We beg to differ.
Thank goodness for the brilliant technology of Google News! Barely two days after the venerable Philippine Daily Inquirer let loose a doozey of a front page in its 14th March 2012 issue where “unflattering” photos of Demetrio Vicente, a character witness called by the defense team in the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, were…
Read More “Demetrio Vicente’s bonsai featured in 2000 Inquirer issue” »
The term we use to describe hyper-sensitive people here in the Philippines is balat-sibuyas, which literally means “onion-skinned”. The analogy is that just as onion skin easily comes off, Filipino people are easily hurt. I aim to derive another analogy using the onion. Attempting to get a message across to Filipinos creatively is like peeling…
It seems even the “experts” on women’s issues got it wrong as far as what could’ve been the whole point of commemorating International Women’s Day celebrated today, the 8th of March. Quite ironic that the most visible group that claims to be fighting for “women’s issues” takes their name from Filipino folk hero Gabriela Silang,…
Read More “Oil prices are up therefore women suffer according to Gabriela logic” »
Farewell to Ralph McQuarrie, the man behind such timeless and culture-shifting Star Wars characters as Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO. He was 82 when he died in his home on Saturday the 3rd of March 2012. McQuarrie joined George Lucas in 1974 to help conceptualise what were to become the defining images of the blockbuster…
Read More “Passage: Star Wars concept designer Ralph McQuarrie” »
Recently, a renowned financial expert in the United States, Suze Orman, was in town for a series of talks about personal finance. Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) brought her over as part of their financial wellness advocacy. Naturally, one of the things she focused, and expressed concerns about, is the Filipino attitude towards money….
Read More “Filipino attitude towards money highlighted yet again” »
The most recent cover of FHM Philippines — a popular men’s magazine that features scantily-clad women as its main selling feature — made global waves after it featured starlet Bela Padilla posed in a brightly-coloured bikini surrounded by black models in black bikinis. The tagline at the bottom screamed “Stepping out of the shadows” in…
Read More “Filipinos cry racism over Bela Padilla FHM cover” »
According to presidential adviser on political affairs Ronald Llamas, he is sorry for being an enthusiastic patron of pirated (illegally copied and distributed) DVDs because he is “no longer a regular guyâ€. I wonder then what this says about the typical regular Filipino guy? I have many times in the past asserted that Filipino government…
Read More “Pirated DVDs: Ronald Llamas’s apology misses the more important point” »
Filipinos choose to measure progress from a Western perspective (mainly financial wealth and capital-intensive development). Thus a “successful” Filipino individual as measured by contemporary Filipino society fits the standard Hollywood mold — big house, party lifestyle, trendy clothes, shiny car, and flashy mobile devices. The trouble with Philippine society is that we embrace the superficial…
