US embassy cable - 05MANILA5364

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 005364 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD, DRL/CRA, DRL/IL 
 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, PINS, KDEM, SOCI, PREL, KPAO, RP 
SUBJECT:  A VIEW FROM MANILA'S STREETS:  GENERAL PESSIMISM 
ABOUT FUTURE AND CYNICISM TOWARD POLITICAL ELITE 
 
REF: A. MANILA 5138 
 
     B. MANILA 4662 
 
1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
protect accordingly. 
 
2.  (SBU) Summary:  Poloff and Pol FSN visited a poor 
neighborhood in Manila on November 14 to canvass views about 
residents' lives, politics and the U.S.  Filipinos on the 
streets were generally pessimistic about their situation. 
They viewed politicians as corrupt and indifferent to the 
pressing needs of the poor.  The U.S. was viewed favorably. 
The sample, while by no means representative, with only 
about 15 people who were interviewed, highlighted a 
continued disconnect between citizens and those in power in 
the Philippines which shows up in more formal surveys.  End 
Summary. 
 
Walkabout Near the Port 
----------------------- 
 
3.  (U) On November 14, Poloff and Pol FSN visited a poor 
neighborhood in the Port area of Manila to listen to the 
views of ordinary Filipinos.  Some of the interviewees in 
this old, busy area with narrow streets made a living as 
casual laborers, including at the docks.  A handful were 
operators of small "sari-sari" stores that sell cigarettes 
and candy.  Many were squatters, living in clapboard 
structures huddled up against the streets, whose families 
had migrated to Manila from rural areas, mostly on Luzon 
Island.  Poloff and Pol FSN interviewed around 15 men and 
women with ages ranging from 17 to 55. 
 
Pessimistic About Future 
------------------------ 
 
4.  (U) All the interviewees were pessimistic about their 
own and their families' future.  They complained about the 
high price of essential items, the lack of jobs, and -- for 
those with some form of employment -- about inadequate 
incomes.  Several "sari-sari" operators said their sales had 
fallen in recent months.  Two men who claimed to have jobs 
with the city government, but who appeared to be unoccupied, 
said their salaries were too small to meet their families' 
basic needs given recent price increases.  Several laborers, 
who had not found work that day, related that their children 
could not find jobs though they (the children) had gone 
through high school.  One said his son had even graduated 
from a college and still could not find a job.  Given the 
option, most would gladly leave the Philippines and work 
abroad.  Some noted that they might depart Manila and go 
back to their home areas if things did not change for the 
better. 
 
The Politicians:  Power-Hungry and Corrupt 
------------------------------------------ 
 
5.  (SBU) Residents of the neighborhood were uniformly 
cynical about politicians and Filipino politics in general. 
Politicians "forget their campaign promises" immediately 
after elections and only have "personal agendas," 
interviewees asserted.  They all criticized political 
bickering and said they wanted politicians to stop the 
attacks because it "only hurts us."  They felt that 
politicians were seeking political and financial gain 
instead of trying to help the poor.  No one could name a 
politician that they believed was really both competent and 
honest.  "They're all the same," was a common refrain, and 
one man said he had stopped voting in elections because of 
this.  Several passionately denounced corrupt politicians 
and corruption in government, and asserted that this was the 
most significant problem in the Philippines.  "Corruption, 
corruption, corruption!" exclaimed one neighborhood resident 
several times.  A man who was listening in on the 
conversation expressed his apparently hopeless perspective 
by declaiming, "If I could sell the Philippines, I would," 
and walked away. 
 
6.  (SBU) Almost every person interviewed was dissatisfied 
with President Arroyo and her administration.  A few 
vehemently accused her of corruption.  By and large, 
however, no one could suggest a suitable replacement -- a 
person that they would prefer as president.  Most felt that 
there was no choice but Arroyo, even if they did not really 
like her.  "Can we borrow Bush for five years?" one man 
asked, apparently referring to the roughly five years 
remaining in Arroyo's term, which ends in 2010.  Some of the 
interviewees felt that Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and his 
administration were doing an adequate job in delivering 
services. 
 
7.  (SBU) Residents were either indifferent to the proposals 
for Constitutional change or felt that it would not make a 
difference in national politics or in their day-to-day life. 
(Note:  Per Ref B, most of the Constitutional change 
proposals seek to create a unicameral parliamentary system 
with an executive prime minister, replacing the current 
bicameral system and its executive president.  End Note.) 
Most did not really appear to understand what exactly the 
proposals were, or how a parliamentary system of government 
would differ from the current system.  "Nothing will 
change," said one person in reference to the proposals, 
summing up the general mood of the interviewees. 
 
Positive About the U.S. 
----------------------- 
8.  (SBU) When asked what they thought about the U.S., 
everyone was upbeat.  They viewed the U.S. as both a friend 
and an ally, and felt the U.S. presence in the Philippines 
was beneficial.  One man specifically mentioned the 
assistance provided through USAID.  Another man was thankful 
to the U.S. for fighting the Japanese during World War II. 
"Make us one of your states," said another, only half in 
jest, while another nodded vigorously in agreement.  None 
made any reference to the case of the U.S. Marines recently 
accused of rape in the Subic Bay area (Ref A), which has 
received much recent press coverage. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
9.  (SBU) The sample, while by no means representative, 
highlighted a continued disconnect between citizens and 
those in power in the Philippines which shows up in more 
formal surveys (including in a report issued this month by 
the Department's Office of Research entitled "Filipinos: All 
Stressed Out and Nowhere to Go").  Despite the pessimism and 
the cynicism, no one was inclined toward radicalism of any 
sort; no one expressed support for the left, for example. 
The views about the U.S. were heartening -- with these 
Filipinos the U.S. was seen decidedly as a force for good in 
the world, a view that in general also shows up in more 
formal surveys of Filipinos.