OFW's Drive the Philippines' Foreign Policy as Soft Power

The OFW program is undoubtedly a brain drain program which robs the Philippines of its best and brightest. No rational nation would encourage its workers to leave the nation. But not is all as it seems as the DFA recently made clear.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217840

Diaspora, or the spreading of Filipinos across the globe along with the Filipino culture, is the country's “soft power”, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

In diplomacy, soft power is the ability of a nation to influence other nations through attraction and persuasion instead of force or intimidation.

"We send our people or they themselves go without government intervention or support. We deploy our workers, beginning 1973 in the oil crisis, caused by the conflict between Israel and their cousin, the Arabs but not just as workers," DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said during his speech at a multi-stakeholder symposium.

He said these Filipinos sent abroad are instruments of the country's foreign policy.

"Oftentimes, especially after Republic Act 8042, our diaspora drives our foreign policy," he added.

According to DFA's latest report to Congress, there are 10,854,592 Filipinos abroad. The Americas host 49.04 percent of the tally; the Asia-Pacific, 22.83 percent; the Middle East, 21.88 percent; Europe 6.03 percent and Africa, 1 percent.

Filipinos experience disasters, calamities, famine, war and pandemic happening in their host countries.

While the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ensure the welfare of Filipinos abroad, the DFA sees their potential to be leaders -- their capability to be rescuers instead of being only rescuees.

"In such manner, our diaspora becomes not only a group of Filipinos who seek employment abroad, but more than that: they are a great gift of the Filipino nation to all peoples on earth, and our contribution to world peace and harmony," he added.

To establish a framework of the RA 9148 implementation abroad, de Vega said the DFA could work with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the DMW, Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

That is an absolutely incredible admission. It should not be forgotten that Philippine citizenship is by blood or "jus sanguis." That means the children of OFWs born abroad are Filipino citizens and are "are instruments of the country's foreign policy."  It's a ridiculous policy as anyone related to a Filipino citizen can become a Filipino citizen despite never having set foot in the Philippines. 

So, how exactly does this soft power manifest? RA 8042 says:

SEC. 2. Declaration Of Policies—

(a) In the pursuit of an independent foreign policy and while considering national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination paramount in its relations with other states, the State shall, at all times, uphold the dignity of its citizens whether in country or overseas, in general, and Filipino migrant workers, in particular.

(c) While recognizing the significant contribution of Filipino migrant workers to the national economy through their foreign exchange remittances, the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development. The existence of the overseas employment program rests solely on the assurance that the dignity and fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Filipino citizens shall not, at any time, be compromised or violated. The State, therefore, shall continuously create local employment opportunities and promote the equitable distribution of wealth and the benefits of development.

These words are very clear that "the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development. That cannot be any clearer yet what do we see in reality but OFWs sustaining economic growth!? Nay, as a PILLAR of economic growth!

https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/11/25/2313962/

Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will continue to fuel consumption and boost the Philippines’ economic resilience, according to British banking giant HSBC.

Aris Dacanay, economist for ASEAN at HSBC, said OFWs are among the Philippines’ strongest “exports,” providing services and manpower to the rest of the world.

“In return, OFWs earn incomes that are usually better than what they could get back home, and a substantial portion of these incomes is remitted to their households to cover their daily expenses,” he said.

Dacanay said OFW remittances remain a pillar of Philippine economic growth.

“This cycle has strengthened the country’s current account, supported the peso, and fueled consumption to the point where consumption became the economy’s pillar for growth,” he said.

According to Dacanay, remittances have represented around 20 percent of the economy’s current account receipts and around nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP) since 2006.

Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed personal remittances grew by 2.8 percent to $27.24 billion from January to September versus last year’s $23.82 billion.

Of the total, cash remittances coursed through banks rose by 2.8 percent to $24.49 billion from $23.82 billion.

Remittances are the LIFEBLOOD of the consumption-dependent Philippine economy. 

Remittances are considered the lifeblood of the consumption-dependent Philippine economy. Money sent home by overseas Filipinos augment their families’ income here. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/2022/11/15/2223976/remittances-sustain-growth-expats-help-ease-inflations-sting

Now, those are not official government pronouncements but if the rest of the world can see what is so obvious you can bet your bottom dollar or peso the Philippine government knows the score. The government is not seeking to retain workers by raising wages and working conditions. They are elated that more OFWs are leaving the country post-pandemic. In fact, they encourage it by partnering with other countries to ship off healthcare workers among others. 

