We beg to differ.
Filipinos are being pulled in different directions nowadays as various political blocs battle one another for dominance in a landscape characterised by turmoil and unrest. Looking just a short time back, the mid-2000s was the same. It was also a time of frequent street rallies and accusations of “human rights violations” among others being thrown…
The Philippine political “debate” remains as confused as ever because partisans across the spectrum cannot agree on who or which administration is at fault for the persistence of a number of problems. Many of these problems are big ones: Manila’s traffic and public transport woes, foreign policy around which bloc of superpowers the Philippines should…
Are there human rights abuses in the Philippines? That’s like asking the question ‘Is the Pope Catholic?’ Of course there are human rights abuses in the Philippines. They are not only perpetrated by members of the police or government forces; they are also perpetrated by regular Filipinos against their own compatriots. This is evident in…
Funny how elements of the Philippine Opposition gleefully spread images of Leftist protesters infesting Manila’s streets as if to demonstrate that there is a “fight” for “freedom” currently raging against the oppressive “fascist” government of an “evil” strongman. There is even a dramatic image of one of these protesters in the act of delivering a…
Read More “The #ASEAN2017 Summit proves that the Philippines is not a fascist state” »
The trouble with the Philippines’ political discourse today is that it is hopelessly partisan. As a result, there is no energy channeled into mapping a way forward for the Philippines. Instead, much of the talk is around discrediting one other. Whilst there is a small niche within the social media chatter that appreciates and rewards…
There’s a lot of talk lately about “re-building” Marawi City. Jose Montelibano in his Inquirer column today offers thoughts on what needs to be considered to not just to do that but to do it right, as in build A New Marawi that, at the same time, puts it on a path towards becoming a…
Read More “A New Marawi City that is SQUATTER-FREE is an absolutely worthwhile goal” »
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is unlike previous Presidents the country has ever had. It’s not just his swearing and his unabashed tirades that make him exceptional. We already know that he is the first President to hail from Mindanao, which in itself is already a standout feature of his. But what the Opposition fail to…
Read More “Duterte’s policies are unpopular with people who want to maintain the status quo” »
As usual, the whole “debate” around the plight of the hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers and the “threat” to their “livelihood” presented by the prospect of modernising public transport in the Philippine has taken a wrong turn. Highlighted by the usual “socially-aware” cliques of “activists” is the wellbeing of what is, essentially, a relatively…
Read More “HOPE lies in imagining a JEEPNEY-FREE Philippines” »