Category: Development

Flooding in Manila following Typhoon Gaemi: Déjà vu all over again!

July 24, 2024 benign0 6 Comments

Journalists “reporting” on the devastation wrought by the passing of Typhoon Gaemi (along with southwest monsoon rains) may as well be copy-and-paste jobs. After all, there is a trove of past news reports on typhoons (and even minor weather disturbances) hitting the Philippines and causing disproportionate devastation. Indeed, what stands out is the embarrassing sameness…

Development, Environment

US propaganda continues to be parroted by Rappler “thought leaders”

July 21, 2024July 21, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 11 Comments

It’s important to the Americans that the Duterte brand in Philippine politics be destroyed since it advocates for an independent foreign policy. Witness how we have become the outlier in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community. Among the original founding members, we are only ahead of Cambodia and Laos while Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia,…

Development, Politics

An entire generation of young Filipinos are growing up to be liabilities

June 29, 2024 benign0 7 Comments

Certain “activists” take exception to a country’s people being referred to as “capital” to “invest in” in order to “get returns from”. This is in reference to the recently-published World Bank Philippines Human Capital Review report where some pretty damning facts about the collective ability of the Filipino people to compete in a rapidly-evolving world…

Development, Education

50% of Filipinos stunted at childhood in the 1980s could be why the Philippines is so intellectually-bankrupt today!

June 25, 2024 benign0 3 Comments

For many of the world’s richest — or even emerging — economies, the biggest threat to continued prosperity is a rapidly aging and, in the worst cases, declining populations. The effect of wealth and better education on fertility has long been known. As people get better-educated, enjoy a greater variety of lifestyle options, and gain…

Development, Economy, Education

The Philippines needs to reevaluate its blind allegiance to the West

June 22, 2024 benign0 3 Comments

Perhaps it is time for the Philippines — and the rest of the “free world” — to reevaluate their regard for Western European civilisation’s presumed leadership in all that is supposedly “good”. Recent events have seen a growing rot within the core of these former crusaders. The “tolerance” towards deviant ideas that they packaged as…

Development, Society

The Philippines cannot progress without an intelligent civil service

June 17, 2024 benign0 13 Comments

Nothing is more confronting than statistical facts. Today’s Inquirer op-ed, “Dismal passing rate”, paints a sobering picture of the Philippines’ brains trust — perhaps an oxymoronic term to use considering that it is anything but. The Inquirer Editor in essence issues an indictment on the ability of the Philippines to sustainably implement good governance and,…

Development, Education

All Filipino “revolutions” were co-opted by greedy and power-hungry oligarchs

June 12, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 4 Comments

China had the opportunity to colonize most of Southeast Asia if they wanted to. Did they do it? Nope. The Chinese weren’t colonial in their mindset and this is mirrored by their political and social structures during the time of the emperors. It was the Japanese who had plans to compete with the Western powers….

Development, Society

Here’s What’s Going On Up At Boracay’s Mt. Luho and It’s Not What You Were Told

May 9, 2024May 10, 2024 P. Farol 1 Comment

In a smallish Facebook Group called Boracay Island News, a post addressed to the Boracay Community by a certain Victor Jeffery made the rounds asking “What’s going on up at Mt. Luho”. It reads: Angry property disputes have started again at several locations in the Mt Luho area despite many court cases over the past…

Development, Environment