This is not merely a private working relationship between employer and employee. The government is deeply involved in promoting overseas jobs. 

The rest of the RA 8042 is mostly about protecting workers. 

SEC. 4. Deployment of Migrant Workers – The State shall deploy overseas Filipino workers only in countries where the rights of Filipino migrant workers are protected.

SEC. 5. TERMINATION ORBANONDEPLOYMENT – Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4 hereof, the government, in pursuit of the national interest or when public welfare so requires, may, at any time, terminate or impose a ban on the deployment of migrant workers.

SEC. 23. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. – The following government agencies shall perform the following to promote the welfare and protect the rights of migrant workers and, as far as applicable, all overseas Filipinos:

(a) Department of Foreign Affairs. – The Department, through its home office or foreign posts, shall take priority action its home office or foreign posts, shall take priority action or make representation with the foreign authority concerned to protect the rights of migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos and extend immediate assistance including the repatriation of distressed or beleaguered migrant workers and other overseas Filipinos;

That whole section is outrageous. Filipinos are regularly deployed to countries where they are raped and murdered by their employees. This happens with alarming frequency in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Employment bans on those countries should be permanent but they never are. It is only when a particular case is amplified and causes outrage that the DFA does anything and only for a month or two when the commotion dies down. If they really cared about protecting migrant workers no Filipino would be allowed into countries where they are routinely killed. 

This final section contradicts Section 2 Paragraph c which says "the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to...achieve national development."

SEC. 31. INCENTIVES TO PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER HIGHLY-SKILLED FILIPINOS ABROAD. – Pursuant to the objective of encouraging professionals and other highly-skilled Filipinos abroad especially in the field of science and technology to participate in, and contribute to national development, the government shall provide proper and adequate incentives and programs so as to secure their services in priority development areas of the public and private sectors.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1995/06/07/republic-act-no-8042-2/

This section says that the government does encourage highly-skilled OFWs to "contribute to national development" by providing them with proper incentives to "secure their services!" That means the government is encouraging workers to go abroad, hone their skills, and return to the Philippines to participate in national development!

I mentioned that people not born in the Philippines but born to Philippine citizens have Philippine citizenship by right of blood. That is VERY important. This is where the real soft power of the Philippines could come into play. Here is a recent example. 

https://usa.inquirer.net/144013/3-fil-am-legal-luminaries-named-superior-court-judges-in-southern-california

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced the appointment of 16 Superior Court judges, including three Filipino Americans in Southern California.

Appointed as Superior Court judges in Los Angeles County were Cristina Legaspi, a principal deputy county counsel for the Office of the Los Angeles County Counsel, and Lowrie Mendoza, assistant head deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Bryan Clavecilla, a commissioner at the Orange County Superior Court, was named Superior Court judge in the County.

Mendoza has been assistant head deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2023 and has served in several roles there since 2005.

She was a law clerk at the Law Offices of Enrico Mendoza from 2004 to 2005 and at Yuhl, Rhames, Yuhl & Atkinson in 2003.

Mendoza earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Terry A. Green.

Legaspi has served as senior deputy county counsel in the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office since 1999 and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law since 2022.

She was an associate at Weissman and Associates from 1998 to 1999 and at Ivie, McNeil and Wyatt in 1998.

Legaspi earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Monica Bachner.

Clavecilla has served as a commissioner at the Orange County Superior Court and a senior deputy district attorney and assistant head of court at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Central Justice Center.

Clavecilla earned a Juris Doctor degree from Chapman Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Linda Marks.

Legaspi, Mendoza and Clavecilla have been active as leaders in the Fil-Am community.

Legaspi has served on the Board of Directors of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) and the UCLA Pilipino Pipeline Project.

Mendoza is PABA Foundation  director and Clavecilla is a PABA lifetime member.

Founded more than 40 years ago, PABA is the largest local association of Filipino American lawyers in the United States.

Late last year, Gov. Newsom also appointed accomplished Fil-Am lawyer Christine Gonong as a judge in the LA County Superior Court.

