, the latest UN approved buzz word for pimping. Despite no doubt running the bar for many years, he has only now been arrested and the bar closed. Following this and some other show case raids against foreigners, the US took the Philippines off its list of countries not doing enough to fight human trafficking… and of course reinstated millions of dollars of funds.
Angeles City has dozens of bars where patrons can pay a ‘bar fine’, euphemistically called an ‘early work release’ so the GRO or Guest Relations Officer (hostess) may leave work early and go on a date with the patron. Sex is not guaranteed as afterall, this is a proud catholic country where prostitution is illegal. So why out of all the bars there did they swoop on Smith’s? Obviously he failed to pay the corrupt police enough money. These are the same police that framed the late John Martin on ridiculous drug trafficking charges a decade ago.
So what about the other bars? What about the thousands of bars owned by prominent Filipinos catering purely to Filipino clientele? What about the parents selling off their children to pedophiles and middle men? What about the evil Arab employers in teh Middle East that rape and beat Filipina house maids? Well, they are not as easy a target as a foreigner running a bar, employing dozens of locals and putting money back into the economy.
Calling prostitution ‘human trafficking’ is only accurate if the prostitutes are unwilling participants, surely? While technically yes, they are being trafficked in one respect, the sad reality is too many have few other options for employment. While the catholic church continues its medieval enforcement of no contraception laws the population continues to explode well beyond the country’s capacity to sustain the growth. The rich don’t care as they send their kids overseas and continue to make money from the poor. Many prostitutes actually enjoy the attention and the income and the lifestyle, seeing it as a sure fire way to meet a foreigner who they can marry and use to leave this all behind, then help their family from abroad. If nothing else it is not a one size fits all situation with the solution lock up the bar owners.
One can not moralize against the bar owners and the patrons without also moralizing against the girls who choose to seek work in this industry. Unlike horror stories of prostitutes in Europe being trafficked from Eastern Europe, drugged and treated abominally by pimps, the bar girls are much better taken care of, at least in the foreigner owned bars. The cases of rape by clients, bar owners and the police are out there but rarely investigated as it would require taking action against prominent Filipinos, many with political connections and all with money. And in this, as in any country, money certainly talks.
Make no mistake, the authorities have supported these bars for many years with officials patronising them and enjoying the free services offered, as well as cash payments. To say otherwise is to be naive and deny what is widely known. Smith is a scape goat, one of many foreigner scape goats sacrificed on the altar of US Aid, tied to paying lip service to whatever the latest UN buzz word is this month.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/9756046/philippine-police-nab-australian-in-red-light-raid/
Short Time Behind Bars
While there are still victims of the corruption and incompetence rife in Filipino society languishing behind bars while case after case is thrown out of court, local prisoners seem to be able to enjoy a wide range of privileges, including prostitutes and ‘sleep outs’! A report in the local press exposes the corruption and serious problems at many prisons with prostitutes being brought in to work for their pimps after dark, inside the jail.
While not unheard of in western prisons, there are many cases of female correctional officers selling themselves to well off prisoners and even becoming pregnant. They lose their job and in some cases their family, all for the want of either a condom or some restraint. But don’t blame the women officers. If they were paid a fair wage perhaps they would not resort to this base trade.
Then we have the ‘VIP’ prisoners such as former Batangas Governor, now convicted murderer Antonio Leviste, arrested in Makati outside a building he owns there! You would think they would have some kind of ‘proceeds of crime’ legislation and take the building off him, let alone not let him out to carry on his business.
Make no mistake, Secretary De Lima is doing all she can to sort out this cess pit of corruption but it is not an easy task and not one achieved overnight. The good thing is she and the current Acquino administration seem to have the will to do the job. We can only wish them luck and support them in their uphill battle.
For the report see: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/sex-trade-flourishes-philippine-prison-061003931.html
Tags: filipino children
Meralco’s Millions – Manila Has Most Expensive Electricity In Asia
It is official, at around US$0.18Kwh, Filipinos in Manila pay more for their electricity than the Japanese (US$0.179Kwh). They pay all costs, taxes and there is no subsidy for industry. And they wonder why foreign investment avoids building their next factory there? Of course one might ask who owns the private supplier, Meralco? That link takes you to a Wikipedia entry that is partly written by apologists for the Lopez family who owned the company completely at one time, as well as a true view of the extent to which Marcos went to control his country and enrich himself.
