It has been a few months now since Australian Brian Gorell started exposing on his now widely known blog the nooks and crannies of Manila’s high society, especially those part of the Gucci Gang, which his ex-lover DJ Montano is a member of. I’m not about to indulge myself in a blow-by-blow account of the events that have transpired in Brian’s blog and his life in the past few months. I know you know already, but if you don’t, all I can say (or ask) is “Where in the world have you been?”
There have been a few times ever since when I thought of writing of delfindjmontano.blogspot.com here in cantblamextin.blogspot.com, but I never came to it. It seemed to me that every single person is already writing about it and reading most of these articles, blogs, and other materials have exhausted me. I felt that everything has already been said. I really didn’t find it appealing anymore to put in my own two cents.
I have since been an avid reader of Brian’s blog. You know me. Well, if you don’t, you must know, then, that I do love a good intrigue or two. And I do hate thieves-liars-posers like DJ Montano. From the beginning, I have been appalled by the people who have caused Brian’s sufferings and hardships. Really, I want these devils to die a slow death…but of course, DJ should pay up his hefty debt, first, or have one of his pseudo socialite-slash-BFFs pay it for him.
I must admit, though, that it has sometimes been difficult for me to understand some of his posts. His blog reeks of anger, frustration, and, I guess, revenge as well because of the trickery that was DJ Montano and his swindling ways. But sometimes, I think that the words he chooses to express these emotions with are inappropriate already. One moment, some idiot (DJ) unlawfully takes the property of another. The next moment, a crime, a wrongdoing, or an unorthodox characteristic is, all of a sudden, imputed not just to the selfish half-wits that did wrong to Brian, but also to the whole Philippine nation.
xtin said...
good thing i chanced upon your blog again, with your comments section up and running, because i've been wanting to say something.
although i share your sentiments, that you were really f*cked up by dj montano--stealing money and other property from you--i do not appreciate how you often describe the philippines and us filipinos.
how could you even muster enough, i don't know, courage (?) to say that you love the philippines and the filipinos when you often speak of us in a dark tone? so condescendingly and so sweeping, brian?
how can you say that you love the Philippines when you call us a THIRD WORLD country, not in an objective critique, but in more of an insulting manner?
how can you say that you love the Philippines and its "amazing" vacation spots when all you've virtually ever been to is BORA?
how can you say that you love filipinos when you call us thieves and murderers, and portray us as if we are ALL money-grubbing half-wits and criminals of creatures.?
how can you say that you love filipinos when you call us freeloaders, liars, and social climbers in such a sweeping manner, even though only a FEW people ever did wrong to you? people YOU chose to trust... people who belonged to a society YOU once enjoyed and thrived in. you were once one of them, brian. whatever words you speak, there's no denying that YOU WERE one of them. You, DJ, Celine, Tina, and other cohorts were part of this society you’ve continuously described and bashed. But not ALL Filipinos were and are part of this society you speak of.
I don’t understand your irony, brian. You say you love our country and its people, but you put us in such a bad light in SOME (if not MOST) of your blogs. I don’t appreciate how you generalize everyone here when all your comments only proceed from less than a year’s experiences you have supposed to have had in INTERCON and BORA. As much as I feel for your deteriorating health and financial distress, I still think that you can’t bash the FILIPINO PEOPLE as if you KNOW US and as if you lived in OUR COUNTRY for a significant amount of time. You still lack perspective, mate.
If you’re pissed, limit your sentiments to the people who did hurt you. Never ever generalize. Don’t be fallacious, brian. You’re way too smart for that.
Notice that I came here not to do grammar and spell checks to your blog entries. I just hope you’d also focus on the meaning of what I’ve said rather than the form I chose to put it in.
All of that being said, I still do want to say that I sincerely wish you well. I’m praying for your safety and peace of mind. Good luck in your endeavors, brian!
May 26, 2008 1:24 PM
I posted this and waited for it to be approved by Brian. So just this morning, I checked back and found my comment visible to everyone (as it was duly approved by the owner of the blog). Brian even had a brand spanking new post entitled “Quack!” (http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/2008/05/quack.html) addressed to his haters, apparently drawn in by his previous post “Murdered in the Philippines” (http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-australian-murdered-in.html), to which my above quoted comment was directed at. Did Brian consider me a hater because of my comment? Hopefully not. I tried really hard to be as objective and constructive as I could have been. Besides, even if I did sound like a hater, I really am not. I just was not appreciative of some of the things he said.
I was about to close the browser window and get on with my day when I decided to look at the other comments. I found this:
Anonymous said...
To xtin...
I would like to know what part of the Philippines you lived in. The way you speak sounded like you live in a perfect world. Please do not try to tell us that you have never been wronged by anyone amongst your race. That is hard to believe. I am a pure Filipino and know what is like to be fooled and scammed, not only by people I trusted but everyone surrounding me. The government, the rich, the poor, family and friends are just all the same when it comes to money. They do whatever it takes to get what others have.