As children of Filipino immigrants these people are all Philippine citizens. This is how Philippine soft power is really working through OFWs. They migrate for economic reasons, raise children who are born citizens of the host country and yet retain their Filipino identity and citizenship, and work their way into the higher echelons of power in a foreign land. 

And the Philippine government wants it this way. Rather than build up the Philippines as an industrial and technological powerhouse with livable wages and safe working conditions the fat cats in charge would rather plunder the national coffers, drive away the best and brightest so they can send back dollars and euros to prop up the economy, and let the masses eat cake pretending they are so happy and resilient. But the DFA did not need to tell us this is what they are doing. It is rather obvious to anyone who cares to look. 

Is Manny Pacquiao's Boxing Career Built on a Lie?

Could it be that the career of one of the greatest boxers in modern times and a national hero of the Philippines has all been built on a lie? It seems that is indeed the case. The reason being a corrupt referee.

https://sports.inquirer.net/487960/ref-admits-he-cheated-to-help-pacquiao-win

It has long been an open secret—fans joked about the obvious long count in the aftermath of a fight in 2000.

And in the years that followed, the joke lost its punch, flattened by the frequency of its retelling and the eventual incomparable career of one Manny Pacquiao.

Until the World Boxing Council (WBC) uploaded a video that featured renowned Filipino referee Carlos Padilla admitting he facilitated a rigged result in Pacquiao’s infamous fight against Australian Nadal Hussein.

“So, you know the opponent, Hussein, or whatever his name was. He is taller, younger, stronger and a dirty fighter, managed by Jeff Fenech. So in the [fourth round], Manny got knocked down, I thought he was going to get up, but his eyes were cross-eyed,” Padilla said in a video on the WBC’s YouTube channel that has since been taken down.

“I am Filipino, and everybody watching the fight is Filipino, so I prolonged the count. I know how to do it,” Padilla said after taking nearly twice as long to count to 10. “When he got up, I told him, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ Still prolonging the fight. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Okay, fight!’”

It turns out this not a new revelation but an old inside...joke? Was the WBC unaware of what the fans new all along? Padilla admits he prolonged the count out of solidarity for being a Filipino. But he wasn't just a Filipino as we shall see. 

“[B]ecause Manny was not like Manny is now, he wasn’t trained by Freddie Roach yet, he holds on for his dear life, and [Hussein] throws him, and he went down again. I said to the opponent, ‘Hey, you don’t do this.’ You know, I was prolonging the fight. ‘You don’t do that. Okay, judges, [point] deduction.’”

To cap it off, Padilla also admitted forcing the outcome when he ruled a head butt as a punch, resulting in the 10-round TKO win for Pacquiao.

“[B]ecause he is shorter, he headbutted the other guy and there is a cut, but I declared it a punch. If there is a headbutt, you have to stop the fight and declare to the judges a point deduction, but I didn’t do that, meaning the fight could continue. [The cut] is not really big—but I never got the doctor to check it [because] I want to see it serious,” Padilla said.

Pacquiao could not be reached for comment.

So, Manny headbutted his opponent and the referee called it a punch!? How did the WBC ever let this ruling stand? 

Hussein, however, had a lot to say, particularly on how both fighters’ paths diverged after that bout.

“I can’t say Pacquiao’s career would never have been the same, but it would have been derailed, that’s for sure,” Hussein said.

After that, the Australian didn’t have much of a career, failing to win a world championship. He eventually settled for a career in sales.

Pacquiao’s career bloomed the following year when he was picked as a replacement fighter on two weeks’ notice to face Lehlo Ledwaba in the undercard of a fight scheduled at MGM Grand in Las Vegas that featured Oscar de la Hoya in the main event. Pacquiao hammered out a sixth-round stoppage in that fight for the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight to engineer one of the finest runs in boxing history.

Hussein said his camp smelled something fishy early on and accused the organizers of using a loophole to slide Padilla into the referee’s position.

“With the referee, the terms were there was going to be an Australian judge, a Filipino judge and a Korean judge. Then they said the referee was going to be American. But … [Padilla] was an American-Filipino. So because he was an American citizen, they had their loophole.

“He was a Filipino all along. But it wasn’t supposed to be an issue because he was based in America. But we didn’t know anything about it until the last minute, to be honest.”

Ah, the perks of dual citizenship! Padilla was not supposed to referee but only snuck in because he is also an American which created a loophole. 

