Category: Society

Do the US presidential elections really matter to Filipinos THAT much?

November 5, 2012 benign0 27 Comments

I mean, really. What relevance does the outcome of the presidential elections in the United States have on the future fortunes of the average Filipino schmoe? If an entire raft of Philippine presidents have themselves exhibited pratically zero influence on the fortunes of entire generations of Filipinos, what impact can the very miniscule difference between…

Politics, Society

Filipinos do not know it yet but dynasties may actually be good for the country

November 4, 2012 benign0 57 Comments

It’s been glaringly obvious that the Philippines is a feudal society and has been ruled by dynasties since time immemorial. Dynasties, after all, are essential in a society renowned for its Heritage of Smallness. Nick Joaquin in that seminal essay observed: However far we go back in our history it’s the small we find–the nipa…

Culture, Politics, Society

Filipino pride in the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ invoked in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

November 2, 2012November 2, 2012 benign0 33 Comments

Filipinos never pass up an opportunity to exhibit their renowned ethnocentrism. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy which devastated much of the eastern seaboard of the United States, there have been many heartening reports of how the level of preparedness and swift action of the US government to mitigate the foreseen effects of the storm…

Culture, Society

Online activism in the Philippines in decline as RA 10175 bares teeth

October 25, 2012 benign0 3 Comments

Here is a completely subjective back-of-the-envelope assessment of Philippine online “debate” and “activism” in the last couple of weeks based on casual observation of my Facebook and Twitter timelines: the edge in Philippine online chatter is progressively getting blunt. When I say it is getting blunt I say so in the sense that it is…

Media, Politics, Society, Tech Talk

To all you judgmental Filipinos: prostitutes are people too

October 24, 2012October 24, 2012 Kate Natividad 24 Comments

So what is wrong with prostitution? It is supposedly wrong in the Philippines because the profession has turned its practitioners into some sort of “untouchable” class. Filipinos consider prostitutes to be unclean indecent people who ought to be shunned. As the thinking of the chattering classes goes, prostitution is “dehumanizing” because of this. Thinking lowly…

Culture, Money Talks, Religion, Society

Self Righteous, Pseudo Cause Oriented Groups Do More Damage Than ‘Greedy Corporations’

October 24, 2012October 24, 2012 P. Farol 50 Comments

Early in the morning, I got involved in a bit of a heated exchange with an anonymous blogger called PJ — a supporter of Project Save 182. You see, I have a thing against deceptive and dishonest people on the internet. Â I hate people who put up a scheme to dupe thousands of people into…

Environment, Society

Dynasty politics in the Philippines: why the outrage only now?

October 16, 2012 benign0 42 Comments

I’ve been seeing a lot of views being aired about the emerging sameness in how the coming 2013 elections is being shaped by traditional Philippine politics. This time, the buzzword is “dynasties” — how the sons and daughters of aging politicians are stepping up to claim the offices and realms held and ruled respectively by…

Culture, Politics, Society