01:50.9
So, really, I've always been an entrepreneur. I've been an entrepreneur all my life. Tapos, this vlog was something that I just wanted to do because siguro for the longest time, I knew naman that marunong ako mag-communicate. I can communicate ideas very well. And then, I wanted to be able to help people. It started with me being a life coach.
02:17.6
Tapos, I was giving out, spewing out advice on YouTube.
02:20.9
And one of the things that I do is a thought bubble. I talk about politics, current events, you know, societal issues. And one day, I decided to speak in Tagalog. Doon nag-umpis sa lahat. Doon ko na-realize na, wow.
02:39.6
So, and what was ironic was, kahit na nagda-Tagalog ako, maraming pala akong, maraming mga nanunod sa akin from different countries like the United States, mga Pinoy sin.
02:50.9
In Dubai, in Singapore, in Europe. And it was so fascinating na when I spoke Tagalog, the more I connected with people. Kaya, that's where it all started. Now, politics-wise, people think, like you mentioned nga, that I'm pink or dilawan. What they don't know is I didn't vote for Pinoy.
03:09.3
I actually didn't like Pinoy. But I do appreciate what he's done for the country. And then, when the election time came along, I had very strong opinions.
03:20.9
Kasi, towards the candidates. And binase ko lang talaga yan on which candidate I thought was the best in terms of a criteria.
03:29.8
And yun. Tapos, it's interesting lang kasi. I think people will perceive you or me or anyone according to their own biases.
03:41.4
May bias ka talaga. You're gonna see things through your own lens.
03:45.8
And people saw what they wanted to see in the message I was trying to deliver. I do believe Lenny is the best candidate.
03:55.9
But one thing that people were surprised is, nung tinanong ako what I thought would happen if BBM won, I actually didn't paint a doom and gloom picture.
04:05.5
I actually even said na, and I didn't post it until after he won. Because I didn't want anyone to, parang, siguro, maybe switch.
04:15.8
Or anything. But I did say it na, I don't think BBM was going to be as bad as his father.
04:23.0
I think BBM is not, I think he's just a spoiled brat na who just want, it's an ego thing.
04:31.5
Being president is an ego thing for him. And that's it. So there. So after that, tuloy-tuloy na.
04:36.3
And suddenly people were just following me and I was like, wow.
04:39.3
And they just wanted to hear my take on different topics, whether politics or showbiz or whatever it may be.
04:45.8
So that's how it all started.
04:48.1
Wait, wait. Speaking of, we'll go to the entrepreneur part when we'll do the podcast episode on Bitcoin, maybe, you know,
04:54.1
because this is at the cutting edge of entrepreneurship these days.
04:57.1
But let's talk about showbiz. If I'm not mistaken, like, if you go to YouTube and put Chris Tan, things pop up from nine years ago,
05:04.5
yung mga umagang kay ganda, yung mga ganun.
05:08.0
What's the reality show? I'm sorry, I don't want to bring back who got memories and all, but let's do it.
05:13.5
What's the dating reality show?
05:15.5
That we're part of before we go to the tuloy episodes.
05:19.5
So for 15 years, I was actually a producer of TV shows. A lot of people don't know that.
05:26.5
I produced TV shows on different networks like ABC5 pa nung time na yun, hindi pa nga TV5, MTV, Studio 23, GMA.
05:37.5
So I did a lot of TV shows for a lot of different networks.
05:40.5
Tapos noon, in 2015, I decided na parang, oh, why not go in front of the camera?
05:45.5
So ayun. So I got it. One day, I got a call. Sabi lang, would you be interested in going on a reality show with my girlfriend that time?
05:54.5
And sabi ko, yeah, why not? It's a good experience. It's something I wanted to experience as well.
05:59.5
So I tried it out. Okay naman. And then after that, they just started inviting me for all these different shows.
06:04.5
Wait, Chris, sorry. What was this show again? I mean, if you could-
06:08.5
It's called I Do.
06:09.5
Ah, okay. So can you give us an idea? What was the concept? What was the idea behind it?
06:13.5
Oh, the concept of the show?
06:14.5
The concept of the show was they got these couples, parang eight of us, I think, or nine, who wanted to get married.
06:22.5
Tapos the winner will get the wedding of their dreams, one million pesos, a house and lot, a business, the works, shabang, and the lights and all the glamour in it.
06:36.5
Yeah, so that's what happened. And then when I was at the finals na, ako yung nag-back out.
06:43.5
Because you thought you might win it?
06:45.5
Yeah, yeah, I actually probably would have won it, and I realized I didn't want to get married that time, so ayun.
06:51.5
I mean, of course, I'm not sure, you know. There's a way around it, right? Like, you get the prize, and then you find a quack lawyer to sign some notary. I don't know.
07:02.5
I'm sure you can be entrepreneurial about it. Sorry, Dave, but I mean, just wondering, sayang yung prize.
07:10.5
Well, I never really did it kasi for the prize eh. Right?
07:11.5
really did it kasi
07:13.4
It was really because
07:15.4
I wanted to get married
07:18.2
and I wanted to do it
07:19.2
in the most unique way possible.
07:22.1
oh, this would be a good way.
07:23.2
And then, but in that
07:25.7
mga one month ata kami
07:29.2
Yung one month na yun
07:32.1
nag-couples weekend
07:34.8
Then you realize talaga
07:38.4
na-realize about ourselves
07:40.0
we just ended up as friends
07:43.1
Yeah, again, I'm sorry.
07:44.1
I didn't want to bring out
07:45.0
the hugot at all.
07:46.2
I just wanted a refresher.
07:48.5
Was this also the time
07:49.7
na sumisigat yung mga Chinoy?
07:53.4
And like, this is around
07:54.2
10 years ago, right?
07:55.1
Because I remember
07:58.2
mestizo, mexicano.
08:00.6
And then 10 years later
08:02.1
it's transitioning to
08:03.0
mga chinito, mga gano'n.
08:04.2
I saw that in my own lifetime.
08:06.2
Yung preferences and all.
08:07.6
So I'm just saying
08:08.4
probably a part of you
08:09.5
as a producer felt
08:10.5
hey, maybe there's a niche
08:12.9
Like to make it big.
