Filipinas Are Forced To Look For Real Men From Overseas

Aren’t there enough Filipino men in the country good enough for some Filipino women (Filipinas)? As far as I know, there is no shortage of Filipino men and I haven’t heard of any reports that say there is an imbalance in the sex ratio that would compel some Filipinas to seek men from overseas either. But what could be forcing some Filipinas to look for partners from foreign lands? I’m sure the reason is not just limited to financial aspects because I know a lot of successful professional Filipinas with their own money who are also married to foreign men. It would be wrong then for others to assume that these women only married for money.

Yes, there are Filipinas, those who belong to the lower end of the socio-economic classes who view men from first world countries as a “good catch” because of the superiority of the currency these men have in their bank accounts. But to be sure, there are also some foreign men who come to the Philippines to take advantage of naive Filipinas. Unfortunately, Filipinas seem to have acquired a reputation for being heartbreakers and gold diggers among single foreign men who are seeking true love in Asia.

A bowerbird and his bachelor pad

Even Jasmine Lee, a Filipina who married a South Korean national and then became the first naturalized Korean to become a lawmaker in South Korea, is said to have become a target of “racist” and “xenophobic” attacks on the Internet. Reports have surfaced stating that some Korean Netizens are reacting negatively to her new post with someone Tweeting: “Following the immigrant wife Lee’s entry to the Assembly, we can well predict the rise of unregistered foreigners and foreign women marrying in return for money. We’ll see the truth of multiculturalism that exploits Koreans.” It is unfortunate that the Filipina’s reputation has been tainted to the point of affecting even highly-educated and professional women like Lee. I recently read a post from a site called Hub Pages written by someone who was obviously very bitter about his own experience with Filipinas. His primary reason for writing the article is to warn other foreign men from getting involved with women from the Philippines. Although I was disappointed to read his article, I can’t blame him for his generalization because I’ve heard a lot of anecdotal and actual reports around that seem to validate the writer’s views. I heard, for example, that Internet Cafes are swarming with Filipinas chatting up western men online. This is part of the dire post from the site:

Pinays’ most common goal is to make Americans fall in love with them and have the men marry and bring them to the United States for good, where they will settle down and enjoy the good life that the country offers. When they succeed, they will continue to stick with their men for a little longer until they obtain their alien registration card (green card). Upon obtaining this precious green card, they will abandon their men and look for the ones they really like. Infuriating huh? Due to this, Pinays can be considered to be opportunistics, who use their wits to continuously take advantage of the men who really believe they’re not being loved for their money.

Indeed, for many foreign nationals, the road to matrimony is fraught with difficulties especially when they are dealing with someone they barely know from a culture that is totally alien to their own. And this dilemma is not just limited to Filipinas. Anyone experiencing hardship in their own country will turn up their survival instincts and resort to all kinds of things just to get a ticket out of their misery. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Filipinos. Russian brides, anyone? Who can forget Nicole Kidman’s role in the film Birthday Girl as a Russian mail-order bride to a British guy. Nicole’s character accentuated the reputation of the typical Russian women from poor backgrounds who do whatever it takes to get out of their wretched existence. In the film, it turns out that the Russian mail-order bride is just a front for a crook to extort money from unsuspecting men.

I do feel sorry for men who get lured into a relationship by women who just want to scam money out of them. But hey, men do it to women too. Sometimes desperation can quickly turn anyone into a calloused con artist. However, as they say, it takes two to tango. A wise man would suss out the real situation first before getting involved with someone. Anyone can try to pull a fast one but it is likely the fool who falls victim to a predator.

Anyway, I strongly suggest that those who are feeling sorry that they got duped should also take a bit of personal responsibility for their own mistake. They don’t have to continue feeling bitter about their experience. They just need to move on. Even Marvin Gaye admitted that everybody plays the fool. The novelist Jane Austen also wrote about being a fool for love. For those who are not familiar with the novel or the film adaptation of her highly celebrated book, Pride and Prejudice, here are some of her most famous opening lines:

IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

Jane Austen may have written those classic lines in the 19th century but her message rings true to this day. Other writers may put in their own little twist or nuance when they tackle romantic love stories, but most of them still work around the same premise of Austen’s storyline. For whether one acknowledges it or not, a man who is loaded with cash, property or stocks makes himself a magnet for all kinds of rackets, many of them coming in the guise of true love — which is why it is still better to use other means of attracting a partner as alternatives to waving money around. If a man chooses to use his fortune to secure a partner, he should be prepared to accept that he will likely to have been chosen solely for his money alone.

Who wouldn’t want their own Fitzwilliam Darcy or “Mr. Darcy”? Even if you overlook his character in Austen’s novel being a single good-looking man in possession of a good fortune; he oozes with sex appeal nonetheless. His appeal it seems has less to do with his good looks and his fortune, and more to do with the air of authority others feel when he enters the room. This is also true in real life. Sometimes when a person walks around looking unimpressed or aloof; people find that person more intriguing and more fascinating.

This is not to suggest that we should favor someone with a snotty disposition; it’s about being selective about the kind of people who you want to deal with. After all, who wants to waste their time engaging in shallow conversations about petty and trivial pursuits? In other words, it’s about having substance. And people who have substance can spot someone who has substance a mile a way. In Austen’s book, it was ultimately substance that helped Mr. Darcy overcome his prejudice and fall for someone below his class standing in society, Ms. Elizabeth Bennet. And despite his wealth, it was substance that helped Elizabeth overcome her own pride and fall for Mr. Darcy.

