Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Philippine Electoral Stupidity


PHILIPPINE ELECTORAL STUPIDITY
by Anton Antonio
July 28, 2015

It was shocking for me to see this item on my Facebook newsfeed at first.  It was “shared” by a netizen, perhaps, unwittingly.  (To read the entire article, please click on this link: https://ephramar.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/philippines-named-most-stupid-country-to-elect-a-20-year-ojt-as-a-senator-by-time-magazine/.)  But “critical thinking” (the mindset of a true Iskolar ng Bayan) automatically kicked-in and a deeper analysis of things was the next order of business.  Further research brought me to another link (http://www.filipinostarnews.net/opinion/plain-rice/pranksters-call-phl-most-stupid-country.html) that bared the truth.

The internet, together with other social media platforms, has provided too much latitude for free expression of ideas and a venue to spread news.  There really nothing wrong with this.  However, social media, in unique instances like this, can also be used and manipulated by some people to pursue their own selfish agenda.  In this case, perhaps a political agenda that ended up to be nothing less than an insult to the Filipino people.  There are also some people who have mastered the art of misdirection.  I may agree or disagree with the contents of the article but it would no longer matter since the message was pathetically lost simply because of the deceptive methodology used.  More importantly though this practice of black propaganda should stop.

Sen. Nancy Binay should be respected because she was legitimately elected… she is now a senator and that’s just about it.  But please don’t get me wrong.  I used to be the Committee Secretary for the Philippine Senate Committee for Government Corporations and Public Enterprises and had extensive working relationships with some former Senators of our Republic… so I fairly know what it takes to be an ideal senator.  After rubbing elbows with honorable and noble senators in the past, I must say that I am not particularly impressed by Sen. Binay.  But I must, as a loyal citizen of this republic, respect the will of the Filipino people in electing her as such.  And, lastly, I detest this mockery of my race in a hoaxical article that talked about Philippine electoral stupidity.

Just my little thoughts…

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REFERENCES:


filipinostarnews.net, (2013).  Retrieved on July 28, 2015 from http://www.filipinostarnews.net/opinion/plain-rice/pranksters-call-phl-most-stupid-country.html

Note:  I have decided to re-print the contents of these links below for your convenience.

ARTICLE No. 1:

Philippines Named ‘Most Stupid Country to Elect a 20-Year OJT as a Senator’ by Time Magazine
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has been named as Time’s “Most STUPID Country to Elect a 20-Year OJT as a Senator”.  “The overwhelming victory of a self-professed on-the-job trainee-cum-Senator in the recently held election in the Philippines cemented the country’s fate,” wrote Time’s news director Marilou C. Martin.  She added, “Falling for the diversionary tactics of an inexperienced candidate that saw her steer the issue away from her credibility to her skin complexion to make herself look like the underdog; gave us no choice but to bestow such title to a country, who was destined for greatness before the elections.”  “And yes, we intentionally all-capped the word stupid for added emphasis,” according to Martin.  Time gave special attention to the country’s 11,789,643 registered voters (as of press time) who voted for Nancy Binay, as contributing to the country’s “overall stupidity rating index”.  “These are probably the same 11,289,648 people who had no access to the internet to witness the criticism their bet received for her lack political background or experience.”  The magazine didn’t wait for Comelec’s final and official number of votes Binay received before coming out with the latest issue saying that, “The amount of gullibility and the unprecedented level of idiocy forced us to go to press immediately.”  The article also noted that the country’s saving grace, namely its recent credit rating upgrade, Manny PacquiaoJessica Sanchez orJada Pinkett-Smith asking for a copy of Jerico Rosales’ film did not help one bit.  “Those are only minor achievements as compared to the repercussions the sheer amount of stupidity the recent actions of the Filipino people entails.”  “It’s these kind of situations that not even Lou Diamond Philips winning the Oscars  or the Philippines winning the next Miss Universe can help with your country’s image,” said Martin.  All is not lost however, according to political analyst Mak Jendoza.  Ladies and gentlemen, your future Mayor, Vice Mayor, President, First Lady, Pope and Vice President.  “Andyan na yan eh, ano pa magagawa natin (She’s already there, what else can we do)?” said Jendoza.  “Siguraduhin nalang natin na hindi na mauulit ito pagdating ng 2016 (We just have to make sure that we shall not repeat this same mistake come 2016).”  “Abe eh kung maging presidente ang tatay nyan at madagdagan pa ng isang kapatid sa Senado sa 2016, baka pati ang United Nations hirangin na din tayong mga inutil (If ever her dad became president and another one of her sibling became a senator in 2016, even the United Nations shall name us stupid),” warned Jendoza.  “I can’t say that I’m proud of this recent ‘achievement’ of our country,” said Johnny Manuel Ebola after learning about the magazine cover. “But at least I’m proud to say that I’m not one of those 11,789,643 nincompoops!”

ARTICLE No. 2:

Pranksters call PHL ‘most stupid country’

Posted on June 4, 2013   // 2 Comments  

Hoaxes come in many ways, but a recent hoax about the Philippines came via the Internet. The hoax is a supposed Time Magazine report that branded our homeland as “the most STUPID country to elect an OJT (on-the-job training) as senator.”  I was seething with anger when I first read the “report”, which was emailed to me from Qatar by my nephew Julian Basamot, Jr. Imagine Time, a well respected international magazine, calling our nation a “most stupid country.” I believe any self-respecting Filipino would have also reacted the way I did.
When I told my son Percy about it, he said the report could be a hoax. This prompted me to verify. It was supposedly the cover story of latest Time issue. The Philippine flag was even made the front-cover background.  I found out later that the cover of the current Time issue was totally different from the one emailed to me. And there was no article about the Philippines in the current issue. It’s clear that the report was the handiwork of pranksters or black propagandists who wanted to make the Philippines a laughing stock.  In my investigation, I also found out that the Philippine Daily Inquirer had fallen victim of a similar hoax: A picture of President Noynoy Aquino with his mouth agape was the supposed cover photo of Time Magazine. The Inquirer wrote a news report about it and even printed the ugly picture. Inquirer editor-in-chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc had to issue a public apology after the editors found out that they were taken for a ride.  In the recent prank that I almost swallowed hook, line and sinker, the supposed article slammed the 11 million Filipinos who voted Nancy Binay, who was the OJT referred to in the Time article, for senator. The same fake article stated that the Time editors tagged the Philippines the “most stupid country” after an evaluation of derogatory reports on our country and other countries.  Finding that the supposed Time article was a fake, I felt relieved.
At the same time, though, I was concerned about the impression it caused on people who had read the bogus article. If they did not know it was false, they might have taken it as an accurate Time report. And they might have perceived the Philippines as it was portrayed — “the most stupid country.”


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