Attack of the killer shawarmas!
Written on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 at 7:27 am | by benign0I find it interesting that we can spend so much time and bandwidth quibbling about and “analysing” (and worse forecasting) what’s in store for us as a people “beyond 2010″, whether or not Arroyo “steps down or stays in power”, how this whole “Joc Joc” affair may pan out, the who’s and how’s of the next set of “presidentiable” hollowheads, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, ad infinitum ho-humus….
This is an especially compelling point to ponder considering a disaster that impacted (specifically ended) 800 lives had a more than ample empirical trail that any effort to analyse and quibble over would have been better spent on.
And yet we, as a people, have pathetically failed to foresee and prevent this disaster.
So I wonder… why? Why this attention on the antics of a handful of bozos, when there are bigger, more fundamental, and certainly more substantial issues (issues that do not take rocket scientists to convincingly DIRECTLY RELATE to the plight and day-to-day lives of ordinary Pinoys) that languish in obscurity? I have a three-word theory that summarises why we so consistently fail in our delivery of insight WHERE IT MATTERS:
NOT SENSATIONAL ENOUGH.
[Note how I write the above in all caps to sensationalise it. 
]
We instead analyse and quibble over a tunnel-like scope of sensational “issues” the effort of which produce sensational “revelations” (if you can even call them that) one would be hard-pressed to directly relate to the fortunes of even ONE Average Pinoy Schmoe. Think of every new quanta of “analysis” and hoped-for revelation resulting from said “analysis” we broker within the above tunnel-visioned topics as costing us an amount of our precious attention and intellectual capital. And in light of these wasted quanta, consider now this question I just have to ask:
For every new snippet of current affair we pick up from, analyse on, or contribute to the latest Shawarma Topic, how much of a fundamental change do we see coming out of all this that impacts the Average Pinoy Schmoe?
Don’t forget: When you mull over the above question, REMEMBER the 800 lives that were lost over a tragedy that had a scandalous WEALTH of in-your-face causal-chains of EVIDENCE that begged to be analysed and quibbled over. I continue to scratch my head as to why we CONTINUE to focus on discussions that are utterly droll and unintelligent, focused on the trivial or the irrelevant.
We deride bozos like De Venecia, Lozada, Trillianes, Erap, and the rest for the circuses they incite and the opportunities they exploit to get a bit of media exposure.
And yet here we are, giving them the time of day.
Classy, indeed.
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Read through your “Shawarma Topic” and found the writing riveting and incisive. And clung to the term “positive change” as good marker for readings that count and are instructive, not counter productive.
Was not however privy to the “shawarma” deluge, only to the chicken manok phenomenon which continues unabated in the old hometown. But can be excused somewhat since the area is home to many poultries owned by consolidators engaged by the big corporations.
But you raised a good point, in the Philippine setting the proliferation of SMEs should be since as an opportunity for them to grow larger. Not as the apex of business entrepreneurship.
Am trying to get real!
Isa lang ang hinde ko gusto (ang pag-gamit ng shawarma term - naknam, peborit ko yan eh!)
Nasabi mo ang obserbasyon ko na gusto ko sana isulat.
I don’t understand what you said here…
1)
you say we should not focus on the above political stories, because:
“Why this attention on the antics of a handful of bozos, when there are bigger, more fundamental, and certainly more substantial issues (issues that do not take rocket scientists to convincingly DIRECTLY RELATE to the plight and day-to-day lives of ordinary Pinoys) that languish in obscurity?”
i.e. these political issues are fundamentally NOT (less) important. Meaning, even IF we could fix them tomorrow, nothing would change for the regular filipino
What is your evidence that these do not relate directly to the well-being of ordinary people? Any argument or theory?
The political stories u cite above are stories about corruption. The fundamental reason why corruption is a problem that directly relates to peoples lives, is because of the waste. It is money that could have gone to the people that need it (in the form of social services, or even direct cash transfers), that did not. The effects of this waste is evident in lowered quality of life, lifetime income, human development and yes, even lives.
2) You mention the 800 lives lost in the maritime disaster as more fundamental to lives today. I would like to know why you think this. Now, i realize that talking about maritime safety is a good thing, and that it can save lives in the future, and improve transportation efficiences — all good things. But i just want to know why this is fundamentally better than dealing with corruption, when limiting corruption also limits efficiencies, makes lives better, and saves lives.