In the animal kingdom, the art of attracting a mate is not too different from that applied by humans. One of Sir David Frederick Attenborough’s documentaries on his Life series shows how the male bowerbird uses its decorating skills to show-off by creating some kind of “bachelor pad” in its effort to attract a partner:

To attract a partner, the male bowerbird builds and decorates an elaborate nest, which can take weeks to assemble. The bower — a structure woven around a sapling that looks almost like a wooden tent — is carpeted with moss and decorated with flowers, colorful insects, fungi or even dung depending on each bird’s design sensibilities.

While the bowerbird may go through a lot of trouble to make himself presentable to a female, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all of his time and effort will pay off. Other males generally construct bowers nearby, and their sense of style and song may be more along the lines of what a female bowerbird is looking for.

It is interesting to note that all that effort to show-off has an evolutionary purpose. The female would naturally choose someone who she thinks has the most attractive or the strongest characteristics. This is applying the assumption that someone who possesses the better characteristics will likely pass on the genes that produce them. More importantly, individuals who exhibit those characteristics are likely to possess the fitness and strength that make them superior carers for their offspring. So therefore, women who go for men who seem to possess strong characteristics should not be frowned upon. Women merely act on preferences honed by evolution to instinctively look out for their welfare and the welfare of their future family.

Going back to Filipino men, what therefore makes some of them so unappealing could be the fact that they are not raised to be real men. They come across as deficient in testosterone on account of the way they just drink and hang around instead of work hard to give their family a decent life. Some of them just let their wives do all the work, which could mean going overseas to work as domestic helpers while their husbands spend what little money they have on vices. This could have something to do with an undiagnosed narcissistic disorder afflicting a lot of Filipino men.

Indeed, it was global media outlet CNN International that concluded that Filipino men are the most narcissistic in Asia. An inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with themselves could be the reason why more and more Filipinas are seeking partners overseas.

15 Weird Laws Filipinos Still Have To Live With


 

15 Weird Laws Filipinos Still Have To Live With



Just like the rest of the world, Philippines also has its very own set of laws that are strange, outdated or just sound outright wrong to modern ears.
While some of these laws are pretty self-explanatory, a good chunk require more than just a cursory glance for one to understand them. It’s even more surprising to know that most, if not all, of the laws listed below are still in effect today, so it’s probably a good idea to get to know more about them, lest you end up inadvertently breaking one.
After all, ignorance of the law excuses no one.

15. Marriage extinguishes criminal liability of rape.


Republic Act 8353 (The Anti-Rape Law of 1997), which was a huge leap forward in the country’s drive against rapists, unfortunately had a tiny setback, specifically Article 266 Section C which states:
“The subsequent valid marriage between the offended party shall extinguish the criminal action or the penalty imposed. In case it is the legal husband who is the offender, the subsequent forgiveness by the wife as the offended party shall extinguish the criminal action or the penalty: Provided, that the crime shall not be extinguished or the penalty shall not be abated if the marriage is void ab initio.
The offender being free from criminal liability after marrying the victim is tied closely to a Spanish-era provision in the Revised Penal Code, specifically Article 344 which states “in cases of seduction, abduction, acts of lasciviousness and rape, the marriage of the offender with the offended party shall extinguish the criminal action or remit the penalty already imposed upon him.”
As to the forgiveness thing, the rationale behind it is to afford the offending husband a chance to start anew with his wife.

14. Adults ( 21 – 25-year-olds) still need advice from their parents before getting married.


For couples of this particular age category, Article 15 of the Family Code states that:
“Any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application there for. A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought, together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.”
Although technically it doesn’t bar the applicants from marrying, the “90-day rule” on the issuance of the marriage license means the couple who did not get positive parental advice (not unfavorable) would have to wait another three months before getting the marriage license, a formal requisite to getting hitched.
The rule is meant to give them time to change the opposing parent’s mind as well as provide them a period to decide if they want to go through with the marriage or not.

13. An election tie will have to be broken by drawing of lots.


During the last 2013 general elections, two candidates literally tossed a coin for the mayorship of the town of San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro after both men wound up tied in the race.
While the whole method may look whimsical, it’s actually covered by the Omnibus Election Code which states that “the board of canvassers shall proceed to the drawing of lots of the candidates who have tied and shall proclaim as elected the candidates who may be favored by luck…”
It’s also supported by Comelec Resolution No. 9648 wherein “the Board immediately notify the said candidates to appear before them for the drawing of lots to break the tie. The drawing of lots should be conducted within one (1) hour after issuance of notice by the Board to the candidates concerned.”
Apparently, drawing of lots is not unique to our electoral system—several states in the US use the method as well.

12. You can still get jailed “for offending religious feelings.”


This obscure penal law, which dates back to the religiously fervent Spanish era and which was the main charge against Carlos Celdran, states that “the penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period shall be imposed upon anyone who, in a place devoted to religious worship or during the celebration of any religious ceremony, shall perform acts notoriously offensive to the feelings of the faithful.” It can be found in Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code.

11. Widows must observe “301-day rule” before marrying again.


Section 351 of the Revised Penal Code states that “any widow who shall marry within three hundred and one day from the date of the death of her husband, or before having delivered if she shall have been pregnant at the time of his death, shall be punished by arresto mayor and a fine not exceeding 500 pesos.”
The rationale behind this was to “prevent confusion as to the paternity and filiation of the child,” in effect making this also an “enforced mourning period” for women according to its critics who say that the advent of modern technology which makes paternity testing readily available has rendered this law obsolete.
Senator Nancy Binay currently has a bill trying to repeal it.

