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  1. Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    25,038
    #1
    On Target : A nation of cheats?
    By Ramon Tulfo
    Inquirer


    EVEN if we won our gold medals fair and square, can we blame other countries for thinking that we cheated in the Southeast Asian Games?

    No less than Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra accused the Philippines, the SEA Games host, of cheating.

    But can we blame them, given the reports that we ourselves announce to the world about our country?

    Election fraud. Cheating in the board and bar exams. Corruption in government and in the private sector. Foreigners falling victim to holdup men and con artists. Policemen fleecing foreign tourists. These are news items about the Philippines that reach foreign countries.

    And, let’s face it, cheating is prevalent in our society. We admire cheats as long as they don’t get caught.

    A couple of years ago, winning entries to the Manila Film Festival were announced on stage. The names of the winners were not called; the losers were the ones whose names were announced.

    “Take it, take it,” said the emcee of the show to an actress who didn’t win in the tally but who was called on stage to claim the winner’s trophy.

    Sen. Alfredo Lim, then the mayor of Manila, couldn’t stomach the shenanigans and went up the stage to denounce the fraud. There was a big scandal and an investigation was conducted. But nothing came out of the investigation.

    The “pasimuno” (mastermind) of the blatant cheating lay low for a while from the limelight. But where is she now? She is the host of a popular show biz show. People have forgotten what she did.

    It’s a case of the boy who cried “wolf” too often for our country. Even when we’re honest, other nations don’t believe us.

    * * *

    I am not being unpatriotic in playing the devil’s advocate in the SEA Games controversy but somebody’s got to tell us the view from outside.

    Let’s go to Saudi Arabia that employs millions of Filipino workers. Do you know what most Saudis think about Pinoys? Oh, you wouldn’t want to hear this, but the general perception in that country is that Filipinos are thieves!

    When Filipinos window-shop in the flea market in Saudi Arabia, the shopkeepers keep close watch on them. Why? Because many shops, especially those selling jewelry, have fallen victim to the Pinoy’s salisi method of stealing. “Salisi” means taking advantage while the storekeeper is busy with the other customers.

    I once had a friend who had an employment agency that sent doctors and nurses to the United States. She said many hospitals that hired foreign doctors and nurses complained of pilferage of hospital equipment by the Filipino staff.

    During the time of Imelda Marcos’ travels abroad, hotels where she and her entourage stayed would give allowance for pilferage of hotel bed sheets, towels and other small items, and charge the theft to the Philippine government.

    You want to listen more to the Pinoy’s propensity for taking things that don’t belong to him?

    Here goes: After the Americans left Clark Air Base in Pampanga, there was massive pilferage of items within the former US military base. Even the toilet bowls in the former houses of servicemen were stolen.

    Many of the looted items taken from Clark were found in a restaurant and a house in Cebu owned by a military general who was still in the active service at that time.

    The saving grace was the state of the former Subic Naval Base after the Americans had left: Nothing was lost only because Richard Gordon employed strong-arm methods in dealing with thieves.

    * * *

    It’s natural for us to get hurt—very hurt—by the accusation that we’re a nation of cheats. But we have to face reality: We have destroyed our reputation as a nation because of reports that come out in the media about our country.

    As the police chief in the movie “Casablanca” said: “Round up the usual suspects.”

    We are the usual suspects.

  2. Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    9,720
    #2
    there are some notable exceptions though; like a number of taxi drivers who returned money left on their cabs, and the airport janitor who returned a foreign businessman's suitcase


    i'd like to point out that other countries/races also have their bad eggs:

    -- remember the Rodney King trial/LA riots? lotsa looting took place, to the point where (mostly) Korean owners needed to man sniper positions to keep looters at bay

    -- a few days after Victoria and David Beckham were wed, they went on the TV asking their guests to return the silverware used during the reception( i doubt if the couple knows anyone from the Philippines)

    -- quite recently, New Orleans stores also suffered looting

    -- in China a few years back, authorities were surprised to see a vacant lot where a building was supposed to be(guess where the money went?)

    -- i saw footage from a reality TV once wherein a man in Peru was robbed of his food and a few pieces of vegetables by a mob. now, i know going to public markets isn't exactly a pleasant experience, pero so far di pa naman ako nananakawan ng saging.



    yes, we do deserve that stigma, pero it's not exclusive to pinoys only

    for me it has a lot to do with poverty overriding morality, to the point that people feel justified in their wrongdoing, to the point that stealing almost becomes second nature. i think most people feel betrayed and abandoned, and that's why they feel no guilt, 'coz hey, "why should i listen to you? hindi ikaw ang nagpapakain sa akin!"
    Last edited by badkuk; December 3rd, 2005 at 11:27 AM.

  3. Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    1,231
    #3
    Alas, this is what we get when the media, in all their brazen freedom, sensationalize the infamous over the exemplary!

  4. Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    4,313
    #4
    A nation of cheats.

    I still remember the Philippine junior softball team who in the US a long time ago. Then, a Filipino sportswriter, Al Mendoza, disclosed that most of the team members were already over-aged. So, the Philippine team was stripped off of the championship.

  5. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    9,894
    #5
    galing talaga ni Tulfo. so an entire nation is now guilty until proven innocent what has he done in his entire career but criticize? of course, that will get you the vice presidency these days so it might not be a bad strategy :hihihi:

  6. Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    301
    #6
    Self Bashing Na Naman !!!! Pag Ikaw Ba Eh Nagkasala Pinupokpok Mo Ba Ang Sarili Mo ? Hindi! Tulfo, Al Mendoza Dapat Tumira Kayo Sa Ibang Bansa Para Malaman Nyo Kung Paano Nila Mahalin Ang Kanilang Kamalian At Kabutihan. Yong " Al Mendoza Incident " Na Yon Hindi Ko Talaga Makakalimutan Hanggang Ngayon. Alam Kaya Ni Al Na Nalagay Ang Pilipinas Sa History Nang Sports Sa Baseball Dahil Sa Pagbubunyag Na Yon, Ano Kaya Ang Napala Nya Don Kung Tama Man Sya Don....pwede Tayong Maglabas Ng Mga Baho Natin Pero Kung Ang Nakataya Ay Ang Karangalan Ng Bansa Natin Ito Ay Dapat Nating Ipagtanggol.

  7. Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    21,384
    #7
    Itong si Tulfo, mainit na nga yung isyu tungkol sa "pandaraya" (daw) sa SEA Games, ginatungan pa.

    Wala ka na bang puwedeng isulat?

  8. Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    4,866
    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by j_avonni
    A nation of cheats.

    I still remember the Philippine junior softball team who in the US a long time ago. Then, a Filipino sportswriter, Al Mendoza, disclosed that most of the team members were already over-aged. So, the Philippine team was stripped off of the championship.
    hehehehehe. funny how that topic came up at the same time at a US-based subaru online forum. :lol:

  9. Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    8,837
    #9
    sino ba nagturo sa tin mag-cheat?

  10. Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    265
    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by badkuk
    there are some notable exceptions though; like a number of taxi drivers who returned money left on their cabs, and the airport janitor who returned a foreign businessman's suitcase
    korek!

    hindi cguro nagbabasa and bwiset kaya hindi nya alam ang mga tungkol sa katapatan ng pinoy. wala lang maisulat yan bwiset na tulfo na yan!

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A nation of cheats?