Category: Society

Thai Army shows how to decisively cure a country of its cancerous civilian politics

May 26, 2014 benign0 21 Comments

One thing a military organisation worth its salt is good at is acting swiftly and decisively under duress to resolve a serious crisis. This is exactly what the Thai Army has done to untangle a government paralysed by civilian politics. Following the imposition of martial law by the Army last week, further measures have been…

Government, Politics, Society

Overseas Foreign Workers: the economic backbone, and the heart of the true Filipino spirit

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014 Libertas 34 Comments

Back to the beginning. I first got to know about the Philippines as I was travelling in other countries and met a number of Filipino Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs). Over time I often helped some with English, form filling etc., and heard more about their lives, loves, and hardships, and was never once asked for…

Civics, Development, Economy, Government, Lifestyle, Society

The brutal business of implementing change in the Philippines

May 24, 2014May 24, 2014 Libertas 15 Comments

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act” – George Orwell Improving systems and changing cultures invariably starts with looking under the covers, and with brutal honesty sometimes. Self-delusion doesn’t — shouldn’t — feature in corporate life, nor should it in national governance. Would you prefer your taxes be…

Culture, Development, Education, Government, Politics, Society

Senator JV Ejercito exacts groundbreaking apology from Napoles List mongerers!

May 19, 2014 benign0 22 Comments

Until recently, the core dysfunction in the collective thinking faculties of Philippine society has largely gone unpenalised. Careers have been broken, people unjustly imprisoned, and suicides committed because of this. The current imbroglio that Philippine politics has now found itself neck-deep in following the grossly-misguided release of various lists of alleged pork barrel thieves by…

Crime, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Gay ‘rights’ and the big hoo-ha about Ping Lacson’s and Michael Sam’s sexual orientation

May 15, 2014 benign0 26 Comments

So, yeah, the gay thing. Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago makes a big deal about former Senator and Philippine National Police Chief Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson’s sexual orientation seemingly to save her ass which had been included in a list of alleged crooks. On the other side of the planet, there is on-going chatter about upcoming…

Culture, Education, Lifestyle, Media, Religion, Society

And the massive national quibble over the content of the Napoles Lists is on!

May 13, 2014 benign0 10 Comments

As expected, the usual suspects are taking the top-management cue and mounting a massive online quibble over the contents of a bunch of name-and-shame lists, purportedly of members of Congress who’ve had “dealings” with alleged pork barrel scam ringleader Janet Lim Napoles, floating around. What exactly will these lists prove? Nothing really. What is at…

Crime, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Emerging presidential candidates for 2016: a reflection of Philippine intellectual bankruptcy

May 12, 2014 benign0 12 Comments

See, this is why I continue to assert that the Philippines is an intellectually-bankrupt society. Well into the second decade of the 21st Century, Filipinos continue to fail to step up to the challenge of injecting a bit of innovation in their politics. For all the hoo-ha about “empowering” effect of “social media”, activism has…

Politics, Society

The myth of the ‘tech savvy’ generation

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 benign0 28 Comments

We are in the midst of an unprecedented technology revolution. Technology has all but woven itself into the very fabric of society and into the lives of the individuals that comprise it. “Wearable technology” apparently is now the next big thing. What will likely come next after that will be implanted tech. As our relationship…

Education, Lifestyle, Society, Tech Talk