It would certainly be wrong to pin the blame on Manny Pacquiao when the decision here is solely the responsibility of Padilla. 

https://news.yahoo.com/manny-pacquiao-breaks-silence-referee-173956934.html

Speaking to ABS-CBN’s "TV Patrol," Pacquiao denied being involved in any way with Padilla's decision-making. 

“I did not cheat. We were just probably favored because of home court [advantage],” the former Philippine senator told TV Patrol. “As a boxer, I just did what I needed to do. I’m a boxer. I only do my job inside the ring. That is his problem, not mine.”

The WBC has not yet released a formal statement but has formed a panel to review Padilla's remarks. His daughter claims his statements have been misinterpreted. 

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2022/12/01/2227820/daughter-filipino-referee-says-pacquiao-cheating-statement-misconstrued-misinterpreted

The daughter of now controversial referee Carlos Padilla has called the statements where his father admitted helping Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao win a fight in 2000 as "misconstrued" and "misinterpreted".

In a letter addressed to the "boxing community of the world", Suzy Padilla Tuano came to defense of the 88-year-old referee who was shoved into the center of attention after a recent interview during his induction to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.

"My father is an 88 year old man who is just that — old and aging. Despite the fact that he has been living in the United States for decades, English remains his 2nd language," the letter read.

"Communications can be misconstrued and well intentioned words can be misinterpreted. The present situation is one such glaring example of what might actually have been said, (no pun intended), and what may have been taken out of context," she continued.

"My father is a decent and honorable man. He dedicated his life to boxing and boxers and cared for them and their well being, regardless of nationality or circumstance," she said.

"He refereed numerous historic fights with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, and many more fighters for the entirety of his career. He has since retired and has been out of the spotlight for as long as I can remember. Oh, but he loves to talk and entertain because like any other human, he still yearns to feel relevant. I invite everyone to ask about Carlos Padilla among his peers: promoters, fighters, referees, or anyone from his era and hopefully, you will learn about my father's true character," she continued.

"He does not need controversies at this very late stage in his life."

It's hard to see how anything Carlos Padilla said has been taken out of context. Watch the interview for yourself.

The talk about the Manny Pacquiao fight begins at 17:36.

Historic Tricycle Ride Across the Golden Gate Bridge Pays Homage to Illegal Filipinos in the USA

In the Philippines the nation has been celebrating the historic voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. With his arrival in these islands 500 years ago came Christianity and after him the Spanish period of colonization. Though he did not make it alive out of the Philippines his ship and remaining crew finished the first circumnavigation of the globe. It is a truly historic journey all of humanity should celebrate.

Meanwhile in the USA Filipinos are celebrating an altogether different historic journey. A Filipino rode a tricycle across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco.

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/philippine-tricycle-makes-history-by-crossing-golden-gate-bridge-160042486.html

A legendary Philippine vehicle crossing an iconic US landmark is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

A humble Philippine tricycle, dubbed TNT Traysikel, recently became the first such trike to cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The historic trek was made possible by two Filipino-Americans, Michael Arcega and Paolo Asuncion, joined by 60 other Fil-Am riders in the parade.

TNT Traysikel described by the Fil-Ams as a “mobile public artwork that operates as a cultural marker for the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District” in San Francisco, California. It resembles the motorized sidecar made in the Philippines.

The motor vehicle includes several features that shout out to the Filipino culture.

"Hoy" can be seen on the windshield and it is used by Filipinos to call someone's attention.

The "TNT" on the front and back of the sidecar means "Tago ng Tago", and is a colloquial word for undocumented Filipinos in the United States.

On the front of the tricycle sitting above "TNT" is "Por Wan Pibe" or Four One Five, a nod to California Penal Code 415 – Disturbing the Peace. Tricycles in the Philippines are typically boisterous contraptions like their big cousin, the Filipino jeepney!

At the back are the big bold "UFO" letters that supposedly means "Unidentified Filipino Object". But one can never take its meaning at face value, so it could also mean "Unapologetic Filipino Object". Again, a nod to the tricycle's tough reputation on the streets of the Philippines.