10. You cannot own a deadly “pana.”


One of the more obscure laws made during the 1960s was Republic Act No. 3553, or the “Anti-Pana Law”.
Under this law, “anyone who possesses a deadly arrow or ‘pana’ without permit from a city, municipal, or municipal district mayor, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than thirty days nor more than six months. The phrase ‘deadly arrow’ or ‘pana’ as used in this Act means any arrow or dart that when shot from a blow or slingshot can cause injury or death of a person.”
However, anyone who uses the “pana” for his livelihood can still apply for a permit from his/her mayor. We’re guessing the increasing number of “pana” incidents spurred the creation of this law.

9. Your family members and in-laws who commit theft, swindling, and malicious mischief against you are not criminally liable.



Article 332 of the Revised Penal Code states that “No criminal, but only civil liability shall result from the commission of the crime of theft, swindling, or malicious mischief committed or caused mutually by the following persons: 1. Spouses, ascendants and descendants, or relatives by affinity in the same line; 2. The widowed spouse with respect to the property which belonged to the deceased spouse before the same shall have passed into the possession of another; and 3. Brothers and sisters and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, if living together.
As to why the offended party cannot pursue criminal charges, it is on the ground of preserving family harmony and solidarity.

8. Squatting is not a crime.


Republic Act 8368 or the “Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act of 1997” repealed former President Marcos’ Presidential Decree No. 772 which penalized squatting, technically making it a non-crime as of today on the basis that squatters are also victims of an unequal justice and social system .
As a small consolation to the hapless property owners however, the act still penalizes “professional squatters and syndicates” according to the provisions of another controversial law, Republic Act 7279, which is better known as the Lina Law.

7. Metro Manila has a convoluted traffic scheme.


First implemented by the MMDA in 1995, the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program’s original purpose was to decrease traffic congestion in the metropolis through a number coding scheme.
Vehicles with license plates ending in a certain number were not allowed on the streets in a particular day. Since then however, motorists have often complained about the confusion brought on by cities implementing their own variations (color-coding included) of the scheme.

6. Our immigration laws are ridiculously ancient.


Commonwealth Act No. 613 or the immigration law reeks of antiquity, considering it was made and implemented in 1940.
Among the many outdated sections include Section 29-A which denies entry to foreigners suffering from insanity, loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases, or epilepsy. It also excludes paupers, vagrants, beggars, or persons who practice polygamy or who believe in or advocate the practice of polygamy.
A bill right now is being pushed to update this decades-old law.

5. Women get charged with adultery, men get charged with concubinage.


One look at Article 333 and 334 of the Revised Penal Code and you can see why the law tends to be stacked against women.
Charging a husband for an extra-marital affair in court is infinitely harder to prove since the woman has to prove any or all of the following: a. He has kept a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, b. He shall have sexual intercourse with a woman who is not his wife under scandalous circumstances, and/or c. He shall cohabit with her in any other place.
And even when the husband is convicted, he will at most serve a sentence of only six months to four years while his mistress would only be slapped with destierro or banishment.
On the other hand, proof of sexual intercourse between his wife and another man is all a husband needs to charge them both with adultery which can carry a penalty of two to six years.
As to why the penalty for adultery is heavier, it is argued that an illicit affair between a wife and her paramour could result in an illegitimate child  who would become the unknowing husband’s spurious heir.

4. Annoying people can be charged for being merely annoying.


Second paragraph of Article 287 states that “any other coercions or unjust vexations shall be punished by arresto menor or a fine ranging from 5 pesos to 200 pesos, or both.”
Both legal experts and laymen have condemned unjust vexation as an ambiguous catch-all provision with no specific meaning, merely something to charge annoying people with.

3. The State will do its darndest to get a couple to stay married.


Ever wonder why, Catholic culture notwithstanding, it’s so hard for couples to get away from loveless or hopeless marriages in the Philippines?
It is because the State is mandated to do so according to Section 2, Article XV of the 1987 Constitution which states that “marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State.”
A landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 1997 upheld this provision when it stated that “any doubt should be resolved in favor of the existence and continuation of the marriage and against its dissolution and nullity.” In the very same case, the high court also ordered inferior courts to require the appearance of a fiscal and an agent from the Solicitor General’s office as a counsel to represent the State during annulment hearings and write whether he/she approves of the annulment or not.
In other words, the State will always be the third party in any marriage between individuals.

2. We still dole out excessive penalties for libel.


Perhaps no other law of late has garnered as much controversy as Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Law, specifically the part where it punishes libel.
The corresponding penalties can be found in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code. Critics have called it an archaic and outdated provision dating back to the Spanish era where honor was highly prized and duels were often common.
Nowadays it’s being abused by government officials as a shield against criticisms. Even the United Nations Human Rights Council declared the penalties as “excessive” and while there are moves to decriminalize libel, we may have to wait quite a while before it becomes a thing of the past.


1. You can “legally” kill people.


Under Article 247 of the Revised Code, anyone “who having surprised his spouse in the act of committing sexual intercourse with another person, shall kill any of them or both of them in the act or immediately thereafter, or shall inflict upon them any serious physical injury, shall suffer the penalty of destierro.”
Likewise, the article also applies to parents “with respect to their daughters under eighteen years of age, and their seducer, while the daughters are living with their parents.”
The expected overwhelming outrage and the need to vindicate one’s honor would form the rationale of why killing is allowed under these circumstances. On the other hand, destierro or mere banishment of the killer would be to prevent the deceased’s family from retaliating against him.


