asiapacificresearch--2020-11-30--The Failure of Common Unity in the Philippine Social Experience

“ If the justice system fails , the community will not.
” I like this .
But in the Philippines , every time the justice system fails , there ’ s no other recourse because there ’ s no community .
This is sad .
Community is “ common ” “ unity ” .
This is what I wish we had in Philippine society .
In the context of the Philippines , we see localities which we superficially call “ communities ” .
But strictly they are not because , in practically all instances , family interest surpasses and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give more importance to the family than to the “ community ” and in a lot of cases , family interest doesn ’ t sit well with “ community ” interest and vice versa .
People seriously mind and get themselves involved in a dangerous situation in a barangay ( local village ) not because the whole barangay is in trouble but because their families will be in trouble .
There are so many unsolved crimes in a “ community ” because people don ’ t want to testify as witnesses in court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afraid that their families would get into a big trouble .
And that is true .
But since there is no community , nobody tells someone that her/his family will not be in trouble because the community will protect her/his family .
This proves to us that , generally , Filipinos don ’ t care about the community because there is just no community to care about .
They ’ d rather care about their respective families because they are more real than the community .
We see group actions [ 1 ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pulled together by a common commitment but either because there is a strong leader ( usually a warlord ) who “ commands ” them to organize or there is a “ magnetizing ” factor ( like something with a “ showbiz ” level of strength ) that spontaneously pulls them together .
But since a group action is not grounded on a principled commitment , at the end of the day , the group disintegrates and the action finally gets insignificant .
The EDSA People ( “ People ’ s ” is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revolution ” is likewise inaccurate ) was a clear case in point .
The lack of a sense of community is the very reason why the Philippines does not take off from its dismal situation .
Why is there no sense of community in the Philippines ?
Because Filipinos , by and large , do not have the appropriate lens to see the facts .
And even if there are a few critical ones who have been using the right lens , the majority have continually refused – even repudiated – the value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divides society and a society is divided precisely because the majority have no sense of community .
We have beliefs and many have the boldness to express their beliefs .
The failure of many is their inability to elevate their beliefs to the level of knowledge by the process of verification .
Verification is the way to ascertain the truth of a belief by either finding out if it corresponds with the facts or if it has logical coherence .
If we hold a belief and we defend such a belief through rhetorics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what we believe in is not a matter of knowledge but of blind faith .
But , mind you , blind faith can unite society and hence forge a community .
However , such a community is bound to head towards a dead-end – a tragic disaster that demolished Nazi Germany in the mid-1940s and decimated the more than 900 members of Jim Jones ’ cult who in 1978 committed mass suicide in Jonestown , Guyana .
The lens of empiricism strengthened by common sense and logic will lead us to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of beliefs verified through such facts .
We call this the lens of straightforward empiricism .
With the straightforward empirical lens , what one sees is what one gets .
When one sees the facts , s/he automatically gets into the formation of a belief/beliefs which is/are articulated in a statement/statements whose truth ( s ) is/are of course dependent on the facts .
A society whose majority of people have been using the lens of straightforward empiricism will spontaneously head towards the creation of a community of open-minded denizens .
Let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue of martial law in the Philippines during the time of Marcos dictatorship .
A sensible discussion of which simply requires an uncomplicated presentation of sufficient facts .
Facts in this sense are those that happened during that period in the history of the Philippines like ( 1 ) The murder and disappearance of those who bitterly opposed and criticized Marcos ’ deceptions .
( 2 ) The plunder of billions of dollars ( not pesos ) from the nation ’ s coffer .
These issues among others are not matters of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if someone claims that all of these really happened during the Marcos dictatorship , these claims are beliefs .
The truth or falsity of these claims/beliefs depends on the process of verification which is simply a way to validate these claims/beliefs against the facts .
Thus , we can safely say at this point that the most reliable lens is the lens of straightforward empiricism .
When facts have already been presented , nobody can get away from them for they are not mere beliefs .
It takes a blind believer to insist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary evidence presented by the facts .
And this is the very situation most of us have gotten into because many don ’ t want to let go of certain beliefs that have long been determined to be contrary to facts .
In a society where countless unverified beliefs proliferate , with most of them even contradicting each other at different levels of intensity , no community – common unity – will ever be realized .
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Prof. Ruel F. Pepa is a Filipino philosopher based in Madrid , Spain .
A retired academic ( Associate Professor IV ) , he taught Philosophy and Social Sciences for more than fifteen years at Trinity University of Asia , an Anglican university in the Philippines .
[ 1 ] The term “ group actions ” used in the present context is NOT in relation to actions effected by progressive political movements which are of course grounded on principled commitments .
That is basically the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant .
In the context of the post , I meant “ group actions ” that are barangay-based .