08:15.7
I never really looked at it
08:16.8
na parang kung ano ba
08:17.6
yung flavor of the year
08:19.3
Kasi hindi ko talaga
08:19.8
napansin ko na meron.
08:21.4
Pero hindi yun yung
08:22.2
motivation for me.
08:24.4
But it's, you know,
08:25.5
I'm not complaining.
08:27.4
I think it's amazing
08:28.5
that K-pop is doing so well
08:30.9
and that they're able
08:32.5
to export the music
08:34.0
and entertainment worldwide.
08:36.9
what it can do for Asians.
08:39.4
with what they did.
08:41.0
suwerte na lang ako.
08:42.0
I guess na mukha kong
08:44.3
So I can pass as Korean,
08:45.5
Japanese, Chinese, whatever.
08:49.9
the reason I'm asking this,
08:51.0
I mean, we'll go into this
08:52.1
more in the next episode
08:53.1
when we talk about
08:53.9
your experiences at Chinoy
08:55.5
in this very, you know,
08:59.2
I'm just saying, you know,
09:01.4
I mean, as an Asian,
09:04.7
pass off as a Mexican.
09:06.5
like I feel finally
09:10.7
that they deserve.
09:11.9
Because we grew up,
09:13.1
with all these blonde,
09:14.7
as the matinee idol
09:16.9
and like, you know,
09:18.6
low-quality copycats,
09:22.3
that's something.
09:22.7
But we can go to that later
09:23.7
and perhaps in the next episode.
09:26.8
I don't want to use the term
09:27.4
interracial discussions.
09:29.5
But let's stick to this.
09:32.3
pinakaunang episode
09:35.7
Nakita mo grabe yung response.
09:38.7
parang meron kang,
09:39.4
instinctive moment
09:41.5
ay, kailangan ko mag-Tagalog
09:42.7
para maka-reach out
09:44.9
is less konyo than mine.
09:47.6
I'm still trying to reach out
09:49.2
but my Ilocan is better
09:52.5
But can you tell me
09:53.2
about what was that
09:54.3
first vlog na went
09:56.4
and then your whole
09:57.5
political blogger
10:04.8
was the one where
10:07.1
parang I described
10:08.5
kung paano pumili.
10:11.4
Kung ano dapat yung tama.
10:12.7
And then I gave the criteria
10:15.2
hinahanap natin lahat
10:17.1
to make a good president.
10:20.3
at the end of it,
10:21.2
I was eliminating
10:22.0
all the candidates
10:22.8
and then at the end,
10:24.7
and then it's the title pala
10:26.2
was I'm not voting
10:26.9
for Lenny Robredo.
10:28.9
Was that a clickbait?
10:32.2
could be pro-Lenny?
10:37.6
because I was trying
10:39.7
hindi ko binoboto
10:41.7
because she's Lenny.
10:43.0
I'm voting for her
10:47.6
I was looking for
10:50.5
As a matter of fact,
10:52.4
I even made a disclaimer
10:55.3
I didn't like Lenny.
10:58.1
ko nakita yung post
11:00.8
na magbabush siya
11:04.8
it looks so staged to me.
11:06.7
there's something
11:07.2
that didn't really
11:09.3
I know what you're saying.
11:11.6
cringy yung dating
11:13.4
Pero nung then I got
11:14.2
to know her better
11:14.9
and then I listened
11:16.0
to yung mga sinasabi niya
11:18.1
this girl's making sense
11:21.0
kung tinignan mo yung
11:21.8
field of candidates
11:25.1
their strengths eh.
11:29.1
Lachson's experience.
11:34.9
in the short time
11:39.1
really have anything
11:41.2
the candidates eh.
11:42.1
It was just more of a
11:45.8
And then at the end
11:47.1
if you look at it,
11:47.8
the complete package
11:49.7
The irony was this,
11:53.5
I think the title,
11:57.0
that a lot of people
12:00.9
the whole video anymore.
12:02.7
They look at the headline
12:03.7
and then they'll start
12:05.4
based on the headline.
12:07.1
what happened was
12:07.6
a lot of the supporters
12:09.1
were sharing my video.
12:12.9
clickbait yan eh.
12:14.9
Trojan horse yan.
12:20.7
and then napapabura
12:21.7
yung mga supporters
12:26.2
And my own video,
12:28.8
get as many views
12:35.1
dalawang account doon
12:43.9
Yeah, business was good.
12:45.2
Business was good.
12:46.3
Yeah, and I didn't
12:50.1
after mga 3 or 4 months.
12:51.9
Pumasok na rin ako
12:55.4
And it was weird eh.
12:58.1
and I was looking
12:59.2
my phone was off the hook.
13:00.7
bam, bam, bam, bam
13:03.4
nakasilent na lang ako palagi.
13:04.6
There's no more point
13:05.4
in putting the notification on
13:08.9
get anything done.
13:13.3
the PhD in computer science
13:16.0
all of them are working
13:17.7
hack our mind, right?
13:19.0
take out the notification.
13:22.1
I see social media
13:24.9
not inlet, right?
13:26.2
it's for me to get
13:27.7
and then I don't want
13:30.1
you cut it out, right?
13:34.1
you need digital Sabbath
13:35.1
or actual Sabbath.
13:36.8
let's go back to this.
13:38.9
obviously in my case,
13:42.8
apolitical in the sense
13:44.1
I was always more concerned
13:45.1
about international affairs,
13:47.9
those are the things
13:48.9
when I was as young
13:55.9
about Philippine politics
13:59.3
it's like juvenile,
14:02.9
it gives a bad name
14:04.7
And sometimes I felt
14:06.1
it's like a hopeless case.
14:07.7
And then Pinoy came
14:09.3
something interesting
14:10.8
although I was half skeptical,
14:12.2
half hopeful with Pinoy.
14:13.9
And I think his record
14:16.1
but on the better side
14:17.3
than most of the other leaders.
14:20.2
I remember very well
14:22.4
the first time I saw
14:23.1
Duterte kind of flirting
14:24.2
with the idea of presidency,
14:25.4
this is like August,
14:27.4
And we had a show
14:29.6
Lisandro Claudio,
14:31.3
all of us were there.