References: Revised Penal Code, New Civil Code, New Family Code, Omnibus Election Code, The 1987 Constitution, Philippine Commission on Women.

About the Author: When he isn’t deploring the sad state of Philippine politics, Marc V. likes to skulk around the Internet for new bits of information which he can weave into a somewhat-average list you might still enjoy. You can also check out his ho-hum yet extremely addicting lists over at Listverse.com and read them… over and over again.



Source:  http://www.filipiknow.net/weird-laws-in-the-philippines/




Filipino Culture on the Road to Extinction?

When I watch ABS-CBN, it's pretty much CNN and American news media dubbed in Tagalog.

When I watch politicians dodging tough questions, it's pretty much a page from Bill and Hillary's playbook.

When I go to the malls, its not much different from a typical American mall except nicer.

When I watch Boy Abunda doing an interview, it's a nice rip off of Larry King.

When I watch Showtime, a lot of it is nothing more than rap and hip-hop with Pinoy singers and dancers.

When I bathe, its a bar of Safeguard, Head and Shoulders, and Colgate toothpaste.

Most of the time I'm in a taxi, it's American oldies but goodies on the radio that go as far back as the 50's and 60's (weird, but my partner seems to know most of those songs).

When I watch a lot of pinoy soaps, its not much more than an old Disney story reworked.

When it's time for fast food, American junk food usually beats out pinoy food (except for the kids who love Jollibee burgers and spaghetti).

When the dishes are washed, it's with Joy. Clothes get the Tide and Downy treatment.

My partner is a Facebook addict.

My kids want Coke (not Sparkle) and there are actually two Coke plants near where I live.

My partner likes Marlboros (I smoke Fortune).

My youngest boy graduated from prep school and the theme song was from Frozen.

We usually are asked to bring spaghetti to school functions (we make it American style) and everyone loves it.

I-pads are the latest fad of upwardly mobile parents at school.

The tattoo fad seems more like a Vin Diesel rip off than any true Polynesian influence.

I could go on ... but I think you get the idea.

Nah, I'm not knocking it. I'm not too impressed by nationalism any more. Going with the global flow. I only listed what I thought were Americanisms (I could be wrong there). But the Korean, Chinese and Japanese influence are pretty strong as well. I think Jefferson said something to the effect that every generation had the right to define themselves. I had my time. Now my kids will have theirs.

Or as they used to say the king is dead, long live the king. Or, as my two year old has picked up from somewhere, 'Whatever."

Philippines: A Digital Lifestyle Capital in the Making?


Philippines: A Digital Lifestyle Capital in the Making?

Jonha Revesencio
Posted: 05/04/2015 2:39 pm EDT Updated: 05/04/2015 2:59 pm EDT

The Global Landscape
As of January 2015, Internet penetration around the world has reached a 21% growth from the previous year and now totaling an astounding 42% penetration for both fixed and mobile connections. That's 3 billion active Internet users, 2.1 Billion of which with active social media accounts from a 7.2 billion total population.


What this data only tells us is that, we are coming quite close globally to a fully represented online world but there is still much room for growth. When we study digital lifestyles, we have to have a good understanding of offline and online behavior and the correlation of both.

Philippines' Digital Snapshot
PHILIPPINES - According to the Asia Digital Marketing Association (ADMA) and the Internet World statistics, there are over a billion Internet users in the AsiaPacific region, which amounts to over 46% of the total Internet users in the world.

The Philippines, specifically has over 44.2 million users, the second highest ranking in Southeast Asia and the 6 th in the whole of Asia. The population is forecasted to double by 2016, according to Julian Persaud, former Google Managing Director in Southeast Asia.


The January 2015 "Digital In the Philippines" snapshot of We Are Social counts that among the total Philippine population of 100.8 million (with urbanization at 49%), there are 44.2 million active Internet users. Of these 44.2 million Internet users, 90% have active social media accounts.

In the last four years, Internet access in the Philippines has grown by 500%, the fastest rate in Southeast Asia, but as mentioned in previously, real growth is yet to come but it's coming by fast.

Leading in numbers
While we're yet to see the majority of the Philippine population online, enough data supports how addicted the Philippines is to the digital life. According to We Are Social's Digital Report as of January 2015, the Philippines leads in average "Time Spent on the Internet" through laptop and desktop, and one of the highest via mobile worldwide.
From a global average of 4.4 hours/day, the Filipino spends an average of 6.3 hours/day online via laptop and 3.3 hours/day via mobile.


Over 40% of Filipinos own an active social media account, according to the same study. This is larger than that of most technologically advanced countries like South Korea and Japan, whose social media penetration amounts to 30% and 19% respectively.

Capturing social media and smartphone penetration The Philippines was once called the "Selfie Capital of the World" as analyzed by TIME through geographic coordinates with 258 selfietakers per 100,000 people on Instagram.

Apart from the photo app, the country also leads in social media penetration particularly on Facebook with over 94% of its Internet users using the popular social network, 40% more than users the United States. The Philippines also records the highest figure of total screen time spent in social networking with an astounding 42%.

