Category: Politics

Amal Alamuddin: brilliant lawyering and Hollywood star power may help Arroyo’s plight

May 5, 2014 benign0 30 Comments

Self-proclaimed “Oprah Winfrey of the Philippines” and presidential sister Kris Aquino may be given a run for the money if reports that brilliant international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin will take up the case of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA). Arroyo is currently detained on charges of plunder and has remained under hospital arrest…

Crime, Politics

Minsan may Isang Puta

May 1, 2014May 1, 2014 Ms. Mike Portes 13 Comments

Tingin ng mga bobong kapitbahay ko, puta daw ako. Nagpapagamit, binabayaran. Sabi nila, ako daw ang pinakamaganda at pinakasikat sa aming lugar noon. Di ko nga alam kung sumpa ito, dahil dito naletse ang kinabukasan ko. Tara, makinig ka muna sa kwento ko, yosi muna tayo. Alam mo, maraming lumapit sa akin. Nagkagusto at naakit….

Read More “Minsan may Isang Puta” »

Culture, Politics, Society

Philippine Labor Day rhetoric: the same old bullshit

April 26, 2014April 26, 2014 benign0 24 Comments

So it’s “Labor Day” again this 1st of May in the Philippines. What do the usual suspects who champion the workers’ “fight” have to offer this time in terms of rhetoric? Considering that they’ve milked the easy ones dry — anti-Americanism, anti-imperialism, anti-incumbent-government, higher wages, more jobs, etc. — what else is there? There is…

Development, Economy, Politics

Constitutional Reform: What it Looks Like from the Outside

April 24, 2014 BenK 15 Comments

The idea of ‘charter change’ is nothing new to outsiders, but being able to observe and discuss the movement as a serious idea rather than cynically dismissing it as the same old limited-focus canard that gets floated every year is a refreshing change of pace. So what’s different about ‘charter change’ now, as opposed to…

Charter Change, Development, Politics

Filipinos should learn to question authority intelligently

April 19, 2014October 26, 2022 Ilda 15 Comments

Intelligent people can be the worst teachers. They tend to be impatient with their students. This is because they assume that the students will understand what they are trying to say on their first attempt at explaining something. Because it is easy for them to understand things, it can be hard for intelligent people to…

Civics, Culture, Government, Politics, Society

Tulong Dunong, ACIL, ICTUS, and other memories from up the Hill

April 17, 2014 benign0 4 Comments

If I lower my guard and take the comfy view that I am fundamentally defined by where I was schooled, I’d call myself an “Atenean”. When you are an Ateneo alumnus (and specially when you remain on as a faculty member), you usually come equipped with a lot of connections and the frame of mind…

Civics, Culture, Education, Politics, Religion, Society

The underlying simplicity of Philippine Elections

April 13, 2014 benign0 6 Comments

The Philippine Media, both old and new, whether traditional or trend-setting, is abuzz yet again with the usual discussions and “analyses” that tend to proliferate in value-crushing volumes. So I thought it’d be a good time to re-visit the fundamental process that underlies this hyped-up political exercise that is pitched to vacuous minds as some…

Media, Politics

Metro Rail Transit crisis gripping Manila a result of long-term failure in thinking

April 11, 2014March 24, 2022 benign0 16 Comments

The “increase in population” that has been made the excuse du jour of Malacanang to wash its hands off the appalling mass transport crisis paralysing Metro Manila today is something that the government cannot absolve itself of any responsibility for. Facing mounting calls for the head of Al Vitangcol General Manager of the Metro Rail…

Crime, Development, Government, Lifestyle, Politics, Society