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REAL TALK: AQUINO v DUTERTE v BBM
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Richard Heydarian VLOGS
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Run time: 31:47
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00:00.0
Kapag nag-recover pa tayo, sabi ko, actually, because si Duterta isang malaking aberration,
00:09.2
he's just such an aberration, such an outside, beyond the pale kind of political figure in Philippine history.
00:17.4
Now, of course, for some people, that makes him fantastic, but for some other people, that makes him horror.
00:23.2
The point is that he was just so outside the curve that he makes other Filipino presidents look similar, right?
00:32.8
Because he's an anti-establishment, demagogic figure, right?
00:37.6
Suddenly, si BBM ay mukhang moderate establishment figure, right?
00:43.1
And therefore, BBM suddenly looks much more similar to Aquino.
00:46.7
So if this were to a spectrum, Digong will be all the way here, right?
00:51.4
This is like 50 shades of gray.
00:53.2
Light gray to super dark gray.
00:55.8
Like, Digong is all the way there, close to dark, super dark black color.
01:00.8
And then, like, Aquino is, let's argue, for the sake of ideological differentiation, if I can.
01:06.6
And dito sa light gray.
01:09.0
And then, si BBM, mas malapit kay Pinoy kaysa kay Digong, right?
01:13.5
But that doesn't mean Pinoy and Marcos Jr. are necessarily the same.
01:18.9
It's just that yung isa ay sobrang layo sa lahat.
01:21.7
Naging mukhang yung dalawa ay nasa isang.
01:23.2
So that's the way I visualize itong propaganda line of attack na nang kita natin ngayon.
01:31.5
Even if I would consider that when it comes to some of his basic sensibilities, right?
01:38.9
Marcos Jr. is much closer to, and I think this is where I agree with my good colleague, Silisandro Claudio.
01:44.2
Marcos Jr. is ironically your traditional post-Marcos Filipino president, right?
01:50.0
He is operating within the, quote-unquote,
01:53.2
Aquino Constitution, right?
01:55.4
So far, we're not seeing a direct assault on that,
01:58.0
but things could change as conversations over constitutional change gain steam,
02:03.3
especially after 2025 elections.
02:05.0
But so far, BBM looks like a very traditional post-Marcos ETSA regime president,
02:11.3
while Duterte was so outside, you know, just so outside the box, beyond the pale,
02:18.0
in a completely different, you know, if there's a quadrant here, sobrang outside there.
02:22.1
It's mixed.
02:23.2
BBM and Aquino look like they're inside the same box.
02:25.7
But that's not true.
02:27.1
It's the aberration of Duterte that makes other presidents look similar,
02:30.8
even though those other presidents are significantly different from each other, right?
02:35.1
But as I said, there's a propaganda value to that argument.
02:39.0
Kasi pag sinabi mo ay Pinoy at Aquino ay similar, isang kampo lang sila,
02:43.6
clearly ang ginagawa mo is you're glorifying Digong as the outside anti-establishment,
02:51.3
genuine alternative candidate.
02:53.2
Now, of course, si Digong himself, I don't know if he'll be in a position to run for presidency
02:57.7
or even any high office anytime soon, but the daughter is still there.
03:02.0
The vice president is still there.
03:03.2
So, ang basa ko dito, may ganyan na elemento nangyari dyan.
03:06.6
May ganyan propaganda para i-re-energize yung atento pre,
03:11.9
hindi atento dun sa Christmas convoy, pero yung atento pre, you know,
03:16.9
tayo talaga, real change is coming, populist kind of mobilization.
03:21.2
Is it gonna work? No, I completely doubt that.
03:23.6
And kaya, siyempre, yung mga response natin sa mga kaibigan natin is mostly sarcastic.
03:29.8
Yung mga tipong, sabi na, siyempre, they wanna say Digong was exceptional,
03:33.8
he had such a high approval ratings, etc., which is true, right?
03:36.5
But I can give you a whole host of very questionable leaders,
03:39.9
Putin, and even more questionable ones, who also have very high approval ratings.
03:45.1
There's a very thin, I would say it's an inverse relationship.
03:51.8
Yung relationship between...
03:53.1
popularity and competence.
03:54.8
The two do not necessarily go hand in hand.
03:57.0
Sometimes, actually, the best presidents are very unpopular
03:59.5
because doing the right thing is very unpopular most of the time.
04:03.8
So, popularity is not necessarily indicator of merit and competence, right?
04:08.9
And, this is the argument I've made that, you know,
04:12.5
that did not sit well with a lot of our friends.
04:15.6
It's also hard to trust the validity of surveys in climates of fear, right?
04:22.1
So, when I hear...
04:23.0
about surveys popularity of Putin, it's like, yeah.
04:26.6
Let's say someone calls you in Russia and says,
04:28.8
Hello, I'm, you know, I'm Mr., I don't know, Kadirov, calling you from, you know,
04:33.1
I wanna know your opinion of our great leader, Mr. Putin.
04:37.0
Do you like him? Do you not like him?
04:39.0
If you're in Russia, you're crazy to say I don't like Putin over phone, right?
04:42.8
Or if someone knocks on your door, hello, my name is, you know, my...
04:46.4
You know what I'm saying?
04:46.9
In a climate of fear, preferences are psychologically and sometimes more than psychologically
04:53.0
already manipulated, already self-censored, right?
04:57.0
Now, we're not in a Putin-esque dictatorship situation.
05:01.0
I always argue that Duterte was not even competent enough to be a dictator.
05:04.5
But, the reality is that the climate fear of fear was always a factor.
05:07.9
Now, that doesn't mean that he was not popular.
05:09.9
I still believe that President Duterte was popular.
05:13.1
But, so were other presidents at certain point in time.