Of course, Meralco are doing that now, according to some inquiries being held as to why Manileno’s pay so much for their power. While people in Sydney pay the same for their electricity as those in Manila do, the outages aren’t as often. Of course, the corruption of the New South Wales government recently ousted in a state wide landslide election win for the opposition was as blatant as any Filipino politicians’, they just had the good grace to deny it and be embarrassed when caught out. Not that anything changed and, like the good citizens of Manila, Sydney-siders too carry the costs. Surely this proves that it matters not where you live, either you are doing the screwing or you are one of the screwed.
Good News
The plight of a British man and his Filipina partner held in jail for nearly two years, seems to be nearing a conclusion. Of the original 24 complainants, only four remain after the other cases were dismissed. There is every chance the matter will be resolved soon as Secretary of the Department of Justice DeLima has reminded prosecutors and judges of the rule that insists cases are resolved within 180 Days. Given it has been three or four times that since this matter began, keep in mind Secretary DeLima has only recently taken up her post, appointed by President Acquino himself.
Although still early days, it seems there is political will and a genuine determination in the Acquino administration to not only have justice done, but have it seen to be so. We fully support the President and his appointees in their difficult task. It was President Quezon himself who said he would rather see the Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than run like heaven by foreigners. He got his wish but it could be that pretty soon, the Philippines may become that heaven on earth and this time, at the hands of the rightful owners, the people of the Philippines.
It Could Happen To You
Our Contributor, Dennis Horner has some powerful things to say about the Philippines. We remind everyone his opinions are not automatically those of the webmaster, site owner or any other contributor or comment maker.
There is a lot of buzz at the moment on the Expat Yahoo Groups about a Brit and his wife being held in jail for nearly 2 years. The alleged crime is illegal recruitment, which is aligned to human trafficking and that is tied to nearly half a billion dollars of US foreign aid and is being used to leverage action from the government. Meanwhile, the expat and his wife are being held in a municipal jail. Imagine an overcrowded cell with little ventilation and no porper sanitation. You sleep on cardboard or plywood and you have to pay P10 to use the toilet. Food is disgusting so those with family and funds cook their own brought in from outside.
Imagine losing an eye to untreated diabetes while being held on remand? Imagine having to send your kids off to stay with a relative of your wife who believes you have to be guilty because you are in jail! No presumption of innocence in this country and not much due process either.
When your case is heard the complainants fail to show… every time over 18 months yet the case is still not thrown out of court! Is it because of connections between the authorities? Some misguided idea if a Kano is involved it has to be a conviction? Do they need convictions at any cost to keep the foreign aid?
Meanwhile, there is no excuse for the disgusting, primitive conditions the prisoners are held in. The state has a duty of care to them while they are being held. Apparently this is a non-bailable offense. Employees of the business owners were held for months but finally released on bail and the expat wasn’t an owner, just an employee. Meanwhile the parents suffer every time they have to send some cash to help their son because most of it is stolen or misused. The attorney just keeps asking for more money.
The only excuse for the poor conditions is the culture of the Philippines. Unless you are one of the ruling elite, you are nobody. Justice is only for those who can pay, this is the Third World, remember. There are decent, honest and hard working government officials trying to fight the corruption and do what they can, but they are outnumbered and outgunned.
If you are thinking of retiring to the Philippines… think again. This can happen to anyone. trumped up charges are a common occurrence to extort money from foreigners and locals. The blog owners brother in law was falsely accused of raping a 13 year old. A non-bailable and capital offence. He fled because if he had gone to jail he would still be rotting there. There were ten witnesses who swore he never left their sight the entire time the alleged crime took place. The witnesses saw the girl wander off with a man and a bottle of rum earlier. She said she scratched her attacker and said where in detail, yet not a single mark was on the BiL’s body. The parents wanted money. They are ignorant, poor and basically trash. The police smelt money because the BiL has two sisters married to Kano’s. However one was an LAPD Sgt and the other a former Military Policeman and both smelt a rat. The ex-LAPD Sgt went there, arranged the witness statements the imbecilic local cops refused to do as they just wanted a payment, and sorted out a lawyer. In the end they had to pay the parents of the ‘victim’ to sign a release, yet they still ask his parents for money regularly. Worse were other neighbours and so called friends who all smelt a chance to make a peso and tried to get money too.
