We beg to differ.
How can we “help the poor”? It depends on one’s definition of “helping”. At its worst, “helping the poor” is seen by many as simply dropping a few coins in the poor box at church or donating stuff to a charity. The poor, in this regard, are seen as charity cases, and this has come…
Read More “The poor should be considered equal participants in the economy, not ‘victims’ of it” »
To Filipinos, rich people are “evil” and a life focused on the acquisition of money is a life to be ashamed of. And so there really is no reason to continue wondering why Filipinos remain an impoverished people today. The very idea of aspiring to be rich seems, to Filipinos, to be a thought to…
Because of the hardship of life in Filipino society – the degree of self-imposition of such hardship is another matter – a few behaviors seem deeply ingrained in the average Filipinos’ psyche: they will take any shortcut possible (even if illegal), they will resort to penny-pinching, and they will easily buy into things whose integrity…
Read More “Here is why the ‘fake news’ scare doesn’t resonate with Filipinos…” »
People who keep shrieking about “fake news” are overdoing it. They are now starting to come across like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The tale of The Boy Who Cries Wolf concerns a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks nearby villagers into thinking wolves are attacking his flock. When a wolf actually does appear and the…
Read More “People shrieking about ‘fake news’ are starting to sound like The Boy Who Cried Wolf” »
Since drugs remain a prominent topic in the Duterte administration, let’s have a related concept as a topic of discussion: highs. Not just drug highs. Any kind of high. The rush from dopamine and other brain chemicals giving you that pleasurable or euphoric feeling that you wished lasted forever. Trying to satisfy that craving. The…
Filipinos need to “unite” to solve their big macro national problems. Yet Filipinos, unfortunately, are a people pulled in different directions. We have Yellowtards versus Dutertards, the masses versus the oligarchs, Christians versus Muslims, and Imperial Manila versus the rest of the country among other battles being waged that are ripping Philippine society apart. Adding…
Read More “Filipinos need to kill their cultural demons in order to kill their real enemies” »
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s critics are getting impatient. “Where is the change that he promised?” they ask. After a year in office, his fiercest critics are reminding him of the promises he made before the election. For instance, they cite his promise to end criminality within three to six months after election. It’s quite laughable…
Read More “Before you ask the President “where is the change?” ask yourself if you have changed” »
The battle for Marawi City is degrading into a protracted stalemate between Philippine government troops and Maute terrorists holed up in buildings in the city centre. Though clearly enjoying superior firepower and logistical support, the Philippine military’s progress in retaking Marawi has tapered off. Despite sustaining heavy aerial bombardment, the enemy has proven difficult to…