After the Million March Protest: What now Philippines?

Don't get me wrong... I am one of those people who are openly supporting the Million March Protest and although I won't be able to attend physically because I am currently in Thailand,  my social media profile is non-stop in providing my FB friends information regarding the Pork Barrel Scam situation in the Philippines.

But just like any other critical being, I could not help but ask...What now Philippines? What's next after the  # MillionPeoplemarch# surely this is just the start of something..

I am sure that the protest will be symbolic and meaningful.

 I am not in any way questioning if we need it or not.

The truth is that this is one of the most mature types of protests that the Philippines has seen aside from the protest march for the trees in Baguio City against SM City Baguio.

 Mature because finally, there are no hidden agendas, there are no hidden intentions...the protest is solely about speaking up..Like the hashtags are claiming # Tayo angBoss.

In the past, the corporate media were the only one that dictates what the people should see.

 People rely on what they see on GMA News or ABS-CBN and other TV networks that exist, however what people forget is that these are corporate controlled networks, they exist to provide information that will not really expose the truth--rather they give information that will deviate the people. 

You cannot expect the truth from a corporate media that receives funding from the main enemies of the people.

Although there are certain things they will provide correctly---most of the time the news that are being featured are here to distract us from the main problems of society...

Most of the news that we see in the morning are totally irrelevant to what is currently happening in the world right now.

The topics are simple--to the point of being nonsense--we are bombarded with the same news and the same news format every single day.

 They report daily traffic and vehicular accidents, they focus the news on the small events in order to distract us from the real events--but thanks to social networking minds like Mark Zuckerberg we have a chance to get to know the truth....this time...

For the past decades our People Power rallies have been meaningless, we ousted Pres. Ferdinand Marcos only to realize that we like his leadership better compared with the Aquino Family.

Another People power rally has been created in order to oust Pres. Joseph Estrada only to re-elect him back into a high government position after that. We elected Ninoy Aquino only to realize after that we actually like Gloria Arroyo's way of handling state emergencies...

The Million March Protest against Pork Barrel (PDAF): The most promising rally in the history of the Philippines.

If we will analyze deeper,  this Million March Protest against Pork Barrel Scam is the most promising kind of protest that we have seen.

 For the first time it is non-partisan. No specific group called out for it, there are no speakers, there are no known leaders of this massive angry protesters who just want to know where their taxes are really going.

The posters says it all, the Filipino people or the Filipino elite thinkers are coming out and expressing themselves and we would not be able to call this protest March a cheap one at that because it is fueled by passion and integrity, which is why I would hate it, if it would just go to waste.

People in social networking groups, those who are educated, have access to the internet and are able to discuss varied political and economic theories are coming out and sharing what they know to common people ...an average Filipino student who is not even reading any book except what is provided in school can now understand bits and pieces of the Pork Barrel scam due to endless information coming out from various blogs and commentaries.--if not for the help of social networking this average students and working class will never understand what is happening in the economy right now.

Due to the influx of information, even a Filipino who does not have any background in World Economics will have a basic idea of what is happening in the country right now.

 This was actually the main reason why the internet was created in the first place--- For the first time, people from different walks of life are sharing their ideas--since it is easier to do online---it is without a doubt faster to campaign for changes and easier to capture the attention of people who if an alternate universe where Facebook is not yet created would just be caught up in their daily life problems nowadays thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media tools. 

What we can learn from the Arab Spring Movement:

The Arab Spring movement started out like this, certain intellectuals have created banners online and online groups and posted witty comments and videos, photos and pictures and it spread like wildfire. Eventually it led to massive protests.

The Arab uprisings were fundamentally a rejection of corrupt autocracies, which failed at providing welfare, freedom, and equality for the vast majority of their citizens. 
But what made them unique was the seemingly “post-ideological” characteristic of such uprisings:  They were “cool” for they relied on social networking to organize protests and circumvent state censorship; they were “inclusive,” because there were no banners, flags, and traditional slogans of pan-Arabism, anti-colonialism, etc; and they were “horizontal and spontaneous,” because they relied less on hierarchical structures of organization, and conspicuously lacked larger-than-life revolutionary figures that steered earlier uprisings elsewhere.--Richard Javad Heydarian (author of the forthcoming book How Capitalism Failed the Arab World: The Economic Roots and Precarious Future of the Middle East Uprisings. )

At this present moment the Philippines is undergoing what the Occupy Movement and the Arab uprisings has undergone, and while this group has succeeded at several points...they have also failed in many.

According to Richard Javad,  the only way to transform spontaneous anti-pork protests into a genuine platform for overhauling our political system.
And this requires a measure of cold-blooded, traditional means of political organization, planning and messaging, and party-building -- most especially because the forces of corruption in our country are as vicious as the very elements that have overwhelmed popular uprisings elsewhere in recent years.