(Editor’s Note: Basically this is true, it did happen and there is sadly more to it that is even worse for the system here)
If you want a vacation in a stinking, poorly run, lousy and disease infested armpit with vile, corrupt officials risking your liberty and safety, then come to the Philippines. Sex is easy to get and cheap, so too the booze. Don’t feel guilty, the local big shots treat the poorer people like their feudal vassals too. It is the Land of Lip Service and it is a sad joke. The saddest thing is telling the truth like this is a crime over there. It hurts their pride so much they react like petty little kids.
The good news is the new President is trying to change this. He is genuinely doing a lot to stop the systemic corruption that is so much a part of Filipino society. The team of public servants he has put in place are fighting hard to make those changes and I have seen written proof they are doing their best. I doubt they will make much of an inroad in this term and if he is re-elected, in the next but hopefully they will do all they can.
The Philippines has too many great people to let it stay such a festering sore on the world. Most are overseas trying to make enough to send home because the rich few rule everything and keep things that way because it suits them. Happens all over the world, it is not just a Filipino thing. If you can get out, you do. If you can’t then you are too busy keeping alive to try and fight the system and the powers that be. Too easy to disappear or die. Or simply have someone make a false accusation against you and you disappear into the jails and court system, forever.
You can either do the sensible thing and sever all ties with the Philippines. Find a chat mate online from another country for instance. Or you can decide to support the efforts of the President and his team. I love the Philippines and the Filipino people, but I will not pretend for a moment it is anything but a basket case of a corrupt sewer like country. I got my family out then went back for a vacation and I doubt we will be back again for many years to come. There are nicer, cleaner, safer and better run tropical countries in SE Asia to visit with better infrastructure and cuisine. There are better places to retire to, to visit and so on. Once you have your Filipina why remain if you can function in your own country? I sincerely hope by the time I am ready to retire, the President and his team have turned the country around and made it worth retiring to.
Tags: web
How’s He Doing?
By all accounts President Acquino is living up to his promises and getting the things done he said he would. He hasn’t made a lot of friends in some areas but then that was expected. Will he keep it up for the term of his presidency? Time will tell.
There has been a lot of press about new foreign investment in the Philippines and due in no small part to the confidence the current administration lends to the economy. Many foreign investment concerns will never forget the way the German consortium was not paid by the previous government for the construction of NAIA3 at Manila Airport.I think new money will be coming in from China and South Korea, even though President Acquino returned from the recent Asian summit talks with billions in foreign aid form Australia and other western countries.
If nothing else, a new broom does indeed sweep clean and many in cushy government jobs are looking over their shoulders or waiting for the hand on the collar. Too many have been corrupt and taking money they shouldn’t and their time seems to have come.It remains to be seen if one oligarchy simply takes over from another as has happened time and time again here.
Is Democracy Right For The Pinas?
Editor’s Note: We now have a another contributor, Dennis Horner, who would like to respond to some of the points raised in Konrad’s post on the recent elections and democracy, Pinoy style. Dennis now lives in the UK but was a resident of the Philippines for many years until 2009. He has a new (second) Filipina wife, three grown kids scattered across the Philippines and Europe and restores old British Seagull outboard motors for fun and profit!
Once again, the views expressed by the writer are his own.
What About King Noynoy?
Why do we all seem to think that democracy is the only valid and viable form of government for everyone on this planet? Some races/cultures/ethnic groups actually prefer a more autocratic style of rule and respect a strong leader rather than enjoy being ruled by committee.
While we often lampoon the Philippines election circus they do try hard to emulate their previous American masters in style if not the actual spirit of things. But is a democratically elected (just bear with me for now, ok?) government the best answer for Pinoys?
Given they are only Filipino once they leave their country and until then they are Cebuanos, Bicolanos, Pampangans and so forth… is it right to expect them to all agree on one leader, one party and one ideology? What about a federated republic like Malasia or even the USA? Or a Constitutional Monarchy like the UK and Australia and I think, Canada and New Zealand? We could lend you our monarch but her successors are probably more attractive to Filipinos given the way they carry on in the media like telly novella artistas some times.