“If the justice system fails, the community will not.” I like this. But in the Philippines, every time the justice system fails, there’s no other recourse because there’s no community. This is sad.
Community is “common” “unity”. This is what I wish we had in Philippine society. In the context of the Philippines, we see localities which we superficially call “communities”. But strictly they are not because, in practically all instances, family interest surpasses and even supersedes “community” interest. People give more importance to the family than to the “community” and in a lot of cases, family interest doesn’t sit well with “community” interest and vice versa.
People seriously mind and get themselves involved in a dangerous situation in a barangay (local village) not because the whole barangay is in trouble but because their families will be in trouble. There are so many unsolved crimes in a “community” because people don’t want to testify as witnesses in court. Why? Because they’re afraid that their families would get into a big trouble. And that is true. But since there is no community, nobody tells someone that her/his family will not be in trouble because the community will protect her/his family. This proves to us that, generally, Filipinos don’t care about the community because there is just no community to care about. They’d rather care about their respective families because they are more real than the community.
We see group actions[1] in the Philippines not because people are pulled together by a common commitment but either because there is a strong leader (usually a warlord) who “commands” them to organize or there is a “magnetizing” factor (like something with a “showbiz” level of strength) that spontaneously pulls them together. But since a group action is not grounded on a principled commitment, at the end of the day, the group disintegrates and the action finally gets insignificant. The EDSA People (“People’s” is not quite accurate) Power Uprising (“Revolution” is likewise inaccurate) was a clear case in point.
The lack of a sense of community is the very reason why the Philippines does not take off from its dismal situation. Why is there no sense of community in the Philippines? Because Filipinos, by and large, do not have the appropriate lens to see the facts. And even if there are a few critical ones who have been using the right lens, the majority have continually refused – even repudiated – the value of such a lens. This condition divides society and a society is divided precisely because the majority have no sense of community.
We have beliefs and many have the boldness to express their beliefs. The failure of many is their inability to elevate their beliefs to the level of knowledge by the process of verification. Verification is the way to ascertain the truth of a belief by either finding out if it corresponds with the facts or if it has logical coherence. If we hold a belief and we defend such a belief through rhetorics alone without considering the value of verification, what we believe in is not a matter of knowledge but of blind faith. But, mind you, blind faith can unite society and hence forge a community. However, such a community is bound to head towards a dead-end – a tragic disaster that demolished Nazi Germany in the mid-1940s and decimated the more than 900 members of Jim Jones’ cult who in 1978 committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.
The lens of empiricism strengthened by common sense and logic will lead us to see the facts and hence towards the formulation of beliefs verified through such facts. We call this the lens of straightforward empiricism. With the straightforward empirical lens, what one sees is what one gets. When one sees the facts, s/he automatically gets into the formation of a belief/beliefs which is/are articulated in a statement/statements whose truth(s) is/are of course dependent on the facts. A society whose majority of people have been using the lens of straightforward empiricism will spontaneously head towards the creation of a community of open-minded denizens.
Let’s take as a case in point the issue of martial law in the Philippines during the time of Marcos dictatorship. A sensible discussion of which simply requires an uncomplicated presentation of sufficient facts. Facts in this sense are those that happened during that period in the history of the Philippines like (1) The murder and disappearance of those who bitterly opposed and criticized Marcos’ deceptions. (2) The plunder of billions of dollars (not pesos) from the nation’s coffer. These issues among others are not matters of belief but matters of fact.
Now if someone claims that all of these really happened during the Marcos dictatorship, these claims are beliefs. The truth or falsity of these claims/beliefs depends on the process of verification which is simply a way to validate these claims/beliefs against the facts. Thus, we can safely say at this point that the most reliable lens is the lens of straightforward empiricism.
When facts have already been presented, nobody can get away from them for they are not mere beliefs. It takes a blind believer to insist on what s/he believes in despite the contrary evidence presented by the facts. And this is the very situation most of us have gotten into because many don’t want to let go of certain beliefs that have long been determined to be contrary to facts. In a society where countless unverified beliefs proliferate, with most of them even contradicting each other at different levels of intensity, no community – common unity – will ever be realized.
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Prof. Ruel F. Pepa is a Filipino philosopher based in Madrid, Spain. A retired academic (Associate Professor IV), he taught Philosophy and Social Sciences for more than fifteen years at Trinity University of Asia, an Anglican university in the Philippines.
Note
[1] The term “group actions” used in the present context is NOT in relation to actions effected by progressive political movements which are of course grounded on principled commitments. That is basically the reason why their actions are solid and significant. In the context of the post, I meant “group actions” that are barangay-based.


