Category: Politics

The plight of Manny Pacquiao proves that Philippine political chatter lacks integrity

July 3, 2017 benign0 2 Comments

Philippine political discourse is too noisy. This seems to be the reason why confusion and lack of perspective reigns amongst the Philippines’ chattering classes. Hardly anything gets clarified, no problems get framed properly and, as a result, all the wrong arguments win. There is a concept in communications engineering called signal-to-noise ratio. In the age…

Culture, Politics, Society

Despite losing, Manny Pacquiao earned $10m while Jeff Horn earned only $500,000

July 2, 2017July 2, 2017 benign0 6 Comments

So one shouldn’t really cry for Manny Pacquiao. After all, both Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn are professional athletes. They make money whether they win or lose. In fact, despite losing the bout, Pacquiao will take home far more money than Horn. According to the Bleacher Report Horn is guaranteed just $500,000 from the bout…

Culture, Media, Politics

It’s time Duterte’s supporters grow up and stop referring to him as ‘Tatay’

July 1, 2017July 1, 2017 benign0 10 Comments

During the term of former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III, we criticised his government and his followers as being perpetually in campaign mode all throughout his term of office. His Yellow Camp would incessantly grandstand about his and his clan’s goodness and prayerfulness and every speaking engagement was seized as an opportunity to remind…

Politics, Society

Leni Robredo should redeem Trillanes’s dignity after it was crushed by the BBC’s #HARDtalk

June 26, 2017 benign0 5 Comments

Philippine “senator” Antonio Trillanes’s epic choke during an interview with Stephen Sackur in the BBC’s HARDtalk programme last week all but highlighted the sad disarray of the Philippine Opposition. Indeed, last week was a perfect storm as it saw the coming together of insight into just how inutile the Philippine Opposition of today has become….

Media, Politics

Trillanes TV meltdown a fatal blow to the credibility of the Philippine Opposition

June 23, 2017 benign0 14 Comments

Following the “burning” of Philippine “senator” Antonio Trillanes IV on live TV in the BBC talk show HARDtalk, attention now turns to a beleaguered Opposition faced with the hard question: What now? Trillanes, after all, had been one of if not the most aggressive of the Philippine Opposition’s attack dogs. Now reduced to a national…

Media, Politics

BBC journo Stephen Sackur exposes idiocy of “senator” Antonio Trillanes on live TV!

June 22, 2017 benign0 4 Comments

Journalist Stephen Sackur shows the rest of the world’s “journalists” how it’s done on his BBC talk show HARDtalk where he put Philippine “senator” Antonio Trillanes IV through the wringer. Trillanes is one of the harshest critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and, by far, the most rabid — like a dog with a bone…

Government, Media, Politics

Duterte critics who wish him dead have no respect for human rights

June 17, 2017 Ilda 10 Comments

Members of the Philippine Liberal Party and their supporters are feeling a sense of schadenfreude lately. They delight in the thought that President Rodrigo Duterte could be sick. Some of them even claim that he is in a coma. Apparently, someone has been spreading the rumor that he is in a coma. This was after Duterte decided…

Culture, Politics

Criticising Duterte for skipping Independence Day rites is futile: Ph is not truly independent!

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 Ilda 13 Comments

Current Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo’s public relations team or, shall we say, propaganda machine is working overtime. They found an opportunity to try and put her image in a good light after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to skip the 119th commemoration of Philippine Independence Day. Photos of her in salute pose during the recent ceremony…

Government, Politics