How about a benevolent dictatorship? Many old timers still feel they had that with Marcos but those snatched off the streets and hurled into Bilibid Prison might not share their view. Martial law and military junta’s have worked in some countries for limited times such as South Korea, Thailand and various South American locales with varying degrees of success.
Or what about a socialist state? Democratic socialism allows free enterprise and private capital but ensures everyone in the state gets a share of the wealth. This would upset the catholic church as the poor would finally be properly looked after and the rich would have little to whine about other than having to actually pay taxes for once.
But whatever system of governance is applied, the system is only as valid as the people applying it and the people it is applied to accepting and obeying it. An unpopular system will result in civil disturbance worse than we have seen in nearby Thailand recently. It would be wrong to impose a Burmese style of military rule and full blown socialism has proven to be lacking in the argy-bargy world of free market capitalism.
There are lots of factors to consider but the main one is would a different form of governance make any difference? Or would the same people who rule now, rule then albeit with a different title in front of their names?
Tags: filipina wife
Election Results
Here are the official COMELEC election results for the recent Presidential elections in the Philippines.
PRESIDENT
- Benigno Aquino III: 12,233,002 / 40.19%
- Joseph Estrada: 7,749,597 / 25.46%
- Manuel Villar, Jr.: 4,329,215 / 14.22%
- Gilberto Teodoro: 3,243,688 / 10.65%
- Eddie Villanueva: 916,543 / 3.01%
- Richard Gordon: 431,954 / 1.41%
- Nicanor Perlas: 42,205 / 0.13%
- Jamby Madrigal: 37,119 / 0.12%
- John Carlos de los Reyes: 34,833 / 0.11%
VICE PRESIDENT
- Jejomar Binay: 12,025,429 / 39.51%
- Mar Roxas: 11,213,563 / 36.84%
- Loren Legarda: 3,259,963 / 10.71%
- Bayani Fernando: 847,100 / 2.78%
- Edu Manzano: 593,653 / 1.95%
- Perfecto Yasay: 295,558 / 0.97%
- Jay Sonza: 50,722 / 0.16%
- Dominador Chipeco, Jr.: 40,335 / 0.13%
The total registered voters is 50,723,733 with a turnout of around 55% to 57%
Our new contributor and commentator, Konrad Hille, has submitted this opinion piece on the election results. Konrad has lived in the Philippines since he left his native East Germany shortly after it ceased to exist in 1989. He speaks Tagalog, Pampangan and English fluently as well as German and Russian. A former Intelligence Officer in the DDR army, Konrad is married to a Filipina, has several children and a very definite point of view. We hope his comments will provide food for thought. His opinions are purely his own and do not represent the views of the management of this site.
Democracy At Work?
Only getting half the registered voters off their lubots and into a polling place is a bit sad until you remember people get killed during elections in this country. What is really tragic is that Erap Estrada managed to come second with nearly 8 million votes! This is the same ex-President who was impeached for stealing millions from the public coffers. He spent a few years in comfortable house arrest before GMA pardoned him.
This highlights a tendency of the Filipino to forgive and forget rather than perhaps embarrass anyone by remembering the nasty, dirty, impolite truths. It also shows how they like to vote for someone they feel sorry for, NoyNoy Aquino III is the son of the dead Cory Acquino who was voted in because people felt sorry for her being the widow of the assassinated Benigno Acquino Jr.
The whole family is filthy rich and that is because they own vast amounts of land and other businesses and ignore their own land reforms. They have exploited the poor people, the masa, just as have all the other rich oligarchs in politics. Nothing has changed and nothing will change in this country. The rich, ruling ‘elite’ of fair skinned mestizo and Chinese-Filipino families will continue to plunder the country and live well with their real estate holdings in the US and hidden overseas bank accounts. Meanwhile the people they are elected to serve suffer, pay more for basic necessities and too many starve or die from lack of enough money to get proper medical attention.
It would make me very angry except for one thing, the Philippines is a democracy and I know about democracies. After all I spent the first forty years of my life in the German Democratic Republic. Of course it was easier for us as we only had the one political party to vote for. As they say, in a democracy, the people get the government they deserve and if 45% of them can’t be bothered to vote and of those who do 25% vote for a criminal who has plundered and raped his country once already… then they deserve everything they get.
