We beg to differ.
Since the conclusion of this year’s Fiesta Election, a palpable void has been left. What now? What is the Next Big Issue to pump our fists in the air for? One realises in hindsight how little substance there was in much of the noise and colour that erupted during the campaign leading up to the…
Read More “Why Dan Brown and his description of Manila in ‘Inferno’ is relevant to Filipinos” »
There’s really not much you can say about the outcome of the 2013 elections other than to invoke those famous last words: Told ya so. The proverbial pig is a lot bigger than its proverbial lips. So you may put as much lipstick as you want on said lips, and the fact will still remain…
Same old faces, same old farces. Same old names, same old games. Such is the painfully hilarious nature of our national politics. As the 2013 Philippine midterm elections quickly drew to a close, we stood witness to what our collective action has produced, to what our very own brand of democracy has to offer; a…
Read More “Philippine Elections 2013: Long live, democracy” »
 In 1844, a young German philosopher wrote a book entitled “The Philosophic and Economic Manuscriptsâ€. The said writer is no other than Karl Marx. In that work, Marx begun to examine, analyze and scrutinize the concept of alienation (entausserung). The other term that he used is estrangement (entfremdung). Marx’s central thesis is that: The…
Read More “Alienation and Estrangement: In Defense of Humanism” »
I don’t think there is a point in holding elections in the Philippines. It’s so expensive and the whole process just disrupts normal activities and keeps Filipinos from moving forward. What is the point in going through something that won’t even change or improve how things are being run in the country anyway? Before every…
Read More “Filipino voters should be blamed for the Philippines’ problems” »
Can a change in system of government really change the development trajectory of an entire nation? Perhaps so, but the complexity of any causal link that might exist between a system of government and the future success — or failure — of a country does not allow us a straightforward way of determining just how…
Read More “Will the Philippines prosper if we change its system of government?” »
[Any major occasion in the Philippines is always a good time to re-visit this most seminal of Nick Joaquin’s works. It encapsulates the character of the Philippine Nation and remains relevant today as Filipinos continue in their efforts to attain the elusive greatness they nonetheless feel is their ultimate destiny. I humbly present, “A Heritage…
While I was reading news about Malaysia’s recently-concluded election, I could not help but shake my head; it was as if I was reading about the Philippines. Some of the things that were being said about the Malaysian government and its society could likewise be said about the Philippine government and its society too. It…
Read More “Malaysia and the Philippines: corruption and cheating are all part of ‘the game’” »