Regional "Cooperation and friendship"?

Behind the audience's [seemingly pretensious] applause and beneath Xi Jinping's well-crafted speech, it is quite perceivable from the looks of the faces of many of the leaders of the APEC-member countries that, at the back of their heads, there is something more serious than what meets their eyes and pierces their ears while China's leader was delivering his message.

There is something seriously doubtful about Xi Jinping's message of "cooperation and friendship" which is the kind of ["polished"] image that China is trying so hard to project to the global community. But actions speak louder than words. What China is doing in the disputed islands in the ASEAN region speaks volumes of messages which are contrary to Xi Jinping's message in his speech.

Perhaps, as a "big brother" to smaller and emerging economies, if China would be the first to initiate a real and sincere effort towards what it called "cooperation and friendship" among all claimant countries so as to deescalate the tension in the region, then and only then would Xi Jinping's message have true meaning.

But until then, Xi Jinping's message of "ccoperation" could only be interpreted as "you claimant countries, cooperate wiih China's interest." and his message of "friendship" could only be intepreted as "you claimant countries, be friends with China if you don't want to be our enemies."

         

Kaloy's Game Plan

Did you know that Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol's most illustrious son who became Philippine president, was a good and avid chess player? It's his 119th birthday today.

Like the other nationalist leaders of our country, Carlos "Kaloy" Garcia too dreamed of a modern industrialized Philippines that is protected against foreign domination. In his presidency, he pushed for the "Filipino First" policy. The policy purportedly earned the displeasure of Uncle Sam and his minions which led to the rumored conspiracy aimed at undermining Garcia's presidency and his plan for the country.

"The American Chamber of Commerce joined Chinese and other foreign sectors in condemning Filipino First policy. They called it an insane policy, a fascist slogan. "Why should Filipinos threaten the hard-earned wealth of foreigners just because they are Filipinos?" they asked. They [foreigners] were so used to controlling our government and economy that they reacted with anger when President Carlos Garcia began to assert our right to formulate policies favoring our own citizens.

"The Americans began to pressure Garcia to abandon his Filipino First policy. The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) started funding Garcia's opponents and a sinister plot against Garcia's presidency was discovered. The Americans did not want Garcia to be re-elected because as a re-elected president who could no longer run for a third-term, he could afford to be more independent. They wanted the Filipino First policy dismantled. They wanted the import and exchange controls abolished. They supported Diosdado Macapagal {Gloria Arroyo's dad] because Macapagal agreed to lift import and exchange controls, abolish Filipino First and open wide the doors to foreign investments. Macapagal won."

Source of excerpt: The Filipino Mind

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As in the game of chess, one must be willing to make a deeply calculated sacrificial move to gain an advantage. Kaloy calculated the risks of his plan and was not afraid and he did the sacrificial move.

         

On Indonesia's forest fire

It would take a typhoon to carry away the smoke and haze out of the region. And it would take a very heavy amount of rainfall to put out the wild fires in Indonesia's forest and wash away the enormous amount of toxic materials being produced by this wild fires.

If only "Lando" had taken a different route and had passed through Indonesia instead, that would have been a win-win solution for Indonesia and the Philippines. :-)

Oh the curses and blessings of typhoons. We can only pray that if there yet be other typhoons to come, may some of them go to where they are needed most and spare the lands where they are not neccessary any more.

            

Help put it right-side up; not upside down

Struggling through tears and blood, our country is already slowly turning right-side up; let's not put it back upside down!

We had been through dictatorship in the past. Let's try not to go back to where our country was once before.

Criminality is global. In the Philippines, our country's crime statistics show that the level of criminality is still within the borders of what is manageable and common to most countries around the globe. Thus the need for a Duterte-style of dictatorship backed by the police and the military (martial law, if you like) may not yet be neccessary. A Duterte-style approach to criminality is indeed the scepter of dictatorship and it artificially creates a semblance of temporary peace and order because it brings terror and forced submission among its subjects -- not citizen's respect and cooperation.

But in recorded Bible history, there are instances when at different times and places, God had placed iron-fisted leaders in rulership for the purpose of chastening a country or to conquer other country's wicked king.

If in His wisdom, God would put in highest authority a ruler like Rody Duterte in our country in a time He appointed, then who are we to even perhaps object?

[Daniel 2:21] God changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding.

[Proverbs 21:2] Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.

[Proverbs 21:1] The king's heart in the Lord's hand is like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

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I'm NOT commenting about how Rody Duterte handled Davao city. The way he handled Davao city is not the way he will be handling the Philippines as according to or based on his public statements.

I'm commenting on the kind of dictatorship he supposedly is projecting if ever he is given the chance to be president of our country. Try researching all his public statements concerning the style of leadership he boldly said he would be adopting if he becomes president. (Though I don't believe all that he had publicly said. IMHO, it is probably his way of scaring people so they would perhaps stop insisting on pushing him to become president because he seems not truly inclined for the presidency in spite "everything".)