Category: Charter Change

A three decade throwback: the 1992 presidential elections

Posted on By The Unpopular Opinion No Comments on A three decade throwback: the 1992 presidential elections

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had recently finished his first State of the Nation Address last month. Numerous analysts have lauded the president’s speech for showcasing what technocracy really is, most specially when he has enumerated his legislative agenda that should be prioritized by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Hopefully, Marcos Jr’s six-year…

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Charter Change, History, Politics

What the Philippines can learn from the late Shinzo Abe

Posted on By The Unpopular Opinion 3 Comments on What the Philippines can learn from the late Shinzo Abe

The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the campaign period in Nara Prefecture sent shockwaves all over the world. In broad daylight while publicly expressing his support for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he was shot from behind using a handmade gun. He was rushed to the nearest prefectural hospital but was…

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Charter Change, Culture, History, Politics

Character-based politics and why it should stop

Posted on By The Unpopular Opinion 72 Comments on Character-based politics and why it should stop

The Philippines concluded its recently held general elections, where we witnessed the beginning of a new chapter in Philippine history. The Marcos-Duterte tandem, together with a number of their publicly endorsed senatorial candidates, are expected to serve their national positions this coming June. The Marcos-Duterte ticket won by a landslide, garnering around 60% of the…

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Charter Change, Development, History, Politics

Revising the 1987 Constitution could put an end to communist insurgencies in the Philippines

Posted on By The Unpopular Opinion 9 Comments on Revising the 1987 Constitution could put an end to communist insurgencies in the Philippines

Issues regarding communist insurgencies in the Philippines are once again the talk of the town as the country prepares to elect its next chief executive. The current administration has been aggressive in addressing problems associated extreme leftist groups and their armed counterparts. Definitely, the next head of government would inherit these successes as the military…

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Business, Charter Change, Development, Economy

Philippines running out of qualified leaders because current system encourages stupid politicians

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll 2 Comments on Philippines running out of qualified leaders because current system encourages stupid politicians

Political reforms aren’t forthcoming any time soon. The perfect opportunity to institute them was just after the 1986 “revolution” when Cory Aquino established a revolutionary government after she was installed as President. Unfortunately, this was wasted because the commissioners to the Constitutional Commission basically reinstated the political system in place before the 1973 Constitution was…

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Charter Change, Politics, Society

The insanity that is the Philippine Presidential System—Why “voting wisely” never works

Posted on By PulbuRonn 3 Comments on The insanity that is the Philippine Presidential System—Why “voting wisely” never works

The Presidential system, in the case of the Philippines, is a hit-or-miss phenomenon. You get a random Joe to run for the highest office in the land in a once-in-a-lifetime chance and hold said office for 6 years. If he’s bad, at least he’ll get to ruin the country for only 6 years. If he’s…

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Charter Change, Government, Politics

The Philippines’ “Bucket List” – a vision for a better country

Posted on By PulbuRonn 5 Comments on The Philippines’ “Bucket List” – a vision for a better country

Before we get into the meat of this post, I think an explanation on the term “bucket list” is owed towards those out of the loop. A bucket list is a list of activities a person intends to do before they die or, idiomatically speaking, before they “kick the bucket.” This is not to say…

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Charter Change, Development, Politics

Opposition against charter change because they fear disruption to a political order that benefits a few

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll 1 Comment on Opposition against charter change because they fear disruption to a political order that benefits a few

If you look at a map of the pre-Spanish “Philippines,” you would see that sultanates were the norm. The archipelago was heavily influenced by Islam which came by way of Indonesia and Malaysia. It was the Spaniards who introduced Christianity. One could argue that if the archipelago wasn’t colonized it would be composed today of…

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Charter Change, Education, Society