14:33.0
he's a dark horse
14:34.2
because I always felt
14:35.5
there's something in him
14:39.3
are just so fed up
14:41.4
nonsense politics.
14:43.5
I studied other countries.
14:44.8
It happened in Turkey.
14:45.8
It happened just now
14:50.9
It happened with,
14:52.9
all around India,
14:55.4
Indonesia was there
14:56.3
when Jokowi's coming.
14:59.3
yun ang problema sa atin
15:00.8
We think we're too exceptional
15:02.8
maraming meron sa atin
15:04.5
Meron sa ibang third world
15:05.4
countries na nakikita ko.
15:08.7
this guy has a chance.
15:10.6
And I just felt people,
15:11.9
many people are too
15:12.6
dismissive about him.
15:13.6
that's where I began
15:18.4
he's gonna change everything.
15:20.7
the first interview
15:22.0
was with Maria Ressa.
15:24.4
our Rappler friends
15:26.1
to get him into the court.
15:28.2
and the first big event
15:31.1
something like yung
15:31.8
My President something
15:33.0
event sa De La Salle.
15:33.9
I used to teach in De La Salle
15:35.6
Maria Ressa was the host.
15:37.0
nagpakita lang si Digong
15:39.4
And I look at this guy,
15:41.7
he has what it takes
15:42.9
to really exploit
15:45.6
and lack of faith
15:47.5
and disillusionment.
15:48.8
And this is after
15:49.6
the Laglagbala crisis.
15:56.1
paka conspiracy theory pa.
15:58.6
during Apex Summit.
16:02.0
this is the right time
16:03.9
as early as 2015,
16:05.5
watch out for this guy.
16:08.2
convinced he could really win
16:09.2
once Binay went down.
16:10.6
I've written extensively
16:12.2
on all these issues,
16:13.1
including the book
16:13.9
Rise of the Tent.
16:15.9
that's where I also
16:17.2
discovered something
16:21.6
there's a fundamental threat
16:23.2
to our way of lives
16:24.7
or whatever little freedoms
16:26.3
I'm someone who cares.
16:27.8
And at the same time,
16:29.9
cancel culture type.
16:31.3
In the case that,
16:32.5
many of people close to me
16:33.6
voted for Duterte.
16:34.9
I don't think that
16:35.6
they're bad people.
16:36.4
I just felt maybe
16:37.1
they didn't choose
16:39.1
where they come from.
16:42.5
And the next six years
16:43.4
is really the story
16:45.3
both on West Philippine Sea
16:46.5
and both on democracy issue,
16:47.9
I tried to push back
16:48.7
against this guy.
16:50.5
the 2022 elections came
16:52.0
and I was realizing,
16:56.7
Marcos most likely,
17:00.4
the least I can do
17:01.1
is to go blogging
17:04.8
you probably saw me
17:06.5
on CNN International
17:08.3
Poor Farid Zakarian,
17:09.7
that Richard Haydarn,
17:11.8
that Richard Haydarn
17:12.5
has his place there
17:14.5
more or less there.
17:15.7
let's do something.
17:16.9
that was the context
17:19.1
I became this podcaster,
17:22.1
and essentially double,
17:27.0
what was the thought process?
17:28.3
I gave you a very
17:31.6
of my thought process,
17:32.9
how I became obsessed
17:34.5
Philippine politics.
17:35.4
I've written 2,000 articles
17:36.9
probably on Philippine politics
17:44.1
I was very interested
17:44.8
in the West Philippine Sea
17:45.8
of foreign policy issues
17:46.8
but domestic politics
17:48.4
was always something
17:49.5
in the Philippines
17:50.0
and a little bit too
17:52.1
What is your thought process
17:55.7
I do all of these things,
17:57.5
I'm a motivation coach
18:00.3
I have to say something
18:04.5
yung pagpasok ko sa Bitcoin,
18:06.4
it's very related to politics
18:07.8
and it's very related
18:09.5
It's almost my antithesis
18:11.0
to the government.
18:17.0
It's financial freedom,
18:18.6
it's being a sovereign citizen,
18:20.5
it's not allowing yourself
18:28.0
to the government
18:28.7
if you really think about it
18:30.0
and I can talk about that
18:31.2
a little bit later.
18:33.2
yung pagpasok ko sa politics
18:35.0
something I've always
18:36.4
been interested in.
18:38.6
interested in history,
18:41.5
Even noong panahon ni Pinoy,
18:43.0
I would debate with people.
18:45.4
when Duterte came along,
18:53.5
to every single troll
18:55.3
and basher out there
18:56.5
and even my friends.
18:58.4
If they debate with me,
19:00.6
I don't get upset
19:04.0
And when I debate
19:05.9
I don't debate to win.
19:07.0
I debate to understand.
19:09.0
Yun yung pagkakaiba
19:10.0
sa tingin ko with people
19:10.9
when they debate with me.
19:11.9
They think I'm debating
19:13.8
para makalamang eh.
19:15.8
I'm debating so that
19:16.9
we can both understand
19:19.0
parang common ground natin
19:20.4
and where is that
19:22.4
where we can have
19:23.1
an understanding.
19:26.4
siguro trigger for me
19:28.2
that made me want to talk
19:30.1
more about politics
19:33.2
authoritarian government
19:34.8
and people like Duterte
19:40.4
I think he's clinically insane
19:41.7
to be honest with you.
19:42.7
I think he's a psychopath.
19:45.0
That was the selling point.
19:48.0
just to be clear,
19:49.1
I was contractually obliged
19:50.9
not to say something like that.
19:53.5
I'm not necessarily
19:54.7
disagreeing with you.
19:58.5
you have to say it.
19:59.6
Call a spade a spade.
20:04.2
I'm not trying to insult anyone.
20:14.6
about killing people,
20:18.8
you look into a person's eyes
20:25.0
you look into their eyes,
20:26.1
you can see their soul
20:27.1
or the lack of it.
20:28.6
This guy does not
20:33.5
that he is doing,
20:38.8
believe that what they're doing
20:40.8
And it is insane lang
20:42.2
that I see so many people
20:43.8
that are mesmerized
20:47.9
na okay lang pumatay
20:49.2
kasi masama naman
20:54.0
kaya nga may batas tayo,
20:58.8
people would say,
20:59.6
why do I hate him so much?
