Category: Development

The Philippines is reverting back to an agrarian economy thanks to COVID-19

August 11, 2020 benign0 6 Comments

Nothing necessarily bad about agrarian societies though these get their bad rep from their association with the Third World and “underdevelopment”. Some “economists” would measure “modernisation” in terms of the proportion of the workforce employed in agriculture. As the thinking goes, a progressive shift in the workforce from farming to manufacturing and services and, therefore,…

Business, Development, Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic laid the foundation for modern public transport in the Philippines

May 20, 2020May 20, 2020 benign0 4 Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a golden opportunity for tree-huggers and social justice warriors to walk their talk. A good proportion of Metro Manila residents who could afford cars and use them for their daily commutes to and from work under the old normal can work from home. The pandemic and the lockdown that aimed to…

Business, Development, Lifestyle

#ABSCBN taught Filipinos all the WRONG values

May 9, 2020May 9, 2020 benign0 28 Comments

The way Opposition partisans, specially those among them loyal to the Aquino-Cojuangco feudal clan (a.k.a. the Yellowtards) screech about the shutdown of ABS-CBN’s radio-based broadcasting operations, you’d think an institution essential to Filipino life had met its demise. Much of the brouhaha is centred around the testimonials of ABS-CBN talents themselves such as Pinoy Big…

Culture, Development

Rather than complain about the government COVID-19 lockdown, Filipinos should learn to be RESOURCEFUL

April 18, 2020 benign0 14 Comments

So-called “political analyst” Antonio Contreras’s position on the matter of the ongoing impact of the government’s lockdown on Filipino lives fails to take into account an inconvenient reality of modern society — personal accountability. Sa gobyerno. Kung ayaw niyong lumabas ang tao, kayo ang magbigay ng mga sumusunod na serbisyo: •Mamalengke at mag-grocery para sa…

Culture, Development, Government

Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto should just do his job without the fanfare and the grandstanding

March 20, 2020 benign0 27 Comments

The whole debate surrounding Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has nothing to do with the quality of his governance. That too, nonetheless, is debatable but is better off left to another article for another day. Here we will discuss the trouble with the disproportionate amount of media exposure Sotto is getting. Vico Sotto is making waves…

Development, Glitz and Glamour, Government

New Year and New Decade resolution for Filipinos: MOVE ON from Yellowtard rule

January 2, 2020 benign0 2 Comments

And then what? It’s time we practice what we preach and be really clear about what happens next now that the Yellowtards, the shrinking partisan bloc within the current Opposition loyal to the Aquino-Cojuangco feudal clan, have been soundly crushed. The close of the 2010s marks the end of a decade that saw the crash…

Development, Politics

Angkas and the #SaveAngkas activist fad are parts of the problem, not the solutions

December 22, 2019 benign0 4 Comments

The latest fashionable hashtag at the moment is #SaveAngkas. Angkas (a colloquial term for “hitch a ride”) is a motorcycle ride hailing and delivery service that is one of those modern-day jeepney-style solutions to systemic problems that could have been avoided if Filipinos exercised a bit more foresight and longer-term planning. The Philippine government is…

Development, Economy, Money Talks

Why spending big bucks on nice things is a better investment than throwing money at the poor

December 1, 2019December 1, 2019 benign0 9 Comments

The recent success of the opening ceremonies of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and, for that matter, the overall multi-million dollar investment in hosting the Games proves a point. Filipinos, and people in general — rich or poor — love to see and experience nice things. This is the reason the half-witted argument of choice…

Culture, Development, Society