According to a recent article published at Worker's World and it's headline, "US behind reign of terror sweeping Philippines", the US is responsible for the assassinations and abductions of anti-government activists. The author makes it a point to inform the reader that the Philippines government is merely a puppet of the US and is catering to the US' imperialistic policies and practices in the region, starting at the beginning of the 20th century.

The author claims that US Imperialism is not just helping to increase the poverty and despair in the Philippines, but is directly causing it. There are two words that are really causing the poverty and despair here in the Philippines: Corruption and laziness.

Journalists who never leave their "glass houses" and venture into the communities that they write about need to have their abilities to publish anything at all revoked. I know for a fact that the Philippine government is corrupt at every level. So, the US is responsible for that too?

Don't get me started on the laziness factor. I see it every day! I watch people walk to and fro, not even attempting to find work. The most common retort to my observation is that "there aren't any jobs". Hogwash! I am not a Filipino and I'm not fluent in the local language, and I have no extraordinary skills that would make me valuable to the work force, but I know I could get a job here if I wanted one.