05:15.4
I mean, most of our presidents had 50, 60 percent approval ratings, you know,
05:19.7
throughout their term in office, right?
05:21.2
Of course, Duterte ended on a...
05:23.0
But, even the bigger argument is, even if I were to grant that he was genuinely popular
05:27.8
and had nothing to do with fear and all of that, so what?
05:30.9
So what?
05:31.5
I mean, just because you're popular doesn't mean you're right, right?
05:34.1
As I said, good presidents tend to be not so popular
05:36.5
because doing the right thing makes you unpopular.
05:39.3
Now, having said all of those things,
05:43.0
mag-focus tayo sa dalawang bagay, no?
05:44.8
Unang-una, again, sarcastic ako, di ba?
05:47.9
Yan ang problema.
05:48.7
Hindi na-guess ng tao na sarcastic tayo.
05:50.7
I mean, yan ang problema ng mga tao.
05:53.0
Unang-una, isn't it ironic na palating sinisabi ni Digong na
05:57.7
weak leader at spoiled brat, etong isang to?
06:01.7
And then, pag tinignan mo yung West Philippine Sea disputes,
06:06.5
it's actually President Marco Jr. who is showing far more, you know,
06:11.6
courage and tenacity in dealing with China than the previous president
06:15.1
who was like, wala tayong magagawa, let's be meek, let's be humble,
06:18.7
yung mga puro mga ganyan-ganyan.
06:19.7
And of course, if you want to see a proper analysis of the context,
06:23.0
of Marco Jr. going quote-unquote toe-to-toe with China
06:26.3
and talking about new paradigm,
06:27.7
please check out my latest article on the Asian Times,
06:30.3
Why Marco Jr. Wants to Go Toe-to-Toe with China.
06:32.7
Philippine President has defied expectations.
06:36.6
He would follow his predecessor in kowtowing to China in the South China Sea.
06:41.0
Salamat sa mga editors natin dyan.
06:42.9
Hindi akong gumawa ng mga subtitle yan.
06:45.5
But please check out this article.
06:47.1
You'll see how I explain that.
06:48.2
Actually, ironically, Marco Jr. has turned out far, far, far, far more,
06:53.0
confrontational towards China and less, less, less weakling
06:57.1
as some people would have suggested.
06:59.2
And if anything, between Duterte and Marco Jr.,
07:02.0
alam natin sinong mas matapang sa West Philippines yan.
07:04.2
Sinong mas ganyan-ganyan sa China.
07:07.5
Again, hindi po US ang gustong, you know, magsakop.
07:11.6
Hindi ang US ang sumasakop dito sa West Philippines.
07:14.3
Let's be very clear about that.
07:16.0
So, huwag kayong magpagulay.
07:17.4
Pero, pero, what about West?
07:19.7
What about ganyan?
07:21.0
Alright?
07:21.5
If si Digong,
07:23.0
if Digong was really against all imperialist powers in history,
07:26.7
bakit wala siyang sinaming masama sa Japan ever since?
07:30.1
Pansin nyo, si Digong, sobrang beshi siya sa Japan.
07:33.1
Well, guess what?
07:33.8
If you want to talk about Balangiga Bells 100 years ago,
07:36.8
why are you not talking about what Imperial Japan horrible things they did to us
07:40.1
during the Second World War in the 1940s,
07:42.4
which is far more recent than the Balangiga Bells situation?
07:45.6
So, doon pala nakita mo na, walang basihan itong argument ni Digong na
07:49.1
anti-Western, anti-imperialist.
07:51.8
Eh, kung galit ka sa West for what they did 100 years ago,
07:54.6
dapat galit ka rin sa Japan sa ginawa nila 70 years ago.
07:57.1
Oo, bakit ang beshi-beshi mo sa Japan?
07:59.1
See, huli ko sila eh.
08:00.6
Huli ko yung mga ganyan, mga ano eh, mga ganyan pa-effect-effect na anti-colonial,
08:05.3
post-colonial effect.
08:06.3
Alam na natin yan, yung mga fake na ganyan.
08:08.3
Kasi yung fake nung ganyang 6 months ayusin ko yung mga problema, mga fake na ganyan.
08:13.1
Anyway, basahin niyo mga kameta na-explain natin dyan.
08:16.1
So, I think President Marco Jr. deserves former credit
08:19.7
for taking a...
08:21.6
a tough stance dyan sa West Philippine Sea.
08:24.6
We can have a long discussion about where this is the best way forward,
08:27.6
but my contention is,
08:29.6
if we do not stand our ground, we're not gonna get respect.
08:33.1
And if we don't get respect, we're just gonna be bullied right and left.
08:36.1
And, again ah,
08:38.1
again, dun sa makapili, mga kaibigan natin ng mga kapili club,
08:42.1
yung mga makapili economics, School of Diplomacy,
08:44.6
yung mga gusto mag-mention ng Vietnam.
08:46.6
By the way, Vietnam, it's true, is getting billions of dollars of investments from China,
08:51.6
but that's not because Vietnam is suddenly giving up their claims
08:54.6
or not standing up to China
08:56.6
sa South China Sea or East Sea.
08:58.6
Actually, Vietnam made it absolutely clear, right,
09:02.6
during yung pagbisita ni Xi Jinping sa Hanoi recently,
09:06.6
that sovereignty and territorial integrity has to be respected.
09:09.6
So, ang China, gets nila, matapang tong Vietnam,
09:12.6
di nila pwedeng buli-bulin lang, they just have to accept it, grudgingly,
09:15.6
that they have to deal with Vietnam as it is.
09:17.6
And they're not gonna have things easy.
09:19.6
And the reason why Chinese invest in Vietnam,
09:20.6
is because of geography.