asiapacificresearch--2020-12-01--Chinese Anti-submarine Aircraft Enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

A Chinese military aircraft intruded upon Taiwan ’ s air defense identification zone ( ADIZ ) on Sunday ( Nov. 29 ) , marking the 21st such intrusion this month .
A People ’ s Liberation Army Air Force ( PLAAF ) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ Sunday evening , according to Taiwan ’ s Ministry of National Defense .
In response , Taiwan scrambled fighter jets , broadcast radio warnings , and deployed air defense missile systems to track the Chinese plane .
China has been regularly harassing Taiwan ’ s ADIZ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intrusions usually occurring in the southwest portion of the zone .
Starting on Sept. 16 , two PLAAF Shaanxi Y-8s flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ .
On Sept. 18 , while U.S .
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach was in Taiwan on a three-day visit , Beijing sent 18 military planes — including H-6 bombers and J-10 , J-11 , and J-16 fighter jets split into five groups — to carry out sorties to the northwest of Taiwan and in the southwest portion of the ADIZ , with some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taiwan Strait .
On Sept. 19 , the last day of Krach ’ s visit , another 19 Chinese military aircraft , including bombers , fighter jets , and patrol planes , flew six sorties between an area northwest of Taiwan and the southwest section of the ADIZ , with some again flying over the median line .
On Nov. 2 , eight PLAAF planes , including two Y-8s , two SU-30s , two J-10s , and two J-16s , carried out five sorties in the southwest portion of the identification zone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The rest of the intrusions since Sept. 16 have comprised between one and three Chinese military planes , while on Oct. 22 , a Chinese drone was also sent into the southwest corner of the ADIZ .
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A Chinese military aircraft intruded upon Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday (Nov. 29), marking the 21st such intrusion this month.
A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ Sunday evening, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. In response, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the Chinese plane.
China has been regularly harassing Taiwan’s ADIZ for over two months now, with intrusions usually occurring in the southwest portion of the zone.
Starting on Sept. 16, two PLAAF Shaanxi Y-8s flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ. On Sept. 18, while U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach was in Taiwan on a three-day visit, Beijing sent 18 military planes — including H-6 bombers and J-10, J-11, and J-16 fighter jets split into five groups — to carry out sorties to the northwest of Taiwan and in the southwest portion of the ADIZ, with some crossing over the median line in the Taiwan Strait.
On Sept. 19, the last day of Krach’s visit, another 19 Chinese military aircraft, including bombers, fighter jets, and patrol planes, flew six sorties between an area northwest of Taiwan and the southwest section of the ADIZ, with some again flying over the median line.
On Nov. 2, eight PLAAF planes, including two Y-8s, two SU-30s, two J-10s, and two J-16s, carried out five sorties in the southwest portion of the identification zone, marking the third-largest incursion since Sept. 16. The rest of the intrusions since Sept. 16 have comprised between one and three Chinese military planes, while on Oct. 22, a Chinese drone was also sent into the southwest corner of the ADIZ.
Flight path of Chinese Y-8 on Nov. 29 (MND image)
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asiapacificresearch--2020-12-01--Chinese Premier Raises Four-pronged Proposal for SCO’s Future Development

