Category: Development

Winning, heroism and the palamunin mentality in Philippine society

September 1, 2014September 1, 2014 benign0 12 Comments

Keen observers of the Filipino Condition had long ago collectively agreed to put a word to the concept: palamunin. The word encapsulates many aspects of Philippine culture encompassing its renowned mendicancy, lack of foresight, heritage of smallness, victim mentality, false hope, and anti-intellectual values. Indeed, the most disturbing aspect of Philippine society is the way…

Culture, Development, Society

Why the Torre De Manila Issue Is For the Bird Brained

August 29, 2014September 13, 2014 P. Farol 30 Comments

(Updated. 091314) A friend supposedly saw an English speaking Filipino cultural activist licking his chops and gloating over his supposed victory over the enemies of the cultural elite which he claims to represent. The so-called social media “thought leader” announced his victory saying that his/her protest against the Torre De Manila has reached the senate where it is…

Culture, Development, Economy, Environment, Government, Media

DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya’s epic MRT public relations fail

August 29, 2014 benign0 14 Comments

Not surprising. Political observers gave Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya a unanimous Fail in his most recent public relations stunt. Yesterday, the 28th August, Abaya stepped up to a self-imposed challenge to prove Manila’s decrepit Metro Rail Transit was “safe”. The MRT has been beleaguered by recent high-profile mishaps, among them…

Development, Government, Lifestyle, Politics

Senator Pia Cayetano: Some proper perspective is due the whole Torre de Manila brouhaha

August 28, 2014 benign0 10 Comments

While I find a bit justified the whole stink being raised around the way the Torre de Manila highrise condominiums being constructed in Manila by developer DMCI Homes is supposedly “ruining” the view of the Rizal Monument, I think we are missing the bigger picture. Metro Manila is an ugly city. And that ugliness did…

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

Jeepneys remain a stark symbol of the Philippines’ utter failure to prosper

August 26, 2014 benign0 41 Comments

Coming up with a great product — an innovative one even — is just 20 percent of the job. You also need to develop systems to produce it and market it. That system is also known as the business enterprise. An example of a failure to complete the remaining 80 percent of the job is…

Culture, Development, Economy, Society

President Noynoy Aquino’s fight with the Supreme Court will ruin the Philippines!

August 23, 2014August 23, 2014 Ilda 73 Comments

There is enough evidence to suggest that Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino is not after the country’s best interests. His move to undermine the Supreme Court is one such proof. The President and his minions do not even bother to consider the consequences of their efforts to drag the Judiciary’s reputation in the mud….

Crime, Development, Economy, Government, Politics

How to stop Philippine Media’s systematic dumbing down of an entire nation

August 22, 2014May 19, 2022 benign0 51 Comments

It is pretty much a no-brainer. The idea that the Philippines’ entertainment industry is a massive contributor to accelerating erosion of the collective intellect of Filipinos has long been a widely-accepted fact in Philippine society. As far back as 2006, Isagani Cruz wrote about this in an Inquirer article. I cited the key excerpt in…

Civics, Culture, Development, Education, Government, Media, Society

Study confirms need to establish English as medium of instruction also at elementary school levels

August 20, 2014April 1, 2023 benign0 36 Comments

A study jointly conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Assessment Curriculum Technology Research Center-College of Education (ACTRC) and the University of Melbourne on the effectiveness of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in (MTB-MLE) in the Philippines has confirmed something many Filipinos have known for some time — that English remains a highly-prized skill that most…

Culture, Development, Education