We beg to differ.
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…
Read More “Demanding Change Without Changing Oneself Won’t Change Anything” »
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…
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…
Read More “So many putangina Filipinos Mr Duterte, so why Pope Francis?” »
I have read many comments on social media and the Philippine press regarding the issue of Grace Poe. The more I read, the more I am convinced that this is an emotional topic, delving as it does on issues of nationalism, leadership, politics and citizenship, and there is no one rational correct answer that will…
Do Filipino married couples deserve “A Second Chance”? According to Philippine law, it’s a pointless question — because divorce is illegal in the Philippines. What then are Filipino couples’ options? Nothing, actually. Filipinos must make their marriages work come hell or high water — because marriage failure is not an option under Philippine law. If…
Read More “‘A Second Chance’ is a pointless concept in a nation where divorce is illegal” »
After my post on the gun culture of the United States, I realized I was missing one key factoid to my argument: the “culture of honor” in the American South. In short, this culture, mostly attributed to the Southern (or Confederate) culture of the U.S. and related to the pro-gun culture, dictates that people should…
Well, what would one expect of a character like Rodrigo Duterte? A man with his character would, indeed, reflect the character of his constituents. Mga balasubas. My colleague Paul Farol earlier wrote about the plight of a certain Jack Labang who had the “audacity” to post a disapproving comment about Duterte’s recent announcement of his…
Read More “Saving Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign from his own balasubas supporters” »
The recently-concluded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Metro Manila proved that to get the best results out of the Philippines’ premiere metropolis, its residents need to be excluded from major events like these. This is quite ironic considering the theme of APEC Manila 2015 was inclusion — getting as many ordinary Filipinos in…