Category: Politics

Philippine Senate ‘probe’ on pork mule Ruby Tuason a complete waste of time

February 14, 2014 benign0 13 Comments

The thing with Senate “probes” is they really don’t amount to much beyond serving as a sideshow to a Filipino public hungry for tele-intriga. Presumably, a legislative body getting involved in a criminal investigation is investing that time in the aid of legislation. What kind of legislation will be an outcome of this latest Senate…

Crime, Government, Politics

Live Streaming of Ruby Tuason’s Testimony On Pork Barrel and Malampaya Scam To Rivet Filipino Mirons

February 13, 2014 P. Farol 19 Comments

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will resume its investigation into the P10 Billion Pork Barrel Funds scam this morning and it is expected that Ruby Tuason will come up with more controversial revelations — not that we haven’t heard them before. In a meeting with other pork barrel whistle blowers on the eve of her…

Crime, Government, Politics

‘The Philippines says Thank You’ video: missing the bigger point #PHthankyou

February 9, 2014February 9, 2014 FallenAngel 47 Comments

So apparently, three months after Tropical Storm Haiyan (local name Yolanda) hits the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT) comes out with a short video called “The Philippines says Thank You”, with the accompanying hashtag #PHthankyou. Ok. So what then? Frankly, the video just fails to move me. I’m probably only a handful of Filipinos…

Culture, Development, Government, Lifestyle, Media, Politics, Society

Four lies about President Noynoy Aquino his supporters keep passing around as truths

February 5, 2014July 6, 2015 Ilda 242 Comments

There are a lot of misconceptions about Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino that his supporters have been passing around as “truths”. They range from harmless to downright ridiculous but most of them are obviously part of a propaganda campaign concocted by his propaganda machine to keep his waning popularity up. Indeed, BS Aquino’s “celebrity”…

Crime, Development, Featured, Government, Politics

Erap and Isko, Reviving Manila (Part Two)

February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 P. Farol 14 Comments

The first part of “Erap and Isko, Reviving Manila” pierced the veil created by environmental and heritage conservation pseudo-activists, revealing that those behind efforts to oppose Manila Bay reclamation are actually people and organizations who are merely out to protect their businesses from competition. Property owners who lease out their land or buildings, for one, see…

Development, Economy, Environment, Government, Politics, Science

Biggest crooks in the Philippines are Presidents and Congressmen, not drug lords or terrorists

February 5, 2014 benign0 14 Comments

What is it about vigilantism that appeals so much to Filipinos? The thought of taking the law into one’s hands is a common Filipino fantasy. Philippine cinema reflects this as have many recent public explosions of uncontrolled often violent rage coming from ordinary Filipinos, many of which were captured in videos that went viral over…

Crime, Government, Politics, Society

Noynoy’s 2016 presidential promise to Mar Roxas is destroying the Philippines

February 4, 2014 benign0 7 Comments

Time and again, Filipinos and their government (which, in a democracy, reflects its citizens’ character) have proven a lack of ability to step back and manage their affairs to a level of competence befitting a modern 21st Century state. In key occasions when it was a national imperative to exhibit a collective resolve to squarely…

Development, Government, Politics

Erap and Isko, Reviving Manila (Part One)

January 31, 2014 P. Farol 32 Comments

Manila is the core city of the National Capital Region and despite the many attempts to restore it to its “old glory”, it is still pretty much rotting away and there seems to be no way of stopping its decay. Polluted, crowded, crime infested, unbearably hot during the summer months, chronically flooded during the rainy…

Development, Environment, Government, Politics