Inside the sidecar are two clever signages usually seen on jeepneys – “God Knows Hudas Not Pay” and “Basta Driver Sweet Lover”. The former is a call back of familiar scene in the Philippines where some commuters jumps out of a jeepney without paying their fare. Such people are likened to Hudas (Jesus Christ's betrayer). The latter is a common perception that Filipino (jeepney) drivers have a soft, sweet side, specially for their partners, in spite of their tough work environment.

This tricycle is less a functional mode of public transportation and more of a "mobile public artwork." Funny that this piece of art pays homage to illegal Filipino aliens and admits that the tricycle can be unduly noisy to the point of violating noise ordinances. We also get a reference to Filipinos being likened to Judas for skipping out of paying their fare. Breaking the law is surely something a Filipino wants to highlight when they are attempting to show off Filipino culture, right? 

I do not believe I have ever seen, in the Philippines, a tricycle like the one which made the historic journey across the Golden Gate Bridge. Allow me to show one of my favorite tricycles from the Philippines.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/08/picture-of-week-filipino-nazi.html

And just one more.

Now, that is the Philippines I know and love. You cannot duplicate that in the USA. God bless them, every one.

But this tricycle celebrating the traditional Filipino pastime of law breaking is not just public art. It's also propaganda.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL7zKLAln41/

TNT Traysikel is a mobile public artwork that operates as cultural marker for the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco. The aesthetic of the traysikel is adjacent to Filipino-customized transport Jeepneys left by Americans after WWII. TNT Traysikel is an immigrant metaphor constructed from a deep colonial history. As a social sculpture, TNT Traysikel was used as an aesthetic object, a protest tool and symbol of solidarity with the Black community against Police brutality and delivery vehicle during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be the main site for collecting stories of Filipinx diaspora in a forthcoming documentary. This is a collaboration between @mike_arcega and @pao_silog with help from our communities. Hand-Painted by Meng Nguyen, @allthingsmeng


TNT Traysikel was funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist Commission #sfacfunded with additional financial support from Awesome Foundation, San Francisco State University @sfsu_school_of_art and Balay Kreative @balaykreative .

What is the metaphor this tricycle is supposed to represent? Funny that this thing is funded by the City of San Fransisco and is "a protest tool and symbol of solidarity with the Black community against Police brutality."  Tell that to all the Filipinos who have been brutalized by the Black community. And what exactly do family oriented Filipinos have to do with Black Lives Matter which wants to "disrupt" the family?

https://web.archive.org/web/20200408020723/https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

What does a Filipino-style tricycle have to do with any of that? You know, to heck with the Filipinix diaspora. You know what Filipinix is? It means they are including delusional, self-mutilating transexuals. Just like Latinx. It is also "a relatively new label that Filipino-Americans have been using to differentiate their own “identities and experiences.” It's an attempt to avoid gendered language to be inclusive despite Tagalog having a plethora of gendered language. 

To heck with these people. So many Americans and Europeans and others come to the Philippines to live. Do they build Little America's or Little UK's or wherever they are from? Do they drive around in "mobile public artwork" which shows-off their culture? Do they wring their hands about their "identities and experiences" and invent fake words to refer to themselves? No. They assimilate. They learn the language, they eat the food, and they embrace the culture. They marry the women and have miscegenated children. 

But Filipinos abroad? They don't assimilate. They attempt to reestablish the Philippines wherever they go. Just stay home! If you want to live in the Philippines then live in the Philippines and not the USA or the UK or Germany or elsewhere. Save yourself the fake self-serving identity crisis of you and your children by staying home. Heck anyone with a single drop of Filipino blood, like Dave Bautista, is hailed as a Fil-Am hero. Now, Dave Bautista is an American, born and raised, but his father is the son of Filipino immigrants. That means Dave can obtain Filipino citizenship and vote in the presidential election! That is nuts! But that is the end result of citizenship based on sanguinity.

This is a good place to segue into the next part of what this tricycle stunt is about. 

It's a commercial for a TV show called TNT SideCaraoke which is to air on the television network TNT. That is really funny because as noted above TNT means illegal Filipino alien. Here is a teaser for the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK03mMigki0

I think when I think about my Filipinoness the first thing that comes up is food which is why it's a good thing we're eating.

So this person, when they think about their Filipino heritage, the first they think of is food. I guess that is fitting because it's not like Filipinos built large empires or huge monuments of stone that have survived millennia or vast philosophical systems or tremendously beautiful pieces or art or anything of cultural value and importance really. From reading Pigafetta's account it would seem Filipinos didn't even know what clothes were when first encountered in 1521! 

