Are Filipino's Really More Tolerant or Just Plain Dumb?

by TOM MARTIN


from the blog:  Are Filipino's Really More Tolerant or Just Plain Dumb?

Marel N. Francisco ask the question, "Are Filipino's really more tolerant or just plain dumb?" in her Philippine Daily Inquirer article this week.  

Filipino people claim to be the most tolerant, forgiving and patient people in the world.  They take very seriously the importance they place on not causing anyone to lose face in public.  I have seen people be shunned by friends and even family members because they were responsible for a person or a family to loose face in public.

Before you make a decision if Filipino people are tolerant or dumb I would like for you to consider a few things I have personally witnessed during the years I have lived in the Philippines: 


1.) Filipino's will enter a bank, take a number, take a seat, wait and watch as the security guards let people they deem more important go in front of them; 


2.) Filipino's will take their place in a taxi line at the mall, wait and watch as Filipino's who think they are more important than others walk out of the mall, not get in line and take the next available taxi; 


3.) Filipino's will ask the pump boy at the gas station if they accept credit cards and when told they do instruct the boy to fill their car.  The boy returns to the car for payment after failing to fill the tank and when questioned about not doing as he was instructed reply, "I am sorry, fill it next time I had already set the pump for 500 pesos before I remembered you wanted me to fill the tank."; 


4.) Filipino's will go to the doctor, sign in, wait and watch as friends of the doctor and friend's of friends of the doctor are put in front of them, 


5.) Filipino's will find a small insect in their soup at one of the finer restaurants and report it to the waiter, but receive no apology or compensation; 


6.) Filipino's will get in a taxi on a rainy day and when they tell the driver where they want to go be told by the driver he does not want to go there because it is too far and he wants to meet his buddies for lunch in 30 minutes. They will then vacate the taxi and stand in the rain again for another taxi, etc.   Filipino's will tolerate all these things and not complain because they claim they do not want to cause anyone to loose face or they are very tolerant.

All Filipino's use the words "I sorry" entirely too much.  The words really no longer have meaning in the Philippines.  They are words just uttered to avoid confrontation.  "I sorry" is suppose to make everything okay. The Philippine President in 2004 uttered the words on National television after she was caught violating election laws and speaking with the head of the Comlec.  She felt with those words everyone should forgive, forget and accept what she had done. I would say the vast majority of the Filipino people did not like what she did, but they accepted it and did not demand justice for her doing it.

I think what is more important than if the people of the Philippines are tolerant or dumb is why do they settle or accept the treatment they get.  Why do Filipino's allow themselves to be pushed around by someone who has better clothes, more money, better education, establish family surname, a title. etc.?  I believe the Filipino people have come to believe they do not deserve better and must settle for what they get.  I think a lot of the Filipino people have lost hope of having a better life and have come to expect nothing better.

Senator Santiago, Senator Madrigal and other elected officials would like the Filipino people to believe it is due to the Filipino's colonization attitude which they say is caused by the United States and Spain.  By instilling that thought in to the minds of the Filipino people it allows those elected officials to escape their responsibility for not solving the corruption problems in government, for not solving the land distribution problems that prevent farmers from receiving the land they were guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution, for not creating jobs at home, but instead rely on other countries to provide jobs for the Philippine work force through the O.F.W. system and for not solving the problems that exist in the education system of the Philippines, etc.  If you listen to some of the elected officials you would think that the United States elects the President of the Philippines and controls the Philippine Senate and Congress.  That is not true, but if it were true whose fault would it be other than the elected officials of the Philippines. Perhaps if they would spend less time grand standing on national television during Blue Ribbon hearings, that never accomplish anything and spent more time passing legistlation and seeing to it the legistlation passed was enforced that benefited the Filipino people they would not need to blame outside forces for their failures.

The elected officials of the Philippines through political dynasties, which the Philippine people continue to elect, allow politicians to guarantee that their friends will not be prosecuted - 


1.) for stealing funds that middle class Filipino families have paid into in an attempt to guarantee a college education for their children; 


2.) for holding on to land which was guaranteed to the farmers by the 1987 Constitution; 


3.) for killing hundreds of Filipino's in ferry accidents due to unsafe equipment; 


4.) for pyramid schemes like the one inMakati which caused many middle class Filipinos to loose their life savings; 


5.) for operating colleges that never prepare students to receive their license; 


6.) for using the peoples money like the Marcos' for their personal benefit; 


7.) for committing plunder against the State and being pardoned like Joseph Estrada and yes, even for murder.  This is not the fault of the United States or any other country this is the fault of Philippine bad governance.  The real question is still the same why do the Filipino people tolerate such treatment?

It is human nature to take advantage of people that allow you to take advantage of them.  If the Filipino people wish to be treated fairly and with respect then the Filipino people themselves have to demand fair treatment and respect.  Rude and obnoxious people should lose face in public if that is what it takes to make them do better.  Politicians that continue to protect their own and not care about the people of the Philippines do not deserve to be elected and certainly not re-elected.  My observation reveals that the Filipino people are a people that have been beaten down by outside forces in the past, but continue to be beaten down by inside forces which are their own elected officials and a few wealthy Filipino families.  Edsa One accomplished a lot for the people of the Philippines, but Edsa One, Two, Three, Four, etc. will not solve the problem of inequality in the Philippine unless the Filipino people on a daily basis and in every aspects of life begin to believe they do deserve better and demand better.  The Filipino people are not dumb they have just lost HOPE!