Filipinos, friends and familys thoughts on Dictators

[Old55]

My mother in law was here with us for during the ramp up to elections. I have very high regard for her opinion and perspective on political issues in Philippines. I was very surprised she thought highly of Marcos. Many Filipinos think Marcos was indeed a great leader because he got things done. 

In the past some forum members including me have said a benevolent dictatorship would be the only thing to move the country forward.

What are your Filipino family members opinion if Duterte goes full dictator?

Today in the Washington Post Duterte is quoted as saying to the media "I don't need you" he will use state owned media and will demand his cabinet members do the same.

[Dave Hounddriver]

25 minutes ago, Old55 said:

What are your Filipino family members opinion if Duterte goes full dictator?

They know enough to say nothing but good things about him.  The filipino families that survived intact also say good things about Marcos.  The dead say nothing.

[mogo51]

45 minutes ago, Old55 said:

My mother in law was here with us for during the ramp up to elections. I have very high regard for her opinion and perspective on political issues in Philippines. I was very surprised she thought highly of Marcos. Many Filipinos think Marcos was indeed a great leader because he got things done. 

In the past some forum members including me have said a benevolent dictatorship would be the only thing to move the country forward.

What are your Filipino family members opinion if Duterte goes full dictator?

Today in the Washington Post Duterte is quoted as saying to the media "I don't need you" he will use 

 

My SO has the same view of Marcos Sen.

[mogo51]

SO seems to be ok with Duterte and you might be right about what is needed to get Phils back on track.  But hopefully there is other alternatives.

[Methersgate]

K's family come originally from Negros, although she was born and brought up in Mindanao. They are therefore "natural Roxas voters", and did indeed vote Roxas-Robredo and the Liberal slate. One cousin who works in a call centre voted Duterte.

K has no religious convictions and is resolutely "liberal" (small "l", and in the global, not the American, sense of that word) on social and political issues.

Outside the family I have quite a large social circle in Manila - people whom I knew when I worked there and have kept in touch with, and friends that I have made through them. These are people in the media as well as people in the law and in shipping; they are overwhelmingly Liberal.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Methersgate

[Old55]

Well said Dave. Also many that look back only see the good done. Or were too young to understand.

 

[Gas]

13 hours ago, Methersgate said:

 

 These are people in the media as well as people in the law and in shipping; they are overwhelmingly Liberal.

So; would you not say the media was biased towards Roxas? 

It is a well known fact channels like ABS-CBN are biased towards the Liberal party and are an instrument of the elite.   

 

[Methersgate]

3 hours ago, Gas said:

So; would you not say the media was biased towards Roxas? 

It is a well known fact channels like ABS-CBN are biased towards the Liberal party and are an instrument of the elite.   

 

I don't know any media owners. I only know working stiffs!

You raise a number of interesting points:

First, are the media biased towards Roxas?

Next, are ABS-CBN biased towards the Liberals?

Next, what is "an instrument of the elite"?

And finally, who are "the elite?"

First: a good many of the friends I mentioned supported Poe. Quite a number of media people, such as Mocha Uson, a prominent "celebrity", canvassed,  very actively, for Duterte. Some of my friends insisted on Santiago. I don't know anyone who supported Binay.

Second: It may well be that the owners of ABS-CBN favour Roxas, but I don't think that affected my friends' opinions much. Rappler seemed to try hard to maintain an even stance, at the cost of some support.

I don't know what "an instrument of the elite" is. Is it the media, the AFP, the judiciary? 

I suppose that "the elite" are the people who are on top at the moment, in terms of wealth and power, so anyone who maintains the established order is an instrument of the elite. 

However, whilst Duterte campaigned on the basis of offering big changes - federalism, the Parliamentary system, etc., Roxas was essentially saying that he would continue the detail reforms that Aquino's administration had been putting through. 

Where he failed was in getting this message over. I grant that it is not an exciting message. But he was repeatedly forced to defend the Aquino administration and to deny lies put about concerning his role. He was boring, but if we look at the votes cast we might conclude that if Poe had not run he would have won.

Last, who are "the elite?". If "the elite" means people who inherited great wealth and power, then BongBong Marcos is most certainly a member of it, and he controls the Manila Times, which is a part of the media. Roderigo Duterte is the remarkably wealthy son of a Provincial Governor, descended on both sides from dynastic families in Cebu, and the maintainer of his own dynasty in Davao. He has his own TV programme at weekends in Davao. He looks like a member of the elite to me.

I think the reason why my friends supported, variously, Roxas, Poe and Santiago is that they consider the rule of law to be essential for national development. Duterte did not show such respect for the rule of law. 

Edited June 4, 2016 by Methersgate

[Methersgate]

Here's a thoughtful column in today's Inquirer from Winnie Monosod:

http://opinion.inquirer.net/95052/a-chance-to-save-face

I think that Duterte's camp ran a brilliant campaign in the social media; no other candidates came close. One of my friends - a Poe supporter who is a news editor in Manila for a foreign news agency - pointed this out as long ago as January, and was disappointed that nobody picked it up.

He even pointed out that the Duterte "troll army" were using some of the methods used by the Chinese "wumao". He correctly identified that Duterte had struck deals with GMA and with Marcos, long before this became public knowledge. If we look at the voting patterns by province, they do indicate that GMA and the Marcoses delivered their votes to Duterte.

I will admit that I thought Roxas was the "least bad" amongst an un-attractive choice of candidates. I was dismayed when Poe turned down the VP slot that we must presume was offered to her, because it became clear that this would spilt the vote for "more of the same".

The candidate whom I really liked was Robredo. Indeed I think the wheels came off the future of the Philippines when Jesse was killed in that plane crash. The plane had been improperly maintained, and the pilots should have put back when the defects first became apparent. At least his death did get the CAAP cleaned up, and it is now honest well run and respected internationally.

The problems with Duterte are these, I think:

1. No respect for the rule of law. This is fundamental. We all know that the Courts and the Police could work better, but vigilante murders don't make things better; they make them worse.

2. He has appointed a very large number of trapos and very few technocrats to his Cabinet. Marcos himself had many more technocrats, including very able people. With the cabinet that Duterte has appointed, how will he get the big changes that he says he wants, done?

There is a well known saying that "the Devil is always in the details". The technocrats are the people who know the details. An example that I have mentioned before is the ending of the 60/40 rule on foreign investment - there is no point in doing this until the competition law passed by the Aquino administration is given the budget and the enforcement authority that it needs. Until this is done, foreign investors will look at the case of Telstra and say "let's go somewhere else!"

You may have spotted that SMG have now agreed to sell their telecoms business which was to have been used by Telstra to the existing duopoly - this deal has been green lighted by Duterte, or so I am told. I will try to find chapter and verse on this.

3. It is very hard to understand what he really means to do. His statements are all over the place.  

 

Edited to add:

http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN0YM0NS?irpc=932

Http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/172-telecommunications-media/134809-impact-pldt-globe-acquisition-smc

 

Edited June 4, 2016 by Methersgate
To add sources for the statement about SMG's sale of its telecommunications business

[MikeSwede]

I am still careful putting Duterte and Dictator in the same sentence, that's a title earned by few and hopefully aspired by less.
He as not earned it yet, by far, and only possibly shown signs of aspiring to it.

Mr Putin is not a dictator either.

Almost any method to gain power is accepted, if people who will be ruled by it, think it is fair play.

As such, I get met with a slight blanc stare when I mention the topic of this thread at home. And they are right, what do I know?

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