If we are oppressed, or if we feel oppressed and feel poor, is it fair to swindle others? Below is one of the many notable responses to my posts. If you want to view the original posts, responses and the whole story, simply CLICK HERE.

Hi, As a foreigner married to a Filipina, I can sympathise with you, the young guy in Canada. I know Canada to be a place of relentless work for low pay, and cold-hearted company policies driven my the N American corporate moral-lacking ethic.

1. -It is not those who are in poverty that I mind helping, it is finding out that the Phil family medical bills were based on ailments that were never treated, despite the med money sent over.
2. -It is the spending of cash sent over, after a desperate plea for medical help, on a phone bill that is ten times what I pay in N America.
3. -It is the second request for med money after the first has been spent on the phone, or other items, and the medical situation is used again to extract money.
4. -It is the assumption that as I am a foreigner, I am rich, and therefore a bottomless pit that is used for money.
5. -It is the guilt trips put upon my wife to get her to send her earnings over there, instead of paying bills here. In a 12 year marriage that has been a delight in all other respects, I have seen the following:

• -A $200 a month budget for family assistance exceeded by up to $400 a month as a regular thing.
• -The Phil family quit work of any kind, then manipulate to get the $200 budget increased by regular "emergencies" to maintain their retirement
  

-My family here in N America increase its debt load by over 50,000 bucks, then file bankruptcy.

-My personal pension fund get ransacked to the tune of over $30,000 dealing with bills created by budget overruns.

-I have seen photos of DVD players in the background, when they were $400 items, and I could not afford one.

-I have seen photos of parties, at times when I cannot afford a birthday gift, or even flowers, for my wife.

- I have had a miserable Pinay individual who works at a local Walmart and who is a drug and alcohol user accuse me of being unreasonable as I married a Filipina, and part of that is that Filipinas have to send money home.

-I have had the same individual accuse me publicly and at her workplace of being unreasonable for not liking the small of burning fish, and complaining about it, this being when relatives paid me the continual insult of selecting fish as a toasted offering inside my house at times when I had a day off, yet never when I was away at work.

-I have today heard of a Filipina friend who currently on a visit home has had to go to her sisters house away from the city to avoid the relatives demands for money in large amounts, like amounts enough to buy cars, and then they get annoyed when refused.

-I can with all honesty say that in the years I have been involved, there has not been one single transaction involving money that has been honestly presented.

-Every demand or request for help has been later found to be based on a lie.

-About a year or so ago I attempted to assist with finance for the starting of a business, and all that transpired in the end was that a PC was purchased, and then the relative involved informed me that the Internet Cafe business was no longer any good, and so he would not be going ahead with it. This was coupled with a photo a few weeks later of the same relative working at his PC, a dual-core Intel processor with illuminated Neon case. Meanwhile, I am STILL using a PC that is 7 years old.

-This was followed some weeks later by the father of that same relative crowing about how well his son has done, and how his son has a better computer than we do.

- We some years ago paid for a university course on computers for the same individual, in order to qualify him as having had continuous education since high school, and he decided it was better to take the course money and spend it. He then needed to pay the course (another 700 bucks the wife sent that I advised was throwing good money after bad) to get the paperwork, but by that time had been refused immigration. Tough, Eh? It would be interesting to contact the university and see how much the 700 outstanding tuition really was. Probably another theft of funds from the rich americans

-I hate to say this, but if I had to do my life over again and went for a similar deal, I would make it clear: There will be no funds sent over at all, not a single penny, not for Christmas, none at all. No gifts that others, the recipients, decide what they are either. There would be a fund that will buy a second house in N America, and the rent once the house is fully paid for the rental income will be providing all sole funds after rental expenses. That way, right now, my wife would own a spare house that she can later rent out for her own retirement.

-We borrowed the airfare from a friend so that the family could come over here to live, against my advice and judgment. I was wrong on one thing. They do actually work now that they are forced to, having come out of the Philippine retirement that I (my wife even more so) financed for all those years. But they find the work in North America hard, and so they will be returning. Not on my money they won't. They now have a problem, they owe a load of airfare money for getting here, and drink and smoke too much to save for their return. And no doubt I will be left maxxing out my credit card again, and taking more pension out to pay it down, just to pay off the airfare that was spent getting them here. But the goose has laid it's golden egg, and will lay no more.