21:00.9
I don't hate him.
21:03.5
that's the funny part
21:04.6
is I don't hate him.
21:06.5
You can put him in jail,
21:06.9
you can put any name there.
21:08.4
Anyone who murders people
21:10.2
and brags about it
21:12.8
is not on my good list.
21:16.2
It's not a person,
21:17.3
it's the idea of it.
21:22.3
in this world now
21:23.2
is marami sa mga tao ngayon
21:25.3
ang hindi na marunong
21:26.8
mag-isip ng tama.
21:28.6
And that's what's giving rise
21:30.0
to authoritarianism
21:31.0
all over the world,
21:31.7
even in the United States.
21:34.3
It's coming back.
21:35.4
Trump is coming back.
21:37.2
more than three percent chance.
21:39.9
he probably will win
21:41.1
and he will avenge
21:44.4
and whatever anyone did to him.
21:47.4
And it's going to be insane
21:48.8
what's going to happen
21:55.6
this is the problem
21:58.4
sa mga tao ngayon.
22:02.6
wala nang critical thinking.
22:08.0
is that I can somehow
22:09.1
instill critical thinking back
22:10.8
in people's way of,
22:14.3
and how they look at things.
22:16.5
critical thinking
22:17.0
and also self-awareness.
22:19.4
There's no such thing
22:20.4
as self-awareness anymore eh.
22:21.9
People are just zombies now
22:23.7
walking on this earth.
22:27.4
as if they believe something
22:29.8
it's a borrowed belief
22:30.8
because they can never defend
22:32.9
what they believe in.
22:34.3
That's why, you know,
22:34.9
it's a borrowed belief.
22:35.7
And that's the sad part
22:37.7
about this society.
22:39.1
And if I can change
22:40.0
one person's mind
22:41.0
by the vlogs I do,
22:42.8
kahit na isa lang,
22:44.3
then I've done my job.
22:46.1
And that's why I do it.
22:47.3
And that is really
22:49.5
for doing these vlogs.
22:53.4
my understanding there is that,
22:55.5
a lot of people are voting nowadays
22:57.8
not necessarily because
22:58.6
they want candidate A,
22:59.9
but because they hate
23:00.7
so much candidate B,
23:03.3
negative solidarity.
23:06.0
that's the thing.
23:06.6
They gaslight you
23:07.3
as hating Duterte,
23:08.6
a lot of people have voted
23:09.7
because they hate
23:10.4
the other candidates.
23:11.8
the factual basis
23:13.2
is very questionable.
23:14.2
Like, for instance,
23:18.2
you forgot 10 years
23:18.9
of Arroyo almost, right?
23:25.0
Ramos was a cousin
23:26.7
and helped Marcos
23:27.9
throughout until,
23:29.3
he turned against the guy.
23:32.5
a situational argument
23:33.5
that Corazon Aquino
23:34.3
was there to clean up
23:35.1
the mess of Marcos Sr.
23:36.3
with some success
23:37.1
and Aquino was there
23:38.0
to clean up the mess
23:41.4
were half successful
23:42.7
but to blame them
23:45.3
really the problem.
23:47.6
of disinformation
23:48.4
and lack of critical thinking
23:52.2
is it social media?
23:54.0
what do you think
23:54.6
is contributing to that?
23:57.1
of nonsensical information?
24:00.0
drowning in garbage?
24:01.1
Is that your concern
24:03.5
what happened is,
24:05.8
when social media
24:08.3
Facebook started 2008,
24:11.5
it started to really
24:12.4
proliferate about 2012,
24:15.5
is when it really
24:18.1
to that next level.
24:19.6
And it democratized
24:25.7
when it's democratized,
24:29.4
there's no guard,
24:30.3
vanguard to information.
24:39.8
this is vetted information,
24:41.3
this is accurate,
24:42.8
Wala na lahat yun.
24:45.1
information is a free for all.
24:48.6
nobody taught people
24:50.5
how to discern information.
24:53.4
Kasi we're so used
24:57.7
Ito na ang tamang
24:59.3
according to what
25:00.1
the newspaper says.
25:02.4
it's not even real.
25:03.9
with the democratization
25:06.2
but without teaching us
25:08.7
right information
25:10.8
and this is where
25:11.5
fake news happened.
25:12.8
The time of Duterte
25:13.8
with Cambridge Analytica,
25:18.0
to take advantage
25:21.2
Duterte was the first
25:29.3
Duterte was ground zero
25:30.4
for Cambridge Analytica,
25:33.7
Trump used the same strategy
25:36.7
all the other people
25:38.4
that same strategy,
25:40.2
we're just seeing it now.
25:42.5
seven years later,
25:45.6
teka, teka, teka,
25:46.6
we really have to fight
25:48.7
We can't just be silent
25:49.7
because do you remember
25:51.0
nung panahon ni Duterte
25:53.8
When people were debating,
25:56.8
I have a lot of friends
25:57.8
ayoko na mag-social media,
25:58.8
it's a lot of garbage.
25:59.5
Yeah, it's too toxic.
26:03.2
Rather than speak out,
26:05.2
because it was too stressful.
26:07.7
the difference now is
26:09.2
there's fake news,
26:10.1
I encourage everyone
26:12.5
to combat fake news,
26:13.8
to call out a troll,
26:14.9
to call out people
26:19.2
and that's needed.
26:20.8
That counter is needed.
26:26.4
you know what I noticed?
26:27.3
On TikTok especially,
26:28.3
and you know this,
26:30.2
I remember when I got on,
26:32.6
how much fake news
26:37.1
different reality.
26:42.4
Yeah, and even the comments.
26:44.5
it's the bottom of the,
26:47.5
it's the bottom feeders.
26:51.2
I need to be on this network,
26:53.6
this social media
26:54.4
because there's nobody else
26:56.6
to counter all this BS
27:02.8
if you look at all my comments,
27:07.3
that would support
27:08.1
are afraid to speak out
27:09.9
because if you support,
27:11.3
you will get the trolls
27:16.6
to just silence you.
