From: perezc@woods.ulowell.edu
Subject: Re: image problem?
Organization: University of Lowell
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 03:01:45 GMT

In article <jke2.702766337@Ra.MsState.Edu>, jke2@Ra.MsState.Edu (Joselito K. Estrada) writes:
> teej@aix.rpi.edu (Johannson Jimmy Tee Jr.) writes:
> 
>>In article <92098.220329U52892@uicvm.uic.edu> <U52892@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
> 
>>I am not surprised.  Over here in Troy, New York, one would expect that 
>>people are open-minded.  In Rensselaer Polytechnic INstitute, a school that 
>>is often compared with MIT, Caltech, etc.., one would expect students to be
>>sympathetic to foreign students who enjoy life in the US.  
> 
> The last line sounds familiar. Didn't our predecessors a century ago were also
> enjoying life in Europe and the local students being sympathetic to their cause.The problem was that they received little respect from the general public.
> 
>>Personally, I have met Americans who told me bluntly that the reason the 
>>Philippines is in the situation of underdevelopment is that Filipinos keep
>>immigrating to the US.  They have no love, no patriotism, and no value of
>>sacrifice to make the PHilippines a better country.   
> 
> Immigration as a source of underdevelopment seems to have little merit if the 
> root of the problem emanates from within the system back home. Filipinos who 
> have decided to live outside of the Philippines are no less patriotic nor have
> less love for the motherland.
> 
> Case in point, here in the southeast (too bad we're not in the same league as the schools back in the northeast ((just a joke))) there are a number of Filipino
> scholars who could be of tremendous benefit to the country. They have made 
efforts to go back and be of service to the people. They come back
 disillusioned. There is no money for research. The government has made no
 direct and conscious effort to provide grants for them (What the government
 has now is just lip-service to the idea of a Balik-Scientist program).
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^

You hit it right on the mark.  Maybe I do have one advantage over the Filipino
students who have gone to study here straight out of high school or college.
I spent 3 years of my life fighting that bureaucracy(sp?) over there.  
If any of you guys have any grand plans about going back and
'saving' the country, then I guess you should start preparing yourself
early.  Alot of the skills you have developed over here may not be applicable
over there.  Don't expect that there be facilities or even any semblance of
an organization to support you there.  Be prepared to be able to build
things from scratch.  And of course, don't be surprised when people tell
you how much you're needed, yet don't even provide a centavo of support.
If this weren't enough, be prepared to come up with results fast and make
sure that they're commerciable too!  Your financial backers expect that
you have something that is commerciable instantly.   Of course you 
should also build up your PR and Political skills, you'll need this when
someone tries to get in your way, and believe me there will be lots of
them. People really have nothing else to do but to pull each other down,
typical crab mentality.


> 
> To stick it out back home with not enough funds to do research, let alone 
feed 
> one's family, is not patriotic...it is foolhardy!
> 
> I thought that after the last regime things would be better. I went to Houston,
> TX a month ago to renew my passport. I was shocked by the attitude of the
> consular officials. The atmosphere was just like back home ( people just sitting down doing nothing or reading a magazine). The situation was pathetic. How does one expect to be patriotic and feel love for one's country if his country's 
> emmissaries are full of apathy (I guess unless if you have enough cash to 
> grease them) towards their kababayans who are away from home.
> 



> I'm taking up too much bandwidth. I'm just ticked off with what's going on
> back home and how we are being treated over here.
> 
> JKE

Hey you're not the only one who is ticked off.  

Though I find myself well treated over here.  Back home I had to deal with
alot of red tape and alot of politics.