We beg to differ.
Being exceptional in the Philippines is not only not rewarded, it is also punished. Often severely. Being exceptional, in the eyes of Filipinos, means that you are something the rest of them aren’t. You aren’t in solidarity with the rest of them, especially if they’re mediocre. Naging iba ka sa kanila. Di ka nakisama. Leadership…
Read More “Why being exceptional is a bane in the Philippines” »
Evidently, Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David set out to write another unimaginative piece on presidential granddaughter Isabelle Duterte, the latest outrage fad her Yellowtard community is feasting on. This is not the point of my article here. The more interesting insights to be gleaned from Jimenez-David’s piece lies in what can be read between the lines….
Read More “The POOR are responsible for uplifting the poor, NOT the rich” »
Most Filipinos would like to believe that the outrage they feel (or are encouraged to feel by their “activists”) about excessive displays of wealth comes from a deep need to see social justice delivered. Thus, the typical screeching lament we hear when such “social justice warriors” (SJWs) are confronted with displays of wealth goes like…
Read More “Filipinos are poor because their “activists” teach them to be obsessed with the rich” »
Most mainstream news reports and opinion pieces about University of the Philippines (UP) Manila student Jo Lapira who was among the dead following a clash between the Philippine military and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Batangas the other day report who she was to friends. Rappler, for one, cites how Lapira was “a tiny…
Read More “Jo Lapira: ‘tiny activist with big dreams’, or ENEMY casualty?” »
Filipinos are being pulled in different directions nowadays as various political blocs battle one another for dominance in a landscape characterised by turmoil and unrest. Looking just a short time back, the mid-2000s was the same. It was also a time of frequent street rallies and accusations of “human rights violations” among others being thrown…
The irony in the clique of “social media influencers” who hosted an event dubbed a forum on “Truth, Trust, and Democracy in the Age of Selfies, Trolls and Bots” just flies over people’s pointed heads. The event was organised “by the Journalism for Nation Building Foundation (JNBF), Rappler, and other stakeholder groups”. This is not…
Read More “Facts matter in the Philippines, but only the facts that favour its elite” »
The Philippine political “debate” remains as confused as ever because partisans across the spectrum cannot agree on who or which administration is at fault for the persistence of a number of problems. Many of these problems are big ones: Manila’s traffic and public transport woes, foreign policy around which bloc of superpowers the Philippines should…
Funny how elements of the Philippine Opposition gleefully spread images of Leftist protesters infesting Manila’s streets as if to demonstrate that there is a “fight” for “freedom” currently raging against the oppressive “fascist” government of an “evil” strongman. There is even a dramatic image of one of these protesters in the act of delivering a…
Read More “The #ASEAN2017 Summit proves that the Philippines is not a fascist state” »