09:22.6
Because Vietnam is so close to the Pearl River Delta,
09:25.6
the Greater Bay Area production networks of China.
09:28.6
It's because Vietnam has direct access to Western markets.
09:31.6
It has a free trade agreement with the United States,
09:34.6
free trade agreement with the European Union.
09:36.6
It is part of the CPTPP with Japan, Australia, and a number of other countries.
09:41.6
So, if you're a Chinese investor, it's good to have a foothold in Vietnam.
09:45.6
Not to mention, Vietnam has a sufficiently robust industrial manufacturing base already.
09:50.6
And a far more decent infrastructure and regulatory environment compared to,
09:54.6
let's be honest, compared to Philippines, for that matter.
09:57.6
So, please lang, huwag niyo i-spin yan.
10:00.6
So, I think President Marco Jr. is correct to insist that hindi pwede yung magpapaganyan-ganyan lang tayo.
10:07.6
We have to stand our ground.
10:08.6
We have to leverage our multilateral engagements.
10:13.6
And President Marco Jr. will be visiting an ASEAN country soon
10:16.6
to also build bilateral cooperation with some of the key ASEAN countries.
10:19.6
As I said, ASEAN 10, just north of useless in terms of helping us at West Philippine Sea.
10:24.6
But some of the key ASEAN countries could be helpful to us.
10:26.6
But let me go to the last part, really, of this discussion,
10:29.6
which I think is very, very important, mga hameta.
10:33.6
Because if you look at it, if you really look at it,
10:43.6
you know, how should I put it?
10:46.6
I have been very critical
10:48.6
of the liberals in this country.
10:50.6
I've been very critical of liberal reformist administrations in this country.
10:54.6
Although, admittedly, I was always slightly more understanding of the Ramos administration,
11:01.6
considering its starting point,
11:03.6
than perhaps the other liberal reformist administrations.
11:06.6
But regardless of that, I mean, look at it.
11:09.6
Kaya natatawa ako dun sa mga trolls dyan na,
11:14.6
dilawan, ganyan, ganyan.
11:16.6
Like, hello!
11:17.6
I mean, if you guys,
11:18.6
mag-literate kayo, mag-Google lang kayo.
11:20.6
Hindi naman mahirap mag-Google.
11:21.6
Just look at all of those critical things I wrote about the previous administration
11:25.6
throughout the years.
11:27.6
I mean, you know, I was actually critical of the Aquino administration's South China Sea policy,
11:33.6
sa aking palagay.
11:34.6
Masyado siyang confrontational towards China
11:38.6
without, you know, at the same time, making sure we do our assignment on the ground.
11:43.6
Kaya kung tignan niyo itong article ko na Philippines Lovesided South China Sea Strategy, sabi ko,
11:47.6
puro kayong mga legal arbitration, puro kayong mga diplomatic, ek-ek.
11:50.6
Ang kulang sa inyo, hindi niyo pinapalakas yung na-fortify yung position natin on the ground.
11:56.6
Yung airstrip natin sa pag-asa, mukhang kawawa.
11:59.6
Yung Sierra Madre dyan sa Second Tonga Shoal, wala, dilapidated na.
12:03.6
It's falling apart.
12:04.6
So, okay, maganda yan.
12:05.6
Magpadala kayo ng mga tao, magja-junket-junket kayo dyan sa international courts.
12:09.6
Hindi naman, in fairness, they didn't do that.
12:10.6
But you get what I'm saying?
12:11.6
Like, okay, it's fantastic.
12:12.6
Go to international court, blah, blah, blah.
12:14.6
But you have to do your assignment.
12:15.6
You have to fortify.
12:16.6
You have to fortify your position on the ground.
12:18.6
Wala sa Yungin Shoal, wala sa pag-asa.
12:21.6
In fairness, the administration that started doing that again for the first time since
12:26.6
Marcos Sr. is Digong's administration.
12:28.6
Lorenzano was the one who oversaw the fortification.
12:31.6
So, I have been critical of the previous.
12:34.6
And I raised this issue with the late Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Del Rosario.
12:38.6
And his argument was, oh, we have to have moral high ground.
12:41.6
And I disagree with that.
12:42.6
I don't think, I don't think.
12:45.6
Now, Mitch McConnell.
12:46.6
These were all exclusive convenings.
12:47.6
Now, we file for an arbitration award and then we essentially tie our own hands at the
12:51.7
back, considering we were already behind the curve.
12:53.4
Because, actually, legally speaking you can talk to any international law expert.
12:57.5
I had to talk to many international law experts from all around the world when I was writing
13:01.6
my book, Asia's New Battlefield.
13:03.3
It's absolutely clear, changing the nature of disputed features is against international
13:07.7
law.
13:08.7
But fortifying what's already there without changing the nature of disputed features,
13:12.4
that's not against international law.
13:13.9
So, Yung pag-asa ay isla na yan eh.
13:15.6
Syuti.
13:16.6
It's already a rock at the very least.
13:18.8
So, fixing the airstrip there
13:20.3
is not against international law.
13:22.2
Alright?
13:22.5
But if ginawa mo siyang super-genkading island,
13:25.6
katulad na ginawa mo ng China,
13:27.3
that's illegal.
13:28.0
And that goes against international law.
13:29.4
So, I just felt,
13:30.5
masyadong timid
13:31.3
yung ating policy on the ground.
13:33.8
I was also very critical of the economic policy
13:36.1
of the economic administration, for instance.
13:40.1
You know,
13:41.1
one of the things I always focused,
13:43.4
and then there's,
13:43.9
you know, yung mga economist friend natin,
13:45.7
yung mga Google Trends Club friends natin,
13:48.5
dyan, yan.
