Even a foreigners wife can get the Blame

My wife was returning home from her mothers on Sunday Evening, Travelling along the Barangay Road. From a side turning came another Motorbike, not stopping or looking, driven by a 12 year old local, they collided. The damage was minimal but enough to render our bike non ride-able (Gear shift bent) luckily we have a repair shop next door so, we had it fixed. Now, The Captain gets involved, via an opposition counselor, the Captain says, can we leave this until after the Elections? then tells my Wife, anyway, You are married to a Foreigner and you have had it fixed, so what is the problem.

The Boy has no money! mmmmm No money but a motorbike and only 12. Seems, not only is it our Fault and we have to pay the damage for a lad, not even old enough to ride the bike on the road But now my Wife, has to endure the mentality of "Oh is OK, she is married to a Foreigner, so all will be paid for"
Does the boy get any Discipline Ha! Of course not, he was going to the shop to buy cigarettes, so its OK to ride the bike.

Where does this mentality finish


JP

 

& there my friend is the main cause of most of the problems in this country .
NO consequences for anybody's actions in this country, Except of course if you are a "Foreigner"...

 

What is bad for you is good for me.

IF that is the mental capacity of the lowest level of political leadership then what happens when these captains move up in the Philippine Political world? Is this someday going to be the guy who protests against the US military presence here, as he begs for protection at the same time? Has anyone realized that you, a foreigner, may just be contributing more to the overall benefit of the Barangay than the 12 year old?

It keeps coming back to what I was told is the philosophy here: " What is bad for you is good for me."

 

bypass the captain and go to the police, and hope the police are not relatives

 

There, lies a BIG problem (this is why my wife was not amused with any Barangay interference, the Local officer here, is the Captains Brother, and the boy is related.) it only came about because an opposition council member, thought (wrongly) he would gain a vote, from my Wife, so he retold the Story to the Captain. We, Azon and I agreed, that we will just forget the incident and just keep our usual Low Profile ( well as low as we can after this.) I guess it is just another item for the list, Azon, is from a neighbouring Barangay so I guess, she too, may be looked on, as a Foreigner here and can't do with any problems. She just says, we have to live and learn even though, a good many of the Local families around, are related to her.

It is all good fun of course, when I walked the Dogs this Morning, things were pretty much normal so maybe, it is not as bad as it could have been


JP

 

After reading what happened and the conclusion of the local authority still only one word fits this country: it was a banana republic and it will be a banana republic a long time when even a simple accident like this is treated the way they did. As a matter of fact discipline, responsibility are words that are commonly unknown in this country.

 

Barangay officials do not have judicial power. They are mediators. With that in mind, the Captain's advice (not a decision in any legal sense) makes sense. The party with the ability to pay should shoulder the burden. Now if police gave that advice and put it in a report indicating fault, it would be another matter. But my experience with local police is not that way. Any accident for which you want a report for insurance or other purposes should go to the local police.

 

Wow .. that logic escapes me completely

 

No consequences

Unfortunately most irresponsible of the people driving think this way. That is why the poor drive the way the do, without care, responsibility and consequences. That is why they drive at night without lights, etc. There is no downside for driving irresponsibility here if you are the poor on in the accident. Most alcoholics have no resources to pay, so they can drive anyway they want.


The more ex-pats that learn that before they move here the better. There will be less frustration on the ex-pats part with accepting the way the laws are applied here.