Category: Government

Pedro Calungsod – yet another Filipino saint Filipinos can look to for miracles

December 26, 2011 benign0 19 Comments

I read recently that we have another Filipino saint queued for canonisation by the Roman Catholic officialdom in the Vatican. Blessed Pedro Calungsod is a 17th Century Visayan martyr whose bid to be the second Filipino saint is “now a certainty” by virtue of a papal decree made last week according to an Inquirer.net report….

Culture, Government, Religion, Society

Template disasters, the backhoe and why Andal Ampatuan is like Typhoon Sendong

December 22, 2011December 22, 2011 benign0 5 Comments

A lot of people who have followed the investigation, apprehension, and building of a case against accused mass-murderer former Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr had made that topic the epicentre of everything about the Philippines that has to do with impunity. Ampatuan is accused of masterminding the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province,…

Culture, Environment, Government, Media, Society, The South

PNoy wouldn’t need spin doctors if he took his job seriously

December 21, 2011June 15, 2013 Ilda 162 Comments

A spin-doctor is a person who publicizes favorable interpretations of the words and actions of a public figure, specially a politician. When another person has to speak on behalf of a public servant, it may be because the public servant is having a hard time responding to critics, which can also mean that whatever people…

Culture, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Burying Filipinos like garbage – Typhoon Sendong need not have been as deadly as it was

December 20, 2011September 18, 2018 benign0 45 Comments

The Philippines has now become renowned for template disasters. These are disasters that are caused by systemic issues that are profoundly inherent to the country. They are templates and therefore, by design, are highly repeatable. They happen again and again. Here’s the template for the sort of tragedy unfolding in northern Mindanao today… Heavy rains…

Culture, Development, Environment, Government, Politics

PNoy reportedly laughing at jokes amidst the tragedy unfolding in CDO and Iligan

December 19, 2011November 1, 2022 Ilda 126 Comments

Social networking sites keep undoing the impeccable image President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) is trying to project. Gone are the days when Malacañang Palace officials can keep their shenanigans hush-hush while regular folks battle for survival outside in the real world. Facebook and Twitter are social networking sites that act as double edge swords for high…

Civics, Environment, Government, Media

Constitutional blitz – Is President Noynoy Aquino not as dumb as we all thought he was?

December 17, 2011December 17, 2011 benign0 52 Comments

I think it’s time I gave President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III some credit where it is due. In the span of less than two months, he had pulled off a successful blitzkrieg across two venerable institutions of the Philippine Government — the first involving a swift and decisive flattening of a series of roadblocks both…

Development, Economy, Government, Media, Politics, Religion

President Noynoy Aquino’s REAL boss is NOT the Filipino people

December 17, 2011November 15, 2013 benign0 49 Comments

Not too long ago, almost as soon as he assumed office in July of 2010 following his “landslide” election, Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, made a bold assertion directed to the public: “Kayo ang boss ko” (“You all are my boss”). Drawing upon the tired notion that it is “the people” who provide him…

Economy, Government, Politics

Lame historical ‘perspective’ on Corona’s impeachment provided by Raul Pangalangan

December 16, 2011December 18, 2011 benign0 37 Comments

I spied some people crowing about the bit of expert “historical perspective” provided by Inquirer.net “columnist” Raul Pangalangan in his recent piece that is given the presumptuous title ‘Save the Constituition from the Court’. I must say, the Inquirer Editor should re-evaluate the mix of writers she employs lest the reputation of the venerable “newspaper”…

Education, Government, Media