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday made a four-pronged proposal for the future development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO ) , calling for fostering a secure and stable development environment , consolidating integrated development , leveraging the catalytic role of sci-tech innovation and pursuing people-centered cooperation .
Li made the remarks in Beijing while addressing the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization , which was held via video link .
Noting that the SCO members have joined hands to fight against the virus since the outbreak of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all parties would implement the outcomes of the recently held SCO summit and steadily advance the SCO ’ s cooperation agendas so as to open up new vistas for its development in the post-pandemic era .
He called on SCO members to continue to carry out joint counter-terrorism exercises and cooperation on deradicalization , effectively deal with such new challenges as cyber terrorism , and jointly safeguard data security .
He also called for supporting Afghanistan ’ s national reconciliation process and helping the country restore stability and development at an early date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation and lift regional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation , Li said , calling on members to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of the member states and promote high-quality regional interconnectivity .
They should also build a regional network of “ fast tracks ” and “ green lanes ” to facilitate the flow of people and goods , and expand the trade of farm produce , Li said .
To leverage the catalytic role of scientific and technological innovation , Li suggested exploring new growth areas in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the internet economy to promote the integrated development of the digital economy and the real economy , while fostering new industries and new business forms .
He also called for expanding new areas of cooperation , such as health , culture and sports , and expediting cooperation on the research and development of vaccines and drugs .
“ COVID-19 vaccines , when developed and deployed in China , will be made a global public good .
This will be China ’ s contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expand two-way opening up and investment , stay committed to fostering an open world economy , and safeguard the smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains .
He also called for following a global governance philosophy emphasizing extensive consultation , joint contribution and shared benefits , and jointly safeguarding multilateralism .
China is committed to a peaceful development path and a win-win strategy of opening up and to sharing opportunities with the rest of the world as it pursues development , Li said .
All parties attending the meeting spoke highly of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of SCO cooperation , and expressed their belief that the SCO has become an important platform for promoting the development of all member states and maintaining regional peace and stability .
Faced with the challenge of COVID-19 , all parties pledged to work together to fight against the pandemic , enhance the capacity building of member states in public health , and make joint efforts in vaccine and medicine research and development .
All parties vowed to safeguard multilateralism and free trade , promote trade , investment and personnel exchanges , facilitate cooperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Road , tap the potential in interconnectivity , and speed up economic recovery in the post-pandemic era .
They also agreed to jointly combat terrorism in all its forms , safeguard regional security and stability , strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges , and create solid public support for mutually beneficial cooperation .
Li and the leaders of other member states signed a joint communique and approved a series of agreements and resolutions on SCO cooperation in trade and other areas .
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Featured image : Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization via video link , at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing , capital of China , Nov. 30 , 2020 .
( Xinhua/ Li Tao )

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday made a four-pronged proposal for the future development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), calling for fostering a secure and stable development environment, consolidating integrated development, leveraging the catalytic role of sci-tech innovation and pursuing people-centered cooperation.
Li made the remarks in Beijing while addressing the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was held via video link.
Noting that the SCO members have joined hands to fight against the virus since the outbreak of COVID-19, Li expressed the hope that all parties would implement the outcomes of the recently held SCO summit and steadily advance the SCO’s cooperation agendas so as to open up new vistas for its development in the post-pandemic era.
He called on SCO members to continue to carry out joint counter-terrorism exercises and cooperation on deradicalization, effectively deal with such new challenges as cyber terrorism, and jointly safeguard data security.
He also called for supporting Afghanistan’s national reconciliation process and helping the country restore stability and development at an early date.
SCO members should uphold openness and cooperation and lift regional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, Li said, calling on members to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of the member states and promote high-quality regional interconnectivity.
They should also build a regional network of “fast tracks” and “green lanes” to facilitate the flow of people and goods, and expand the trade of farm produce, Li said.
To leverage the catalytic role of scientific and technological innovation, Li suggested exploring new growth areas in the digital economy and harnessing the boom in the internet economy to promote the integrated development of the digital economy and the real economy, while fostering new industries and new business forms.
He also called for expanding new areas of cooperation, such as health, culture and sports, and expediting cooperation on the research and development of vaccines and drugs.
“COVID-19 vaccines, when developed and deployed in China, will be made a global public good. This will be China’s contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability,” he said.
Li stressed the need to expand two-way opening up and investment, stay committed to fostering an open world economy, and safeguard the smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains.
He also called for following a global governance philosophy emphasizing extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and jointly safeguarding multilateralism.
China is committed to a peaceful development path and a win-win strategy of opening up and to sharing opportunities with the rest of the world as it pursues development, Li said.
All parties attending the meeting spoke highly of the important progress achieved in various fields of SCO cooperation, and expressed their belief that the SCO has become an important platform for promoting the development of all member states and maintaining regional peace and stability.
Faced with the challenge of COVID-19, all parties pledged to work together to fight against the pandemic, enhance the capacity building of member states in public health, and make joint efforts in vaccine and medicine research and development.
All parties vowed to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, promote trade, investment and personnel exchanges, facilitate cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, tap the potential in interconnectivity, and speed up economic recovery in the post-pandemic era.
They also agreed to jointly combat terrorism in all its forms, safeguard regional security and stability, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and create solid public support for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Li and the leaders of other member states signed a joint communique and approved a series of agreements and resolutions on SCO cooperation in trade and other areas.
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Featured image: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attends the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization via video link, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/ Li Tao)


