Category: Society

Lessons from history about insurgency in the Philippines

May 29, 2017 FallenAngel 23 Comments

Insurgency, rebellion, and separatist movements (Note: I will use these three terms interchangeably.) have always been part and parcel of Philippine history. In this regard, it is no different from other countries and their histories. Successive Philippine governments have had to deal with several of these movements. In the spotlight are the Communist Party of…

Politics, Society, The South

Imperial Manila ‘experts’ see Martial Law as a bigger enemy than Islamic terrorism

May 28, 2017 benign0 37 Comments

If there is anything that can be gleaned from the way Filipinos have so far responded to the crisis in Marawi, it is that Filipinos remain their own worst enemy. Rather than see the terrorists linked to the Islamic State overrunning Marawi City as the bigger enemy, many have, instead, lashed out at the more…

Politics, Religion, Society, The South

Bridging the divide between Manila and Mindanao

May 27, 2017May 30, 2017 FallenAngel 6 Comments

Physically, what separates Luzon and Mindanao, are the Philippine Sea, and the Visayas island group. Modern transportation has enabled this physical distance to be bridged: what was once a several-day sea journey, can also be traversed by a 1-2 hour airplane flight (if you have the money for it, of course). In terms of sentiment,…

Development, Society, The South

Here is why ‘human rights’ is a weak argument against Martial Law…

May 26, 2017 benign0 14 Comments

The better question would be: Is “human rights” still relevant in the Philippines? It is, if you are a Martial Law Crybaby who is throwing a tantrum over the recent declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. For “activists” who shriek “Bloody Murder!” at the mere mention of Martial Law, “human rights” is the be-all-end-all argument…

Government, Society, The South

Atheists and Liberals Say the Darndest Things!

May 25, 2017 Hector Gamboa 13 Comments

So the world got rocked again by radical Islamic terrorism when a religious nutjob recently decided to blow himself up at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. In the Philippines, a band of thugs called the Maute Group (Maute), who claims to have pledged allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS, has wreaked havoc in…

Religion, Society

The hypocrisy in the protest against the Anti Distracted Driving Law

May 23, 2017 benign0 7 Comments

In the Philippines, even the most basic courtesies and manners need to be legislated. It will likely require strong legislation to stamp out the world-renowned Filipino practice of public urination, for example. Perhaps too, there should also be harsh laws to penalise queue-jumpers, maybe even bozos who try to squeeze into trains before all disembarking…

Civics, Government, Society, Technology

Why the West holds license to comment on slavery in the Philippines

May 19, 2017 benign0 9 Comments

There has been an overwhelming and varied response to the late Alex Tizon’s moving piece on how his family enslaved Eudocia Tomas “Lola” Pulido for decades — even after moving to and settling in the United States. Most interesting of these responses is how some Filipino social media “influencers” are incensed with the way Americans…

Culture, Society

“My Family’s Slave” is a story familiar to a lot of Filipino families

May 19, 2017May 19, 2017 Ilda 17 Comments

The treatment of household help or katulong by Filipino families has been put under the international spotlight thanks to the essay “My Family’s Slave” written by the late Filipino-American award winning journalist Alex Tizon. His article was recently published by the American publication, The Atlantic two months after his death. Many readers were moved to…

Culture, Society