These people live in liberty and according to their will, for they have no lord or superior; they go quite naked, and some of them wear beards, and have their hair down to the waist. They wear small hats, after the fashion of the Albanians; these hats are made of palm leaves. 

The women also go naked, except that they cover their nature with a thin bark, pliable like paper 

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:First_Voyage_Round_the_World.djvu/149

But they do have the delicacies known as balut and red hot dogs on sticks with marshmallows.

Mmmm....masarap! That is Filipino culture looking back at you! Duck fetuses and red hot dogs which are used in everything from pizza to spaghetti sauce. I cannot find any word on when this show is set to air but I will be keeping my eyes open.

Let me say here that you don't get a TV show or government grants without knowing people. I am sure if we dig further into those behind this joke of a tricycle masquerading as art and cultural expression we can find unsavory and un-American elements. Heck, we already have with its alignment with BLM.

So, let's peer a little further at artist Mike Arcega who is the creator of this tricycle.

Michael Arcega is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. His research-based work revolves largely around language and sociopolitical dynamics. Directly informed by Historic narratives, material significance, and geography, his subject matter deals with circumstances where power relations are unbalanced. His investigation of cultural markers are embedded in objects, food, architecture, visual lexicons, and vernacular languages.

Michael was born in Manila, Philippines, and migrated to the Los Angeles area at ten years of age. He relocated to San Francisco to attend college. He currently lives and works in San Francisco, California where he is an Associate Professor at San Francisco State University.

https://arcega.us/contact.html

Arcega is a man who uses his art to make socio-political statements. Here is one of those statements called "El Conquistadork."

https://arcega.us/artwork/2052326-El-Conquistadork.html

A Manila galleon made primarily of Manila file folders was successfully sailed by the artist in Tomales Bay, California to commemorate the famed trade route of 1565 through 1815 between Mexico City, Manila, and California. Based on one of the first intercontinental trade routes, the performance and installation is a humorous critique on contemporary and historic issues of colonialism and cultural exchange.

That performance is never going to be repeated so all there is now is this large Spanish Galleon constructed out of Manila file folders. Get it!?? Spain conquered the Philippines and the capitol of the Philippines is....Manila!!! What a bunch of "Conquistadorks!!" The subtle humor here is what makes it such a "humorous critique on contemporary and historic issues of colonialism and cultural exchange." Not! It is a neat looking thing though. What would be humorous and critical is if it were inside an equally oversized bottle and on the bottle were drawn the countries of Spain and the USA. 

Here is a little bit more about Michael's method.

Michael Arcega: I was born in Manila, the year after Benigno Aquino got shot. That was like, fifth grade? A year later we moved to L.A. and I lived there until I moved to the Bay Area to go to Art Institute … Other people would say my work is humorous, well-crafted, political, identity based. They would probably say that it’s smart, probably smart-ass (laughs). But I try to stay away form being locked into “identity art.” It has so many connotations, I’d like to see myself and other people working in topical or political issues go beyond that. I want to be more open so that other people can relate to it. That’s the attempt at least. I hope that my work is humorous but with a bite. In the end or the beginning or wherever, but with a bite somewhere. 

How do you balance playfulness with the themes of conquest, colonialism, war and violence? How do you reconcile humor and history?

It’s a tricky balance. I take mental notes on how comedians communicate. They deliver the message with a spoonful of sugar. I think The Simpsons do it best. But I’m also afraid of being didactic. I’m not here to lecture. I’d rather begin a conversation rather than end it. Like “El Conquistadork Project.” If it weren’t called “Conquistadork” it would be this macho thing. But by adding this one little “k,” it creates a change in perception and it becomes self-deprecating.

https://hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/issue-9-play-summer-2006/all-puns-intended

"'I'd rather begin a conversation than end it." That is the essence of modern art. Zero objectivity. 

