MERGED: Do You Want U.S. Statehood For the Philippines?

[gareb]

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bol-anon:

no we do not need them. we can stand in our own two feet if we want to. but to admit that we cannot do it, is an admission of defeat.

[EZRA]

Can you see the Philippines changing in the near future? The Presidential election is up and coming... who's running? who do you think is the best bet?
Bisag Baranggay Captain mismo kurakot ... nag nihit ang mga Government officials nga dili kurakot... safe to say halos tanan kawatan. And still you guys think that the Philippines can stand on its own?
Pilay utang sa Pilipinas? Pila ka generations kaha na hangtod ma impas or ma impas ba kaha! Unsay unemployment rate sa Pilipinas karon? Pila ang minimum wage sa mga taw?
How about national security? pila ka barko sa coast guard ang dili palyado? Unsay tagal ang mga eroplano sa airforce bag-o mangaguba? And face it... mga officiales sa gobyerno mas nindot pag armas kaysa mga parak.

Daghang advantages and disadvantages about anang U.S. statehood or bisag commonwealth lang.. pero karong panahona, kalolooy naman kaayo ang Pilipinas. Gobyerno way klaro.. judicial system nga ma palit.. ang mga officales murag ALL-STAR cast sa VIVA og SEIKO or unsa pa ba na.... I don't know which is better, tawgon ug tuta yet at least hayahay ang kaugmaon sa imong mga anak .. or being Proud pero gutom ug kalisod ang atubangon pirme..

[Visual C#]

This is the type of thinking that has brought down our country. We can do it; national development rests not only the politicians and government officials, but also on us, their constituents. We need to act now, and I mean "we", not "they"...

[EZRA]

VISUAL.. my type of thinking? how? Dili tinuod akong gipang sulti??

Look... the country was brought down by GREED.. and as long as greed runs in the veins of 95% of the politicians and Government officials, TABLA gyud tanan!
Pila ray sueldo sa mga elected officials sa Gubyerno? Pero tan-awa, tagsa ra ka kitag offical nga kabus. How long has this been going on? 30+ years nga ang kwarta sa Pilipinas gi kurakot sa mga taw sa gubyerno!!!! Pero in 30 years, wa gihapoy na usab.. and it's not nga walay ni hatag ug action para mo asenso ang Pilipinas, daghang mga actionista nga nangamatay na lang ug protesta.. daghang mga "maayong" kandidato pero di gyud maka daug. Pero as long as walay maayong kandidato mo lansar, ang mga voters ma palit ra gihapon, or mag binogo mo botar... mo botar sa ilang paboritong artista... wa lang gihapoy ma abtan in the long run.

[stephen_dorkk]

oops, arent we talking about the statehood here?

watch your mouth rush...but if you really want to delve deeper into your issue, now that is a matter of educating and reeducating our peole. We cant keep throwing the blame on those pitiful creatures ( I am using the words because you made them seem like that---you know, poor airheads who are not capable of thinking!).

Going back to the main issue, the statehood is such a no no for me. Think about national identity (or what is left of it!), think about national pride (or what remains of it). We cant just be another nation eaten up by our own volatility. We can't just evaporate into a space of unknown identity. As what others said...we can do it on our own. Let's not think of ourselves as retarded pets....

[josephdc]

No, definitely not! I'm not in favor of it. I find it really difficult to even entertain the idea! That's the absolute form of selling-out we could ever do to our country and to ourselves. By surrendering the Philippines to the United States, we would be committing suicide (For one, we would lose our cultural identity since we would be opening ourselves further to foreign influence. Our society would become even more consumeristic. But I don't know if there's even a "cultural identity" we can speak of in the first place. Our culture is already being inundated by the influence of Western pop culture). Maybe the proponents of this (quite ridiculous) idea just don't know what they're talking about. But then I've heard that some of them are even lawyers! Lawyers, wow. It probably just goes to show that wisdom doesn't necessarily come with intelligence.

Maybe I'm just being too irrational, because they do seem to have reasoned arguments for their "cause". But I can't help it. It offends me, as a Filipino, to hear fellow Filipinos speak about surrendering the country or the country's sovereignty to a foreign power, whatever the reason may be. It's very sad and disturbing. The fact that we now can afford to say we want to be America's 52nd state demonstrates just how desperate and hopeless we have become as a people. I mean, of course, given the situation the country is in now, who wouldn't feel desperate, right? But desperate people are known to desire drastic, usually mindless, measures. And because they are drastic and mindless, they're dangerous. The wish to become America's state is surely a manifestation of desperation, and because it is being taken seriously by some people, it is dangerous.

