Category: Government

Vice Ganda interview of PNoy is proof of Filipinos’ obsession with celebrities

January 7, 2015January 23, 2022 Ilda 87 Comments

If the saying is true that the character of the leader of a nation reflects the character of the people, then the character of Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino reflects the character of the Filipino people. BS Aquino’s recent guest appearance in the popular television show Gandang Gabi Vice gave everyone a clue about…

Culture, Government, Media, Politics, Society

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

January 5, 2015 benign0 28 Comments

[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…

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

The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 benign0 928 Comments

[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…

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

Law-abiding Filipinos are getting sick of law-breaking Filipinos

December 26, 2014 benign0 173 Comments

Some of us Get Real Post writers are often criticised about the way we generalise Filipinos. Indeed, to be fair, there are hundreds of articles here that explore from every angle and at every level of depth, the country’s renowned collective criminality, its petty anti-intellectual political discourse, the routine mediocrity of Filipinos’ undertakings, and the…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Government, Politics, Society

Cyber-attack on Sony Pictures changes the Internet business landscape

December 23, 2014December 23, 2014 benign0 4 Comments

‘C’ is for “cyber”. Is World War C starting? It could be. A possible cyber-attack against North Korea may be in progress but the nature of the attack and who might be behind it remain shrouded in mystery at the moment. Various network infrastructure monitors have detected intermittent Internet access outages in North Korea over…

Crime, Government, Lifestyle, Society, Tech Talk

5-star perks for VIP inmates bared in Philippine prison but top jail exec excused!

December 17, 2014December 18, 2014 benign0 21 Comments

At first, I really didn’t understand what the big “shock” over the 5-star-hotel-like trappings laid out for “special” inmates in the Philippines’ main prison facility, the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila was all about. Stories about the top-notch perks enjoyed by the country’s prison royalty have been the stuff of legend for…

Crime, Government, Society

Will Mar Roxas Be The Next Philippine President?

December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 P. Farol 20 Comments

I think if some American blogger living in PH can come up with a post saying Secretary of Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas will win the Presidential election in 2016 purely based on professional guesswork, perhaps I can do better just by reviewing what I think I know about winning elections and Filipino voting…

Government, Politics

Finished or not finished, pass your papers!

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 Soy Lagman 54 Comments

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…

Development, Economy, Government, Politics