THE PSYCHOLOGY OF A FILIPINO VOTER: NON-USAGE OF DISCERNMENT (PART 2)

By Bayawanon

Most of the Filipino voters usually believe in black propaganda against other candidates without ascertaining the veracity of the same. Time and again the voters usually jump into conclusion into the issues hurled by some candidates against their fellow candidates, this sad part of Philippine politics affects the chances of good candidates winning a political seat for the good of the voting populace.

Fake news is now proliferating anywhere just to promote a political persona and/or to destroy the reputation of a candidate vying for a political post. To make the problem worse, the voters fall prey to this kind of innuendos, even without investigations. What happened next is, the next to be elected set of leaders usually are the liars.

Black propaganda and fake news are unfair to the ones being hit by it, but what makes the story sadder, is when the public believe it. When the public believes the manufactured stories against some candidates, some of which are even good ones, the public clearly would miss the quality brand of service the good ones who are being victimized by fake news can deliver them and may even elect the bad ones who may destroy the society further.

If the people would not know how to discern what is a reality from farce, then the society that they inhabit would be full of lies and everyone living therein would be under a slavery of lies, which would somehow damage the community.

In connection with these realities, I feel like the people need to be politically educated further, in order for them to be more discerning and to be more investigative. When they start to investigate, they might probably find the truth. When they would find the truth, they may elect the right leaders to lead them the right way and to spearhead them towards prosperity, order, equality, peace, justice, etc.etc.

THE BALANCE OF POWER IN SOUTHEAST ASIA STILL TILTS IN FAVOR OF AMERICA

By Bayawanon

Everyone is concerned about the gain of strength of China in the field of international and geopolitics because of its dominance in the East Asian and Southeast Asian regions because of the military and naval might of China, but as I try to dig deeper and analyze the situation in Southeast Asia, the balance of power still tilts in favor of America.

It is true that Cambodia and Laos are satellite states of China, and the Philippines is now siding with China thereby giving China an upper hand in these countries. These countries can be used by China militarily and commercially but the rest of Southeast Asia is not a supporter of China.

Singapore which is a former British colony is a natural ally of the United States because of its former colonial master Great Britain, which is a traditional ally of America. Indonesia who has a territorial and maritime dispute with China would clearly side with the United States. Malaysia which is also a former British colony would also side with the U.S. since America is a friend of Great Britain, Malaysia's former colonial master and at the same time, Malaysia has also a maritime and territorial row with China.

Vietnam, a communist country is not a Chinese ally anymore though China is also a communist country like Vietnam since China has long strained diplomatic relations with Vietnam due to their maritime and territorial differences as regards the Spratly and the Paracel group of islands. The dispute between these two communist countries cannot easily be healed since the two countries had a naval battle which happened in the late 1970's which sprouted from their squabble out of the Paracels. Vietnam lost that ill-fated naval battle and the same still hates China because of it.

There is a STATUS QUO in Thailand, Brunie, East Timor and Burma between America and China, since these four countries are more or less neutral ones, hence the groupings would be Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam are for the United States, on the other hand, Laos. The Philippines and Cambodia would side with China.

To sum it up, America has more allies in Southeast Asia over China, even though China would like to own the rest of the South China Sea for her to dominate not just the South East Asian and East Asian regions but also the South Pacific Rim. If China has now naval bases in the Philippine side by way of its three reefs that are being used by China as its naval headquarters, Vietnam may let the Americans use the Cam Ranh Bay for the same to check the Chinese attempted military and naval dominance in the region. The Cam Ranh Bay which housed the Soviets' military base is much larger compared to the ones established by the Chinese over the three Philippine reefs, ergo America has an advantage over China if there's going to be a Chinese-American War in the South East Asian region.

THE PRESENT PHILIPPINE ECONOMY IS NOT GOOD

By Bayawanon

The president would claim that the Philippine economy is doing good but why is it that the dollar is getting stronger over the peso? The economic managers of the president would tell us that the economy is getting better compared to the last presidency but why is it that the inflation rate in the present administration is much higher compared to to the last one? The president's followers would claim that the economy is strengthening but why is it that the present administration would raise gargantuan taxes to finance the operation of the government?