In modern art the artist lacks a vision. He has a conceptual idea but the goal is to make the art subjective and thus about the viewer and not any objective vision of the artist. Michelangelo had a clear vision when painting the Sistine Chapel. Everyone experiences it differently but the objective vision of Biblical history remains the same. Michael Arcega's art is completely different in that there is no objective vision except in so far as it leads to a "conversation" with the the viewer. Thus the viewer and his experience becomes the real subject of the art. This lack of objectivity is why there will never be another Hieronymus Bosch or Rembrandt. Instead our age gets Yves Klein, Duchamp, and Michael Arcega. In fact Micheal Arcega is now the subject of middle school classrooms!

https://a.s.kqed.net/pdf/arts/programs/spark/404-arcega.pdf

Conceptual artist Michael Arcega likens the titles of his works to punch lines. The titles speak to the artist’s quirky sense of humor and his obsession with wordplay, while mobilizing humor to delve into weighty issues. Born in Manila, the 30-something artist uses his puns to address his interests in Filipino history, imperialism and global socio-political issues.

Pretty sickening how even art has become politicized today. Being that this is the liberal Bay Area you just know this is more of the anti-white narrative being pushed on children. Would Arcega even be noticed if he was not a Filipino and he did not make commentaries about "imperialism and global socio-political issues?" Imagine if a white American came to the Philippines and began making conceptual art about how awful this place and its people are but did it in a humorous and subversive way. Do you think the people would be amused? No, because too many people here are humorless and not self-deprecating or introspective. Besides what people in their right mind would tolerate an outsider besmirching their culture and uplifting another? Yet Michael Arecga is in the USA and is commenting on "imperialism and global socio-political issues" so he is a darling of the local art scene.

Despite Arcega's admission that he does not want to become locked into "identity art", as so many immigrant artists do, he has failed. The TNT Tricycle celebrating illegal Filipino aliens and fare skippers is proof of that. Heck the majority of his "art" testifies to the contrary as it is almost all steeped in socio-political critiques of "colonialism and cultural exchange." Behold his art known as SPAM/MAPS.

https://arcega.us/artwork/2062382-SPAM-MAPS-World-Detail.html

A series of maps made of Spam luncheon meat. Spam was used as ration by the United States Armed Forces during WWII. It ultimately spread through many Pacific Island nations as a standard source of meat. Spam’s diasporic nature is symbolic of America’s ongoing influence on many nations. S-P-A-M is M-A-P-S in reverse.

You know I am inspired. Looking at this map entirely made out of SPAM has given me a great idea. I'm going to save all my dog's poop and I will construct a detailed map of the Philippines out of it. This project will be representative of the stray dog problem which permeates this nation as well as a political statement about the state of the government and the environment. Who knows but maybe it will launch my career and lead to my own TV show? Now, excuse me while I go reread Tom Wolfe's The Painted Word where he exposes the fraud that is "Modern Art."

Teddy "Boy" Locsin's Undiplomatic Twitter Diplomacy

Teddy "Boy" Locsin is the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary for the Philippines. That means, of course, that he is the nation's top diplomat. However in the past few weeks he has made two serious blunders that are not very diplomatic. The first was his hyperbolic and metaphorical language regarding filing a protest against China's incursions into the WPS.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1373590205890969602

So recommended by General Esperon this noon by What’s App. I got the coordinates, so to speak. And relayed to my legal artillery, “Fire at will.” Shell should be flying at first light. I don’t usually announce maneuvers but it seems everybody is baring his chest.

This tweet was "lost in translation" as Chinese social media interpreted "fire at will" as meaning Teddy Boy wanted to actually fire missiles at the fleet currently occupying Julian Felipe reef. Teddy's response is not what one would expect from a seasoned diplomat as himself.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1374909978385862658

Chinese embassy said that in Chinese social media my expression “fire at will”—unmistakably our diplomatic protest—is portrayed in Chinese characters as an order to fire guns at Chinese boats. I am not responsible for totalitarian distortions of plain English. Correct it yourself

That is a very undiplomatic response. The problem though is that Teddy Boy is often hyperbolic and histrionic in his tweets. The fact is Teddy Boy did not use plain English so there is bound to be confusion. He is responsible for everything he says and should take into account that metaphors do not easily translate. It is most certainly Teddy Boy's job to make sure his language is clearly understood.

But perhaps it wasn't a metaphor or a hyperbole.  Here he is days later reveling his take on the art of diplomacy.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1378920638363095048

I scorn that, along with the silly shallow adage that diplomacy is the art of the possible. No, diplomacy is the verbal shot across the bow to be followed by a shell.