In a survey conducted by On Device Research mid June 2014, smartphone penetration in the Philippines is growing faster than Indonesia and Vietnam combined. What drives the growth of smartphone penetration is the influx of low priced local smartphone brands such as the Android powered Cherry Mobile, Starmobile, and myPhone, all priced in the $50-$250 range.
Similarly, Asian phone brands Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi have also landed in the Philippines in an aggressive effort to earn double digit market share by the end of the year.

Correlation to the thriving economy and the young population
The strong digital lifestyle of the Filipinos is testament also to the equally strong economy of the country. Despite suffering the worst natural disasters ever recorded, GDP growth rates continue to be in its favor. As the country is cited as "Southeast Asia's Strong Man" and with a 33% annual growth in number of active mobile social accounts, it is good to see whether the Philippines is fit to for the title "Digital Lifestyle Capital of the World".

In a report done in 2014 by Tigercub Digital titled "The Perfect Digital Storm: Philippines", the boost in digital today owes much of its intensity to the "perfect digital storm of increased digital engagement, strong economic growth, and favorable (young and dynamic) demographics". [2]

Local brands that drive the digital lifestyle
Mobile operators along with local mobile phone brands drive smartphone and mobile Internet penetration in the Philippines. Globe Telecom, the leading network for smartphones covering data traffic of 87,000 terabytes with an increase of 270% year on year (compared to its main competitor, PLDT Group 48,000 terabytes of data with 167% growth) has strongly influenced the digital lifestyle of Filipinos.

With 58% revenue market share, Globe leads the Philippines' postpaid business. Recently, it has recalibrated its postpaid acquisition strategy to suit and help further drive the country's digital lifestyle. With the introduction of its new myLifestyle Plan, Globe automatically throws in what used to be its core services, the regular calls and texts, as a basic unlimited service for about $14, then gives its Filipino users one the option of various data allocations and "lifestyle bundles".

The digital lifestyle bundles enable more Filipinos to have access to the then paid content and apps such as Spotify, HOOQ, and NBA as add on offers in postpaid plans, whichis quite an innovative strategy we are yet to see in other countries.Subscription to these bundles give unlimited access to the apps mentioned, helping Filipinos not worry about the consumption of their data allocations for services they use on a regular basis and focus more on adding to the growing social media data created in the country.

Defining the Digital Lifestyle
The digital lifestyle is an extension of the way we live today. It is one's reality powered by apps, sites, and gadgets that compliment one's physical lifestyle. According to a study done by Aol., BBDO, Insights Now in 2012 titled "Hidden Motivations of Mobile Users", the industry takes a too superficial view of mobile behavior based on the discrete thing they do with their smart phones. These 7 "mobile moments" is a unique snapshot of the mobile usage landscape: accomplish, socialize, prepare, me time, discover, shop, self expression.

While we may easily be able to identify apps and categorize them among the 7 moments, the study also finds that a certain app/site can also fulfill different needs and fall under different moments. This means that it is not in the most obvious purpose of a frequently visited app or site in which one would be able define a digital lifestyle or behavior.

For example, just because one would frequent shopping app Zalora, or locally as Lazada, does not make one an online shopping aficionado outright. He or she may simply be browsing, looking for clothing inspiration, or ideas for an outfit to buy in store later on, or he or she may simply be passing time. Therefore, the digital lifestyle is not simply defined by types of apps they download or the sites they visit but the intent.

Digital Behaviors: Content Creators, Contributors/Curators, and Consumers
What is the intent of a user to go online? With content as the online currency, individuals can create, share, curate and collaborate on content. Although while all netizens can create, collaborate, and consume, there is one behavior they greatly identify with. This behavior defines our digital lifestyle.

The 1% Rule
In 2006, a feature was published on the emerging rule of thumb in the Internet with regards to digital behavior. This rule of thumb suggest that for every 100 people online, 1 will create content, 10 will interact (or in this case curate or contribute), and the other 89 will simply consume or view it. This is the trend that has also been noted by various online platforms such as Wikipedia, YouTube, TypePad, and Yahoo. [3]

The Journal of Medical Internet Research released an original publication as well in 2014 on the "1% Rule in Four Digital Health Social Networks" which defines this 1% rule and seeks to explain the participatory patterns and network effects within the Internet. [4]

Content Creators: The Architects of the Internet
As creators are, they make the Internet what it is. Whether they're app developers, fashion bloggers, YouTube personalities, meme makers, and so on, the Creators favorite word is "upload.

Content Curators/Contributors: The Online Gatekeepers and Editors
Actively sharing, engaging, collaborating on content, the curators and contributors tread the complex and chaotic online world and clean and collect to their taste.

Content Consumers: The Digital Clienteles
Some have branded these individuals as lurkers or spectators, merely viewing, reading, and basically consuming and enjoying the content that was laid out for them. However, this does not mean that they use the least amount of data or spend the least amount of time online. These consumers thrive on new information, data, and content and love the download.

With a great understanding of the digital behaviors and local brands to drive the "always on" lifestyle plus the dynamic demographic and the status of 2nd best performing economy in Asia next to China as backbone, the numbers in Philippine digital statistics will only continue to surprise and yes, could just be the "Digital Lifestyle Capital of the World".