3) you mention that debate/discussion is not working in this country. This begs the question — what would? Talking about problems is usually at least part of the solution (most would recommend), and if discussions are usually found wanting, it isn’t debate perse that is criticized, but it is the intractability of the problem and the accompanying lack of action that is the culprit.
furthermore, MORE PROBLEMATIC, would be that if debate is counter productive, then how do we confront the problems you believe are more important, such as maritime disasters and accountability? Why do you expect debate to hbe helpful there? Should we not talk about the proper way forward? Should our leaders NOT engage the people and discuss what their plans are to address these things?
so, to state my case more sensationally (your advice), why talk about things at all? why debate? surely it isn’t the debate that irks you, its the lack of results. But the lack of results isn’t characteristic of debates, its a characteristic of implementation and the difficulty of the problem…
The media in our country also contribute to the vacuousness of this country. Puro tsismis, wala namang nakulong pa. Jocjoc’s case should have been focused on how DOA and Dept of Agriculture implement its system, process and financial management.
I agree with Benigno. puro tsismis as if this whole mess will change the way departments do its job. I think, it’s a wrong approach of expose’.
Think of it this way, GabbyD. There are already hundreds if not thousands of newspapers, blogs, tabloids, and reporters out there who, well, report on and “analyse” the minutiae of these political stories. If you wanna make a difference, do you join the bandwagon and produce what is essentially a commoditised product? Or do you want to differentiate yourself in this bustling market for knowledge by focusing on what really counts?
See how this goes back again to the whole branding concept and everything I explained about how Pinoys are prone to this lemming-like ako-rin (”me too”) approach to things?
The 800 lives lost are 800 lives lost. A focus on, say, our dysfunctional regard not just for maritime safety but for overall transport safety would arguably have a more direct relation to ordinary Pinoy lives than say a discussion on Joc Joc’s plight. As an exercise, why don’t you compare the Joc Joc topic to a topic on,say, our general culturally-ingrained disregard for safety and see how many times removed from real lives and public wellfare either one is.
I’d hazard a guess that it will take you at least 10 sentences to convince us how relevant Joc Joc is to the Average Pinoy schmoe compared to say 2-3 sentences at most for us to show how a stronger awareness and regard for human safety is relevant to ordinary people.
It’s simple, really™
sorry to harp, but why is the NUMBER OF SENTENCES important? Isn’t the caliber of the argument, measured by (for lack of a better numeraire) money saved, future lives improved, incomes raised, lives saved… arent those the measures on which to determine what is important?
again, i’m not saying that talking about transportation safety is not good. it most likely is! I’m trying to understand why it is a waste of time to even talk about corruption, or that understanding corruption is useless…
now, if you had couched your argument in terms of diminishing returns, then i totally agree. at SOME point, talking about politics amounts to gossip. so, while SOME discussion about corruption is GOOD, there is such a thing as TOO MUCH. so as media criticism on the excessive focus on politics, i agree.
media around the world suffers from crowd/herding behavior. the reason is, the news must be prioritized, and it is breaking news (new news) that is usually given priority. as we consumers, we rely on media to be an unbiased intermediator of the day’s events for us. in cable, there is also the 24 hour news cycle, and since the beast must be feed, news outlets feed the beast as cheaply as possible (breadth, rather than depth).
for longer-run stories, we usually rely on special features and newsmagazines. But these stories are more expensive to produce. and media is suffering everywhere. Thats why we hope bloggers and internet info aggregators can lessen the cost of these ‘longer-run” stories….
anyways, yeah, go ahead and talk about what reforms have happened since the tragedy.
GabbyD,
Your argument would hold water if there was ever any rational, positive result from any of the endless scandals. But there isn’t. Tell me I’m wrong — give me an example of ONE TIME in all of the Philippines post-colonial history that the dysfunction and malfeasance of government or a particular official has been called to account, punished appropriately, and the situation corrected to prevent its reoccurence. Marcos? NO. Erap? NO. The Arroyos? NO. At least not yet, but I’m not holding my breath, since the approach to the problem has never changed. Sulpcio Lines? NO. Bureau of Customs? NO. And on and on. Indeed, the garden-variety corruption that fluorishes here is a terrible tragedy, a vicious crime against the people, and should not be ignored or diminished. But it’s only a symptom of the disease.