The first question here is really whether the US would even *want* the Philippines to become its state. Think about it: we have a population of over 80 million Filipinos, there is widespread poverty, there is corruption in all levels of government not to mention the military establishment, there is rampant crimes of all kinds, from the most petty to the most gruesome, there are insurgencies in the countryside, etc. The question is, *why on earth* would America want all these? These are all just added head aches. It has enough head aches already just dealing with Iraq, a country it has ravaged. And one very revealing thing I've observed in the "pro-US statehood" people: they seem to have this concept of America as a benevolent country. They seem to have this view that America is the ultimate savior, that it is benevolent and that it has benevolent intentions. That America would gladly "adopt" a Third World country in serious trouble just to "save" it. They're dead wrong. If we look at America's track record in history we will see a lot of ugly facts. As some of us already know, America has supported despotic regimes in the past (even until now). It has supported coups and backed dictators and undemocratic regimes (remember our experience with Marcos). It placed, above all, economic and political interests over and above democracy and human rights. The notion that America is a "benevolent savior" is a most naive one. Lastly, there is really no need for America to make us its state. Our present government is already so subservient to American interests. Thanks to Gloria Arroyo's efforts, we have now become more economically dependent to America.

What this is all about is really escapism: The "pro-US statehood" people have given valid reasons for their wish -- corruption, poverty, etc. But they are being unrealistic. Instead of focusing on the problems *and* thinking about realistic solutions, they opt to strive for impossible dreams. They have in effect abandoned their responsibilities as Filipinos to work for the betterment of the country.

[EZRA]

DORKK .. sad but true ain't it ... mao na ang Pilipinas karon, face it.
Even after the Marcos regime .. people had been talking about revamping the country. Pero it's been almost 20 years and the Philippines is deeper down the pits. Instead of lifting the country up, people has seen how much wealth Marcos had with his power and they followed suit.
So you think the PEOPLE CAN DO IT? OF COURSE THEY CAN.... the question is, will they do it??
REGGIEBUANG... good point bai, but you also have to consider the regulations the U.S. have in terms of corruption. I don't think those "HOGS" in power will stay in office too long.
JOSEPH: I think people have been working for the betterment of the country... but to go against these "BIG DOGS" in the governement means you'd be dead floating down the river.
The Philippine Government is a playground ... people in the government are merely working on things where they can profit off people's money. Walay taw sa Senado or Congress nga dili milyonaryo (although a million pesos nowadays doesn't mean much).

[josephdc]

Hi Ezra.

Yes, things do seem to be so hopeless in our country, but what else do we have, right? Hope is the only thing we've got. Kung magpadala jud ta sa mga problema sa ato country, then we can be 100% certain that things will really turn out for the worse. But if we retain in ourselves a little more hope, if we persist a little, try to press on further, then there's this chance that things might turn out well. It's really all we've got, hope. I think that US statehood is a huge gamble/risk we just can't take. So I think kung wala ko masayup mao na (if not partly) ang punto ni Virtual C and ni Gareb, it's about retaining an optimistic attitude *despite* the seemingly overwhelming problems our country today faces -- taking responsibility for why things are the way they are now. Why does corruption persist in our government? Well, because we allow government officials to continue to lie and steal, di ba? We say that many people have tried to stop these corrupt practices in the past, but they all ended up dead. I think the answer is not to cower in fear, to submit to silence and compliance, but to try harder, to work harder with other people, to help, for example, press freedom grow in these areas where killings related to corruption are taking place. Of course, it is very easy for me to say that because I have never experienced being threatened with my life, but then again, what choice do we have? If change and progress is really our goal, then copping out is not an option.

So again, it's really true that the country is in serious trouble, but if we give in to despair surely nothing will happen, and things will turn out for the worse; but if we refuse to give in to despair, if we continue to hope despite the discouragements we face daily, then there's a chance things might improve. And dili lang kay passive nga kind of hoping akong pasabot, wherein we hope that things will get better and yet we do nothing, but an active kind of hoping, wherein we really express our hopes and actualize them. It's really a daunting task for each of us.

(Hehehe, an embarassing error: In my above post, I mean 51st state and not 52nd.)

[gareb]

josephdc: thanks for stating those clearly. i wholeheartedly agree with you. "benevolent assimilation" my ass.

open your eyes, kids. see who has been robing this counrty of all the resources that rightfully belong to the filipinos.

[EZRA]

JOSEPH... in a perfect world, the things you said can be achieved. Pero lisod kaayo mag retain ug optimistic point-of-view bahin sa kaugmaon sa usa ka nasod when everyone else is digging on the treasury.
Naay mga officials nga anti-graft / anti-corrpution kunohay pero hugaw gihapon ug mga kamot..
I know there's people out there who try to make a difference.. there are a few elected officials who's ideals are honorable.. pero these people can be easily trampled by the majority. Sad thing is, the majority are corrupt!
I really don't know.... the only thing I'm pretty sure of is that if or when the U.S. handles things, almost everything is going to get cleaned up (Government, Judicial system, etc..) .. as what I've seen, Hawaii has retained their culture.. Puerto Rico as well. Both these places are beautiful up to date... I guess being a State or a Commonwealth ain't all that bad...
If push comes to shove (and I think the whole country is being shoved as we speak), the Country needs a makeover IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.. damn the elected moview stars, the businessmen, the mighty thieves, etc....