asiapacificresearch--2020-12-01--Video: US-Backed Thai Mobs Remove Barriers at Army Base

After the government took extensive measures to protect the army base the US-backed anti-government protesters originally targeted as their next @ @ @ @ @ switched the venue at the last minute .
Immediately the protest guards began removing razor @ @ @ @ @ the army base ’ s gates and security personel .
Storming a military base anywhere @ @ @ @ @ a potentially deadly provocation – and protest leaders by picking a military base to target @ @ @ @ @ security barriers is a reckless move that should be condemned by the media .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ media in Thailand is acting as if this is just a normal part of the @ @ @ @ @ spin any potential violence as the government ’ s fault .
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After the government took extensive measures to protect the army base the US-backed anti-government protesters originally targeted as their next protest site – protest leaders switched the venue at the last minute.
Immediately the protest guards began removing razor wire standing between them and the army base’s gates and security personel. Storming a military base anywhere in the world can be a potentially deadly provocation – and protest leaders by picking a military base to target and encouraging followers to dismantle security barriers is a reckless move that should be condemned by the media.
Instead the Western media and opposition media in Thailand is acting as if this is just a normal part of the protest and are likely to spin any potential violence as the government’s fault.
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asiapacificresearch--2020-12-01--China Slaps 200% Import Tax on Australian Wine Amid Tensions

China on Friday added wine to the growing list of Australian goods barred from its markets in a trade war against Australia over disputes including its support for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus .
The Ministry of Commerce imposed import taxes of up to 212.1 percent , effective Saturday , which Australia ’ s trade minister said make Australian wine unsellable in China , his country ’ s biggest export market .
China is increasingly using its populous market as leverage to extract political concessions and increase its strategic influence .
Earlier , China stopped or reduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , seafood , sugar and timber from Australia after it supported calls for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic , which began in China in December .
China ’ s ruling Communist Party is trying to deflect criticism of its handling of the outbreak , which plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s , by arguing the virus came from abroad , despite little evidence to support that .
Meanwhile , Australia is working on a mutual defence treaty with Japan , which Chinese leaders see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined Washington and Southeast Asian governments in expressing concern about China ’ s construction of military facilities on islands in the disputed South China Sea , a busy trade route .
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China on Friday added wine to the growing list of Australian goods barred from its markets in a trade war against Australia over disputes including its support for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus.
The Ministry of Commerce imposed import taxes of up to 212.1 percent, effective Saturday, which Australia’s trade minister said make Australian wine unsellable in China, his country’s biggest export market.
China is increasingly using its populous market as leverage to extract political concessions and increase its strategic influence.
Earlier, China stopped or reduced imports of beef, coal, barley, seafood, sugar and timber from Australia after it supported calls for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China in December.
China’s ruling Communist Party is trying to deflect criticism of its handling of the outbreak, which plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s, by arguing the virus came from abroad, despite little evidence to support that.
Meanwhile, Australia is working on a mutual defence treaty with Japan, which Chinese leaders see as a strategic rival, and has joined Washington and Southeast Asian governments in expressing concern about China’s construction of military facilities on islands in the disputed South China Sea, a busy trade route.
Read full article here.
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