Why 2 or 3 sentences?
I can sum both issues in 2 words: UNMODERATED GREED.
And yes, it is that simple.
UNMODERATED Greed because we the people tolerate them. Why are we not demanding these greedy people to deliver and correct its wrong. These people do not want responsibilities. So why are we supporting them? The country is in denial. Your local mayor , your local police officers and any other public employees are as corrupt as their leaders.
So, what now folks? do we need to keep denying and argue all the time? This is not productive, you know. We are wasting precious time for our children’s future. would you continue to tolerate buying of votes? would you allow your mayor to drink alcohol, go to the casino and have few significant others? These are not acceptable behaviors to be a public servant.
Together we can make a BIG difference. Let’s top these malpractice and start assessing their abilities to deliver QUALITY public service.
No the number of sentences is not important GabbyD. I just use that scheme to illustrate a point.
But it’s interesting that you mention what follows (as it saves me a whole lotta effort)…
… to which I say, it is in fact about diminishing returns. Though not stated explicitly in this particular blog entry, the concept is enshrined in my discussion on The Shawarma Effect which you can check out here.
The specific excerpt I provide here for your convenience:
The key question being:
For every new snippet of news gained from the day’s news, how much incrementally insightful do we actually become?
Food for thought…
@Ben
oh yeah, there is a dearth of cases where the free press mere exposing wrong doing is not enough. And i agree — the fact that so many of these cases occur, but precious little has happened says alot about philippine society.
But its at least a start, no? Wouldn’t we rather have a society that discusses (or tries) these things rather than one that hides and supresses investigations?
yeah, so that was my (humble) point. i interpreted benigno’s entry as saying that any coverage and debate on corruption is useless. I say otherwise, but too much coverage is possible.
The fact that little has happened after these scandals have been exposed is a BIG problem. But this doesn’t mean debate on these is intrisicaly useless.
also, just curious, aren’t we all still proud of EDSA I and Cory Aquino? isn’t that still a shining example of peaceful change? How different segments of the population (media included), effected positive change?
Benigno,
Your thoughts are just not food enough for many of us, simply because when we discuss politics, we aim to discuss how things ought to be governed in a better way than the current one. We cannot just simply brush aside charges and cases of corruption simply because, as what GabbyD said, these concerns “waste”. Your simple really argumentum actually promotes a backward manana habit of a spoiled arm-chair pseudo-intellectual promoting apathy and procrastination instead of awareness and action.
BenigNo, my friend, there are still so many insightful things out there in the mainstream media. You just lack the analytical skills to identify these things. In fact, if you just know how to discern and make use of analytical tools, you can definitely arrive at insightful views that, in branding speak, are “not me toos” and totally groundbreaking analysis.
And since you fail to grasp it, and devoid of any sharp analytics, your “simple really” brand of political marketing sometimes, (I hate to say it bro), lead to “its stupid really”@tm
@Gabby D,
No, I would agree with you that debate and informing the public about the scandals is definitely not useless. It would be far worse to turn a blind eye to corruption and dysfunction. But I think what benign0 is saying, how I interpret it anyway, is that coverage has gone far beyond usefulness, hence, diminishing returns. Crying wolf, if you like. The coverage has become an end in itself, not a means to work towards the desired end of improving governance and accountability.
As for the regard in which you hold the Edsa revolution, that’s a tough call. Looking at it as an outsider (it became the subject for most of one of my first-year poli sci classes as it and the aftermath was happening), it was my thought then and now that yes, it overthrew a dictator who deserved it, and good for you, but no, it did not fundamentally change or improve the country. I hate to say it, but for all us liberal Reagan-haters who were cheering for you at the time, the overall feeling was that the country blew its best chance to make something of itself.
Patricio, it would help if you could be a bit more specific about what these “analytical skills” are.
The reason I asked is that I once had this interesting dialogue with the eminent Patricio Abinales who, supposedly, is a noted “political analyst”. Suffice to say, I wasn’t overly impressed — which brings to question as to how valuable such “analysis skills” actually are.
Even in a dialogue with Alecks Pabico, I highlight the 2006 version of this whole business of our focus on the trivial in light of obscure issues that impact thousands; i.e….
