Why can't Pinoys follow rules in their own country?

[gearhead]

Anyone got any theory on why it seems that when you are in the Philippines it seems that Pinoys tend to disobey rules more? Just look at how traffic behaves and you will see what I mean. Some may contend that it is just jeepneys and lower end of society that behave this way but working in a CBD you often see luxury cars actually commit violations both minor and major. Also yesterday was waiting in line when a well to do matrona tried to cut til I told her off.

But when in other countries Pinoys tend to generally follow the rules. Or are more obedient. Why selective rule following?

Someone mentioned that Pinoys are corrupt by nature. They will use their connections if they had the chance and at one time or another even bribed someone. Many will say this is not true but it seems that corruption is more the norm than the exception.

Your thoughts?

[uls]

yes it's coz for every law, there are always people who are "exempt" or who think they are exempt.

Like those powerful people who think laws only apply to ordinary people, not them.

They have this thinking "Baket? sino huhuli sakin?" "Baket? May angal ka?"

We see powerful people get away with violating laws that we obey, unfair diba?

Bad example sila e. Baket sila pwede, tayo hinde?

So ordinary people go ahead and violate laws narin coz nakikita nila unfair ang enforcement ng batas.

Kung i-pareho nila ang enforcement ng batas, i'm sure everyone will be glad to obey.

[Gen. Miting]

identity crisis

we are Catholic by heart and Protestant by mind. the latter being us being influenced more by our big bro, the west.

but dont underestimate us being Catholics.

ever wonder who's the world's number 1 pasaway, it's the mob. and who are these organized-crime pioneers, Italian Catholics (yes the same italians na cradle ng Catholicism - the vatican). who's number 2? the drug cartels. the South American Catholics.

Catholics really have a penchant for disobeying rules.

kaya nga nun narinig ko na ang prediction of new world war will be a war between 2 popes. i think it's a war between christians talaga.

===

regarding disobeying rules and people of authority, kasi we Catholics concentrate more on the passion of Jesus Christ. the ONE who challenged all, Pharisees, Jews authorities and Romans alike.

[flakez]

pa macho effect, I know a lot. sasabihan ka pang para kang tanga pag sumunod ka sa rules.

[Memphis Raines]

Common rules that are frequently neglected by WE pinoys. I say we because pinoy din ako :snob:

* Bawal Umihi Dito - talagang iihi!
* Bawal magtapon ng basura dito - aba talagang tataniman ng basura.
* Bawal ang TEXTING sa loob ng Bangko - di papigil, pipindot talaga.
* No Parking - pwepwesto pa sa tabi ng mismong sign.
* Counter Flowing - bahala kayo dyan, tabi!
* Do Not Block Fire Hydrant - bakit? wala pa namang sunog ah.
* Report to work on time - na-traffic ako eh!
* Post No Bill - isang poster lang naman ang ididikit ko.
* Parallel Parking Only - talagang sisingit.
* Right Lane must Turn Right - nagbago isip ko eh
* Please Flush after use - meron namang Janitor naghihintay..

We produce more excuses than results.

.

[Altis6453]

Its probably because we lack political will to enforce even basic laws.

Case in point, jaywalkers and vehicles which stop in the middle of the road to load/unload passengers.

Next thing you know, even serious violations of law like malversation, perjury and thievery are subject of "negotiations" between the perpetrator and the public officers tasked to prosecute them.

[claRkEnt]

it's more of "Lulusot naman eh". We don't need to go out of the Philippines to arrive at this conclusion. Just go to Industrial Parks. Example, in most industrial parks in Laguna, Walang traffic lights, they implement ang Full Stop/First-to-stop-first-to-go sa mga intersections. And motorists follow the rules. Why? because di pwede magpalusot sa mga bantay. Multa kung multa!

Sa mga public roads, well ibang usapan na. hanggat makakalusot, lalo nagiging malakas ang loob.

[ghosthunter]

The pinoy's have a concept called "pakikisama". I think that explains quite a bit.

[fast lane]

sama nyo pa to "tao lang nagkakamali din"

[Zeus]

Oo nga, pag na sa harap ka at may stop light na pula pa ang signal, bubusenahin ka pa, minsan kakagreen lang ng ilaw lakas na ng busena, parang gustong makipag karera

[cablespy]

compared to the rest of the word we are still a baby country. Remeber the US had it's wild wild west. Everyone was crazy and rebellious back then.

Our time will come. but not anytime soon.

[chua_riwap]

Ang Pinoys pag nasa abroad, masunurin naman sa mga local host's laws and policies. Kasi ipinatutupad ang mga batas ng maayos.

IMO, strict implementaion lang ng rules. Kailangan, "kamay na bakal". Yung hindi nakukuha sa lagay at pakiusap ang mga tagapagpatupad. Bakit sa Makati, yung traffic regulations (specially the bus/jeepney stops), sinusunod ng lahat? Sabi nga ng iba, kung pwede sa Makati (kung saan sumusunod ang lahat), bakit di na lang ipatupad sa buong Metro Manila?

[Gen. Miting]

correct me i'm wrong, pero diba marami nagsasabi ang kinaiinisan ng pinoy ng mga tiga-abroad ay mga pinoy din. there is crab-mentality among pinoys whether here or abraod.

so the question is, even if we are abroad, are we are treating or conducting each of us accordingly. yun ang dapat tignan. living on another country's rule is secondary.

pero kung double standard naman, iba ang trato sa kasamang pinoy abroad vs. iba ang trato sa foreign rules. ganun pa din yun ... walang pinagkaiba dito.