27:19.4
poisoning the well strategy.
27:21.5
the poisoning the well strategy.
27:23.3
They don't even need
27:26.8
meaning people of reason
27:29.7
all they need to do
27:30.5
is to demobilize people,
27:36.5
to even conversation,
27:38.5
And the thing is this,
27:39.6
but this is where
27:40.2
I'm a little bit self-critical.
27:43.5
is a lot of people,
27:45.0
who had platforms,
27:47.3
columnists for newspapers
27:48.4
like yours truly,
27:49.5
people who are in the media,
27:50.7
I think a lot of us,
27:55.7
that's not their level.
27:56.7
We're this level, right?
27:58.0
I'm not going to go
27:59.0
down to their level.
28:00.9
I always feel like,
28:01.9
bakit mo dinibate
28:05.4
Eh, hindi mo sila
28:06.1
ka-level and gano'n.
28:07.3
that's exactly the problem.
28:09.6
that we're better
28:10.7
than everyone else,
28:11.6
we should not engage them.
28:12.9
we've left the field
28:15.7
I got bashed a lot
28:16.7
for engaging these people
28:18.3
platforming them.
28:20.2
that's the loser mindset.
28:21.4
That's the snowflake mindset.
28:25.3
and then shut down
28:27.0
Not let them talk
28:27.9
and then let them
28:28.5
get away with fake news.
28:31.0
and then shut it down.
28:32.1
And yun ang hindi nakikita
28:34.0
But that's the thing,
28:38.4
You need a certain degree
28:40.2
and strength of character
28:43.2
I did martial arts.
28:45.9
I do all of these things
28:52.5
and death threats
28:53.2
throughout the 6-7 years or so.
28:56.2
what is your routine?
28:59.3
kind of a fitness person,
29:00.7
motivational coach.
29:02.0
did that help you?
29:03.5
I know you're saying
29:04.7
dapat mas nag-engage tayo
29:06.1
pero medyo kailangan mo rin
29:08.9
And strength of character.
29:13.7
masyado naman talaga
29:15.0
na-affect ng mga bashers
29:16.8
meron akong paniniwala talaga
29:20.8
that people are entitled
29:22.2
to their opinion.
29:23.8
And I really believe that,
29:25.1
that I have no need
29:26.9
to change your narrative
29:30.7
or anything else.
29:33.9
like in your mind,
29:37.7
and that's your life.
29:39.2
Who am I to control
29:42.4
or the movie in your mind?
29:44.5
That's not my business.
29:47.2
I have no need to do that.
29:48.6
So when I was able
29:49.5
to let go of that need,
29:51.6
then I had a lot more respect
29:54.0
for people's opinion.
29:55.6
So when people have
29:56.2
a different opinion,
29:57.0
I just accept it as their opinion.
29:58.8
As much as this is my opinion,
30:00.7
And when I speak,
30:02.4
I'm not trying to convince anyone
30:04.4
to change their mind.
30:06.4
I'm just speaking
30:07.1
to let people know
30:08.2
this is my opinion.
30:10.9
what you decide to do
30:11.9
with that opinion.
30:16.2
I don't mind debating with people.
30:17.9
It's because of that.
30:21.8
and I met this kid
30:23.9
that's a BBM supporter,
30:25.9
21-year-old na student.
30:27.9
okay lang ba sa'yo
30:28.4
if we do a conversation?
30:32.8
Kasi bihira ako makahanap
30:35.0
that's willing to talk to me.
30:36.2
yeah, yeah, okay.
30:37.0
So we were talking.
30:38.0
And when I was talking to him,
30:38.8
I'm not combative normally
30:40.6
in a conversation actually.
30:42.6
So I was just listening to him
30:43.9
and at the end of it,
30:45.5
he started to doubt himself
30:46.8
and he couldn't even reason out
30:48.8
why he was voting for BBM.
30:53.9
and then suddenly,
30:54.7
I found out he was INC
30:56.0
and then the INC,
30:57.4
some of the leaders there
30:58.8
wanted to talk to me.
31:01.2
And they wanted to debate with me.
31:03.8
That escalated fast.
31:07.6
But the thing was for me,
31:09.4
people were remixing my video,
31:13.7
challenging my perspective.
31:18.6
People were calling me stupid.
31:22.0
remember there was this very popular,
31:23.6
I forget who it was,
31:24.6
yung mga sikat na vloggers.
31:26.2
Marami sikat na vloggers
31:27.2
si Duterte at saka si BBM eh.
31:29.7
one of them said,
31:31.5
talaga to si Chris,
31:32.3
he was talking about inflation.
31:33.6
He doesn't know what he's talking about.
31:35.4
The US has high inflation.
31:37.6
They borrow a lot of money.
31:39.2
The debt-to-GDP ratio is higher.
31:40.8
Blah, blah, blah.
31:44.2
So, somebody says na,
31:47.2
that's a logical fallacy eh.
31:49.9
It's correct because everyone else is doing it.
31:52.2
That's a logical fallacy.
31:53.6
That's not a way to argue a point.
31:57.0
but I will not try
32:00.4
But if he or she wanted to debate with me,
32:02.5
I'd be more than happy to.
32:04.3
But there was a part of me that did not want to.
32:06.4
You mean the whataboutism, no?
32:08.0
I mean the whole whataboutism.
32:11.7
the two rungs don't make it right.
32:13.1
Like, that's the part.
32:16.5
when I hear logic like that,
32:18.3
wow, there's no point in debating with them.
32:21.3
And I did not want to,
32:22.5
I did not want to amplify these people.
32:26.8
I didn't want to debate.
32:29.0
They can amplify me
32:30.4
because they're posting my videos.
32:33.2
But I did not want to debate them
32:34.6
because I think a person that's smart
32:37.6
which point was right and wrong.
32:40.1
They just have to hear both sides
32:41.5
and it's up to them to decide
32:42.6
ano yung paniniwalaan nila.
32:44.3
But that's the point.
32:45.4
Like, you mentioned the importance
32:46.8
of critical thinking.
32:48.2
I think the other importance
32:50.7
why would we even bother
32:52.0
to engage with some of our kababayan
32:54.2
if we don't care about them, right?