While I agree with this statement, I cannot help but add more. I do not claim any expertise in anything.

 I am just an observer who has another suggestion after the Million March despite the fact that why I will say might be far-fetched for this decade.

Why did Janet Napoles steal billions of pesos?

The simple answer would be because out of greed, however, what we have failed to ask in this situation is...what leads people to become greedy.

Surely, Janet Napoles and her family as well as cohorts did not start out as greedy bastards...

My theory is because of the idea of Scarcity, people believe that there is a lack of resources and therefore there is a huge tendency to hoard.

I am guessing that  her ancestors did not start out rich but just like any other Filipino who had the chance to hoard money and experience the high life...she had to succumb to greed.

You see, any person who is able to see what she had seen---would be tempted to do what she did but why?

Why do certain people feel the need to buy so many material things and why do they equate it to happiness?

What Is a Materialistic Person?

A materialistic person is someone who attaches too much importance to money and material possessions. 

A materialistic person feels that increased 'consumption' increases his or her satisfaction with life.

I cannot help but feel that this dilemma and this experience is not alien to a lot of people in the Philippines and even in all parts of the world..

But what causes us to hoard so many items, and what causes people to believe that having more material  wealth will equate to satisfaction in life?

Aren't we all guilty of this? Aren't we all suffering from this idea?

For me there is another way to look at things, I do know my suggestion will not necessarily be understood because the Philippines has still a long way to go.

But I am sharing this knowledge..for me this is one of the best solutions.

While the Million March is historical and is important in the transition of  the government... it is doomed to fail afterwards just like the Arab Uprising and the Occupy movement because it is not the main solution, in fact the Million march is an experiment solution to a problem that has been present for hundreds of years now, it has  already been tried and tested in the U.S and in Egypt with varying techniques and we are going to try it out in our country this time--because while this is a promising start--we would have to understand a more complex society--we would have to undergo more changes...drastic changes before we get there... We have to eliminate the source of greed first or where greed comes from.

We need to eliminate the idea of Scarcity first before we can project a new kind of society that will not be corrupted.

What is Scarcity?

Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having seemingly unlimited human wants and needs in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs

Is scarcity real? or it is a made up concept to control people?

 Solving the corrupt system is not as simple as having an  an organized set of people working in the government. Because for all that we know--deciding in a consensus manner hardly gets us anywhere--we can be as organized as we can but unless the image of scarcity is not removed in our consciousness we will remain slaves to our fear.

This has been done for centuries..what we need is a more sustainable type of economy,  not only for the country but for the entire world.

Removing the Monetary market economy:

Until we learn how to displace the money market economy with a resource based economy, no matter how many revolutions will happen we will not get to our intended outcome.

 Even if billions of people joined the protest every day if the same rules apply in society we will continue facing a corrupt and failed system of economy--we have seen this happen with the Occupy Movement and the Arab Uprising.

In order to truly succeed in eliminating corruption in the Philippines, we have to remove the money and private property system-- we should replace it instead with a more efficient and reliable system which is a resource based economy.

The Philippines has yet to understand the power of focusing on the creation of renewable energy and computerized automatic systems.

The main problem of the country is that we are paying enormous electrical bills, water bills, internet bills--- each and everyone is enslaved with the current system of how things are being run and this causes them to be greedy.
Corporations own everything, rich families and politicians own every piece of land, sooner or later they will also claim the right to oxygen if they can...we are seeing it now--and that is our main problem...and that is what we have to solve.

If the idea of scarcity is not solved, then you can expect corruption to arise in any political system that you will use. For as long as someone believes that resources are scarce--you can expect people to cheat on others, people will steal from others, countries will invade other territories...what we first have to solve is " Scarcity" itself...

Who is causing it and is there really a huge Scarcity of food, water, shelter, land and other materials needed in order to survive?

What the Philippines should do:

 Change the Monetary System into a resource based economy:

This means that all goods and services should be available without the use of money, barter or credit cards or any other system of debt or servitude.

A resource based economy was inspired by  Jacque Fresco, according to him all the resources of the world should become a common heritage of all the inhabitants and not just a selected few ( Corporations, Ruling families, Ruling Class, Government).

His premise is that he Earth is abundant with plentiful resource; our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival.

Modern society has access to highly advanced technology and can make available food, clothing, housing and medical care; update our educational system; and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy.

By supplying an efficiently designed economy, everyone can enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities of a high technological society.

A resource-based economy would utilize existing resources from the land and sea, physical equipment, industrial plants, etc. to enhance the lives of the total population. In an economy based on resources rather than money, we could easily produce all of the necessities of life and provide a high standard of living for all.

