Category: Development

An open letter to Pope Francis on his visit to the Philippines in 2015

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 Ilda 78 Comments

Dear Pope Francis, Information about your visit to the Philippines has been occupying the country’s local media for months. Members of the national and local government have been busy preparing for your arrival. The Manila City Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada recently declared a four-day holiday for Manila residence during your visit. The decision, he said…

Civics, Crime, Development, Government, Politics

It is time for Filipinos to start REFUSING to be victims

November 24, 2014 benign0 41 Comments

Perhaps at the root of all the factors that contribute to the Philippines’ continued and foreseeable failure to prosper is a deeply-entrenched cultural artefact: victimhood. Filipinos like playing the victim card. It is the heart of its politics — a “victimised” people to whom populist appeals to hero rhetoric resonate. As such, Filipino politicians win…

Culture, Development, Education, Politics, Society

Why are platforms, vision statements, and strategies still MISSING from the Philippine ‘debate’?

November 21, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

So, yet again, we approach another seminal presidential election and there is much bubbling and foaming on the surface of the political scene. While the attention of the public has been focused on the turbulent surface of Philippine politics, few have appreciated the underlying reason behind that turbulence. For like the way rough rapids only…

Crime, Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

An Argument for a Binay Presidency

November 19, 2014 P. Farol 16 Comments

So, my former boss and good friend Ferdie were drinking beer last night at Eton Centris when talk eventually came around to the supposed inevitability of a Binay Presidency. One argument that is going around is that all candidates for the presidency are corrupt in one way or the other. That being the case, it…

Development, Government

Black To The Future

November 16, 2014November 16, 2014 P. Farol 4 Comments

In my previous post, you’ll see a picture of Darth Vader with the words, “Voting is pointless. It is useless to resist me. I am your leader now.” It’s really a reference to what some have been saying about Vice President Jejomar Binay and that is, mainly, that he will win… …some say “by default”,…

5 things that will happen when Jejomar Binay becomes Philippine President

November 15, 2014February 13, 2017 Ilda 212 Comments

A lot of Filipinos are scared of a Binay Presidency. A Catholic priest even said it is a “scary prospect” after meeting Vice President Jejomar Binay himself. It is quite understandable why. If Vice President Jejomar Binay wins the Presidential Election in 2016, he will simply continue the world-renowned Filipino tradition of patronage politics. This…

Crime, Development, Government, Politics, Society

BUSTED: JICA Refutes Pnoy’s Claim on Tacloban Airport Move

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 BenK 34 Comments

For all the stupid things President BS Aquino v. 3.0 says to provide fodder for online and offline critics, it is actually rare to catch him in a flat lie. Rare, but apparently not impossible: Among his otherwise-forgettable comments made during his appearance in locations that are not the City of Tacloban to mark the…

Development, Media, Politics

Rehabilitation of #Haiyan devastation report card: Philippine Gov’t FAIL

November 11, 2014 benign0 10 Comments

Even way back on the 24th October this year, Ibon Foundation had already highlighted in a report the unimpressive performance of the Philippine government in the rehabilitation of the disaster zones left by Haiyan. The report quotes numbers from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) which show that the region…

Civics, Development, Economy, Government