32:56.0
I know it might come off as patronizing,
32:59.0
it's only patronizing
32:59.7
if you're their lecturing.
33:01.5
If you're not there
33:02.0
to actually listen.
33:04.6
I was born in Baguio,
33:05.7
literally Marcos Highway almost.
33:08.3
I'm surrounded with a lot of
33:09.5
pro-Marcos people.
33:11.0
I sit down there,
33:13.8
all of these inside jokes
33:17.2
that's where you can have
33:18.5
Because if you come in and say,
33:19.6
gusto nyo sa madana ko,
33:21.9
nothing's gonna happen
33:22.6
and they're gonna go like that.
33:24.1
tapos nang usapan.
33:24.8
You're mutually canceled.
33:28.6
but I learned from my own experience
33:29.9
that the last way to start
33:31.7
is to cancel each other.
33:33.1
it has to come with a position
33:34.9
and even a degree
33:36.5
of mutual respect.
33:38.2
hindi naman tanga
33:39.6
just because bumoto ka
33:40.7
sa maling candidate.
33:41.8
all of us do stupid things in life.
33:43.6
And politics is not
33:46.1
It's about discernment.
33:47.1
It's about judgment.
33:48.2
It's about wisdom
33:52.0
I wanted to add that
34:03.0
that was the thing.
34:03.8
when I talk to them,
34:05.3
that's why I think
34:07.1
it doesn't come across that way
34:08.5
because I don't really believe that.
34:11.1
I think people that voted
34:14.4
that they were doing
34:16.6
or it was just born out
34:17.9
of a massive frustration.
34:20.8
that frustration.
34:25.4
exactly that frustration
34:27.1
nung panahon nga ni Pinoy,
34:34.8
I remember the scene
34:37.5
when the Hong Kong
34:41.1
the hostage taker
34:42.4
and then the police
34:44.9
just shooting randomly
34:45.9
and actually killed
34:48.0
It wasn't the hostage taker
34:49.2
that killed them,
34:49.7
it was the police
34:50.4
because they were just shooting.
34:54.3
on the press con,
34:55.2
I remember that press con,
34:56.4
he looked at the camera
35:02.0
mas grabe nga naman
35:03.6
mas marami na matay dun eh.
35:05.9
Nag-whataboutist din siya.
35:07.8
Nag-whataboutist.
35:09.1
when he said that,
35:10.0
the same one mamasapano,
35:11.0
the same one mamasapano.
35:13.6
he should have gone there
35:14.5
and embraced the families
35:15.5
and I said something like,
35:16.5
ayoko nang mag-drama
35:17.5
or something like that.
35:18.1
I don't know how many,
35:19.6
I had a conversation
35:20.6
with the late president.
35:22.8
this is just before pandemic
35:25.4
I was telling him,
35:26.5
the Philippines is not Germany,
35:27.7
it's more like Italy,
35:29.0
Because I heard from someone
35:30.1
that Mahilic siya sa German politics.
35:32.4
I think yung idol niya
35:33.1
is like Angela Merkel of Germany,
35:35.2
that kind of rational,
35:37.8
democratic leader,
35:39.5
tuwantuwa siya sa German
35:40.6
coalition politics.
35:42.5
we are like Italy,
35:43.6
we need a Berlusconi sometimes.
35:47.7
but do you also do your job,
35:49.1
At the end of the day,
35:49.6
we still have to build
35:50.4
the Lamborghinis and Ferraris,
35:53.3
I think there was a,
35:54.1
there was a lack of appreciation
35:56.2
the emotional moment of,
35:58.3
the emotional aspect
35:59.1
of Philippine politics.
36:01.0
I think that was the problem.
36:02.2
His role model was not applicable
36:03.7
to the Philippines.
36:04.5
Perhaps if he were in Sweden
36:05.7
or a country like that,
36:07.8
I would say the same thing.
36:10.4
the empathy aspect.
36:12.6
Aneta Rojas was trying to come up
36:17.7
with the Lacoste,
36:20.2
I mean like this,
36:21.7
not to do presidential campaign.
36:23.9
I don't know what on earth
36:24.9
was going on there.
36:26.2
like from Pinoy to Maroas,
36:28.0
like really something
36:30.4
there was a disconnect,
36:32.6
they were not connecting
36:35.2
Pero you know what,
36:35.8
I'll tell you what's interesting.
36:37.5
The very reason why
36:40.8
is the same reason
36:45.9
Think about that,
36:47.0
yung that statement.
36:49.4
people never vote logically.
36:51.7
They always vote emotionally
36:54.0
and they justify it logically.
36:57.0
Kasi pag tinignan mo,
36:58.2
nun tumakbo si Pinoy,
36:59.5
he didn't have the credentials.
37:01.7
He didn't have the credentials.
37:03.5
He was a lackluster congressman.
37:07.8
Yeah, and a senator.
37:09.0
A lockdown senator, yeah.
37:11.1
he was practically absent.
37:13.5
Didn't really get a lot of bills passed.
37:15.7
he was a C student.
37:19.5
The only reason he won
37:20.5
was the emotional aspect.
37:21.7
The emotional side.
37:23.5
And everyone's like,
37:24.4
okay, let's push him.
37:26.1
So it's that same
37:27.2
lack of reasoning
37:33.2
is the same reasoning
37:35.5
that propelled Duterte to win.
37:38.8
an outpouring of emotion.
37:43.3
and people will justify that emotion.
37:45.9
I would speak to my friends
37:47.3
who were in victory.
37:48.7
I remember I had a friend
37:49.5
who was in victory na
37:51.7
And he was supporting Duterte.
37:53.6
And I said to him,
37:54.5
your question, right?
37:56.0
You agree with the killing?
38:01.2
pero kung masama naman sila,
38:04.6
well, you should just
38:05.5
denounce your religion.
38:06.7
Nag-Old Testament siguro sila.
38:10.1
and justify any kind of violence.
38:12.5
You know, I mean,
38:14.4
look at what was done to Jericho.
38:16.2
Even the oxen were killed
38:17.5
and massacred and all.
38:18.6
I was just reading
38:19.0
the verses there.