Not to put too fine a pont to it, but it seems that the countries best politicial minds (presumably using these “analysis tools” you speak of) have been dissecting down to the little itty-bitty bits the various politicial “issues” that have come and gone over the last 20 years. As I mentioned earlier and as Ben further highlights, we ask the simple question…
Where are the results?
… and all we can come up with are quaint platitudes about continuing to have some sort of perverse “hope” that a different outcome is in the horizon for our hapless land, despite no evidence of any kind of different approach being taken in our regard for the issues.
GabbyD, much of what I was gonna respond to you with had already been expressed by Ben in his last comment. What remains is your question:
To answer the above, hope you don’t mind if I direct you to the following resources I developed to communicate my sentiment on the matter:
A video on our message to Cory Aquino
Hall of shame: Philippine Street “Revolutions”
Happy viewing/reading!
I wonder too why this attention on the antics of a society of bozos (according to you)when there are bigger,more fundamental, and certainly more substantial issues that are more convincingly directly related to your life there where ever you live down under like your own food and nutrition, fashion, the leak in your kitchen, the quarreling in your neighborhood…
You deride Pinoys as bozos as often as you pick your nose. And yet here you are giving us the time of your day.
Why?
Tarantado ka ah. nakakarami ka na ah. lahat na ng Pilipino hinamak mo at kung ano anong recommendasyong puro katarantaduhan ang nirerecommend mo. Dapat i ban ka dito. Kaya lang gumaganda ang negatibo mong satsat ay sa ingles. Hindi porke nag iingles ka magaling ka.
Hindi ka Pilipino gung gong ka!!!! You thrive on the negativity of Filipinos!!! You should be banned here!
Tough luck, dude.
Read all of what I write and weep. There’s more to come.
And as for your issue with my pag-iingles, read this to get a load of what i think about that.
Really, benign0,I told you this before.
You’ve left the Philippines so you, and the rest of migrant Filipinos, should get yourselves busy empowering yourselves in your adopted country.
Instead of nitpicking on how to get things running in the country you decided to left behind.
Leave and let live.
Yes, the Philippines have big, BIG problems. And the rest of us who chose to stay behind will have to face them.
Ang problema sa mga katulad mo, nadapa na kami, sinisipa mo pa. Simple di ba? Puwede ba pakialaman mo na lang ang bagong buhay mo diyan sa Australia o saang lupalop ka man naroroon.
Its really simple.
Nakita ko yung Pcij link ang inaaangal ni Benign0 that time was Souther Leyte(St. Bernard) landslides back in February 2006.
you have been complaining why we have not been talking about this instead.
I saw your youtube video on 2007, somehwere because somehow you linked it.
I am sure during the time it happened it had it share of media mileage.
about the sulpicio tragedy, it had its share of media mileage for the how many days, as a matter of fact napabyaan na nga yung mga nagyari sa Panay Island , sa Cebu na biktima ng parehong bagyo.
I understand you call it shawarma topics,you may call it lechon manok, pearl shake o hot pandesal topics,because of their mushrooming and eventual bubble like disappearance.
If that is your parameter of what a shawarma topic is, then the St. Bernard and the The Sulpicio tragedy became a shawarma topic once upon a time.
Since you call it Shawarma, let me be literal, they may not be on every corner of everytown, but they are not gone, so as the lechon manok,pearl shake and hot pandesal but they are still around.
The St, Bernard’s effects are still there. the Sulpicio tragedy is still on the news, dahil it was only a few weeks since the captain was declared dead.
And if you talk about legislature.
The legislature for the coast guard bill is beong acted upon, albeit stalled, the last hearing on it was just before the long break.
Now as to the environment, they are contemplating on a land use bill, which covers, agriculture,forestry,and even urban planning.
It may not qualify to you as results,but somewhere in the offline world,those remain issues and like shawarma, they are not yet gone,only less visible.
Hmmmm…. let me think about this for a moment…
Shall I:
(a) go and mind my own business here in Sydney
- or -
(b) continue writing what I write here in FV and in GetRealPhilippines.com.
hmmmm….
I think I’ll opt for Option B.
Now that is how simple as it get’s dude.
-
KG,
Since you have open Leyte landslide, here what the business anti-corruption portal said: “The Philippines has vast natural resources and in order to protect resources, such as natural forests and rare animal species, the Philippines has introduced an anti-logging campaign. The campaign is directed mainly toward local small and medium-sized logging companies, whereas the large companies go untouched. Large logging companies feel that they can act with impunity because they have so much political influence through donations, bribes or personal relationships. Therefore, these companies can freely log more trees than their licence allows.”