I am one of many Filipinos overseas that are still trying to help the country despite of bad experiences I've had while living in the Philippines. This is because somehow I still have the love and hope for the country. I understand where Brian is coming from when he said, "he love the Filipino and the Philippines" but at the same time he sees the worse of it. This is the problem of the Filipino mentality, you think when you said you love someone or something you can put aside everything bad about that person and go on your merry ways. This is the reason why a person/country is not moving on to better things because we ignore what we need to fix.
More power to you Brian…Keep it coming!
Your Supporter from Texas USA,
Grace
May 27, 2008 3:29 AM
The first moment I read this post, which is obviously directed at me (thanks to the very blatant salutation), I was amused. I took this one opportunity to react in the blog and I instantly gain a detractor.
Now, I shall take my time to extend what I feel to Grace and Brian, here in my own blog. Lest someone accuses me of using delfindjmontano.blogspot.com, someone else’s blog, to air out MY CONCERNS.
Dear Grace from TEXAS, USA,
Thanks for taking time to react to what I said.
I “lived” (sic) in Parañaque, Philippines. I grew up here. It has been 25 years. I have since graduated from a Philippine University, obtained a Philippine Professional License, and worked for a Philippine firm.
My experiences and education, as worthless as they may seem to you, have taught and made me aware that this is a perfectly IMPERFECT world. Indeed, I was “wronged” by people of the same race as I am. I admit to walk the same soil as thieves and liars, but I will never hate the whole society and have one rotten citizen ruin it for everyone. As when I am robbed by own of my neighbors. It will never mean that my WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD will rob me just because one of my own neighbors actually did rob me. I also know “what is” (sic) like to be scammed by the people whom I “trusted” (sic).
As far as we are the same in these matters, there are bound to be disparities between our characteristics.
As opposed to your way of helping the Philippines by working overseas, I CHOSE TO STAY HERE in our country. To work and expand my career. HERE. “Despite of” (sic) my bad experiences, as miniscule and mundane as they may seem. I do not support brain drain that is why I am here where I am at. It was a choice to stay in and work for the country that gave me a home and provided me with an education, and have its OWN society, not a foreign nation, reap the fruits of its investment it had devoted in me. I believe that in my own little and silly way, I will be able to help improve our country. If that sounds irrationally idealistic to you, then there is absolutely nothing I could do about that.
I do understand where Brian is coming from. I just do not understand his irony in saying that "he love the Filipino and the Philippines" (sic) but at the same time he talks, albeit in a very subtle way, so condescendingly of the country he oh so loves. There is a huge difference between simply SEEING the worse of it and being condescending about it. As much as I also support his cause, only to the point where he wants his money back, I cannot support political incorrectness. If DJ Montano is a thief, then he alone should be persecuted for it. If an Aussie was murdered by a Filipino, it does not mean that all Aussies that go to the Philippines will be murdered. I am no patriot, but hey, it sure does affect me when someone comes up with a nasty slur about Filipinos and the Philippines. Not only a thin line but a distinct border exists between constructive criticism and plain indiscriminate bashing. It is only the former, never the latter, that we FILIPINOS should pay attention to and work on.
I am not perfect neither is the “world” I live in. It does show in my “grammatical lapsing” (sic). But I think I am allowed idealism and hope. I am lacking of it, most of the time, but this time around, I am full of it.
Dear Brian,
I am no hater. As I have said, I am, in fact, an avid reader of your blog. I commented on your post (and many others that you have published) because I did not appreciate its condescending undertone. I never called you a racist, because I do not believe that you are. You are pissed. That I know. The sweeping statements and the hasty generalizations that your entries DO contain, those I do not appreciate.
You said in “Quack” that Filipinos get riled up with just one negative comment thrown our way. Well frankly, who won’t? Especially when it talks of murderers, swindlers, liars, and other shameless what-nots in the same sentence where the words “FILIPINOS” and the “PHILIPPINES” appear? It does not take a genius to connect the dots.
It is like the times when people comment on the things you say because of your sexual orientation or your supposed illness. You do get mad at those moments, right? Well, so do we.
I am all for you writing anything in your blog, come what may, whatever you feel like writing about. After all, it IS your blog. You have the freedom and I am in no position to stifle that freedom. But if I find anything in your block that I do not appreciate, I should also be given such liberty to express what I feel. That is what the “comments” portion is for, after all.
We are a good people. We are rough around the edges, but we are a good people, nonetheless. I know you know that. It’s just that, sometimes, you do not sound like you do.
Despite that, I do support your original cause in your attempts in getting your life savings back. I do hope you get your money back. I will pray for your good health and even better days for you.
xtin
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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