ingrata! is so konyo

iyan na mismo ang mindset that feeds the patronage system that keeps the poor poor and the rich rich.  those who call mary jane veloso’s mother celia an ingrate for speaking out against the government rather than singing its praises are the ones who are showing their true colors — mga matapobre rin lang, as in, the poor should know their place, the poor have no breeding, the poor do not know any better than to be brainwashed by leftists, so why bother with them, ibitay.

it’s all very depressing, this backlash against the backlash.  it’s down and dirty and ugly and offensive, and i wonder if the palace truly thinks it will help elect pnoy’s annointed in 2016.

the poor are not so dumb anymore, especially about the OFW route.  decades of experience in dealing with recruiters of all kinds and with government and its regulations have raised awareness: the system sucks, it is stacked against the poor.  and when, like mary jane, the poor get into trouble, wala lang, wala man lang benefit of the doubt, malamang kasalanan nila.  it should not surprise that the hinanakit goes deep.  deep enough and painful enough to cry out, in the name of every poor and oppressed OFW.

but if we can’t deal with that and choose to continue arguing instead over who changed the indonesian president’s mind, then what i’d like to see is a credible master timeline, perhaps authenticated by president widodo mismo.

meanwhile, sharing this facebook status (public) by herbie docena that puts veloso bashers — both the masters and the servants — in their place.

Dapat kasi, pagkagaling sa airport mula Indonesia, dumerecho na si Celia Veloso sa Malacanang, lumuhod sa harap ni P-Noy at hinalikan ang kanyang mga paa. Aba, pasalamat nga sya P-Noy even bothered to lift a finger to help her daughter–nevermind that he could have done so much more in the last five years to prevent her from being condemned to death in the first place, nevermind that he was only forced to do so because the issue has become so explosive that it could further erode his remaining legitimacy, and nevermind that he actually refused to do what the French or Australian leaders actually did to back their appeal: they actually threatened to break relations with Indonesia. Eh sino nga ba naman si Mary Jane to expect more: isang kutong-lupang muchacha na eengot-engot pa!

This outcry over Celia’s criticism of the President speaks to how pervasive the submissive-slave mentality remains. It’s Typhoon Yolanda all over again: “Aba, sino ba naman yung mga taga-Tacloban para mag-demand ng mabilis na tulong mula sa gobyerno nila? Pasalamat nga sila may ginawa pa yung gobyerno eh.”

Tapos usually may ganito pa: “All my pity or support for this family just disappeared!” In other words: “Pasalamat nga sila pati AKO naki-simpatiya sa kanila eh! Eh sino ba naman sila!”

I imagine a Downton Abbey scene: The lord of the realm does something–something really effortless, something he was only forced to do for fear of social unrest–to help a lowly servant. But the servant, instead of bowing before the lord and and instead of praising him to the high heavens, complains that the master should have done so much more to help. The ladies and gentlemen, gathered in the salon, burst out in anger: What an ingrate! How dare she steps out of bounds! But so do all the servants gathered in the basement. Conditioned all their lives to accept that the only way they could climb the social ladder is to grovel before and kiss the asses of the master, they too burst out in anger: What an ingrate! How dare she steps out of bounds!

This, essentially, is what we’re witnessing today on our Twitter and Facebook feeds: servants and masters crucifying Mary Jane’s mother for breaking social expectations, for stepping out of her assigned place in the social structure (“wala sa lugar”), and, by so doing, attempting to repair and uphold that social structure –to keep people in their places (“ilagay sa kanilang lugar”)–through their anguished expressions of moral indignation.

But we all know how the kind of social order depicted in Downton Abbey will–or should–end.

Comments

  1. GabbyD

    ” and nevermind that he actually refused to do what the French or Australian leaders actually did to back their appeal: they actually threatened to break relations with Indonesia.”

    angela, do you think this is a responsible negotiating tactic for the philippines?

    if they threatened to break relations, are those relations broken now?

    from the guardian:
    “Indonesia’s attorney general, HM Prasetyo, said the withdrawal of the ambassador would be only “momentary”.