New Release from Streetwise Philippines
With over 20 years hands-on experience in the Philippines, Perry Gamsby is considered an authority on the facts of expatriate life in this fascinating archipelago. As well as having a Filipina wife, four children and the requisite extended Filipino family, Perry is a teacher of Filipino Martial Arts and a former travel editor of the country’s leading map and travel atlas publisher. Five years ago he created Streetwise Philippines Inc. publishing eBook guides to the Philippines for expat readers.
His first book and to date, still the best seller, is “Philippine Dreams” (also sold in some markets as “StreetWise Philippines”). This comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of Filipinas, the Philippines and his own decision to move to the Philippines and pursue his dream of living in a tropical paradise strikes a chord with all who read it. Written in an entertaining yet informative style, the eBook explores life and living in the Philippines in a special way: “This is what happens, this is why it happens, this is what you as an expat can do to understand what happens.” You can read more about Philippines Dreams at http://www.philippine-dreams.com/
“Philippine Dreams” created a demand for more information, especially about the four most important topics of the matrix: meeting a Filipina, marrying and migrating a Filipina, putting a roof over your head if you decided to live in the Philippines and finding ways to pay for all of this! The results were “Filipina 101-How To Meet The Filipina of Your Dreams” (co-written with his Filipina wife, Amelita) and “Filipina 202 – How To Marry And Migrate Your Dream Filipina”. These valuable guides dismiss the misinformation and stereotyping of the Filipina on the many online dating/matchmaking sites and provide a balanced and informative guide to men looking for Filipina wives. You can read more about these guides at http://www.filipina101.com and http://www.filipina202.com
Perry has completed ‘Filipina 303 – Making The Magic Last’ although at this stage it has not been decided if the eBook will be released separately or as part of a three volume compilation of the ‘Filipina’ series.
Perry then released “The Philippines Property Primer – The StreetWise Guide to Buying, Renting or Leasing Property”. This is a ‘first read’ real estate guide for anyone contemplating buying, renting or leasing property in the Philippines. Over the years, as well as buying, leasing and renting several properties himself in the Philippines, Perry has observed many people lose large amounts of money in property here; most of the time because they are not dealing with legitimate sellers or they have not protected their investment by taking the simple precautions listed in the eBook. The Philippines Property Primer has all of the basic information you need to assist you in making a more informed decision. You can read more about The Philippines Property Primer at http://www.philippinespropertyprimer.com/
THE LATEST RELEASE FROM STREETWISE PHILIPPINES
Although the topic of how to make a living in the Philippines was covered in brief in “Philippine Dreams”, the response from readers was so insistent that a new, updated and more in depth guide on how to support yourself and your family in the Philippines has been released. “MAKING A LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES – The StreetWise Guide To Business, Employment and Investing”, will tell you what you need to know to operate a small business, get a job or invest in a tightly regulated, highly competitive and immensely volatile marketplace. It has been written with the average guy in mind; the everyday guy without the big retirement income set-up or pre-arranged ‘fatcat’ expat job contract who wants to escape to the Philippines and live every day with the Filipina of his dreams but still needs to make a living!
You can read more about “Making A Living In The Philippines” at http://www.makingalivinginthephilippines.com/ or check out all the Streetwise Philippines publications at http://www.streetwisephilippines.com/ The eBook, contains a wealth of information otherwise impossible to glean without having been there, done that. In the safety of your own home you can learn first hand what is required to survive in a third world economy and be better equipped to decide if you should risk selling up and making that life changing move!
This E-Book will explain to you everything you need to know to start up a small business, get a job or invest in the Philippines!
The very latest publication is ‘Philippines Survival Handbook’ which takes a very holistic and comprehensive view of the things that can give you grief in the Philippines. From bent coppers to under-age girl scams, snakes and sea creatures to dangerous bus rides!
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Philippine Dreams - Who Else Wants to Escape to a Tropical Paradise?
Filipina Dating - How To Meet and Marry the Filipina of your Dreams!
Filipina Heart - How to Marry and Migrate the Filipina of your Dreams
Making A Living In The Philippines - Guide to Making Money in the Philippines
Philippines Property Primer - Buying, Investing, Renting and managing property
Philippines Survival Handbook - A Streetwise guide to Safe Enjoyment Of The Philippines