Category: Development

To be an independent country, the Philippines needs to build an independent economy

September 12, 2016 benign0 57 Comments

“No man is an island,” as the old cliché goes. On the back of that “wisdom”, it can be said that the Philippine government’s diplomatic posturings in recent weeks expose its people to the risk of being isolated — starved of the global trade and military umbrella they have grown dependent on for survival. But,…

Development, Economy

Three fundamental weaknesses of the Duterte administration

August 28, 2016August 29, 2016 FallenAngel 52 Comments

Around the time of its first 50 days, the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino, was beleaguered by the Mendoza hostage situation and its fallout. The incident resulted in the deaths of eight (8) Hong Kong tourists; BS Aquino never apologized for it. The concepts of the “first 100 days”, and more…

Crime, Development, Government, Media, Politics

Ninoy is NOT a hero: Let’s rename NAIA back to “Manila International Airport”

August 24, 2016 zaxx 138 Comments

Ninoy, Salamat sa demokrasya. August 21, 1983. “Handog ng Pilipino sa mundo…”, “Magkaisa at magsama…” Yaaawn… OK, change the channel please! Now that the Filipino people have been awakened to the reality that there are better channels to watch on their TV and that the many years of fairy-land “democracy” that Ninoy’s death at the tarmac…

Development, Government, Politics

Filipinos should junk the 1986 People Power narrative in order to TRULY progress

August 18, 2016 benign0 77 Comments

It’s time Filipinos pause, step back, take stock, and ask: What is really going on here? If one would attempt to answer that question using the common frame of mind with which Filipinos have coocooned themselves within, the responses would be unsurprising, quite trite, and peppered with certain key words prevalent in mainstream discourse today:…

Crime, Culture, Development, Economy

The REAL reason Marcos and Martial Law issues will remain unresolved

August 15, 2016April 19, 2022 FallenAngel 19 Comments

A discussion on Marcos and the Martial Law years inevitably results in someone making a comparison between Marcos and World War II-era Nazi Germany. Oftentimes, parallels are drawn, such as the use of propaganda, the culpability for hundreds of thousands who lost their lives, etc. Perhaps, most strikingly, the two are often put side by…

Development, Politics, Society

Digong’s First Month – a Stark Contrast to Noynoy’s 6 Years of Incompetence and Mismanagement

August 14, 2016 zaxx 51 Comments

What amuses many about Einstein’s theory of relativity is the hypothetical Twin Paradox experiment. Imagine identical twin brothers: one stays on earth while the other rides a space ship that travels close to the speed of light. After many years the ship comes back to earth, and to everyone’s surprise, the brother who comes out…

Development, Government, Politics

Social media and the dismal state of Filipino activism and political commentary

August 10, 2016August 10, 2016 benign0 4 Comments

Sad to say, Philippine “activism” hasn’t progressed much over the last several decades. The “movements” may have moved from the streets onto social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, but the quality of the discourse has remained pathetically dismal. The venerable former blogger Dean Jorge Bocobo (DJB, a.k.a. @SagadaSun on Twitter), for example, has taken…

Culture, Development, Politics, Society, Tech Talk

Not even the Donald can Trump Filipino hypersensitivity!

August 10, 2016 FallenAngel 40 Comments

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for President of the United States (POTUS), caught the ire of the Filipino community recently, when he mentioned Filipinos in a speech as one among a bunch of “terrorist nations”. The Donald did get something partially right: dealing with Filipinos is like dealing with a bunch of animals. I haven’t…

Development, Government, Politics