13:49.5
Yung isa dyan,
13:50.6
nung may mga nag-quote sa akin na,
13:52.6
sabi nga ni Hey Daryan,
13:53.6
ganito yung inequality of income generation sa Philippines.
13:57.3
Sabi niya, saan niya yung ginawa?
13:58.2
Ayan, kinorect ko siya tuloy.
13:59.8
Yan kasi,
14:00.8
hindi kasi nagbabasa eh.
14:02.6
Eto ah,
14:03.6
in 2011,
14:04.6
the 40 richest families in the Philippines Forbes wealth list
14:08.8
accounted for 76% of the country's gross domestic product growth.
14:15.6
So,
14:15.7
76% of every 6% growth every year.
14:19.2
That's just short of 5%.
14:21.0
So, kung nag-6% growth ang Pilipinas every year,
14:24.5
this is in early 2010s,
14:26.4
4 to 5% just goes to 40 richest families.
14:29.5
This is the worst in Asia,
14:32.1
compared with Thailand,
14:33.4
where the top 40 richest accounted for 33.7%,
14:37.0
less than half of the Philippines.
14:40.2
And look at Thailand,
14:41.1
ang gulo ng politics nila.
14:43.1
Malaysia is only 5.6%.
14:45.7
And Japan is 2.8%.
14:48.0
Alright?
14:48.8
Ipupos ko dito.
14:49.7
Para makita niya na gano'ng kamalala
14:51.3
yung situation sa Pilipinas
14:53.4
when it comes to yung control ng mga oligarchies
14:56.2
sa ating economic structure.
14:59.0
Alright?
14:59.4
I'll explain to you shortly.
15:00.7
Of course, you're gonna say,
15:01.5
it's 2011, 12,
15:02.6
kakapasok lang ni Pinoy.
15:03.9
Why are you blaming me?
15:05.0
Blah, blah, blah.
15:05.7
But, first of all,
15:06.9
let's get the facts straight.
15:09.1
Okay?
15:09.4
This is the number.
15:10.6
Okay?
15:12.1
We are the most unequal nation in Asia.
15:15.3
Okay?
15:15.6
Asia and one of the worst on Earth.
15:17.9
Alright?
15:18.5
Crazy.
15:19.6
40 richest families
15:21.0
took home 76% of newly created growth.
15:24.5
Now, a lot of people
15:25.5
who are not very, you know,
15:27.1
subtle in reading,
15:28.1
they thought 76% of entire wealth
15:30.8
in the Philippines
15:31.5
is owned by 40 families.
15:32.7
Not necessarily.
15:33.8
This just says 76% of newly created wealth.
15:38.5
So, kung every year
15:39.2
dumagdag tayo ng 20 billion dollars
15:41.9
sa ating GDP,
15:42.8
gross domestic product,
15:44.3
76% of that,
15:45.6
close to 15 billion dollars of that
15:48.2
goes to only 40 families.
15:50.7
Right?
15:51.0
Only 40 families.
15:52.2
And back then,
15:53.4
Henry C. and Lushutan
15:54.4
were both worth a combined
15:56.4
13.6 billion dollars.
15:58.5
Right?
15:58.8
In a country where
15:59.6
tens of millions of people
16:01.0
live under the poverty line.
16:02.9
Our situation is twice worse,
16:05.1
more than twice worse than Thailand,
16:07.4
already a very unequal
16:08.6
and politically unstable country.
16:10.1
A lot of political instability in Thailand
16:11.5
has to do with inequality of growth.
16:13.9
You go to Bangkok,
16:15.6
very well-developed metropolis,
16:17.4
and then there's no other major city
16:18.7
in Thailand of comparison.
16:20.2
I don't think Chiang Mai
16:22.5
is anywhere close to that.
16:24.4
Chiang Mai to Bangkok is like,
16:25.8
I don't know,
16:26.2
Baguio to Manila.
16:27.4
I mean, I love Baguio,
16:28.2
I'm proud of it,
16:28.7
but it's not really a comparison.
16:30.9
Right?
16:31.4
They barely have a Cebu to Manila.
16:33.6
Right?
16:34.1
Forget about, I don't know,
16:35.6
Los Angeles to New York.
16:37.2
So, it's a very imbalanced
16:38.2
and equal country.
16:39.6
We're twice worse than Thailand.
16:41.4
More than twice worse.
16:42.2
And Malaysia is only 5.6%.
16:44.4
So, Malaysia also has,
16:45.5
has its own oligarchs.
16:46.6
Mahathir has its own oligarchs,
16:47.8
including the guy who built
16:48.7
the Petronas Towers.
16:50.2
Right?
16:50.8
That guy behind it,
16:51.9
before Petronas had to bail it out,
16:53.8
that guy was known as an oligarch of Mahathir.
16:56.7
Right?
16:57.7
But Malaysia is only 5.6%.
16:59.8
Japan is not even 3%.
17:02.4
So, we're like more than
17:04.3
25 times worse than Japan,
17:07.4
already a very wealthy country
17:08.9
with a per capita income of 8 times us
17:10.9
in terms of inequality,
17:12.8
inequality of distribution of new wealth.
17:15.5
So, I hope people understand.
17:18.5
Ako, medyo critical ako sa Aquino administration
17:22.8
because sa tingin ko,
17:24.2
masyada silang standard sa kanilang policies.
17:27.0
They did not come out with any,
17:29.0
you know, really outside the box
17:32.0
and important industrial trade policies
17:35.0
to make the Philippines a manufacturing power.
17:37.0
Name me a single major industrial policy
17:40.8
that was introduced during the Aquino administration
17:42.8
to help us build our own version of VinFast.
17:45.5
Or our own version of, I don't know,
17:47.5
I even, you know, Proton of Malaysia.