“Large logging companies are cutting trees beyond the area granted by their permits, i.e., they are engaged in illegal logging. They enjoy such impunity because of the personal connections between owners and high level government officials. An example of this close relationship is the former Environment Secretary, Michael Defensor, who is a friend of the Chua family who own Toplite Lumber Corporation, one of the largest lumber companies in the Philippines.”
leytenian,
you already know that it was even before Defensor’s time.Unless you really grew up in Cebu and just spent your early childhood in Leyte,pero just the same nababasa mo pa din sa dyaryo way back ang problema sa DENR.
And hindi ako nag open, Me nilink si Benign0 sa isang in reaction sa pinaste ni wj (sa kabilang blog ni benigs)and yung link ni benign0 was in the same tune as this piece, the only difference is that in the present piece he is lamenting the sulpicio tragedy,back in 06 his beef was pinoys ,instead of discussing the st bernard traggedy,they were discussing the shawarma topics during those times.
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As for the fils living abroad, who are we to stop them ;kung mangyari yan(parati na lang sasabihin na leaave and let live) wala na tayong matutunan kay the Cat,kay bencard,kay CVJ ,etc.
at kung ke benign0,kung madami pa ding allergic,antihistamine o anti asthma lang ang katapat nyan.
I may understand WJ’s allergic reaction to Benign0, pero I suggest na gawin mo yung ginagawa ni the Cat icorrect mo na lang ang mga mali sa tingin mo,pero hindi ko sinasabing the cat doesn’t use stupid and bobo pero me sinasabi naman sya to back it up.
The Cat is not opposition,like the others who are allergic to benigs and she has been having issues with benign0 longer than the rest of us,even longer than you WJ.
KG,
so what do you think of Enrile?
” At a press conference, Bishop Leonardo Medroso of Borongan, Bishop Jose Palma of Calbayog, Bishop Emmanuel Trance of Catarman and Bishop Emeritus Angel Hobayan of Catarman accused the Department of Natural Resources of hastily issuing a timber license agreement (TLA) to the San Jose Timber Corp. (SJHTC), a firm reportedly owned by Sen. Enrile. ”
“The short-term employment and income benefits mining has provided our people are overshadowed by the environmental costs, social costs and economic costs directly associated with the mining operations,” Medroso said.
Why is he in the business of logging. Is he not in conflict with our own environment? He is supposed to protect it and prevent further landslide in Leyte. Who is responsible on looking after the effect of any future calamity? This Enrile is worst than Gloria. Can he not find any other business at all. Something that is more beneficial to the country? I agree with the bishops’ call.
the mining activity conducted by the HRMC (Heritage Resources and Mining Corp) and big business logging ( Enrile) have done more harm to the environment and little to alleviate the people’s poverty.
For me it’s very true.
@leytenian,
Isn’t Enrile the one who smuggles cars through Port Isabel as well?
You know, I try to avoid telling people here that they should do things the way we do in the U.S., because I don’t necessarily believe that most of the time, but this is one thing where I’d make an exception. We have laws that address a concept which is totally alien to the Pinoy mind: conflict of interest. It is required of legislators at all levels of government to distance themselves from personal business that might compromise the integrity of their representation. No, it doesn’t entirely prevent corruption; but for the most part, our politicians are obliged to show us the courtesy of at least not being so damned harapan about it.
Ben,
Even the governor of some provinces own businesses. I am sure it is people’s money. Yes it is conflict of interest.
Fraud In Customs Administration: “the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Surveys, companies rank customs and trade regulations as a major obstacle to doing business in the Philippines. The forms of corruption encountered within the Bureau of Customs are general bribery and tariff evasion. That the Bureau is one of the most corrupt government bodies is further substantiated by the report by the National Anti-Smuggling Task Force to the President which states that collection targets used by customs are unrealistically low, implying that customs officials are pocketing the money themselves.
Customs regulations are complex and burdensome, as are import and export regulations. Companies are left with a feeling of considerable uncertainty.