References used in this article are:
1. Digital, Social, and Mobile in 2015: We Are Social's Compendium of
Global Digital Statistics by Simon Kemp, We Are Social SG, January 2015
2. Southeast Asia's "Perfect Digital Storm" sparks growth in the Philippines
by TigerCub Digital, February 2014
3. What is the 1% rule? by Charles Arthur, The Guardian, Thursday 20 July 2006, section 2
4. The 1% Rule in Four Digital Health Social Networks by van Mierlo, T., J
Med Internet Research, 2014


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonha-revesencio/philippines-a-digital-lif_1_b_7199924.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Philippines for United States Territory Movement


Published Date: Mar 18, 2015


We Petition The Obama Administration To:

Philippines for United States Territory Movement


We advocate for the reannexation of the Philippines, a former U.S. colony, to the United States. We feel this is the only thing certain to protect the people from tyranny and massive graft and corruption from the highest office in the land down to the barangay.

Corruption has brought forth unimaginable catastrophes in the lives of millions of Filipinos under its so called "independence", much much worse than all colonizations and wars that the country's been though that people line up as early as 12:AM just to secure a passport to work overseas.

Like Crimea's return to Russia, we feel the same with the Philippines towards the United States of America. Rather than just becoming a "pivot" to Asia, the US will expand her jurisdiction and influence in the region.



https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/philippines-united-states-territory-movement

Filipinos Lie

Filipinos lie, they cheat, live in landfills, drive bad, have the worst food, eat birds alive, are racist, obsesed with whitening cremes, ship themselves overseas to become maids and never go back , they have contributed NOTHING to society and yet still in the end they claim to be the perfect race. I don't know how anyone can stand being around them. We hate them over here in Europe. My American friends tell me they're seeing more and more Pinays. They hate the pinays too.

Pinoy pride lol what's their to be proud about?




Why is it my relatives in the philippines seem content to sit on their asses all day and ask for handouts and free money instead of working and earning their own way? Is this something inherent in all filipino people? Why are all our relatives so lazy and have no ambition or motivation to help themselves?

Poverty is no excuse for having a poor work ethic. Get a job you slobs.

THey are also liars. THey lie about everything and think it's ok.

Philippines to Arrest Three Powerful Senators Indicted in a Massive Corruption Scandal

The Philippines on Saturday said it was preparing to arrest three powerful senators after an anti-graft court indicted them in a massive corruption scandal that has riveted the nation. The three, who include a son of former president Joseph Estrada and a 90-year political survivor who enforced martial law under dictator Ferdinand Marcos, are accused of channeling millions of dollars of public funds into bogus organizations in return for huge kickbacks. President Benigno Aquino took office in 2010 vowing to fight the massive corruption that has long weighed down the Southeast Asian archipelago.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, whose investigators prepared the case against the opposition senators, said she was confident they had enough evidence.

"We are confident that there is enough evidence to support conviction and we continue to strengthen the evidence," she told AFP.

The evidence included testimony from whistleblowers involved in the alleged corruption and documents from government agencies showing that funds were syphoned off, she added.

A special anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan, on Friday indicted senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon "Bong" Revilla and Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada on the non-bailable charge of plunder, or massive graft.

If convicted, the three could face life in prison. Enrile, 90, has outlasted four previous presidents and was chief enforcer of martial law under Marcos in the 1970s.

Estrada, 51, is the son of former president and movie star Joseph Estrada while Revilla, 47, is a showbiz star as well as the son of another movie star-turned-senator.

- 'Pork barrel' funds -

De Lima said the executive branch was awaiting word from the court on when to arrest the three, adding that this could come within two weeks.

She denied there were political overtones in the case, saying the evidence simply pointed to the trio.

Five of their staffers and a businesswoman, Janet Lim-Napoles, who allegedly masterminded the scam, were also indicted.

The three senators with the help of their aides and Napoles are alleged to have allocated millions of dollars from their official "pork barrel" funds to bogus non-government organizations which then gave them huge kickbacks.

Aquino's spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the indictments were just the start and that more people would eventually be named in the massive corruption scandal that has riveted the nation for months.

The accusations, which surfaced last year, triggered a firestorm of outrage over the "pork barrel" system whereby legislators get huge amounts of money which they can use on pet projects. Thousands marched in protested against the practice, which the Supreme Court outlawed in November.

Other officials have also been named as involved in the scandal including allies of Aquino.

Spokesmen for the three senators could not be contacted for comment but Estrada and Revilla were quoted by radio station DZMM as saying the charges were unfair.

"They want (Aquino) to be able to say that he jailed three senators as part of his anti-corruption drive," said Estrada.

Valte told reporters that the executive branch, which would be in charge of arresting the three, would respect the Senate and would not have the senators arrested in the Senate building.

Meanwhile, sources in the national police headquarters said that space was being cleared at a special "custodial center" for high-profile inmates to make way for several big-name arrivals.

The center currently hosts 72 inmates including top communist insurgents, suspected drug traffickers and police officials linked to graft and major human rights abuses.

However it should ideally hold only 60 inmates, the sources said.

Blame Denial / Risk of Losing 'Face’

Last weekend (a holiday weekend in Korea), I skipped flying out for a weekend trip because I needed to make sausages for the company picnic (on the 22nd). I put 3 days of effort into it with cutting the vegetables, onions, garlic and such. Mixing about 30 kg of meat, then letting it sit overnight. Then 1 day of stuffing about 75 to 80 meters of sausages (Polish, Northern Italian, Ghost). Once stuffed, I put them into the oven and pre-cooked them for an hour. By the end of the day Sunday (June 8th) all the sausages were done and in my freezer wrapped in tin foil and then placed into gallon ziplock bags. I had to take the shelf in the freezer out so I wouldn’t break it under the weight of the sausages (I learned that the hard way and just replaced the shelf a few weeks ago since it broke on me).

