Category: Culture

Philippines, the sick man of Asia “again”? No. It ALWAYS HAS been sick!

March 18, 2021 benign0 26 Comments

Certain “thought leaders” are issuing shrill commentary on the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns aimed to mitigate its effects. The fact is, most if not all countries are suffering from economic crises in varying degrees thanks to the brittle world order of intricately interdependent and interlinked economies created by “globalisation”….

Culture, Development, Economy

German Engineering, Japanese Precision and Filipino Pride

March 14, 2021 zaxx 70 Comments

Some racially-oriented collocations you may have stumbled across would include German engineering and Japanese precision. It gets amusing though when you see those words lined up with our very own Filipino Pride. Are you ready for a deep dive into the cultural DNA behind these either tech-generating or -consuming nations? Let’s go for a quick…

Culture, Development

Why the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the Philippines is like a typical Manila rush hour experience

March 1, 2021January 4, 2022 benign0 2 Comments

Watching how the COVID-19 vaccine comes available to the Filipino public in recent days reminds me of the state of public transport in the Philippines. The service is inconsistent and unpredictable — all madness and very little semblance of method. Like the variety of buses, jeepneys, and all sorts of mechanical contraptions that clunk along…

Culture, Government, Society

Should “trans” and “queer” roles in cinema and TV be limited only to “trans” and “queer” actors?

February 27, 2021February 27, 2021 benign0 2 Comments

The notion of actors only of a certain sexual orientation or who “identify” with a certain gender being qualified to play characters in cinema or TV that are of the same sexual orientation or gender identification is the subject of much debate. Actually, thinking again, for many in that community, the entitlement is practically a…

Culture, Glitz and Glamour, Society

Trump Presidency According to Charles Dickens

January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 Hector Gamboa 1 Comment

Charles Dickens wrote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring…

Culture, Politics, Society

No bastard ever won a war by dying for her country

December 1, 2020 benign0 7 Comments

The New People’s Army (NPA) “warrior” Jevilyn Cullamat is now dead. Her grieving mother, Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat, described her as a “martyr” too perhaps hoping that some meaning could be harvested from the utter senselessness of her passing at the age of 22. Sadly it is unlikely that any meaning in hers and…

Culture, Society

All bark and no bite: Will Leni Robredo REALLY stand up to Duterte as his EQUAL?

November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 benign0 6 Comments

That remains to be seen. Then again, on second thought, hasn’t Leni Robredo always been on a campaign against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte? From Day One, “vice president” Leni Robredo remained on campaign mode against her own government long after the elections had been concluded and well into her (disputed) term as VP. She was…

Culture, Politics, Society

Leni Robredo is not good for the intellectual growth of the Filipino people

November 23, 2020 benign0 6 Comments

It is quite amazing that the Opposition have not realised yet that all “vice president” Leni Robredo offers is the here-and-now and nothing much beyond that. Indeed, at the time of this writing, Robredo is top of mind amongst her fandom having just scored PR points that landed her some media — and social media…

Culture, Politics