Can you imagine that? How such a person can write that long only as a response to some posts? We can be poor but with dignity but that is not the case, because I myself see how my countrymen are. If they see a lighter color or anyone from outside the country, all they cna see is money. As long as someone is out of the Philippines, Pinoys think it's money. A big shame. A bad attitude!

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.

To my fellow Filipinos, I hope this post finds you well. With more or less a hundred million of us in the country are you aware that the small thing that you do can be repeated a million times by other Filipinos? This is the law of multiplication and if one does this activity or action, for sure it will be done by others too and the effect is not as small as you or we might have thought. This is for all of us, but since I am already practising these things, it means now to be for YOU, Pinoys and Pinay!

First, is with our treatment of garbage. When you have the urge to throw a tinypiece of candy wrapper and you think that it is only a very little thing and will not impact the amount of garbage, I tell you that YOU ARE WRONG! It is not just a little garbage because if there are ten persons who thinklike you do, your ten little garbage put all together is not little anymore. And as I have said, we are around 100 million in philippines, what if all the rest think like you do? Philippines will be all garbage!


Second. For the men and boys of Philippines please refrain from pissing/urinating anywhere. You have no reason to pollute the country for free because the women are suffering the foul ammoniac on most walls and streets. Why are you so shamelss in doing so? This is just a little sacrifice for your country, for your fellow Filipinos and to the future generation. Aside from garbage, you add bad smell...and this is dirty as well! There are hundreds of thousand (if not millions) of you Filipino men/boys who do this shameful act!




Third: Be responsible! Not to others but to yourself. Don't allow anyone to corrupt you. Corruption in the country is anywhere. Even in the homes it exists when parents have to pay for a perfect score made by the child in school. Remember that if we planted garbage and wrong mindset, we will reap much more volume of garbage. Think of the future, do not just think of what is good for today. There is no "Bahala Na!" There is no "Mamaya Na!" and The saying that "Habang Buhay May Pag-asa". Why? People in comatose are alive... and not all of them have "pag-asa per se".

These three are so simple and yet if all do these, there will be a great impact in the country. Or even just one, the number one. Please let us make the Philippines a better place to live in and I hope in few years and in the next generation, it's still Filipinos owning the country and with freedom. Philippines is still opressed. No liberty, no freedom because of the poverty and abuse... well, cause by its inhabitants of course!

With my travels so far, only Filipino men I have seen are without shame pissing everywhere they feel like pissing! I don't really know where this habit have originated and how the country have tolerated this. To be honest, this is not only happening in the Metro manila area, nor solely in the cities but everywhere in the country.



When I was still a kid and was walking my way to school, friends and schoolmates just pee around like this is the most correct action ever! Until high school, college, university, work and until now, this pissing scene is still very active and growing!. Indeed the government has a big role in providing public toilets for everyone but this is not an alibi. Why women do not urinate just anywhere? It means that it is really the fault of men (Pinoys). If women can contain their urge to pee, why men cannot? And why are they excused to pollute the surroundings? Such a schifo!




Filipino men do not understand the meaning of respect and urbanity! I feel sad when they just blame the government for all the negative things in their lives but they do not look at the mirror and see how wrong they are even in the smallest of acts. They don't understand that with this kind of habit and attitude, they should be ashamed to ask anything from the government or from anyone. They don't even respect their own surroundins, their own country, and above all, no respect for each and every one. No respect for themselves as well because they are the ones who dirtied themeselves. If this is the case that the Filipinos don't have respect for their own race and nation, who else can respect Filipinos? NO ONE!



Aside from the polluton and garbage problems that are very rampant in the country, Filipino men's piss is another big problem. If this habit persists, there will come a time that there is no single square meter in the Philippines that does not smell of piss... Yuckkk... a real yuckkkky! Even with this sole habit, I don't think the country deserves to be better! It's people don't even respect it by pissing like dogs! Maleducated! Ignorant and a dirty act done by so many Pinoys! Have a little SHAME on yourself, MAN!



