We beg to differ.
Imagine for a moment that the Philippines was suddenly swallowed up by the seas leaving no trace of it, its culture, and its people. Then ask yourself this question: Will the rest of the world miss the Philippines? What a confronting question, right?! It may be true, of course, that the Philippines is a source…
Read More “Is the Philippines of any value to the rest of the world?” »
The marking of the first year’s anniversary of the visit of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) to the Philippines in November 2013 is a bittersweet one. While the disaster devasted millions of Filipino lives, its most appalling legacy is the vast open wound it left in the Filipino’s collective psyche — the realisation that theirs is an…
I am Joseph Scott Pemberton. I’ve been that boy in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ve been in dark alleys, rented rooms, and in the company of strange women. But I was lucky (like you’ve been lucky) that the person who could have harmed either of us just didn’t harm us at that…
The Philippines does not negotiate with terrorists. Or so we are told following the miraculous “rescue” of two German hostages Stefan Viktor Okonek and Henrike Dielen held by the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. According to Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Rami, the ransom they demanded was paid. According to the Philippine Government no such ransom…
I often wonder about the twisted priorities of Philippine society. I read just now how Quezon City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista is reportedly mulling the allowing of same-sex marriage in his city. Ok, so how is it that something like that takes precedence over — and garners a lot more media mileage than — a…
Read More “Is same-sex marriage a more important issue than divorce??” »
I watched just now the excellent speech delivered by Emma Watson at the United Nations in New York City last Saturday. This was on the occassion of the launch of the UN HeForShe campaign and she spoke as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, a role she was appointed to about six months earlier. Watson said…
Read More “Emma Watson’s feminism speech and why men should STILL harden the f–k up” »
United States President Barack Obama announced on national television the other night that the US will be stepping up its military involvement in the Middle East to crush the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — specifically “degrade and ultimately destroy” it. “I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who…
Fascinating the way life’s common vicissitudes are somehow magnified and celebrated when celebrities experience them. Whether it be falling into and then rehabilitation from alcohol or substance abuse, getting sick then recovering, suffering a nervous breakdown, or experiencing the heady bliss of romance, showbiz folk make a big drama out of it. I guess that’s…
Read More “What I learned from Boy Abunda’s and Billy Crawford’s personal dramas” »