Message 25 of 52 in the Usenet group SOC.CULTURE.FILIPINO        Subject thread: Great plan to help Philippines

Sorry to be so long in getting back to your remarks.

> The statement that I should include the RP as BOTH a friend and foe is  intriguing, please elaborate.

Jose Laurel was the inaugrated president in October 1943, declared war on the United States a yeare later, the legislature was composed of a single party "Kalibapi", it's leader was Benigno Aquino. (ref. In our Image, pg 307,308)

Why not, they *too* were allies of the United States during WWII.

> > I think you have to go further back, you might study the differences between nations controlled by Spain Vs. nations controlled by England. For instance, I think you would find attitudes in Canada to be more like Australia, New Zealand, Falkland Is., Gibraltar, and the Bahamas. And attitudes in the RP to be more like those of Cuba, Bolivia, Morocco, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, etc. It is my opinion that attitudes about work, business , money, government, private property, in these two groups are what influences their success in the world economy today ( natural resource *aside* )

I discount the winter/ equator as you might have noticed, I included *mostly* warm weather nations, (we could even include Hong Kong and Singapore, but I consider them cities more then "nations" (interestingly, note the contrast between Macao and those cities as another example, although it was ruled by Portugal rather then Spain)

> > That's funny given your *explanation* for the RP current economic  circumstances. Tell me, if the RP's economy takes off and becomes a "tiger" economy, will it *also* be because of America, or the hard work and intelligence of Filipinos?

My impression is that you are blaming America for the RP's poor economic performance since WWII, I think the success or lack of it has more to do with the cultural/political backround of the RP for *that* problem.

> I'm sorry, I lost track. What was my "explanation" for the RP current economic circumstances as you understood? Was the second part a trick question? IMHO, I don't think the RP ever really wanted a handout but a hand  up and failing that,  pretty much just lay there and took whatever came along.

If you were to say the "people", then I would agree with the "hand-up" remarks, but let's face it, the misrule of Marcos did a good deal of damage when other nations in the area were better ruled and prospered for that reason.

> Thanks, I might try that. As far as the "anti-American slant", I have lived  my whole life in the USA and have only seen the American side of things. Up until a year ago, I didn't even care about Filipino History (my history, my heritage)... but I would die inside when someone would make fun of the Philippines, "Sick man of Asia", Marcos jokes, Imelda jokes or hear elderly Filipinos try to talk in broken English, Olongapo City, any one of a million things Filipino... and now, through the Internet, I am beginning to learn a lot and if one Filipino kid sees my stuff, understands, asks more questions and can stand proud, then I have done something worthwhile.

The problem that we (Americans, and others) run into, is that we see the wealth that America has developed and look at the problems that exist in the world and we wonder why America can't share some of it's wealth and improve the circumstances of some other nation or other situation. That wealth as great as it is, *is finite*, is actually the wealth of the *people* of America, and they generally have the opinion that the money should be in *their* pockets, not in the hands of other nations, (however needy they might be), Taxes in America are paid by the people who can't avoid them (usually poor people, not rich who will use their companies to pass the burden on). Now, I am an American, (not Filipino), but I do *feel* for the poor of the RP, but I also feel their circumstances more a product of the greed of the Filipino elite then *anything* America has done.

Regards,

Gary