17:49.5
Forget about, I don't know, Hyundai or whatever.
17:51.5
Right?
17:52.5
Wala. Wala.
17:54.5
Industrial policy is the reason why
17:56.5
Vietnam is building its own electric cars right now.
17:58.5
Industrial policy is the reason why.
18:00.5
What is industrial policy?
18:01.5
You coordinate with your oligarchs and big businesses
18:03.5
to push them in the direction to build
18:05.5
world-class technologies and industries.
18:07.5
We didn't have that.
18:09.5
What we had was standard economic practices
18:11.5
and macroeconomic, macroprudential policies,
18:13.5
which did not fundamentally
18:15.5
change the structure of the Philippine economy.
18:17.5
Kaya nung bumaba si Aquino,
18:19.5
the Philippines was still, and not,
18:22.5
a country far from being a manufacturing power.
18:24.5
And we're still kulelat among our peers
18:27.5
in terms of attracting investments and all of that.
18:29.5
No?
18:30.5
So, that's the reason why I felt
18:31.5
Aquino was doing okay within the existing framework,
18:34.5
but he had to go way beyond that
18:36.5
to really dramatically change the landscape.
18:38.5
That's why I was critical.
18:39.5
Kaya yung mga, you know, mga bobo dyan,
18:41.5
daryan dilawan, et cetera.
18:42.5
Like, are you kidding me?
18:43.5
Have you read all of his critics?
18:44.5
Have you read all of his critical things
18:45.5
that have been read?
18:46.5
Obviously, these people don't read,
18:47.5
but, you know, it's a rhetorical question.
18:48.5
I'm just, I'm just exposing, you know,
18:50.5
what kind of, you know, fools these people are.
18:52.5
But, but, you see, that's my point.
18:54.5
Kaya, I always felt,
18:56.5
you're not going to impress me
18:57.5
as a new administration president
18:59.5
unless you have something significant
19:00.5
to bring to the table
19:01.5
because the situation is really bad
19:03.5
in terms of inequality of growth.
19:05.5
I was also critical of the Haiyan situation.
19:07.5
Look at this article I wrote,
19:08.5
Philippines Haiyan Tragedy, What Went Wrong.
19:10.5
So, I look at the, you know,
19:12.5
you know,
19:13.5
not in a DDS way, you know, critical,
19:15.5
but, you know, in a fair way
19:17.5
based on evidence way critical.
19:19.5
I also had a number of articles
19:21.5
on the Mama Sapano situation.
19:23.5
In fact, I just figured,
19:24.5
I had apparently this interview
19:27.5
on Mama Sapano
19:28.5
and how I felt that, you know,
19:30.5
that, that, that was a big blow
19:32.5
to the popularity of former President Aquino
19:34.5
and all of that.
19:35.5
So, you can go on and on
19:36.5
and find a lot of articles that I wrote
19:37.5
that were quite critical
19:38.5
of the Aquino administration
19:39.5
and all of that, right?
19:40.5
So, you can check in this article
19:41.5
also I explain things.
19:42.5
But,
19:43.5
having said all of those things,
19:45.5
I think Aquino at least got
19:46.5
some of the basic things right.
19:48.5
You know,
19:49.5
he didn't go really outside the box
19:50.5
and he threw something significant,
19:51.5
but he got one of the basic things right.
19:53.5
And in fact,
19:54.5
it was under President Aquino
19:56.5
that we began to make
19:57.5
some of the first good steps.
20:00.5
Ayan,
20:01.5
yung mga ano natin dyan,
20:02.5
kukuni lang nila itong part na ito, ha.
20:04.5
Tatanggalin nila lahat ng mga sinabi ko kanina.
20:07.5
Kukuni lang nila itong mga part na ito.
20:09.5
Alam mo, yung mga hiyan yun na yan.
20:10.5
But,
20:11.5
let me just be absolutely,
20:12.5
let me just be very clear about this.
20:15.5
The whole idea
20:17.5
that the Philippines is supposing an Asia's,
20:20.5
a rising tiger in Asia,
20:23.5
sobrang annoying yan.
20:25.5
Because I kept on hearing that
20:26.5
during the previous administration.
20:28.5
Hmm, salamat kay Tatay Digong.
20:30.5
Ano na tayo?
20:31.5
Rising Asian tiger, blah, blah.
20:33.5
I said,
20:34.5
Excuse me.
20:35.5
This was under Pinoy.
20:37.5
Alright?
20:38.5
So, this is a Philippine Star article,
20:40.5
February 2013.
20:42.5
Alright?
20:43.5
Yung mga hiyan yun dyan.
20:44.5
Sinong presidente natin noong 2013?
20:45.5
Hindi si Tatay Digong.
20:46.5
Alright?
20:47.5
Naka-Dilaw shirt pa yata siya nung panon yan.
20:49.5
Election ba yan noong 2013?
20:50.5
Okay.
20:51.5
Hmm.
20:52.5
Tingnan yung mga elections time.
20:54.5
Yung kasama ni Digong at siya si Maroz.
20:56.5
Okay, anyway.
20:57.5
At interestingly,
20:59.5
if you zoom in into this article,
21:01.5
Davao City pa
21:03.5
is where this announcement was made.
21:06.5
So, there was this meeting
21:08.5
in Davao.
21:10.5
And,
21:11.5
the person there was
21:12.5
Muto Kunishi.
21:14.5
Ito yung
21:15.5
hapon na economist
21:16.5
who was in charge of the Philippines
21:18.5
portfolio sa World Bank.
21:20.5
This is the 2013 Philippine Development Forum.
21:23.5
And, it took place in Marco Polo Hotel.
21:26.5
Of course, alam niyo naman.
21:27.5
Di ba?
21:28.5
Marco Polo Hotel.
