Category: Development

The Liberal Party has FAILED in its role as part of ‘the opposition’

March 1, 2017 FallenAngel 5 Comments

There is something to be said about how the Liberal Party (LP), the political force that has remained ubiquitous ever since the 1986 People Power Movement, has handled its role as part of political opposition to the Rodrigo Duterte administration. The volume of statements coming from the LP-led opposition has not died down, despite the…

Development, Government, Politics

The silly semantic debate of whether EDSA I was a ‘success’ or a ‘failure’

February 28, 2017March 1, 2017 FallenAngel 8 Comments

The seemingly inescapable reality that confronts the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution is that interest in it – and not really surprisingly, attendance in the annual commemorations – have been declining for the past years. This year, the Duterte administration had proposed that the rites be simple and quiet, a statement that was met with…

Civics, Development, Politics, Society

Key Duterte initiatives lay foundation for sustained economic growth

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 benign0 12 Comments

Continuing to send Filipino workers overseas to seek and sustain employment is a serious misallocation of human capital. Much the same way as wanton mining in the Philippine countryside took a huge toll on the environment and landscape, exporting people leaves deep scars in the Philipines’ social fabric. And so, here is why the OFW…

Development, Economy, Society

Duterte vs drugs, Gina Lopez vs the mines: Next up: Who will KILL the jeepneys?

February 10, 2017 benign0 17 Comments

Gina Lopez is one badass government official. Unlike most government officials, she is beholden to no one — not even her own parents who she left at 18 to do missionary work in the slums of Africa. This is presumably the reason Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte chose her to be his Environment Secretary. The Philippines,…

Development, Economy, Environment

Galit sa Gulay – A Case Study

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 Charles Englund 3 Comments

Suppose I wanted to invest in a fancy, money-losing carinderia–Aling Maria’s Carinderia. I can either lend it money i.e. invest in its DEBT (in which case I become a creditor), or buy its shares i.e. invest in its EQUITY (in which case I become a pro-rata owner). Hmm, ano kaya? I really want to invest…

Development, Economy, Media

Inequality is what makes the world an interesting place to be human

February 2, 2017 benign0 6 Comments

That meme where feminists in other countries are shown dressed in military gear with guns locked and loaded looking really badass while American feminists are shown looking all hip, hedonistic, self-indugent and, well, millennial. Priceless. Open this week’s issue of TIME and get a load of how many pages were devoted to that Women’s March…

Development, Economy, Environment, Society

Is it about time Filipinos stop making throwbacks to Noynoy Aquino’s administration?

January 24, 2017 FallenAngel 8 Comments

At the start of every new administration, inescapably, someone always harks back to the previous one. The reasons for doing so usually fall into these common categories: 1) The predecessor is blamed for an inherited problem; 2) Credit is taken for something started in the previous term; 3) The successor wants to express gratitude for…

Civics, Development, Government, Politics

How Filipinos can achieve more by doing less

January 2, 2017 zaxx 33 Comments

If you’re still breathing, then congratulate yourself. You just made it to a very exciting time in Philippine history: 2017! Everyone loves the coming of a New Year: fresh, invigorating, like riding on cloud-9 filled with hope for better things to come. But what exactly does 2017 have in store for us? Will we have a…

Culture, Development, Government