The dollar-peso rate rose from one dollar ($1.00) to forty-six (Php 46.00) rate when the new Philippine president ascended to the presidency, now it's already one dollar ($1.00) as against fifty-two pesos (Php 52.00), in short the peso weakened as against the dollar for six pesos in just a matter of twenty (20) months. Does it mean that the Philippine economy is becoming bullish as the Philippine president and his economic managers would claim?

The investments of the European Union and the United States and their allies are getting smaller and the investments of China and Russia are getting stronger in the Philippine market, does it mean that the economic market become more competitive or does it mean that free market becomes weaker?

Many foreign investors would also shy away from investing in the Philippines because of its peace and order situation. The Marawi War and the extrajudicial killings contributed much to the non-investment of some foreign businessmen in the Philippines and because of this the income of the Philippines derived from business would be affected.

The high cost in doing business in the Philippines made many foreign investors withdraw from doing business in the Philippines as of last year, how much more that everything that needs to be taxed is getting to be taxed dearly too nowadays because of the TRAIN LAW?

The spiking of the taxes and the strengthening of the dollar are two indications that the economy is weakening since the same would contribute to the inflation rate. If the taxes and the dollar would get higher, naturally the prices of the commodities would follow to rise. In a country where there is no salary increase aside from the police force and the soldiers and there is an unreasonable tax hike, how do you rate the country's economy? Is it good or is it worsening?

If the national market is only dominated by two or three foreign country investors it would follow that the free market is weak, henceforth there is a dramatic lowering number of foreign investors doing business in the country. In a situation like this, the taxes and levies the government get from the said foreign investors are getting lower since the Philippine market nowadays is being dominated only by China. Does it mean that the Philippine economy is getting better? The answer would then be of course in the negative.

In view of the foregoing reasons, a non-economist like me can simply surmise that the Philippine economy is not getting better and needs to be overhauled for the same to be healthy again.

COLONIZATION FOR FREE

By Bayawanon

After the historic Battle of Manila Bay which happened on May 1, 1898 between the flotilla of naval ships under the command of the legendary American Commodore soon to be Admiral George Dewey and the Spanish navy, which the Americans easily won and after the Treaty of Paris where the Kingdom of Spain ceded her rights as regards the Philippines to the United States of America for and in consideration of twenty million dollars ($ 20,000,000.00), the Philippines became a colony of the United States of America. Through this historic development, the Philippines became a Commonwealth of the United States of America and became part and parcel of the latter for the next forty-eight (48) years.

Such facts are recorded in the history books and cannot be disputed by anyone and such facts would bolster the reality that the Philippines was colonized by America through war and eventually by way of purchase. After years of independence the Philippines became a good partner of America in business and some other ventures by way of legal means, America gained in the process and so does the Philippines.

On the other hand, a rising Asian neighbor which became a political hegemon in the country of China became aggressive against her neighbors and started to do her own colonization for free by grabbing islets and islands belonging to her neighbors. This kind of mini-colonization is not comparable to the USA's colonization of the Philippines since the same was done through war and purchase.

Four islands/reefs coming from the Philippine side were taken by China namely: 1) The Subi Reef; 2) The Fiery Cross Reef 3) The Mischief Reef and the 4) Scarborough Shoal. Three of these islands or reefs were already militarized by China by building military installations therein. The Philippines via the diplomatic corpse of the former Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino filed a case against China as regards the ownership of these islands before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas which resulted to the Philippine victory, but such judicial victory by the Philippines over her gigantic neighbor became nothing when China dishonored it and when the succeeding Philippine president never followed up the judicial territorial victory the Philippines have over China.

What makes the story sadder is the fact that the Philippines through its newly elected president loaned from China a gargantuan sum of money with gigantic interest rates, bigger compared to the interest rates from other international groups, agencies or aggregates not to mention the fact that China became the leading investor easily over and above many countries in the Philippines in many business ventures.

THESE FACTS POINT CLEARLY TO ONE THING, China is colonizing the Philippines for free. If many political activists were crying foul as to the colonization of the USA over the Philippines and by the commercial imperialization of the same over the latter when the United States bought the Philippines from the Spaniards, then we must cry harder because CHINA IS COLONIZING THE PHILIPPINES FOR FREE.