21:29.5
Alam mo naman.
21:30.5
Di ba?
21:31.5
The whole Davao,
21:32.5
the people.
21:33.5
Okay.
21:34.5
So, actually dito,
21:35.5
nagkaroon ng announcement,
21:37.5
inanunsyo
21:38.5
ng World Bank expert
21:39.5
ng Pilipinas
21:40.5
is now considered as
21:41.5
a rising Asian tiger economy
21:43.5
because at least,
21:45.5
the one good thing
21:46.5
and one important good thing
21:47.5
that President Marcos Junior,
21:48.5
sorry, President Aquino, sorry,
21:50.5
the third,
21:52.5
was able to establish was
21:53.5
just enough stability,
21:55.5
just enough good governance signaling,
21:57.5
not really fully sufficient,
21:59.5
we can have a long conversation,
22:01.5
to at least
22:03.5
make the world think of us
22:05.5
as anything but,
22:07.5
you know,
22:08.5
kind of a sick man of Asia again.
22:09.5
I mean,
22:10.5
it just allowed us to get,
22:11.5
slowly get rid of that
22:12.5
sick man of Asia label
22:14.5
and it allowed us to be taken more seriously
22:16.5
by investors and international community
22:18.5
and in fairness to President Marcos,
22:20.5
ah, President Aquino,
22:21.5
President Aquino,
22:23.5
it was under his term that we had
22:25.5
the highest average growth rate
22:27.5
of any president,
22:28.5
Philippine president,
22:29.5
in recent memory.
22:30.5
That's a fact
22:31.5
that we're gonna get rid of.
22:32.5
Now, does that make him
22:33.5
a fantastic president?
22:34.5
As I said,
22:35.5
for me,
22:36.5
a fantastic president
22:37.5
is someone who's fundamentally,
22:38.5
changed the structure
22:39.5
of Philippine economy.
22:40.5
So that,
22:41.5
hindi 40 families take home
22:43.5
5% out of 6% growth.
22:45.5
Right?
22:46.5
That's crazy.
22:47.5
Indian situation in Philippines
22:50.5
is twice worse than Thailand inequality
22:53.5
and 20 times worse than,
22:55.5
I don't know,
22:56.5
Malaysia
22:57.5
and 30 times,
22:58.5
I don't know,
22:59.5
worse than Japan.
23:00.5
That's crazy.
23:01.5
Those numbers are crazy.
23:02.5
So you really need
23:03.5
a radical president
23:04.5
to really put the Philippines
23:05.5
on the right path.
23:06.5
But in terms of
23:07.5
getting the most out
23:08.5
of what we had,
23:09.5
I think President Aquino
23:10.5
did a pretty decent job.
23:11.5
And I think he deserves
23:12.5
some credit for that.
23:13.5
That's why,
23:14.5
I think there's no shame
23:16.5
in, you know,
23:17.5
folks saying that
23:18.5
they voted for Aquino
23:19.5
at some point in time
23:20.5
or they supported Aquino
23:21.5
at some point in time.
23:22.5
But,
23:23.5
at the same time,
23:24.5
you have to be also open
23:25.5
to constructive criticism.
23:26.5
Right?
23:27.5
You have to be open
23:28.5
to the idea that,
23:29.5
you know,
23:30.5
we needed even more than that.
23:32.5
And precisely because
23:33.5
we're not able
23:34.5
to bring about
23:35.5
yung massive transformation
23:37.5
in the economy,
23:38.5
nagtataka kayo
23:39.5
bakit bumutang tao
23:40.5
sa isang katulad
23:41.5
ng Digong
23:42.5
ng 2016?
23:43.5
I mean,
23:44.5
for me,
23:45.5
the biggest question,
23:46.5
you know,
23:47.5
when I wrote the book
23:48.5
The Rise of Duterte,
23:49.5
the biggest question I had,
23:50.5
of course,
23:51.5
I have to probably
23:52.5
have a sequel now,
23:53.5
but the question I had was,
23:54.5
was not that Duterte,
23:55.5
someone like Duterte won
23:56.5
in 2016.
23:57.5
The biggest question I had was,
23:59.5
why someone like Duterte
24:00.5
did not come earlier?
24:01.5
Because,
24:02.5
in a country where
24:04.5
40 families
24:06.5
take home
24:08.5
three-fourths of
24:09.5
newly created growth,
24:10.5
you're asking for
24:11.5
political disaster.
24:12.5
It's,
24:13.5
you're asking for trouble.
24:15.5
Oh, and by the way,
24:16.5
it's also a country
24:17.5
where political dynasties
24:18.5
control 80%
24:20.5
of elected offices
24:21.5
in the legislature.
24:22.5
I mean,
24:23.5
this is a mockery
24:25.5
of any claim
24:27.5
to being a
24:28.5
progressive democratic nation.
24:29.5
Right?
24:30.5
So, again,
24:31.5
kudos to President Aquino
24:32.5
for getting,
24:33.5
you know,
24:34.5
like,
24:35.5
squeezing the most
24:36.5
out of the available lemon
24:37.5
or whatever you had it.
24:38.5
But we needed
24:39.5
something bigger,
24:40.5
something more radical
24:41.5
and different.
24:42.5
And the radical option
24:43.5
became Duterte,
24:44.5
and that was unfortunate
24:46.5
because I felt
24:47.5
that was not the right
24:48.5
radical option.
24:49.5
It was the wrong
24:50.5
radical option
24:51.5
as most of us
24:52.5
got to know later on.
24:53.5
I mean,
24:54.5
look at this economic performance,
24:55.5
five-quarters of recession
24:56.5
from 2020 to 2021,
24:58.5
worst in Southeast Asia.
