I must say that I am a little confused by your argument. You say that the Phils have poor human rights because of the corruption of the ruling elite. If you would re-read my piece, that’s my argument too: “So when asked what the biggest human rights problem in the country is I have only one answer: the government itself.”

As for your arguments against foreign influence, I am glad to know that you have an interest in post-WWII politics in developing nations. Perhaps you can show me, because as you say my thesis is “demonstrably false,” this evidence of yours that neo-colonialism was/is not a major factor in the underdevelopment of countries like the Philippines?

You point to Korea and Japan—both are US satellites that have been allowed to be regional junior powers [note that Japan only paid direct reparations to Western powers] so they’re not really proper parallels. I could just as easily point to Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, most of SEAsia, Africa, Latin America, etc.

You ask that I stop playing the “victim game.” Sir, do you truly believe victims choose to be so? Sir, would you truly categorise the kind of suffering experienced by peoples in impoverished countries like mine to be playing a ‘game?’

What a bunch of hogwash. Japan and South Korea have treaties and commitments to a foreign power (of course you mean the USA) and they’re doing just fine. And both of them were occupied more recently than the Philippines.

You also say, “…it [human rights] can only be in their interest if the ruling classes are members of the ruled classes—this is one of the proclaimed virtues of democracy.”

Baloney. In the USA everyone, including the poor, has human rights, and our rulers have almost always been members of the elite. Yes, the extension of human rights to everyone is not perfect (especially not now), but to say that the non-elites do not have human rights at all would be ridiculous. And the same could be said for basically all of Western Europe. You are parroting Communist dogma that is demonstrably false.

Stop playing the victim game. People do not have human rights in the Philippines because your ruling elite is corrupt, and that is nobody’s fault but theirs.