Monday headed to my northern apartment to work the week there. I checked the sausages in the freezer before leaving and they’d all settled and frozen nicely.

Returned to my southern apt Friday late afternoon, only to hear a beeping noise coming from my apt. I walk in and see 3 packages of sausages on the floor, but the rest in the refrigerator with the door to the freezer wide open.

My theory is that the maid came in on Monday, saw the freezer shelf in the patio area and tried to reinstall it (the shelf was moved from where I put it), then figured out the sausages were too heavy, so abandoned the effort and shoved the sausages back into the freezer, but not in the same position where they were conforming to each other’s shape. Unbeknownst to her, the sausages were unstable and they tumbled back out when she slammed the front door. So they sat there all week with no refrigeration. I had to throw away all the sausages I made. Sacrificing my holiday weekend was completely wasted.

My secretary said she would lambaste the maid, but I saw no point to that. It would just get her upset and then she might put something weird into my food or bed while I’m gone. My secretary then offered to fire the maid (I’ll be the boss in about 4 weeks), but I didn’t see any point in that either. All Korean maids generally do a bad job at cleaning. They get paid for 2 hours of cleaning and might work about 45 minutes, then watch TV (I have a netcam in the living room).

It’s so frustrating the Asian mentality of avoiding blame to save face or running away from the scene of an accident. Doesn’t matter if it’s the maid or a nuclear engineer. Whenever something has gone wrong, they all say “I didn’t do it”. Even if I find something that was obviously broken by the person, they will deny it. I’ve seen this in the Philippines, Japan and Korea. I’ve also seen it with my 10 year old niece…



:killself: :banghead: :banghead:

I Hate Filipino Culture

Now before you post hate comments, let me first say that I’m no elitist. I’m not even rich in the first place so I have no right to be elitist. I’m not one of those snobs who wouldn’t recognize the country of their origin either. Read the entry in its entirety before commenting.

I hate the inter-cultural ignorance that permeates our society. Few cultures condone racism. It wasn’t too long ago when Whitney Tyson was regularly made fun of in TV shows because she was part black. And still today the term negra is a term that can be used very liberally, in public, with little consequence. The sad part is that instead of quelling it, mainstream media is actually responsible for encouraging this type of mentality. When a Filipino sees a black man, either he’d stare at him, snicker or say a derogatory comment. And why wouldn't he when his favorite TV shows tell him that it's ok. Ironically, Filipinos are very sensitive when it comes to issues about their own race. When a biscuit was named after us, a lot of people were offended. And when Claire Danes made some negative comments about the Philippines, she didn’t only receive hate mail; our government actually banned her from ever entering the Philippines. That’s just embarrassing. Who the hell elected emotionally insecure kids to run our government?

I hate wowowee and eat bulaga. I hate their brand of humor. I hate the way the members of the audience bounce up and down and laugh like escaped mental patients as they sing their favorite novelty songs. My blood pressure shoots up whenever I hear novelty songs like “itaktak mo” and “boom tarat tarat”.

I hate entertainers who dress up like drag queens and make fools of themselves for the sake of comedy, which isn’t even funny in the first place. It disgusts me. I don’t have much respect for people who have no sense of dignity and self-respect.

I don’t get Jimmy Santos. Why is someone getting paid so much money for intentionally speaking carabao English? Is that supposed to be funny? Maybe so if it was unintentional. Majority of Filipinos talk like that naturally. They’re a lot funnier than Jimmy Santos but they don’t get paid a single centavo. Why is pun and slapstick always the main course in Filipino comedy? It’s not even witty pun. It’s just pure dumb “if-you-replace-a-word-with-a-random-word-that-sounds-the-same- it’s-funny” type of pun. I occasionally laugh at slapstick humor but not when it involves people who get slapped in the back of the head for nothing and make weird whining noises after. That’s just annoying and demeaning.

I hate our religious zealotry. When faced with a challenge most Filipinos would reply with “If that’s what god wills, then let it be” or “Let’s leave it up to god”. Why take action at all if god will determine what’s going to happen anyway? If something good happens to them, it’s because of god’s good will. If something bad happens to them, it’s also because of god’s good will. It’s a win-win situation for god and a lose-lose situation for Filipinos. Why don’t we give credit to whom credit is actually due. Filipinos love shifting the credit and blame to higher authority. They blame or praise anyone but themselves. Instead of praising themselves for their accomplishments, they praise god and instead of blaming themselves for their failures, they blame the government. If you’re unemployed or underemployed, you could blame the government or you could also look in the mirror. There are a lot of job vacancies in the Philippines but employers tend to not want incompetent people in their workforce.

I hate it that the word “ambisyosa” or “ambisyoso” has a negative connotation here. Our society dictates us to conform and not to stand out. Our society stifles creativity in the name of practicality. Our society suppresses assertiveness and encourages submissiveness –Kids can’t argue with their parents and students can’t argue with their teachers. We’re raising generations upon generations of drones and servants when we should be raising thinkers and leaders. I actually think that our schools are making us more stupid.

I hate the lack of respect for human life. I hate the way people would make more children than they can feed in the hopes that those children would generate them some money in the future. It’s a reproductive strategy that is reptilian in its primitiveness. Higher animals like the great apes and dolphins produce just one offspring at a time and nurture it for years and years with care. Same is the case with more developed civilizations. We, on the other hand, produce armies upon armies of generic offspring and leave them to fend for themselves, the way insects and reptiles do. Why wouldn’t we? Our religion says contraception is evil. No one will question the word of god. I hate how religion has so much power over the state.