[victorlachica]

[SIZE=3]Lack of education is the problem.[/SIZE]

[gearhead]

^^ From that remark it would be fair to say that you feel that "educated" people do not bend the rules?

Unless you mean "education" in some other sense you would wish to clarify.

[mbeige]

We're all in a struggle to get through each day, and it's much worse back there where one's salary is just barely enough to get you by. If Pinoys see that the officers who are supposed to keep order, maintain the peace and enforce the laws are easily corruptible, to whom would they give their trust to? Nobody. That's why Pinoys have adapted the mentality of if it gets through then it's good enough for me. And these aren't just the everyday occurrence with the typical MMDA personnel, just look high up in the ranks of the government and you'll see what I mean.

That, and perhaps, the lack of pride in one's own country, has led Pinoys to treat everything and every one with a complete lack of social courtesy. It's not just the lack of education, nor the lack of faith in religion, etc. Those things can easily be changed, but what's deeply rooted is the struggle to get by, and if one can make a quick buck or two then they'd grab it the first chance they get. Even if that means, doing it at the expense of others.

Pinoys put the self before everything else. If you cannot give your complete trust in the governing bodies (be it the Philippine government, MMDA, or any person in charge of something) then you will do it your way, which is exactly what's going on.

The reason why we hate jeepney drivers and the reason why we hate the government is the same. It's not because they always get in our way or waste taxpayer money respectively, but because we cannot trust either one of them with anything. We have lost all trust to any governing body so much so that, most of what I've experienced anyway, we've lost social courtesy as well. Just take the person going into the mall as an example. All you have to do, is queue properly. Others want and will cut in line. Others find a way through the guards. Worst of them all, are those who do not have the gratefulness to acknowledge one's good deeds when somebody opens the door for you as you hurry to also get in. It's as if they expect you to do it for them. I do it out of social courtesy, be it here in the US or back there. Most of the reaction I get, is people simply walking in. Sometimes people thank me, which is quite seldom.

And that is the same reason why we always feel as if we need to be vigilant, because somebody will take advantage of anything, be it on the road, in line, whatever. Kapag sinabihan mo, sila pa ang galit. How many times have you heard that?

After reading and thinking about what I just typed, I just realized there's one more crucial factor. See, we live in a caste society. Believe it or not, we do. The hacienda mentality from Spain has taught us that we should be served, and that others are "lower" than us. 300 years later, we still believe that, because it's already rooted in our culture. That's the reason why we have household help. That's the reason why even middle class families have several maids and drivers. That's also the same reason why we treat others the way we often see. To us, other people are lower than us. Again, this goes back to the hacienda mentality (crab mentality if you insist, but that is slightly different).

There is no way Pinoys will treat each other as equals, ever. There's always the thought behind our heads that one has to be better than the other.

Got into a fender bender? Ayaw kasi magbigayan. Got pulled over? Ayaw sumunod sa stop light. Got into a fight? Hindi mapigilan ang sarili. The list goes on and on, and on. Only when we begin to treat each other as equals and respect that, will we have progress. But to others, that unfortunately means that the government officials are also equal to us, so they'll also demand something for themselves.

The problem never ends.

[gearhead]

^^ wonder how that explains western expats who actually violate the rules here as well? They never had the "benefit" of being indoctrinated by a caste system. In fact, as I walked out to a ministop just now I saw two separate incidents where western expats flagrantly violated traffic rules. They aren't Filipinos yet they did things locals would do to "expedite" things.

Could that be monkey see monkey do? or a when in Rome attitude? And by the same line of reasoning could that be why Pinoys outside follow the "rules"?

[nicolodeon]

IMO, hindi lang naman Pinoy. Even in progressive countries, a lot of their citizens don't follow the rules/law. If all of them did, walang crime - petty or otherwise.

My two cents.

[redorange]

^^ wonder how that explains western expats who actually violate the rules here as well? They never had the "benefit" of being indoctrinated by a caste system. In fact, as I walked out to a ministop just now I saw two separate incidents where western expats flagrantly violated traffic rules. They aren't Filipinos yet they did things locals would do to "expedite" things.

Could that be monkey see monkey do? or a when in Rome attitude? And by the same line of reasoning could that be why Pinoys outside follow the "rules"?

It's because the expats know that nobody in the Philippines follows the law and if you are caught law enforcement is just a bribe away. I know it sounds bad, but here in Guam and in the mainland US I would here Pinoys tell foreigners with plans to travel to the Philippines to put $$ in their passports to get expedited at the airport. Is there really a need to tell foreigners to do that? No.

I remember a story told to me by one of my superiors here at work who had to go to the Philippines with his Air National Guard Unit on a medical mission led by the Lt Governor of Guam. They arrived at the airport and the Customs Officer asked him for a bribe or else they would open the 6 bags he had so he told them to go ahead and open it. The Officer had already opened 3 bags and another US soldier who happens to be pinoy comes up and gives the guy a bribe so the bags don't have to be opened. But my boss said "No, I want him to finish his checks of my bags so I want him to open it all", as the Customs Officer was doing this the AFP General that was meeting them arrived and questioned why they were being stopped when this group was arriving for a medical mission, he even got more pissed off after he found out that the Officer was asking for a bribe. But the act of the Pinoy giving a bribe even when he had no reason to do such thing stuck out in the mind of my boss. We make our own image to the world and we also create our own problems by not following the law.

[normanenoza]

those who don't follow are uncivilized. Law is one of the fundamental qualities that defines a civilization.