They were once labelled the "sick man of Asia" and things have not changed much ever since and even after every change of government, without doubt, they are still indisposed, economically and morally.
Every succeeding government leaders have their hands in the cookie jar, as competently corrupt as the previous ones.
The country is still suffering a cauldron of repressed anger from the Muslims of Southern Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, mired in abject poverty, mistreated, neglected and left to their own devices in one of the most most turbulent and lawless countries in the world.
About 30% of the population still live below the poverty line and things are not getting any better for them, the corrupt get richer and the poor poorer.
Due to decades of neglect by the Christian dominated government the Southern Filipinos are still mired in poverty and live in squalid conditions and the only thing they understand well is the barrel of the gun.
A war of attrition against the central government continued for decades of disenfranchised and dissatisfied Moros fighting for an independent homeland.
Hundreds of thousands of them ran away from their restive provinces and migrated to Sabah in search of a better life. A better life that their own government could not provide them.
In Sabah, much to our own perils, we welcome them with open arms, gave them jobs and extended the same amenities as any Sabahan would have enjoyed. They burdened our health and education system to the core and destroyed our marine environment with their destructive fishing methods. Things that they would not have dreamt of getting in their homeland, we provide them for free. They returned our kindness with guns and bullets.
Out of the wormhole out crawled a fake sultan who saw the prosperity, richness and resourcefulness of our state tormenting his envious desire for money-grubbing. This green-eyed monster, who cannot differentiate between "pajak" and "sewa" of a treaty signed by his ancestors ceding Sabah to the then British North Borneo and later assigned to Malaysia when Sabah gained independence, claimed that Sabah belong to him by virtue of a lease agreement signed by his forefathers and justifying his rightful claim by sending a ragtag private army to invade Sabah with the intention of taking back the territory.
From a mad sultan of a defunct dynasty to a lame-duck president who has no balls to do the right thing.
President Aquino made himself a laughing stock to the whole world when he says he dared not arrest the sultan and his band of terrorists and criminals. The Sultan defied him here.
Where in the world a private citizen is allowed to have his own army. Only in this lawless country such nonsense is possible.
Based on the offence of him keeping a private army, he can be arrested, charged and thrown in the slammer where he can do no more harm to Philippines and Malaysia diplomatic relations.
More hilarious is his Chief of Police, who is a bigger clown than the President, says he would not arrest those bandits if they return to the Philippines because they have not committed any crime in the Philippines.
As ridiculous as it get, even terrorist like Nur Misuari can threaten the President and his balls shrank so badly, he dares not take action against the brain dead sultan.
Aquino has told Malaysia even before being asked that he would not extradite the decrepit and dim-witted sultan to Malaysia to face our justice system for illegal invasion of our state, murder and destruction of lives and properties. He fears them.
Now, you know why the Philippines government could not get rid of terrorism in their country, because they have timid, irresolute and irresponsible leaders.
If the Philippines refused to extradite the scumbag we should do what the American and Israelis always do, send a covert mission over there to eliminate him and all his cohorts.
