Month: March 2020

In the time of COVID-19 pandemic, Duterte actually knows how to talk to his people

Posted on By benign0 40 Comments on In the time of COVID-19 pandemic, Duterte actually knows how to talk to his people

Ironic that Inquirer columnist Vincen Gregory Yu (was his name mis-spelt or is that really his name?), in his quaint expression of Singapore envy today, would issue the following lament in wistful observation of how well that country’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, briefed his people on how his government was managing the ongoing COVID-19…

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Politics

Icarus crashing and burning: Where are the social media “influencers” now?

Posted on By benign0 38 Comments on Icarus crashing and burning: Where are the social media “influencers” now?

Back in the day (just weeks ago, before COVID-19 came to be regarded as a force of social disruption to reckon with) the familiar social media “influencer” call to action would echo out into the social media ether on late Friday afternoons: “Weekend starts NOW!” Today that call to action would sound quaint at best,…

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Business, Glitz and Glamour, Lifestyle

COVID-19 further highlights how important it is for the Philippines to be INDEPENDENT

Posted on By benign0 22 Comments on COVID-19 further highlights how important it is for the Philippines to be INDEPENDENT

One thing the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching the world is that it is important for communities, both at local and at national levels, to be self sufficient. The drastic equalising effect of this global disaster can be felt in the accelerated dismantling of the fragile international inter-dependencies built up over decades of the “globalisation” frenzy….

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Economy, Technology

A Tale of Three Viruses: How Smallpox, the 1918 ‘Spanish’ Flu, and COVID-19 Changed the World

Posted on By Anthony Quilon 6 Comments on A Tale of Three Viruses: How Smallpox, the 1918 ‘Spanish’ Flu, and COVID-19 Changed the World

The history of human civilization is riddled with course-changing epochs in world history related to the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. I learned that important concept in evolutionary medicine when I studied evolutionary biology as a graduate student. Not only did we study the history of evolutionary theory, evidence for evolution,…

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History, Media, Science

Filipinos need to Stop Believing in Famous Names

Posted on By ChinoF 18 Comments on Filipinos need to Stop Believing in Famous Names

Many Filipinos are too lazy to think and this is demonstrated in their voting habits and approach towards people. They think of the first name that comes to mind, or that is more familiar. There’s often no bother to dig up the history of the person. They probably assume, ah these guys will automatically do…

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Culture, Glitz and Glamour

Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto should just do his job without the fanfare and the grandstanding

Posted on By benign0 27 Comments on Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto should just do his job without the fanfare and the grandstanding

The whole debate surrounding Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has nothing to do with the quality of his governance. That too, nonetheless, is debatable but is better off left to another article for another day. Here we will discuss the trouble with the disproportionate amount of media exposure Sotto is getting. Vico Sotto is making waves…

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Development, Glitz and Glamour, Government

Why is the media giving Vico Sotto more than his fair share of exposure?

Posted on By benign0 8 Comments on Why is the media giving Vico Sotto more than his fair share of exposure?

It’s likely because Vico Sotto, Mayor of Pasig City is the son of showbiz personalities. His mother is Coney Reyes Mumar, former co-host of hit noontime TV variety show Student Canteen. His father is mega-star Vic Sotto, brother to Senate President Tito Sotto and a member of the huge comedy trio act Tito Vic and…

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Glitz and Glamour, Media

The COVID-19 pandemic did not “expose” the class divide. It’s always been there in plain sight!

Posted on By benign0 25 Comments on The COVID-19 pandemic did not “expose” the class divide. It’s always been there in plain sight!

People are now lamenting the sad social divide supposedly laid bare as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages Philippine society. This comes across as mere quaint virtue signalling within the current context — one that provides fertile environment for that sort of behaviour. The fact is, the social divide has always been there for all to behold…

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Society