I hate the fact that so much of our lives revolves around idolatry. I hate the fact that Filipinos can’t tell the difference between what is real and reel. Why did people vote for Lito Lapid and Erap? Because they killed a lot of bad guys and saved a lot of good guys in their movies. Politicians bombard us with intellectually insulting, emotional arguments and shallow entertainment because truth of the matter is, most Filipinos are shallow people. And for shallow people, you don’t need to present intellectually gripping arguments or detailed blueprints. You just need to appeal to their emotions. There was one episode of Dong Puno live before where a woman from the audience was asked if endorsements from actors would influence her vote. With a wide smile on her face, she wholeheartedly said she’d vote for any candidate whom “Juday” endorses. While jumping and clapping like a crazed lunatic of course, the way eat bulaga and wowowee people do.

Am I bashing all Filipinos? No. Am I referring to a certain sector of society? Yes. The sector that makes up the bulk of our society, the same sector of society that politicians abuse for their own ends. The same sector of society that elected Erap into power, The sector of society whose votes can be easily bought with just a few pesos. The sector of society that has the most voting power. Am I referring to the poor? I will not use the word poor. I do not like classifying people by their financial status. But I don’t mind classifying people by their way of thinking and by their culture or lack thereof. I am referring to people who subscribe to “masa culture”. A culture that is rife with Crab mentality, dragging down anyone who wishes to rise up into their own pit of communal stagnation; a culture that is so practical that it lacks awareness and interest on matters that do not immediately concern their day-to-day living, A culture that puts so much emphasis on idolatry that independent thinking becomes muffled.

Kids who are exposed to foreign literature, foreign media and foreign cultures usually grow up to have more open and creative minds. I believe one reason why our achievements, as a nation, pale considerably to those of our neighbors is that “our” culture is inherently flawed. Those of us who succeed here are either of a foreign culture (the Chinese) or those exposed to western ideals. Masa culture isn’t Filipino culture. Mainstream media makes it seem like it is. We shouldn’t be proud of it. We shouldn’t embrace it. Masa culture is a byproduct of ignorance. It’s also a purveyor of ignorance. A vicious beast that feeds on itself.

==========================

Do some Filipinas misrepresent themselves to attract western men?

Marriage and visa scamming has now become synonymous with the Philippines to the extent that it has become a cultural signifier. Filipinas tend to shun their own Filipino men as suitable marriage material, as their own men are generally financially ill-equipped to facilitate the social transitions that the Filipinas desire for herself and her extended family members. This is indicative of a subconscious form of racism and social and biological rejection of their own kind.

The Filipina ‘scams’ foreign men into marriage by projecting a hyperbolic, stylized and false image of herself in order to appeal to these men. This image is usually presented as one which is unconditionally loving and accepting, non-materialistic, simplistic, passive and most significantly, very sexually eager. From the perspective of the foreign men, these qualities may seem lacking in genuine Western women whom are unlikely to have any ulterior motives for entering into relationships with their own men and whom do not exhibit those characteristics. Thus these men find the (false) appeal of Filipinas very alluring as they present themselves as an ideal ‘alternative’. Most of these men at first are unaware of this false persona, which is why relationships of this kind appear at first to be harmonious, at least at the stage when the Filipina is yet to attain her goal(s). Posts by Filipinas and purveyors of Filipina dating or mail-order bride websites often attack women of other races, particularly American women, as seen in this excerpt:

“Many Westerners, especially American men who get married to a Filipino girl swear that Filipina women make among the best wives in the world. On the other hand, the American women continue to be aggressive, demanding and are not comfortable to be in their natural role as a woman. So what has made the Filipina women popular among the Western men recently? In this site, we will explore the qualities that make the Filipina women so desirable.”

Source: paulaaquino23.hubpages.com/hub/datingmarryingfilipinagirl

I make no comment on this article - I just submit it for inspection. I think that it sets out some perspectives in a fairly concise way. I have only cut and pasted part of it. The article can be found at:

http://ulyssesulysses.hubpages.com/hub/Why_do_so_many_men_report_bad_Filipina_dating_marrying_experiences

AQUINO: SOMEONE MESSED WITH MY DESK CALENDAR

Just as more than 20 million students trekked to public schools nationwide for the beginning of the school year, the Aquino administration announced it was releasing One Billion pesos for the repair of school buildings damaged by last year’s powerful typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

Many of the students will be returning to schools without roofs, without desks and chairs, and in many cases without walls. Some will be packed into small rooms like sardines and others will have to squat under trees in the open to receive academic instruction.

A familiar sight millions of students will be returning to this new school year in the Philippines School administrators, teachers, parents and students immediately criticized President Aquino for the much-delayed release of funds, coming more than six months after the devastating typhoon, and not in time for the beginning of the new school year.

Aquino, known for consistently blaming anyone and everyone for missteps, failures and inefficiencies of his administration, defended himself against critics by saying that someone messed with his desk calendar in his office in Malac añ ang (Philippine presidential palace).

A palace spokesperson said that Aquino’s desk calendar showed that it was only January 2, not June 2, when he authorized the release of funds. So to Aquino’s mind, there were at least five months remaining before the new school year, leaving enough time for the repairs and construction to be made.

Malac añ ang has ordered an investigation on who was responsible for altering the president’s desk calendar.