Category: Culture

Upholding honor: Filipino civilian and military societies need to work hand in hand

March 16, 2014March 17, 2014 FallenAngel 2 Comments

The definition of “honor” that Filipinos are more familiar with – and therefore live out more – is, in the vernacular, dangal. Dignity. They will use whatever means necessary, even illegal, to protect their dignity from hiya (shame, losing face). The other, just as important way to define honor – katapatan, propriety – is hardly…

Civics, Culture, Lifestyle, Society

Is the sex trade all Filipinos have to offer to visiting US troops?

March 16, 2014March 16, 2014 benign0 38 Comments

Apparently certain Filipino activists think so. Spokesperson for Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan (Kaisa Ka) Proleta Gomez, in a statement implied that the “support” the United States Armed Forces receives from the Philippines as it increases its troop deployment there under new agreements with the Philippine government is likely to be mainly in the…

Culture, Lifestyle, Society

The Philippines: an Ampaw Republic governed by an Ampaw President

March 15, 2014 benign0 7 Comments

It all started with former Congressman Teddy Casiño’s morning greeting on Twitter… Good morning citizens of the Ampaw Republic! That pretty much made our morning. Within minutes, hordes of Pinoy Pridists descended upon the hapless activist, denouncing his likening of the Philippines to the no-substance low-nutrition Filipino dessert ampaw. Ampaw is made of puffed-up grain…

Culture, Development, Government, Politics, Society

Honor is not a strong part of Filipino tradition

March 14, 2014January 15, 2022 benign0 42 Comments

You don’t need to look far. The current political tele-dramas that have rivetted Filipinos lately point to it. Thievery on such an unprecedented vast scale perpetrated by the elected officials of a society are proof in itself. Many of them were not elected once but twice — and their offspring and kin elected despite all…

Civics, Culture, Development, Government, Society

What the case of PMA student Cudia says about Filipino society at large

March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 FallenAngel 46 Comments

The case of dismissed Philippine Military Academy student Aldrin Cudia has lingered long enough among the chattering classes. When news of it first broke out, it seemed that Cudia was dismissed for being a few minutes late for a succeeding class. Eventually, it became known to the public that Cudia was found guilty of something…

Crime, Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Society

Would Pharrell Williams approve of Haiyan victims dancing to ‘Happy’?

March 14, 2014 Kate Natividad 26 Comments

I mean, seriously, WTF? That video showing Filipinos dancing amid the devastation left by Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte is in bad taste plain and simple. There is nothing to be “happy” about what happened there. And no amount of dancing will change the simple fact that what happened to Tacloban is nothing short of horrific….

Civics, Culture, Glitz and Glamour, Media

Noynoy Says To Shun “Ampaws”

March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 Gogs 10 Comments

An essential album in my collection is a Miles Davis recording called Kind of Blue. The opening track called So What. Wikipedia tell me that it is ” one of the best known examples of modal jazz, set in the Dorian mode and consisting of 16 bars of D Dorian, followed by eight bars of…

Culture, Government, Politics

Philippines’ Makati and Cebu Cities among top ‘selfiest’ cities in the world!

March 11, 2014 benign0 31 Comments

Another feather added to the Philippines’ cap of dubious acheivements! Two Philippine cities made it to the Top Ten “Selfiest” cities in the world. A database compiled by TIME, reveals that the Philippines’ financial centre Makati City produced “more selfies per capita than any other city in the world.” Following Makati, which logged “258 selfie-takers…

Culture, Lifestyle, Society, Tech Talk