We beg to differ.
I don’t know what Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino was thinking when he issued — and, worse, publicised — a directive to his legions of “traffic enforcers” to wear adult diapers while on duty during the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines this month. He said there would not be enough…
The recent terrorist attack in France has started a flurry of criticisms against Islamic fundamentalism and the intolerance that goes with it. While many people have strongly condemned the heinous acts perpetrated by three masked gunmen purportedly in the name of vengeance for the Islamic prophet Muhammad, there are people like former Democrat leader Howard…
Is Europe now suffering from years of misguided (albeit, possibly in hindsight) immigration policy? It seems the notion is catching fire across the Continent. The outrage being exhibited by crowds that have gathered across European cities to express solidarity with the 12 people killed in a brutal Islamist attack on the office of French satire…
Read More “Are Western Europeans fed up with Muslim immigration? #JeSuisCharlie” »
One thing I learned in language education is that, given time, geography and human development, a language would eventually change to suit the needs of communication. That is why I have ultimately very little problems with Tagalog speakers embellishing English into the former, creating a (current) form of portmanteau popularly known as “Taglish.” The premise…
Read More “Fluency in Regional Languages Can Improve the So-Called “Filipino Language”” »
Filipinos’ values are indeed perverted beyond recognition. In many Filipino movies, the bad guys are often pointy-nosed fair-skinned snobs (keeping to the narrow-minded way Philippine cinema’s jeje-culture traditionally portrays the rich) living in obnoxious tacky mansions while the “hero” is an other-side-of-da-riles lad or lass living the Pinoy challenge of scraping together a “decent” life….
Read More “Why it is wrong to spend P100M on a celeb wedding in the #Philippines” »
If the saying is true that the character of the leader of a nation reflects the character of the people, then the character of Philippine President Benigno Simeon (BS) Aquino reflects the character of the Filipino people. BS Aquino’s recent guest appearance in the popular television show Gandang Gabi Vice gave everyone a clue about…
Read More “Vice Ganda interview of PNoy is proof of Filipinos’ obsession with celebrities” »
[The following is a piece originally published in The Manila Bulletin on the 09th April 2000 and featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year. How many of the issues mentioned here remain the same unchanged ones today? Remember, this was written back in 2000.] * * * AN admired Filipino economist, based in…
Read More “The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense” »
[The following is an article by Star columnist Don Pedero published in The Philippine Star 29 October 2000 and also featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year.] * * * Last July 23, I wrote about Nasty (short for Anastacio), a balikbayan from Los Angeles, who, while vacationing in Manila, had nothing to…
Read More “The #Philippines is a nation of starstruck ignoramuses” »