Category: Government

Haiyan (Yolanda) comprehensive rehab plan implemented under Duterte after delays due to Aquino admin snub

June 23, 2021 Ramon Ortoll No Comments

Remember Typhoon Haiyan, a.k.a. Yolanda in 2013? The most powerful supertyphoon to hit the country during the Aquino administration? Much of the blame for the bungled rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction efforts post-Yolanda was borne by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who was appointed by then President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery. As…

Environment, Government, History

Aiko Melendez Kakalabanin Si Ate Rose Nono Lin Sa QC 5th District?

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 P. Farol No Comments

Tila bigla-bigla na lang na nag-accounce si Ms. Aiko Melendez na babalik siya sa politika either as a candidate for Councilor or Congresswoman sa District 5. Nagulantang tuloy ang isa pang nag-aambisyon na maging councilor o congresswoman rin na si Ate Grace Nono Lin na mukhang malaki na rin ang naipuhunan sa maagang pangangampanya para…

Glitz and Glamour, Government, Politics

On the failure of the Philippine government to respond to and manage COVID-19 consistently at all levels

June 21, 2021 Ramon Ortoll 4 Comments

If there is an albatross on the President Rodrigo Duterte’s back since the start of the pandemic, it has to be the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). I don’t keep track of quarantine classifications anymore because it makes my head spin. Much worse, they’re not followed anyway, except for…

Government, Lifestyle

Opposition coalition @1Sambayan’s REAL agenda: oil, gas, and Manny Pangilinan’s wealth

June 20, 2021June 20, 2021 Ramon Ortoll 2 Comments

Artemio Panganiban in his Inquirer piece today “Knowing what drives China in SCS” provides an informative summary of the historical background of the claims by parties in the South China Sea. He sets the theme with a very important context… To begin with, China avows a long and glorious history that rivals Egypt and its…

Business, Government

An Open Letter (of Apology) to My Toddler

June 20, 2021June 20, 2021 Vincent 5 Comments

On the occasion of “Fathers’ day”, while some dads are going to be receiving gifts or having dinners arranged for them, I opted to write my child an open letter that I hope she will read in the future. Here goes… Dear child, It is 2021. It has been quite a number of years since…

Education, Government, Society

Filipino nurses aren’t paid well because there are just TOO MANY of them

June 14, 2021June 14, 2021 Ramon Ortoll 5 Comments

Why blame the problem on the President immediately? Because it’s an election year. Thus it is easy to see the motivation behind PhilSTAR columnist Boo Chanco’s piece today “Show some appreciation” where he writes how, in these times of pandemic, “our health workers feel abused and unappreciated by the Duterte administration.” Chanco then issues his…

Business, Government, Money Talks

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte and The Rise to National Prominence of Local Government Executives

June 4, 2021 P. Farol 3 Comments

To be sure, former Davao City Mayor and now President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wasn’t the first local government executive to have risen to national prominence through a presidential bid. But I guess his win in 2016 may be written down by some as a turning point in our history of elections when people began looking…

Government, Politics

On the San Beda alumni petition against Duterte’s South China Sea statements

May 19, 2021 Ramon Ortoll 1 Comment

I have refrained from political posts on my Facebook account in deference to my friends who are on the opposite side of the political fence, so please indulge me on this issue of the San Beda alumni community petition that President Rodrigo Duterte retract his statements on the South China Sea row with China because…

Government, Politics