38:23.1
And here's the irony.
38:25.0
The irony is this.
38:27.5
they were saying that,
38:28.3
no, it wasn't Duterte
38:30.3
It was the drug lords
38:31.6
killing each other.
38:33.1
And then eventually,
38:34.5
pag tinignan mo yung mga bashers
38:36.0
ngayon and trolls,
38:36.6
it's so funny how
38:37.5
they didn't realize.
38:39.0
Now, they're saying,
38:41.7
matay si Duterte.
38:42.7
And then they'll say,
38:44.4
And then they'll say,
38:45.3
masama lahat yun.
38:47.1
tama yung ginagawa.
38:48.0
And I'm like, wow.
38:48.8
So you're actually admitting
38:51.3
you are supporting
38:52.0
somebody who you know
38:55.2
actually kills people
38:56.7
and you're okay with it.
39:00.5
when he was still a president,
39:03.7
So there was this transition
39:07.0
to now actually even
39:08.5
gloating and bragging about it.
39:10.5
But they didn't realize
39:11.3
they made that transition.
39:12.7
That's the funny part.
39:13.8
That by their comments,
39:15.9
they're actually validating
39:19.0
should come in here.
39:22.3
because I want to end
39:23.4
on the very eloquent way
39:25.8
the rhetorical question
39:27.4
who's the worst president
39:28.5
in the Philippines.
39:29.4
But before we just go to there,
39:33.6
there were a number
39:34.6
of very good philosophical works
39:36.5
on the question of evil
39:39.4
even controversial people
39:40.5
like Jordan Peterson
39:41.2
also said something like that.
39:42.4
In every human being,
39:43.3
there's a dark side to it.
39:44.4
I think it goes back
39:46.3
Because there are people
39:47.9
who are against Duterte.
39:49.3
They're against what Duterte did.
39:52.0
with the populist leader
39:52.9
who goes and kills
39:53.9
really corrupt leaders
39:57.2
maybe I'm okay with that.
39:58.4
But just don't kill
39:59.3
the poor, innocent people.
40:00.6
You know what I'm saying?
40:01.0
Like, there are levels to do that.
40:02.2
It's not like either or.
40:03.7
Because many people
40:06.8
a better version of Duterte
40:08.2
to kill the right people,
40:10.1
if I can put it that way,
40:11.1
which is, of course,
40:11.5
the wrong way of putting it.
40:12.6
Do you get what I'm saying?
40:13.3
Like, unfortunately,
40:13.8
there's that kind of
40:14.7
desperation to our politics
40:16.2
because our judicial institutions
40:17.5
have really not been delivering.
40:19.2
Whatever administration
40:21.5
one of the highest
40:22.1
pre-detainee trials.
40:24.4
People, you know,
40:25.2
pre-trial detainees, sorry.
40:26.7
One of the highest rates
40:27.6
of miscarriages of justice,
40:31.4
it's not really an either
40:33.1
kind of situation.
40:34.1
I think there are
40:34.7
50 shades of gray
40:35.6
when it comes to that.
40:36.2
But last point on this episode,
40:38.0
before we transition
40:38.7
to the next episode
40:39.5
and before I transition location
40:40.8
because we're all here.
40:45.3
who's the worst president
40:46.4
and who's the best president
40:51.0
everything's relative, right?
40:53.8
We're just saying
40:54.2
not in the solar,
40:55.2
but maybe in the Philippines.
40:57.0
and who's the best and why?
40:58.2
Gusto mo gusto natin.
41:00.9
Let's start with the
41:01.9
who's the best muna, Johan?
41:03.7
Are you ready for the best?
41:05.3
Mas mahirap yun, no?
41:06.8
Mas mahirap yun, eh.
41:13.6
in Philippine history
41:17.9
was the worst president
41:19.2
for so many reasons,
41:24.1
with doubling our debt,
41:26.7
over doubling our debt
41:27.8
in his last two years
41:29.7
during the pandemic
41:31.2
and then not just that,
41:32.5
people were dying
41:33.7
from the pandemic
41:34.5
and yet he allowed
41:37.6
to be able to siphon off
41:41.2
and were paying for.
41:42.7
Today, our national debt
41:44.2
is over 14 trillion
41:45.9
because of Duterte.
41:49.2
yung pagka-corruption niya
41:50.2
was gangster-level corruption
41:52.4
and he was bragging about it
41:55.4
on top of the fact
41:56.6
that he was killing everyone.
41:58.2
You remember those
41:58.9
vice mayors and mayors?
42:00.3
May isa doon yung
42:00.9
nagbabayang mag-iliyo,
42:03.9
boom, on the heart,
42:06.6
let's say he was a drug lord,
42:11.3
there is due process
42:14.0
nobody said anything
42:15.6
nung pinatay yung isang
42:17.9
sa kulungan na sinasabi.
42:22.5
As in Espinosa, right.
42:23.7
Because, you know,
42:24.5
he was a drug lord, right?
42:25.4
Okay, I didn't say anything
42:26.5
to be honest with you.
42:28.1
to be honest with you,
42:28.8
I was a little bit like,
42:30.8
That's what I'm saying.
42:31.8
That's what I'm saying.
42:33.6
There's a degree, right?
42:36.5
but there were a lot of people
42:38.4
that were innocent
42:39.1
that were getting killed
42:40.0
and going to jail
42:40.8
because they just criticized him.
42:42.6
De Lima was a perfect example.
42:45.4
And this is where
42:46.3
Duterte started to believe
42:51.5
That's why I would believe
42:52.5
that he was the worst
42:53.5
because of the psyche.
42:55.4
The belief that he was
42:58.8
has the authority
43:05.3
Even when he's not a president.
43:06.9
Do you think that
43:09.0
is one way of looking at it?
43:10.6
Do you think that's
43:12.0
Because, you know,
43:12.5
there's some people who say
43:14.0
I mean, the cult of personality,
43:15.7
the death squads,
43:18.1
the glorification
43:23.4
Those all ticks the boxes.
43:25.2
Yeah, you're right.
43:26.9
I would call him a fascist.
43:36.2
Because he's senior, right?
43:37.2
Just to be clear.