    “The Netherlands have done the same thing in the past. Brazil has done the same thing,” he said. “I think this is just a momentary reaction, and this will be settled within the diplomatic sphere. What we are doing is carrying out the court decision. Every case should have an end.””

    is there a practical effect to to this withdrawal of ambasadors? (amabasadors lang, hindi diplomatic presence)

  2. manuelbuencamino

    Susmaryosep naman di sana mangyayari yan kay Celia kung di siya nag pagamit sa Migrante at maka alyado.

    Kahit papano pa mag try pagbaliklaiktarin ni Herbie ang interpretation, hindi matitinag ang karaniwang tao sa nakita nila sa mismo ng sariling mata nila.

    Ginamit si Celia para sa politika ng mga Maoista. Pumalpak. Huwag na ‘yan mga it’s so konyo kasi it’s so pathetic to see people like Herbie try to pick up shit from its clean end.

    Nagkamali sila. Aminin. Move on na lang sila kasi talagang talo ang ginawa nila, wala na yan sa eck-eck na rich vs poor war. This is one instance kung saan nagkaisa ang rich at poor sa pag husga na kagaguhan ang ginawa nila.

  3. manuelbuencamino

    Eto ang bottomline na hindi maharap ng mga rebolusyoraryokono: Tinulangan ka. Kung ayaw mong magpasalamat, di huwag. Pero kahit ano pa, talaga naman halang na bituka mo kung mumurahin mo pa yung tumulong na sa iyo. Di ma gets. Nauwi pa sa konyo-konyo. Pathetic.

  4. andrew lim

    Insisting on a class-based analysis of every situation will put one in a bind like Mrs Veloso and her Migrante minders.

    Herbie Docena, a Marxist, (Ask Jon Nery and I do not hesitate to label, just like I label the Pope a Catholic or the Dalai Lama as Buddhist) falls into the trap of his Marxist beliefs (Marxism is not scientific or emprical, it is just a belief) because it forces you to ignore all other facts in favor of the ideology.

    Ang mali, mali. Kahit mahirap ang gumawa. Mali pa rin. Hindi sila ma-e-exempt dahil sa kahirapan. And Marxist class based analysis cannot substitute for that.

  5. GabbyD

    ” But the servant, instead of bowing before the lord and and instead of praising him to the high heavens, complains that the master should have done so much more to help”

    i’m actually sympathetic to this, but in the veloso case, what is this “more” that couldve been done?

    should we go war for this? ano?

    • manuelbuencamino

      Bakit naman spin e yung mismong AG ng Indonesia ang nagsabi na ang reprieve ay ibinigay dahil sa pakiusap ni President.
      Paano naging spin yun?
      Ano yun AG kasabwat ng Palasyo?
      Saan ninyo nadinig ang presidente na nag claim ng credit?

      Please read all his statements regarding the temporary reprieve and point out in which one or ones he claimed credit.

      Ang spin ay yun galing sa Migrante at lalo na sa Gabriela na nagsabi na ang reprieve ay naibigay hindi dahil sa appeal ni Presidente kundi dahil sa malawakang pagkilos na siempre naman sila ang pasimuno.

      Paminsan minsan give credit where credit is due – nobody can do good all the time, nobody can do bad all the time – so pag may nagawang mabuti maski na yung kalaban e kilalahin naman ng sa ganoon e hindi nagmumukhang reklamador lang na yun kina aasarahan ay laging mali maski tama ang nagawa

    • manuelbuencamino

      So the Embassy and the government was not remiss. The timeline attests to that. It’s sad that there are elements in our society whose purpose is to divide us. May their tribe decrease some more.

  6. manuelbuencamino

    Ang nakatutuwa ay yung familiarity ni Herbie sa Downtown Abbey. Di ko akalain na sinusubaybayan pala niya ang popular na serye tungkol sa mga konyo sa England. Parang di bagay sa isang Marxist/Maoist na maging fan ng Downtown Abbey :-D