Category: Government

Lessons learned from weeks spent doting upon Arab People Power

March 3, 2011 benign0 8 Comments

First we cheered on stirrings of what we described as impending “people power” Edsa-style revolutions that started in Tunisia and spread over the rest of North Africa. Quick to fancy ourselves as the doting grand-daddies of this sort of “grassroots-initiated” change movement, we tweeted, blogged, Facebook-“liked”, re-tweeted, and email-forwarded various newsbits and factoids that made…

Economy, Featured, Government, Society

Since Edsa 1986: 25 years of walking the walk of shame with a bad hangover

February 28, 2011February 26, 2017 benign0 17 Comments

I went to “Edsa” in 1986 to kibitz, make tusok-tusok da fishball and watch girls. Ok, so I also wanted to “contribute” to removing then President Ferdinand E. Marcos from Malacanang who, after all inconvenienced me no end with his banning of Voltes 5 and other Japanese robot cartoons back in the 70’s. He also…

Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics

Is PNoy bad for Philippine foreign relations?

February 27, 2011February 7, 2017 Ilda 106 Comments

Diplomacy. The word, according to its definition describes the “art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace making, trade, war, economics, culture, environment and human rights“. The practice…

Development, Economy, Featured, Government, Politics

The truth about the 1986 People Power revolution

February 22, 2011February 18, 2022 Ilda 187 Comments

It’s that time of the year again. February is always a big month for Filipinos. Two weeks after celebrating Valentines Day, Filipinos hold another annual celebration that is uniquely their own. On the 25th of February of each year, die-hard Aquino supporters have their annual song and dance routine usually complete with a live musical…

Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Antonio Trillanes is Conrado de Quiros’s new Aragorn

February 15, 2011 benign0 26 Comments

It is difficult to take seriously a man who once likened President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to the Lord of the Rings character Aragorn. Conrado de Quiros has an extensive track record of articulating a taste for seeing nebulous airy-fairy processes trumping the more real black-and-white due processes that lend stability to most democratic states….

Crime, Featured, Government, Media

Antonio Trillanes’s beef with Angelo Reyes: a case of professional jealousy?

February 13, 2011May 24, 2016 benign0 41 Comments

Former Secretary and retired General Angelo Reyes was instrumental in driving the final nail into the coffin of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada in the 2001 “Edsa 2” “Revolution”. He was also instrumental in having mutineer-turned-“senator” Antonio Trillanes jailed for seven years for his alleged role in various rebellions against the Philippine Government between 2003…

Crime, Government, Politics

A Lexus to drive and God on his side – Noynoy’s got it made

February 1, 2011 benign0 36 Comments

Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III needs to get a few tips from President Hosni Mubarak on how to shut down the Internet. Lately he’s been feeling “exasperated” by all the unfair treatment he’s been getting from the Philippine Media — you know, the one that his mommy set free back in 1986… Poor little…

Government, Lifestyle, Media

PNoy is Inquirer’s Filipino of the Year

January 30, 2011 Ilda 208 Comments

Media outlet Inquirer.net was obviously scraping the bottom of the barrel when they named Philippine President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) “Filipino of the Year” for 2010. The timing is off considering the country is still reeling from a recent terror attack with the bombing of a public transport bus and a perceived rise in overall crime…

Culture, Government, Lifestyle, Media, Politics