Category: Charter Change

President Noynoy Aquino may have a good reason for giving a no-go to charter change!

May 22, 2013 benign0 45 Comments

In a pre-emptive strike on the whole discussion around ‘charter change’ that is likely to come up after the opening of the 16th Congress in July, President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III issued his two cents on the matter of foreign ownership of land in the Philippines. â€œI donâ€™t think they are necessary detriment to…

Charter Change, Development, Economy

The Quest Endures…

May 20, 2013 P. Farol 18 Comments

“Here we are again Kate… Ups and Downs.” — Dick Gordon, May 20, 2010 Days after garnering 500,000 votes in the 2010 Presidential Elections I cringe at the thought that after the second automated national and local elections to be held in the Philippines, aÂ sizableÂ portion of the country’s electorate is back to square one. For…

Democracy Ain’t Easy But You Shouldn’t Buy Political Reform Snake Oil

May 17, 2013 P. Farol 21 Comments

You didn’t like the results of the 2013 Philippine National and Local Elections? Â Well, tough! For those still scratching their heads and wondering why people voted the way they did, it’s probably time to go to the barber shop, ride a cab, or walkover to some random street corner for the latest political analysis. Â Just…

Charter Change, Politics

Why A Parliamentary Shift Advocacy Has ‘Lost It’

May 16, 2013May 16, 2013 P. Farol 79 Comments

It’s not so much the concept of a parliamentary form of government, but the manner in which one group chooses to push for it that has gotten the larger online Filipino community linking arms against it. Tsk tsk. Weak arguments, kilometric tirades, and focus on personal attacks are signs of a creeping desperation in this…

Charter Change

Why Enabling Steps Are Not Enough

May 13, 2013 P. Farol 47 Comments

Political dilettantes talk about “enabling steps” because that’s all they know. Most people can’t tell how a chess game will go simply just by looking at the opening game. Â I think it’s actually the middle game that determines a great game from a mediocre one and the greatness of the game is not seen in…

Charter Change, Culture, Development, Economy

Too Much Power Concentrated in Manila

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 Carlos C Tapang 32 Comments

The ongoing conflict between the DILG and Governor Gwen Garcia of Cebu has highlighted one of the fundamental problems we have in our system of government: too much centralization. Here you have a sitting governor (who is to end her term in six months) being disciplined for an offense that happened a long time ago….

Charter Change, Development, Government

Learning from Pigs and the Yellows

May 22, 2012 Hector Gamboa 25 Comments

A fellow member of the Get Real Philippines Facebook page asked an interesting question. â€œDo you agree that a change in self must happen first before a change in rules? Or do you believe in the reverse?â€ This, for me, is a thought-provoking question. Some folks, especially proponents of Charter Change (to Parliamentary form of…

Charter Change, Government, Politics

Price Hikes Versus Wage Hikes?

April 7, 2012 a 21 Comments

Amidst the political turmoil that continually pervades our country, a strong and passionate plea reverberates among the mouths of the marginalized. Amidst the slums of the Philippines echoes the unswerving determination of the less-fortunate to assert what they want from the government, as shown by the series of protests conducted by advocacy groups across the…

Charter Change, Economy, Government, Money Talks