Category: Society

Pinoy Big Brother housemate Valerie Weigmann is Miss World Philippines 2014!

October 13, 2014 Kate Natividad 2 Comments

Of ‘Filipino, German, and Danish descent’. That’s how newly-crowned Miss World Philippines 2014 contestant Valerie Weigmann of Albay is described by the Philippine media. Well, considering she is an ex-Pinoy Big Brother housemate and a one-time host of the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga, there does not seem to be much of the German and…

Culture, Glitz and Glamour, Lifestyle, Media, Society

Is same-sex marriage a more important issue than divorce??

October 10, 2014June 27, 2015 Kate Natividad 64 Comments

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…

Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Religion, Society

Binay’s estate, Purisima’s mansions, and Aquino’s hacienda – fodder for the same vacuous ‘debate’

October 9, 2014October 9, 2014 benign0 7 Comments

Pots calling kettles black pretty much summarises the all-too-familiar mudslinging that characterises the political “debate” Filipinos keep their small minds occupied with nowadays. Between the Aquino-Cojuangco bloc, the mansions and SUVs of disgraced police chief Alan Purisima, and the overpriced buildings of 2016 “presidentiable” and current Vice President Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay there does not seem…

Media, Politics, Society

‘Disaster preparedness’ has become an oxymoron in the #Philippines

October 8, 2014December 21, 2021 benign0 14 Comments

It has been becoming increasingly apparent that “natural” disasters are now a routine occurrence all over the Philippines. The idea that Filipinos ought to be more “prepared” for such calamities — whilst something one would think ought to have been an obvious national priority — is only now resonating across the broader public. To the…

Civics, Development, Government, Politics, Society

Filipinos need to stop inserting themselves into Hong Kong’s #UmbrellaRevolution

October 7, 2014October 8, 2014 FallenAngel 15 Comments

Or any other country’s democracy-oriented drive, for that matter. Admittedly, watching the unfolding of the Hong Kong protests – dubbed the Umbrella Revolution – gets one’s curiosity easily piqued. Given that the protesters have been issued an ultimatum to clear the streets, outside observers are hoping that things don’t end tragically. When the world recalls…

Culture, Government, Politics, Society

Filipinos give Philippine history’s ‘bad’ guy a second look due to lack of progress

October 6, 2014November 9, 2021 Ilda 117 Comments

Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos passed away in 1989 but seeing the way people are talking about him lately, it’s as if he is still alive today. This is evident in the way some members of mainstream media keep reliving the “horrors” of the Marcos years. There are quite a number of articles highlighting the…

Crime, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Borderline criminal: Contribution of Manila’s public buses to traffic congestion

October 3, 2014 benign0 20 Comments

Traffic flow on Metro Manila’s main arteries is routinely being jammed by public utility buses loading and unloading indiscriminately in the middle of the road. This is one of the obvious problems plaguing the country that Filipinos are seemingly too stupid to do anything about. We tolerate public utility buses loading and unloading indiscriminately in…

Crime, Development, Society

Facebook apologises for crackdown on drag queens and LGBT community

October 2, 2014 benign0 5 Comments

The community of “drag queens, drag kings, transgender, and extensive community of our friends, neighbors, and members of the LGBT community” can now rest easy after Facebook promised to improve its system for verifying accounts flagged as “fake” by other users. The social media firm also apologised for what many perceived to be an unwarranted…

Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Society, Tech Talk