25:00.5
Look at this performance
25:01.5
in the pandemic,
25:02.5
worst in Southeast Asia.
25:04.5
Look at
25:05.5
more than 100 children
25:06.5
killed by 2020
25:07.5
during EJKs,
25:08.5
thousands of other
25:09.5
suspicious deaths,
25:11.5
worst anywhere
25:12.5
in the post-colonial world
25:13.5
or at least in Southeast Asia.
25:14.5
I mean,
25:15.5
ICC is already
25:16.5
in the country
25:17.5
conducting investigation
25:18.5
right now.
25:19.5
They're not doing that
25:20.5
in any other
25:21.5
of our major neighbors
25:22.5
because we got
25:23.5
the worst situation
25:24.5
in terms of the EJK situation.
25:25.5
And I can go on
25:26.5
and on and on
25:27.5
about the shortcomings
25:28.5
of that
25:29.5
supposedly radical option,
25:31.5
wrong radical option,
25:32.5
unfortunately.
25:33.5
But the reality
25:34.5
is that
25:35.5
we do need
25:36.5
a radical reorganization
25:37.5
of the Philippine society
25:38.5
and economy
25:39.5
because
25:40.5
what we have right now
25:41.5
is not providing
25:42.5
the wealth,
25:43.5
is not providing
25:44.5
the opportunities
25:45.5
that ordinary
25:46.5
Filipinos deserve.
25:47.5
So I'm happy
25:48.5
that some of my
25:49.5
middle-class friends,
25:50.5
some of my
25:51.5
internationally educated friends
25:52.5
were happy
25:53.5
and successful
25:54.5
during the Aquino years.
25:55.5
But also think about
25:56.5
tens of millions
25:57.5
of Filipinos
25:58.5
who are still
25:59.5
under contractual works,
26:00.5
who didn't have
26:01.5
security of tenure.
26:02.5
Think of millions
26:03.5
of precariat
26:04.5
Filipinos,
26:05.5
who didn't see
26:06.5
a significant improvement
26:07.5
in their living conditions.
26:08.5
And that is why
26:09.5
I don't believe
26:10.5
that Marcos Junior
26:11.5
as he stands
26:12.5
is still that kind
26:13.5
of solution
26:14.5
to our country.
26:15.5
And I won't be surprised
26:18.5
that again
26:19.5
some sort of
26:20.5
radical politics
26:21.5
could come back
26:22.5
down the road,
26:23.5
maybe no longer
26:24.5
Duterte
26:25.5
but something else
26:26.5
if we do not get
26:27.5
to the bottom
26:28.5
of the problem.
26:29.5
So the political
26:30.5
dynasty problem
26:31.5
we always talk about that.
26:32.5
So I don't even need
26:33.5
to post it.
26:34.5
This is a story
26:35.5
by Dean Tihanki.
26:36.5
Actually I have the
26:41.5
graph and numbers here.
26:42.5
I mean,
26:43.5
grabing Filipinas.
26:44.5
There were like
26:45.5
political dynasties
26:46.5
like 60, 70, 80%
26:47.5
of elected offices.
26:48.5
That's crazy.
26:49.5
No other
26:50.5
quote unquote
26:51.5
democracy
26:52.5
has a situation
26:53.5
like that.
26:54.5
But even worse
26:55.5
is our economy,
26:56.5
how concentrated growth is.
26:57.5
So having said that,
26:58.5
again,
26:59.5
this is how you do
27:00.5
political analysis.
27:01.5
You don't say
27:02.5
President A is heaven,
27:03.5
President B is hell,
27:04.5
President C is heaven.
27:06.5
That's kid stuff.
27:07.5
That's puerile.
27:08.5
A proper analysis
27:09.5
looks at
27:10.5
the 50 shades,
27:11.5
right?
27:12.5
Looks at 10 different metrics
27:14.5
and then,
27:15.5
accordingly,
27:16.5
makes a judgment
27:17.5
of 1 out of 100.
27:18.5
Right?
27:19.5
You don't give 0 or 100.
27:20.5
That's kid stuff.
27:21.5
Kaya inis na inis ako dun
27:22.5
sa mga political analysts.
27:24.5
Anong score mo
27:25.5
kay President
27:26.5
nung speech niya?
27:27.5
Zero.
27:28.5
Speech niya 10.
27:29.5
Yung mga ganda.
27:30.5
Come on.
27:31.5
Get out of here.
27:32.5
Right?
27:33.5
I'm not sure.
27:34.5
That's puerile.
27:35.5
Right?
27:36.5
You don't do it that way.
27:37.5
At,
27:38.5
I want to also end
27:39.5
on this point,
27:40.5
mga hameta.
27:41.5
This is why
27:42.5
do not blame
27:43.5
our kababayans.
27:44.5
Yung mga bumoto
27:45.5
sa mga mga candidates,
27:46.5
sa saktihin niyo
27:47.5
hindi karapat dapat
27:48.5
dun sa position.
27:49.5
A lot of that vote
27:50.5
was out of anger,
27:51.5
grievance,
27:52.5
and frustration.
27:53.5
Ang anger,
27:54.5
grievance,
27:55.5
and frustration
27:56.5
because when we had
27:57.5
relatively good leaders,
27:58.5
they didn't.
27:59.5
They really did not
28:00.5
fundamentally change
28:01.5
the nature
28:02.5
of the Philippine society.
28:03.5
They fundamentally changed
28:04.5
the extreme inequalities
28:05.5
bedeviling our economy
28:06.5
and our political system.
28:07.5
So,
28:08.5
surprise ba kayo
28:09.5
that people are skeptical
28:10.5
of democracy?
28:11.5
Surprise kayo
28:12.5
that more and more people
28:13.5
are open to
28:14.5
authoritarian,
28:15.5
demagogic leaders?
