Category: Government

Lito Lapid wife Marissa convicted for dollar smuggling!

February 7, 2013January 5, 2014 benign0 15 Comments

You wonder now, where did the USD159,700 Marissa Tadeo Lapid, wife of Philippine Senator Lito Lapid, was allegedly attempting to squirrel into several US banks to “structure transactions to evade reporting requirements” come from? According to an ABS-CBN News report, Mrs Lapid knowingly attempted to conceal and evade US bank transparency regulations… A Philippine Star…

Crime, Government, Money Talks

Are we over-governing political campaign activities?

February 7, 2013 benign0 12 Comments

In recent days we’ve been seeing a few new “movements” and “advocacies” emerging (or being repackaged) as dominant topics amongst the chattering classes. Many of these involve one or another form of implementing some sort of “governance” around the way the Philippines’ wondrous cacophony of activity and voices that is its “democracy” work their way…

Civics, Government, Media, Politics

Taxing Coke and Pepsi Flavored Condoms?

February 1, 2013February 7, 2018 Hector Gamboa 56 Comments

A few days ago I came across a news article saying that the government is mulling higher taxes on soft drinks. This isn’t new as increases in levies on soft drinks have been brought out for discussion and proposed in the past. The motivation for increasing the tax on soft drinks was tied up to…

Culture, Government, Society

“Nganga!” goes the Filipino taxpayer

January 29, 2013January 29, 2013 Ms. Mike Portes 100 Comments

Filipino taxpayers can take pride in sponsoring two expensive teledramas. In 2012, we saw the Club 188 signatories expedite the impeachement of then Chief Justice Corona, courtesy of a Powerpoint presentation. The drama was blown to a full scale at the senate, where we saw a nation polarized by the eloquent grandstanding of our public…

Government, Politics

Senate drama sideshow: Yoly Ong and Juan Ponce Enrile’s exchange of lawsuits

January 28, 2013August 19, 2013 FallenAngel 28 Comments

As if Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile did not have enough on his plate this month from Senators Miriam Santiago, Antonio Trillanes, and Alan Peter Cayetano. As was reported a few days ago, he also has to deal with the counterclaim of Campaigns & Grey chairperson and Philippine Star columnist Yoly Villanueva-Ong. Ms. Ong filed…

Government, Media, Politics

Senator Enrile accuses Senator Cayetano of having no ‘utang na loob’

January 24, 2013June 5, 2013 Ilda 74 Comments

Is there any politician who is not indebted to Philippine Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile? Okay, let us limit it to the Senate. Is there any senator who is not indebted to him? It seems Enrile has the goods on every Senator and he appears to be in the habit of using personal information against…

Government, Politics

Cayetano versus Enrile: why a Senate self-destruction will ultimately be good for the Philippines

January 24, 2013 benign0 17 Comments

You can’t blame old fogey Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for trying the old Pinoy style sidestep-the-issue-then-lay-out-a-Joker-card trick when painted into a corner. That’s exactly what he did responding to very clear and specific issues raised by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano during a speech he delivered before his colleagues around the need for a private…

Civics, Government, Politics

What does the Filipino want?

January 21, 2013August 22, 2013 FallenAngel 126 Comments

The Filipino desperately declares to the rest of the world that he is the best among the lot, yet the current political, economic, and social states of his country, the mannerisms of his people, and the quality of his thinking prove otherwise. What does the Filipino want? The Filipino claims that being a colony for…

Civics, Culture, Government, Lifestyle, Politics