Category: Development

The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense

Posted on By benign0 28 Comments on The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense
The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense

[The following is a piece originally published in The Manila Bulletin on the 09th April 2000 and featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year. How many of the issues mentioned here remain the same unchanged ones today? Remember, this was written back in 2000.] * * * AN admired Filipino economist, based in…

Read More “The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense” »

Crime, Culture, Development, Economy, Government, Politics, Society

The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses

Posted on By benign0 928 Comments on The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses
The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses

[The following is an article by Star columnist Don Pedero published in The Philippine Star 29 October 2000 and also featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year.] * * * Last July 23, I wrote about Nasty (short for Anastacio), a balikbayan from Los Angeles, who, while vacationing in Manila, had nothing to…

Read More “The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses” »

Civics, Crime, Culture, Development, Education, Government, Lifestyle, Media, Politics, Society

The new Ten Commandments for the 21st Century announced!

Posted on By benign0 81 Comments on The new Ten Commandments for the 21st Century announced!
The new Ten Commandments for the 21st Century announced!

A collaborative exercise organised by Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur Lex Bayer and Stanford University humanist chaplain John Figdor, authors of the book Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart has come up with a new set of Ten Commandments for the 21st Century. According to the “Winning Beliefs” page of the authors’ website, 13 judges selected the ten…

Read More “The new Ten Commandments for the 21st Century announced!” »

Civics, Culture, Development, Education, Politics, Religion, Society

Finished or not finished, pass your papers!

Posted on By Soy Lagman 54 Comments on Finished or not finished, pass your papers!
Finished or not finished, pass your papers!

My teacher used to shout “finished or not finished, pass your papers” as we hurriedly tried to cram in answers to questions during written exams in grade school.  The same situation awaits President Aquino come June 2016.  There will always be unfinished tasks and unfulfilled promises in a politician’s term but eighteen (18) long months…

Read More “Finished or not finished, pass your papers!” »

Development, Economy, Government, Politics

3 ways a lack of ethical citizenship serves as a serious roadblock to Philippine progress

Posted on By benign0 13 Comments on 3 ways a lack of ethical citizenship serves as a serious roadblock to Philippine progress
3 ways a lack of ethical citizenship serves as a serious roadblock to Philippine progress

The trouble with Filipinos is that they don’t see any meaning in their lives that is bigger than themselves. At best there is, like most warm-blooded mammals with bulges in their heads wider than their brainstems, that instinctive altruism for his own immediate family. But even that one is often brought to question on account…

Read More “3 ways a lack of ethical citizenship serves as a serious roadblock to Philippine progress” »

Civics, Crime, Culture, Development, Environment, Lifestyle, Politics, Religion, Society

In the Name of Development: Agta Dumagat people versus the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) project

Posted on By benign0 9 Comments on In the Name of Development: Agta Dumagat people versus the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) project
In the Name of Development: Agta Dumagat people versus the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) project

“Hindi kaunlaran ng nakararami. Kaunlaran lang ng iilan.” This is what Marlon Angara, a fisherfolk from Casiguran, said when asked about what he thinks of Aurora Pacific Economic Zone or APECO. He is one of the locals who are at risk of losing their land and livelihood to give way for the construction of a…

Read More “In the Name of Development: Agta Dumagat people versus the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) project” »

Development, Economy, Government, Politics, Society

Why is it so exceedingly difficult for the Philippines to change for the better?

Posted on By benign0 28 Comments on Why is it so exceedingly difficult for the Philippines to change for the better?
Why is it so exceedingly difficult for the Philippines to change for the better?

Ultimately this is really the only question that really matters. There is no disputing the fact that the Philippines must change. The alternative? Well, that’s really up to Filipinos. If the Philippines does not change, it will continue along its current path. It would be a matter of being content with that course and the…

Read More “Why is it so exceedingly difficult for the Philippines to change for the better?” »

Development, Economy, Lifestyle, Politics, Society

It is not poor people but rich people who have a BIG problem with poverty

Posted on By benign0 35 Comments on It is not poor people but rich people who have a BIG problem with poverty
It is not poor people but rich people who have a BIG problem with poverty

So according the the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), 2015 will be “The Year of the Poor”, a declaration which coincides with the arrival of Poper Francis earlier that year… “We as the Church of the Poor are called to renew our commitment to Christ’s mission and to always take the side of…

Read More “It is not poor people but rich people who have a BIG problem with poverty” »

Civics, Culture, Development, Economy, Lifestyle, Religion, Society