Where does he pull this stuff from? This tactless and undiplomatic diplomat is no Zbigniew Brzezinski. He's more like a dog who can play poker and smoke cigars but is otherwise unhousebroken. All show and no substance like too many things and people in the Philippines. 

The second kerfuffle stems from another tweet, this one regarding an attack on an elderly Filipina in NYC.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1377050297571233796

This is gravely noted and will influence Philippine foreign policy. I might as well say it, so no one on the other side can say, “We didn’t know you took racial brutality against Filipinos at all seriously.” We do. 

Some criminal brutally kicks a Filipina in the stomach and face and Teddy says this will influence foreign policy. How? How will the act of a single criminal in New York City influence foreign policy? Will it be limited to the USA or will it apply to other countries as well? Will the DFA warn Filipinos to "never relax?" Will they inform Filipinos in the USA to stay out of certain urban areas? 

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1375203992217739267

Doubtful. Remember this is the same nation that continues to willingly and knowingly send Filipinas to their deaths in the Middle East under the guise of being maids. Teddy Boy's hypocrisy and hubris  in this regard is glaring.

The person who attacked this woman was caught on CCTV and has now been apprehended. Just take a guess what he looks like.

https://twitter.com/NYPDHateCrimes/status/1377133726694473735

It's the usual suspect! This man fatally stabbed his mother in 2002 which raises many questions as to why he was out on the street. Why let a violent offender out on parole? Teddy does not say what he will do regarding foreign policy as a result of this violent assault but based on his Twitter feed it will probably have something to do against "whites" whom Teddy so racistly disdains despite wearing their clothes, eating their foods, and thinking their thoughts.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1127483194469576706

The man is a huge fan of German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. That figures because he is also one of the most problematic thinkers of modern philosophy as he basically rejected metaphysics.

But Teddy Boy was not done yet inserting his foot into his mouth. Not a by a long shot. Vice President Leni Robredo issued a statement saying:

I am hopeful that the United States government, under the leadership of President Joseph R. Biden Jr., will ensure the safety of all Asians and minority groups, even as it works to address the deeper issues of racism and racial violence.

Towards this common goal, we stand as allies of the American people, behind a long history of friendship and a shared commitment to upholding democratic values and the dignity of every human being. 

https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/1378856012996882447/photo/1

Now, Teddy Boy just wasn't having any of that. Latching on to the words, "I am hopeful," and apparently neglecting the context or anything else that was written as well as apparently forgetting any semblance of diplomacy he responded with his own Tweet falsely comparing random attacks on Asian-Americans by criminals to kristallnacht. Otherwise known as the Night of Broken Glass that is when Nazis attacked Jewish shop owners, as well as schools, hospitals and homes, destroying their stores by breaking their glass windows. 91 people were killed and thousands were arrested.

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1378861068739559424

That’s it? Hopeful? God help us if only hope stands between our people in the US and mobs of losers. Night of the Broken Glass comes & “we hope they will sweep up after; kids might pick up the broken pieces and cut themselves.” Kids may be on trains & container trucks by then.

Could he be anymore of a drama queen? Does he really think kristallnacht is going to happen in the USA and Filipinos will be taken away on trains on container trucks? Probably not so why even write such a horrible thing? If he was paying attention to who is doing the attacking of Asians in the USA and why they are doing it he would not have said something so stupid.  Can he say anything more contrary to reality or repugnant? Of course!

https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1378863359962062855

Commander Bravo builds his Shangri-la https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1414762/commander-bravo-builds-his-shangri-la Thank you @inquirerdotnet for telling his story. Man’s a hero not just of his people but all Filipinos. The NPA should read this. He never once mentions extortion as a strategy.

Teddy Boy says notorious MILF terrorist Commander Bravo is a national hero. He praises him for never mentioning extortion. But how much blood is on this man's hands?  How many AFP soldiers has he killed? How has his fighting affected the residents of Mindanao? How many terrorists did he train to become killers? Did Teddy Boy forget about the soldiers who died at his hand? 

Commander Bravo is no national hero. He is a criminal and should be locked up or executed. Yet the Philippines' top diplomat is heaping praise on this Islamic terrorist as being a national hero. Teddy Boy is a disgrace to his post and his nation.