We beg to differ.
Filipinos like to see themselves as happy people. But this contradicts the numerous times Filipinos express outrage against something. Outrage fads come from time to time. Adam Carolla’s criticisms, Katherine Ryan’s joke using Filipino children, a woman named Kiki, and many other things seem to bring out the Filipinos’ anger hormones. Worst of all, some…
I realised the whole problem with the prevailing discourse within the social media space I inhabit: there is too much discussion about politics and not enough about the underlying issue with Philippine society that I have long highlighted is the real deal here — Filipino culture. Fact is, the Philippines is beset by a really…
Read More “Repeat after me: I am the Philippines and I am home to a dysfunctional society” »
I’ve come to realise that much of Philippine history was really all about a monumental effort to counter centuries of butthurt. The Philippine “revolution” of 1898 was an epic reaction to 400 years of butthurt in the hands of Spain. The arbitrary re-defining of the 4th of July, 1946 from “Philippine Independence Day” to “Philippine-American…
Read More “Much of Philippine history was motivated by Filipinos’ kneejerk butthurt reactions” »
I love Filipino food!!! I never get tired of eating adobo. The taste is so primal because I just think it satisfies every human being’s craving for protein and salt – those two key ingredients that help keep our bodies from malfunctioning. For me, Adobo is one of those dishes that make you want to…
Read More “Why some foreigners would rather go hungry than eat Filipino food” »
Tom Ripley: I always thought it would be better, to be a fake somebody… than a real nobody. The Talented Mr Ripley is a movie about a con man played by Matt Damon. All throughout the movie we see Damon’s character convincingly deceive almost every person in his path. Which is something that goes…
Standards of honor in Filipino civilian society are quite simply, bulok. The only opinion I have had – and will ever have – of Mr. Aldrin Cudia’s case with the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is this: the only thing known for sure is that the Honor Committee found him guilty of violating the Honor Code….
Read More “You can’t apply dishonorable Filipino civilian standards to military institutions” »
I don’t pretend to know much about the nitty-gritty of military life. In fact, the closest I ever came to experiencing it involved being an officer in the Citizen’s Army Training (CAT) program in high school, and being a normal cadet in the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in college. If anyone cares to…
Read More “Why cadet Cudia’s case has played out on social media like an EDSA revolution” »
This post builds on something I said in a post on my personal online journal, “PPP Is Really Pinoy Poverty Porn” and recent news saying that the National Telecommunications Commission will soon be requiring ISPs to implement carrier grade monitoring programs in compliance with RA 9775 or the Philippine Anti-child pornography law. Formally defined, porn or…
Read More “Why The Words “Filipino” and “Porn” Go Together” »