If you want to see another pissful article, see "this. You will see that I got the photos' links " here.

To be poor is not easy. This one heavy word is caused by a lot of reasons. Among others are fate, geographic location, culture, history, climate and people. With my twenty two years of stay in this country, I have learned a lot. I have also seen alot and experienced a lot. We take these few observations I have.

Geographic Location
With more than 7000 islands floating in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding seas of the country, it is very difficult to unite the inhabitants. There is a strong regionalism existing among various groups like Ilocanos, Batangenos, Bicolanos, Cebuanos, Ilonggos, among others. It is stronger for a person in Iloilo to consider himself/herself as an Ilonggo than to be considered a Filipino. Moreover, it is difficult to reach the other parts of the country with limited options. A trip from Luzon to Mindanao need either a plane or a ferry. Land travel is impossible.

The Catholic Teaching
Don't get me wrong for I have nothing against the church. In fact I salute the Roman Catholic for its power and continuous leadership. I used to attend Sunday masses when I was in Philippines. I also accompanied my granmother for novenas to various saints and for special occasions. To be honest, my grandmother also did a novena for my examination as a CPA and yes, I passed!

However, with my wide understanding and questioning nature, I have noticed that in all novena guides and preachings in the church's sermon that I have heard, it was all about being poor. "Poor will have easier way to heaven." "Blessed are the poor for they are...blah blah blha..." I don't really know why we have this kind of church teaching. Why? What is wrong with being rich? Is it wrong to have money and be not a liability to the society? Is it wrong not to beg? Is it wrong not to do pick pockets and robbery or to steal for one has enough money? I don't know what is with this poor thing when half the riches of the world are owned by the church!

To teach the majority of Filipinos this way, progress is a blurry image.

Colonial Mentality
Generally, Filipinos ( I am a Filipino) have strong inclination to foreign things. Products of America are highly regarded than Filipino products. Westerns/Caucasians are regarded as a better race. Women in the country are dying to have a fairer skin. People with long and pointed nose are proud and laughs at those with pugged ones. Imports are always better even in the Philippine basketball Association team! Oh my God! I do hate these beliefs and mentality. Women are dying to marry foreign nationals.... any would be all right except to a Filipino. Even he (the caucasian) is eighty years old! Whattalaugh! But this one defines practicality. At least this is a wise choice. But at the same time, there are a lot of lapses in it.

These traits are obviously caused by centuries of colonization in the country. But i don't think this is common attitude for other nations were also colonized and they don't have these traits. Malaysians are very proud to be of Malay race than to be Chinese. In Philippines, people wish they were Chinese!

Filipinos Are Too Wise to Be True!
Yes, there is no question with the mental capabilities of my fellow Filipinos. Bright, brilliant, genius, awesome, you name it, it is Pinoy if it is good! The truth is, there is a thin line between ingenuity and craziness. Have you heard about the recently concluded 2006 Nurse Board Exams? About the Mr. Garcia who was deported in the U.S for changing tags in a store item? I am sure these were all caused by too much knowledge. What do you think?

Local and national leaders are too intelligent. Yes, they can even keep on stealing public funds and get away with it. After all, they are Filipinos. Wise, sly...and what else?

Brain Drain
All the brilliant minds professionals and skilled workers) in the country go to search for a better world and surroundings. Most of all, for a better compensation package. It is very true that the cost of living in the Philippines is very low and is simply proportionate to the income earned by its inhabitants. But how about leisure and travel? Can anyone allow to be only within the country for all his/her life? To not observe the world around? To be contented with what the country offers? The peso needs to be competitive and the salaries of the Filipinos must be raised. At least, the majority can go abroad for travel and see the difference of their beloved Mother country compared to the neighboring Asian countries. In this manner, they would see how a real good life can be if there is discipline and unity. If there is no one throwing garbage in the rivers how beautiful and clean the waters can be... how floods could have been prevented. If the people of the country think of the future and progress.

Sigh.... I am sleepy. I do hope there is a better future for my country. I love Philippines!

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