28:16.5
You shouldn't be surprised.
28:17.5
And to dismiss that
28:18.5
as,
28:19.5
oh,
28:20.5
disinformation lang yan,
28:21.5
and I mean,
28:22.5
of course there's disinformation,
28:23.5
but why would people
28:24.5
fall for disinformation
28:25.5
if the education system
28:26.5
is strong,
28:27.5
if people are happy
28:28.5
with the economic conditions,
28:29.5
if political dynasties
28:30.5
are now dominating
28:31.5
all offices?
28:32.5
And by the way,
28:33.5
the concentration
28:34.5
of political dynasties
28:35.5
in the Congress
28:36.5
actually worsened
28:37.5
in the 2010s
28:39.5
under,
28:40.5
you know,
28:41.5
who president, right?
28:42.5
So,
28:43.5
there was absolutely
28:44.5
no solution
28:45.5
to the fundamental problems
28:46.5
facing the country.
28:47.5
But again,
28:48.5
having said that,
28:49.5
we have to give credit
28:50.5
where credit is due.
28:51.5
I think in terms of
28:52.5
at least building
28:53.5
the fundamentals
28:54.5
and making the most out
28:55.5
of what was there,
28:56.5
I think Aquino deserved
28:57.5
some credit for that.
28:58.5
And for that reason,
28:59.5
we're a little bit more yellow.
29:00.5
Don't be ashamed of that.
29:01.5
And if the
29:02.5
DDSs out there
29:03.5
are trying to troll you,
29:04.5
troll them back.
29:05.5
Do what I do.
29:06.5
Right?
29:07.5
Why?
29:08.5
Right?
29:09.5
Who are they to tell us
29:10.5
what should we wear,
29:11.5
what color is good,
29:12.5
what color is not good?
29:13.5
They have no moral ascendancy
29:14.5
whatsoever.
29:15.5
Alright?
29:16.5
On that note,
29:17.5
thank you very much.
29:18.5
Sorry,
29:19.5
our argument here
29:20.5
is a bit slow
29:21.5
because not only,
29:22.5
you know,
29:23.5
this is a complicated issue,
29:24.5
but,
29:25.5
you know,
29:26.5
I'm not at my best
29:27.5
100% to be honest.
29:28.5
Alright?
29:29.5
So,
29:30.5
thank you very much
29:31.5
for your patience,
29:32.5
for your love
29:33.5
and your support.
29:34.5
And hopefully,
29:35.5
we can catch up soon,
29:36.5
God willing,
29:37.5
after Christmas.
29:38.5
Please,
29:39.5
huwag kayong magalit sa akin.
29:40.5
Huwag niyo ako i-troll masyado.
29:41.5
Or sige,
29:42.5
i-troll niyo ako.
29:43.5
Maganda naman yung engagement.
29:44.5
Basta,
29:45.5
tuloy-tuloy lang ang laban
29:46.5
at pagmamahal namin sa inyo.
29:47.5
And,
29:48.5
hopefully,
29:49.5
God willing,
29:50.5
if we have time,
29:51.5
we'll do another year-ender.
29:52.5
Tingnan natin kung wala si El,
29:53.5
kahit kami niya R&R na lang ulit.
29:54.5
Alright?
29:55.5
On that note,
29:56.5
thank you very much,
29:57.5
God bless.
29:58.5
Please,
29:59.5
thank you very much.
30:29.5
Alright?
30:30.5
It's a matter of just getting
30:31.5
the best outcome possible
30:32.5
in each elections.
30:33.5
And,
30:34.5
and,
30:35.5
right?
30:36.5
Everyone is entitled
30:37.5
to make mistakes in their life.
30:38.5
We're just human beings.
30:39.5
So,
30:40.5
do not judge people
30:41.5
just because they voted
30:42.5
for a candidate
30:43.5
you feel was horrible.
30:44.5
Even if that candidate
30:45.5
indeed was horrible.
30:46.5
Right?
30:47.5
Especially,
30:48.5
if you see them
30:49.5
already showing
30:50.5
a certain degree
30:51.5
of self-awareness,
30:52.5
introspection,
30:53.5
and a certain degree
30:54.5
of remorse.
30:55.5
Ako,
30:56.5
I'm a kind person.
30:57.5
And,
30:58.5
at the same time,
30:59.5
because
31:00.5
a certain president
31:01.5
was bad,
31:02.5
doesn't make
31:03.5
your preferred candidate
31:04.5
necessarily a good one.
31:05.5
We never know.
31:06.5
Never know.
31:07.5
Baka kung nanalo naman
31:08.5
yung kandidatan niya,
31:09.5
palpak din.
31:10.5
So,
31:11.5
you know,
31:12.5
I'm just saying,
31:13.5
keep an open mind.
31:14.5
Do not demonize
31:15.5
other Filipinos.
31:16.5
And,
31:17.5
and understand.
31:18.5
Compassion.
31:19.5
Compassion and critical thinking.
31:20.5
Right?
31:21.5
Marami sa ating mga kababayan
31:22.5
ay desperate
31:23.5
for real dramatic change.
31:24.5
Real good change.
31:25.5
Not just real change,
31:26.5
but real good change.
31:27.5
So,
31:28.5
the president
31:29.5
will be back again
31:30.5
sooner than later.
31:31.5
In the meantime,
31:32.5
party!
31:33.5
Alright!
31:34.5
Si Junior,
31:35.5
our president!
31:36.5
Party!
31:37.5
Okay?
31:38.5
Relax lang tayo dyan.
31:39.5
Okay.
31:40.5
On that note,
31:41.5
thank you very much.
31:42.5
God bless and advance.
31:43.5
Merry Christmas.