Companies should be aware that Philippines’ customs authorities are also suspected of colluding with technical smugglers. Technical smuggling refers to large-scale import fraud: goods from bonded warehouses (e.g. yarn which is supposed to be re-exported as part of finished goods) are instead smuggled into the domestic markets. It is suspected that the goods are re-imported without paying taxes. This practice is ascribed to corrupt customs officials.”
Leytenian,
Kahit minsan nakaksabay ko sa elevator at nakikita sa senado si Enrile, sya ang sinasabi ko o isa sya sa mga sinasabi ko na nagpapatunay that the problem was even way before defensor.
I have a neighbor who was an ex denr sec, a human rights lawyer during marcos time but he was one of the first to deal with enrile during the time of cory aquino.
Kahit nung bagong umupo as senate pres si enrile,I never pulled my punches on him(not literally matanda na yun),hanapain mo na lang dito sa FV at ang mga comment ko dun ke manolo nung nilambast nya yung mga foreign chamber of commerce.
Now as to companies should be aware that customs are colluding with technical smugglers.
What made you think that they are not aware of it already.
Ben was talking about Port irene,That was the reason why enrile lambasted the foreign chamber of commerce in the first place.
[…] a “heckler of the politically passionate”. But the funny thing is that my piece “Attack of the killer shawarmas” was really more about me thinking out loud about how such an abundance of expertise on […]
@leytenian November 27th, 2008 11:03 am
where did u get that quote from IFC and WB on customs fraud? is there a link? thanks!
http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/normal.asp?pageid=337
gabbyD,just google parts of the comment and you will get it. It was a 2003 survey.
the battle of the great minds…the intelligent ones…the experts in philippine politics…the best analysts in philippine politics…the blah blah blah
nasa atin na ang lahat…kayong lahat dito…ang gagaling ng mga idea ninyo…ang lulupit ng mga arguments ninyo…ang gagaling magdebate…hindi maaruk ang mga pinagsasabi…
pero gaya ng ibang blog sites….ilan taon na ang nakalipas…wala pa din nagbabago sa sitwasyon ng pilipinas…naghihirap pa din ang kababayang pilipino…nagpupuntahan pa din sa ibang bansa para makakuha ng trbaho na my desenteng sweldo…expoited pa din ang mga trabahador…magnanakaw pa din ang nakaupo sa pwesto (admin at opp)..
bakit kaya…puro naman matatalino…puro may sinasabi…
bakit kaya…bakit nga kaya?
puro blog na lang ba? ano ba ang susnod na hakbang? di ba kayo dapat magpulong pulong? ng sa gayon ay mapagsama ninyo ang inyong mga talino para labanan ang kasalukyang sitwasyon? para baguhin ang pamumuhay ng mamayang pilipino? para isaayos ang economiya ng pilipinas?
kaso wala eh…watak watak…walang pagkakaisa…puro magagaling…puro gustong maging leader at walang gustong sumunod…
kawawang pilipinas…ang daming matatalino…at maggaling…sa blogs nga lang…wala sa gawa…bwehehehehehehe
Even more interesting is having lived in Australia for eight years, I’ve become accustomed to the laid back work ethic here.
And that’s the point I make. Despite this laid back work ethic Australia’s prosperity utterly DWARFS that of the Philippines — a country of self-described “hard working” people who are gluttons for “sacrifice”.
As Joaquin wrote in his timeless essay A heritage of smallness:
Read it, and weep, folks.
Tangna ka benigno ah… tinira mo na naman kami… tinawag mo pa kaming dwarf o unano!!! DAPAT I BAN KA NA!!!! BLOG KA NG BLOG puro negatibo sinasabi mo sa amin!!! HINDI KA PILIPINO!!!! SIRA ULO KANG ABORIGINE NG AUSTRALIA!!!
WJ, so i take it that you’ve got something against Aboriginal people?
that made me laugh!
sorry about this post, hehe, but “Australia’s prosperity utterly DWARFS that of the Philippines”, therefore Filipinos are UNANO!…haha! (unano talaga ang pag-iisip)
KG,
“It was a 2003 survey.”
you have not gotten the whole point at all. it’s been 5 years that our country remains to function just like the 2003 survey. we are still top of the most corrupt country in 2007. From 2003 til 2008, nothing has changed- a wasted five years of negative result. It’s actually getting worst.
“What made you think that they are not aware of it already.”
what a stupid question, look at the result- the Philippines i one of the most corrupt.