Consider the following examples: At the beginning of World War II the US had a mere 600 or so first-class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this short supply by turning out more than 90,000 planes a year. The question at the start of World War II was:
 Do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? The answer was no, we did not have enough money, nor did we have enough gold; but we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources that enabled the US to achieve the high production and efficiency required to win the war. Unfortunately this is only considered in times of war.
In a resource-based economy all of the world's resources are held as the common heritage of all of Earth's people, thus eventually outgrowing the need for the artificial boundaries that separate people. This is the unifying imperative.

We must emphasize that this approach to global governance has nothing whatever in common with the present aims of an elite to form a world government with themselves and large corporations at the helm, and the vast majority of the world's population subservient to them.Our vision of globalization empowers each and every person on the planet to be the best they can be, not to live in abject subjugation to a corporate governing body.Our proposals would not only add to the well being of people, but they would also provide the necessary information that would enable them to participate in any area of their competence. The measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power.At present, we have enough material resources to provide a very high standard of living for all of Earth's inhabitants. Only when population exceeds the carrying capacity of the land do many problems such as greed, crime and violence emerge. By overcoming scarcity, most of the crimes and even the prisons of today's society would no longer be necessary.A resource-based economy would make it possible to use technology to overcome scarce resources by applying renewable sources of energy, computerizing and automating manufacturing and inventory, designing safe energy-efficient cities and advanced transportation systems, providing universal health care and more relevant education, and most of all by generating a new incentive system based on human and environmental concern.
Many people believe that there is too much technology in the world today, and that technology is the major cause of our environmental pollution. This is not the case. It is the abuse and misuse of technology that should be our major concern. In a more humane civilization, instead of machines displacing people they would shorten the workday, increase the availability of goods and services, and lengthen vacation time. If we utilize new technology to raise the standard of living for all people, then the infusion of machine technology would no longer be a threat.A resource-based world economy would also involve all-out efforts to develop new, clean, and renewable sources of energy: geothermal; controlled fusion; solar; photovoltaic; wind, wave, and tidal power; and even fuel from the oceans. We would eventually be able to have energy in unlimited quantity that could propel civilization for thousands of years. A resource-based economy must also be committed to the redesign of our cities, transportation systems, and industrial plants, allowing them to be energy efficient, clean, and conveniently serve the needs of all people.

What else would a resource-based economy mean? Technology intelligently and efficiently applied, conserves energy, reduces waste, and provides more leisure time.

With automated inventory on a global scale, we can maintain a balance between production and distribution. Only nutritious and healthy food would be available and planned obsolescence would be unnecessary and non-existent in a resource-based economy.

As we outgrow the need for professions based on the monetary system, for instance lawyers, bankers, insurance agents, marketing and advertising personnel, salespersons, and stockbrokers, a considerable amount of waste will be eliminated.

Considerable amounts of energy would also be saved by eliminating the duplication of competitive products such as tools, eating utensils, pots, pans and vacuum cleaners. Choice is good.

But instead of hundreds of different manufacturing plants and all the paperwork and personnel required to turn out similar products, only a few of the highest quality would be needed to serve the entire population.

Our only shortage is the lack of creative thought and intelligence in ourselves and our elected leaders to solve these problems.

The most valuable, untapped resource today is human ingenuity.
With the elimination of debt, the fear of losing one's job will no longer be a threat.

This assurance, combined with education on how to relate to one another in a much more meaningful way, could considerably reduce both mental and physical stress and leave us free to explore and develop our abilities.
If the thought of eliminating money troubles you, consider this: If a group of people with gold, diamonds and money were stranded on an island that had no resources such as food, clean air and water, their wealth would be irrelevant to their survival.

It is only when resources are scarce that money can be used to control their distribution. One could not, for example, sell the air we breathe or water abundantly flowing down from a mountain stream.

Although air and water are valuable, in abundance they cannot be sold.
Money is only important in a society when certain resources for survival must be rationed and the people accept money as an exchange medium for the scarce resources.

Money is a social convention, an agreement if you will. It is neither a natural resource nor does it represent one. It is not necessary for survival unless we have been conditioned to accept it as such.- Jacque Fresco.

This theory of course is far-fetched to a lot of people and harder even to understand as of this moment, but as we will review how many protests have died down and how many structures have been defeated... this idea will slowly  make sense.

To answer the question: What Now Philippines?

We cannot answer that just yet, the Million March is still a good sign of things to come and is still part of the experimental stages of a country that is on the process of seeking  its identity. 

I can only provide a third suggestion on how we can view things and how can provide ways to solve the problem...according to my own point of view.

In order to get there..we will need a huge shift of awareness and deeper consciousness from the rest of the world before arriving this. 

One thing is for sure...the #MillionpeopleMarch# can only succeed if people will fight for something more than just their taxes----

In the mean time congratulations to Filipinos who have attended the march and continue to be vigilant-- Vigilance is necessary to the path of enlightenment.

For it is still better to take part in finding ways to help solve the mystery called life--and the mystery called humans...