Afraid to be poor? Afraid to be down? Why don't you pull your friends with you so you are not alone? Why don't you pull your neighbors down so you have companions? This is the usual understanding and explanation of a "crabness" or crab mentality. "If I cannot have it, no one must have it." When a crab doesn't want to get cooked inside a cooking pot or"kawali" or anything for cooking, they pull each other for survival or simply to get even but in the end, they all get cooked! This is the same situation in the Philippines. In short, INGGIT!

But is this really the case? The one that I see which is the biggest hindrance to the success of Filipinos is a little revision of this so called "crab mentality". It it not INGGIT per se but the "asa" thing. I do hate this concept and system in the country. I HATE IT SO MUCH! I know a lot of my readers and a lot of you may disagree but this is how I see it.

In a family where there are four children (typical of a Pinoy family), and of course, a mother and a father. The mother and father let (or force) child number 1 to study....study...study...study and make your life better. Then you will let your younger siblings study with your income. This we start with parents' irresponsibilities again. Because for me, the total welfare of the children are all the responsibilities of the parents. NOT of the other child, especially the older one.

Kuya/Ate has graduated and must spend for the other younger siblings. Also MUST give some amount to parents. While kuya/ate suffers from debts, tiredness and overtime and cannot even make even a 2% savings of her income, Nanay and Tatay are so proud of Kuya/Ate for he/she is the breadwinner now. And the younger siblings enjoy their allowance, spend here, smoke there and drink everywhere.

Kuya/Ate grow old with responsibility. At times, the younger siblings are not able to graduate because after all, kuya/ate is there to give money and provide. And kuya/ate who strived hard HAS NO WAY to improve his/her own life. Has no way to breath better, has no way to invest in his/her future. And this situation is not only one in the country...almost all. And among the four children, there is no one who becomes "better off" in life. When kuya/ate gets married, the parents feel bad. Yes, they don't have enough enjoyment of kuya/ate's remittance yet. And when Kuya/Ate starts a family, he/she must start from zero, debts, without investment and poor. And the cycle goes on and on and on and no improvement. And now we ask why majority of the Filipinos are poor? Just see at the syste, I have explained.

I can see that Filipinos can be caring and loving but all is priced with money. Only hypocrites do not admit this. Parents want their children to have rich spouse, or have better work...mostly because they are expecting something back. I hate the family system in my country. I have to tell. I hate the family system in Philippines. Where one relies to one in the family who has resources, where one of the family member has a chance to be better, the rich of the family is pulling him/her down. And the rest of the family become irresposnsible because the breadwinner is there. But overall, it is how the parents teach the children. The children are brainwashed and really feel that it is their responsibilty when in fact, it is the parents' responsibility. And if you/kuya/ate has little and save for herself/himself and just give out just enough, you/kuya/ate is already bad in the eyes of the public. THIS IS AN INJUSTICE THAT EVERYONE IN THE PHILIPPINES TOLERATES!




I do hope a law will be passed in the country that if a parent cannot make their child/children graduate in school of at least two years college, they will be imprisoned. In this way, population will be controlled and potential irresponsible parents wont F_CK simply to create a child without responsibility. I cannot tell how many of the parents in the country are irresponsible. But i can say AT LEAST seventy-five percent. This is my observation and you can comment what you have observed. You are welcome here.