Category: Religion

Next step after Bangsamoro peace deal: Philippines to pay up – drop Sabah claim

March 27, 2014 benign0 38 Comments

So what happens to the Philippines’ claim on the Malaysian state of Sabah following the signing of the Bangsamoro “peace deal” between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)? It seems this is now conveniently in the backburner as Filipinos, on cue, dance to the tune of Malacanang’s “celebration of peace”. But…

Civics, Government, Politics, Religion, The South

Hey GI, ten dollah, love ya long time…

March 17, 2014 Kate Natividad 37 Comments

I read with interest benign0’s recent piece Is the sex trade all Filipinos have to offer to visiting US troops?. It was quite an eye-opener for me. I realize now why this country is screwed. We not only have an inept government, we also have idiots leading the “activist” movements that are supposed to be…

Culture, Politics, Religion

Bangsamoro deal: Were Filipino Muslims in Mindanao screwed by the Philippine and Malaysian governments?

March 3, 2014March 3, 2014 benign0 16 Comments

With the Bangsamoro “framework agreement” set to be “signed” this month, the Philippines is supposedly on its way towards achieving a future of peace and harmony with and amongst its Muslim minority peoples. It is, supposedly, a political win for Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,…

Government, Politics, Religion, Society, The South

ABS-CBN’s “Flesh-Eating Disease” Hoax Takes a Sadly Predictable Turn

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 BenK 57 Comments

So the story goes like this: Sometime in April of last year, a self-styled “prophet” — an Indian man whose name is either “Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj” or “Vincent” — of a hiterto unheard-of religious organization called Jesus Ministries delivered a fire-and-brimstone sermon to a gathering in the Cuneta Astrodome, in which he prophesied, among other…

Media, Religion, Society, Uncategorized

Iglesia ni Cristo ‘charity walk’ for Haiyan victims: Was its impact on Metro Manila’s economy worth it?

February 15, 2014 benign0 287 Comments

So what exactly does clogging an entire major thoroughfare for hours in a megalopolis already choked by normal traffic volume supposed to achieve? According to the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), it organised a “charity walk” along Manila’s Roxas Boulevard (formerly known as Dewey Boulevard) to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. Yolanda)….

Civics, Environment, Lifestyle, Politics, Religion

Whistleblowers in pork barrel scam Ruby Tuason and Benhur Luy deserve jail time not hero and celebrity treatment

February 15, 2014February 16, 2014 Ilda 18 Comments

The first thing you notice about the whistleblowers involved in the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam is the manner with which they act during the senate blue ribbon committee. They seem at ease and familiar with the people around them as if they were in a social gathering with their drinking…

Crime, Politics, Religion, Society

Coca Cola desperately needs to get the world hooked on Coke

February 5, 2014August 18, 2022 benign0 9 Comments

So there is this Coke ad aired during the Superbowl that features some Tagalog words in a rendition of the American nationalist song “America the Beautiful”, specifically the words “Sa ibabaw ng mga prutas” (which translates to “Above the fruited plain” for those who speak American). Speaking of fruity plains, the ad also touted Coke…

Glitz and Glamour, Lifestyle, Media, Religion, Society

What Vhong and Deniece teach us about religion and the news

February 3, 2014 benign0 22 Comments

A lot of people remain baffled by the attention that the Vhong Navarro and Deniece Cornejo show attracts. They cite that there are more important things going on — the Disbursement Acceleration Program imbroglio that President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III is entangled in, the plight of Leytenians still reeling from the carnage wrought by…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Glitz and Glamour, Media, Religion, Society