43:38.7
Junior, we have to give him
43:40.8
He still has years.
43:43.1
So senior comes in second
43:45.4
of how he inflated
43:51.0
national debt natin
43:56.8
it went from like
43:57.5
a few hundred million
44:00.2
And for a president
44:04.5
five to ten billion dollars
44:10.8
by today's standard,
44:12.4
that's still a lot of money.
44:13.4
Imagine back then.
44:14.5
The inflation that you said, yeah.
44:16.1
Yeah, that would be like
44:17.1
a hundred billion
44:17.9
to two hundred billion.
44:21.3
compute it to today's values,
44:23.3
it's an insane amount
44:24.6
and people went into poverty.
44:27.8
before he went into,
44:29.3
before he became president,
44:32.2
the Philippines was,
44:34.2
one of the most progressive
44:37.0
And then when he came in,
44:38.7
continually deteriorated.
44:40.5
But people forgot that
44:43.1
People remembered
44:45.0
that he came on the tail end
44:46.4
of the good days,
44:47.7
Asian Development Bank
44:51.7
But that's actually
44:52.4
the beginning of the end, right?
44:54.3
Yeah, but for some reason,
44:56.5
it extended all the way
44:58.9
Because few people
44:59.9
care to read about
45:03.7
a little bit better.
45:05.8
all presidents before Marcos
45:10.6
or Manuel Quezon.
45:12.5
So I think Marcos
45:16.5
Parang siya in current.
45:18.8
I just thought about
45:20.0
the male version of
45:20.8
Karen as a Kevin.
45:29.8
1960s Marcos pa rin,
45:33.6
tapos na yung good times.
45:35.9
And then the rest
45:38.3
the human rights violations,
45:39.8
You want to mention that.
45:41.5
Adding that factor in.
45:43.1
And the difference
45:45.5
he was deliberate.
45:50.3
So yung tanong lang ano.
45:51.2
Ano ba yung mas masama?
46:02.8
There was something
46:09.0
a person that believes that.
46:13.5
So Marcos comes in second
46:18.6
A good guess like
46:19.6
I think you're gonna say
46:22.2
you know with Erap
46:23.5
alam mo yung kay Erap
46:24.4
alam mo naalala ko
46:27.1
parang we were living
46:31.4
were driving around
46:32.4
with their convoys
46:33.7
doing whatever the hell
46:38.9
Erap wasn't even working.
46:41.2
He would go to work
46:45.3
I know that private area
46:47.4
that they would go to.
46:48.6
And then it was just
46:52.3
And the economy suffered.
46:53.2
Work is for the weak.
46:57.3
he was just plundering
47:00.3
we know what happened
47:03.4
knowing his ultimate demise
47:05.3
he was going to die.
47:06.5
He was gonna get killed.
47:07.8
Then spoke out against Erap
47:10.5
all the dirt came out.
47:12.0
So he's on my third.
47:12.9
I don't wanna talk
47:13.9
too much about Erap
47:15.7
Mati-depressed na tayo.
47:20.0
not in any order?
47:21.5
Again, relative terms.
47:24.1
Top three na lang.
47:34.7
to be honest with you.
47:35.6
Sige don't rank it.
47:38.7
Like what are the
47:39.2
top three presidents
47:46.4
Or are we talking
47:46.9
If wala kang type dun
47:49.2
you can go all the way
47:53.7
as far as Aguinaldo
47:54.8
pero at the same time
48:03.9
about the current
48:06.8
So if I were to do
48:17.0
yung top three ko ha.
48:19.6
in no particular order
48:23.5
and I'll tell you
48:26.5
I'll tell you what
48:33.6
kasi you know what
48:37.2
because of the fact
48:39.5
that she did work hard
48:40.7
she woke up early
48:41.7
she fixed the economy
48:43.7
along with Mar Rojas
48:44.8
the BPO industries
48:51.2
that you're seeing now
48:52.0
is because of what
48:52.6
GMA did during her time.
49:00.7
in the government
49:01.5
which was very much
49:02.9
and during his time
49:04.5
Philippines was considered
49:05.5
the tiger economy
49:13.1
dollar was 26 pesos
49:15.4
dollar was 26 pesos
49:16.4
I remember during
49:21.7
around the region
49:24.8
and he was a statesman
49:25.6
he was a statesman
49:29.4
although of course
49:30.1
I would put Ramos
49:33.8
you're the other one
49:36.6
better than Ramos
49:43.0
because economically
49:47.0
sound economic principles
49:48.2
not because he was smart
49:49.7
he hired smart people
49:54.0
to join the government
49:56.8
that I did not see
49:58.0
that was going to happen
49:59.2
and I was impressed
50:04.2
people from private sector
50:05.8
that joined the government
50:07.7
because they wanted
50:08.9
to genuinely help
50:10.0
I was so impressed
50:12.6
during Pinoy's time
50:19.6
the national debt
50:20.4
actually I think it went down
50:21.6
if I remember correctly
50:23.4
yeah as a sheriff
50:27.2
what he was able to do
50:31.5
was he lacked empathy
50:32.9
he did not connect
50:34.9
but aside from that
50:41.6
was because his government
50:43.0
opened that all up
50:49.2
to lay the groundwork
50:52.0
kept it to the next level
50:55.7
foreign investments
50:57.3
with Pinoy's time
51:00.1
we can talk about
51:02.0
sa paano many failures
51:03.9
like serious failures
51:06.1
this is relative guys
51:07.7
he's the best president
51:09.0
we're just saying
51:10.1
relative to other president
51:11.1
we can put him there
51:14.4
I see where you're coming from
51:19.6
international community
51:20.8
things we've written
51:22.0
about the Philippines
51:22.7
during Aquino time
51:24.4
increasingly respected
51:26.5
and respectable countries
51:27.6
and for me that mattered
51:28.3
because I dealt with
51:31.6
international communities
51:33.5
and that is going to be
51:34.8
a next topic episode
51:35.8
let's talk about China
51:37.0
West Philippine Sea
51:37.8
and being a Chinoy
51:39.8
interesting times
51:41.1
if we can put it that way
51:42.0
thank you very much Chris
51:46.5
I enjoyed this conversation
