Year: 2015

Who Among the 2016 Candidates Will Hold BS Aquino Accountable After His Term?

December 4, 2015December 5, 2015 MidwayHaven 17 Comments

Shortly after a popular uprising in 2001, Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Estrada was removed from his position and replaced by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who before that point was the Vice President. Under pursuit by Arroyo and the Supreme Court, Estrada was arrested for government plunder and found guilty after a lengthy trial, though Arroyo eventually pardoned him…

Crime, Development, Government, Politics, The South

Demanding Change Without Changing Oneself Won’t Change Anything

December 4, 2015 Grimwald 12 Comments

First, let’s begin with a story from my 4th grade teacher… There was this kid who saw how bad and ugly the world was and prayed: “Lord, please change the world so that everyone can be happy!” Unfortunately, nothing happened. When the kid became a teen, he saw how terrible the state of his country was so he…

Civics, Culture, Development, Government, Politics, Religion, Society

Duterte’s dangerous experiment: Vigilantism as state-sanctioned doctrine

December 4, 2015 benign0 32 Comments

We all have bad experiences dealing with other people. Some of those experiences make us wish we could just take a gun and shoot whoever had caused those bad experiences. But we don’t because there are also consequences for doing so. Perhaps in the case of the Philippines, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte and what he’s…

Crime, Culture, Development, Politics, Society, The South

Rodrigo Duterte needs a PR makeover to win the presidency

December 4, 2015 Ilda 36 Comments

It looks like Davao Mayor and Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is going to be another public relations nightmare similar to President Benigno Simeon Aquino and another Presidential aspirant Mar Roxas. Just like BS Aquino and Roxas, Duterte is acting like a loose cannon – speaking and acting like he does not care about what people…

Crime, Media, Politics, Society

Who Among the 2016 Candidates will Prioritize Climate Issues?

December 3, 2015 MidwayHaven 15 Comments

Clearly my most recent article hit a delicate nerve (or to put it colloquially, “aimed for the butthurt”), as revealed by the numerous replies left by visitors who took the time to skim through it. Most of the comments have only proven my point: instead of rebutting the various other points which I offered in…

Environment, Government, Science

Dutertards need to win over the Manila vote by being a bit classier

December 3, 2015December 3, 2015 Kate Natividad 331 Comments

I don’t like starting my articles with the caveat “Don’t get me wrong, but…”. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what everybody did in my last article. So here’s the thing (and I hope all you ‘tards turn on your comprehension faculties for a change): I have no problem with Duterte and, really, I don’t mind him becoming…

Crime, Culture, Politics, Society, The South

Provocateur: Doing it the Duterte way

December 3, 2015 rsurtida 9 Comments

The thing about polarizing characters like Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is that they often conjure passionate emotions from people. Often in the most extreme, opposite ends of the spectrum. It’s either passionate disgust or fanatical adoration. But never dismissive indifference. Black or white, no gray areas. But as with most polarizing topics, it is…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society, The South

So many putangina Filipinos Mr Duterte, so why Pope Francis?

December 2, 2015 Kate Natividad 31 Comments

Mr. Rodrigo Duterte, what the hell, man? Why swear at the Pope?? He’s, well, the Pope! You had a good thing going there for a while. And then you had to swear at Pope Francis. Jesus Christ. I know you’ve got an army of Dutertards who will follow you to hell (specially now that you…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Lifestyle, Politics, Society