Tag: authoritarianism

What Pinoys Get Wrong About Rights: Dehumanization In The Media

February 10, 2015 Grimwald 19 Comments

Ever since the EDSA Revolution, the Philippines and its people has always been proud to be supportive of the “human rights” movement. Since then, Filipinos came to view the Marcos regime and Marcos’ disciplinarian and authoritative mindset as tyrannical and evil. They vilified all his works and sought to bring down everything Marcos had established…

Crime, Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Society

Filipinos give Philippine history’s ‘bad’ guy a second look due to lack of progress

October 6, 2014November 9, 2021 Ilda 117 Comments

Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos passed away in 1989 but seeing the way people are talking about him lately, it’s as if he is still alive today. This is evident in the way some members of mainstream media keep reliving the “horrors” of the Marcos years. There are quite a number of articles highlighting the…

Crime, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

What Filipinos need to learn from Hong Kong’s #UmbrellaRevolution

September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 benign0 55 Comments

A lot of Filipinos have been following closely the massive pro-democracy protests that have rocked Hong Kong in recent days. After Beijing announced that it will be vetting candidates for the coming 2017 election there, Hong Kong residents have taken to the streets by the hundreds of thousands, virtually paralysing the prosperous former British colony…

Politics, Society

#NeverAgain? Was former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos really that awful a leader?

July 8, 2014September 21, 2014 benign0 67 Comments

The whole brouhaha surrounding the stink raised by Ateneo students and alumni over a photo of their fellows schmoozing with fomer First Lady Imelda Marcos in an Ateneo Scholarship Foundation (ASF) social event brought to light renewed debate over whether or not former President Ferdinand Marcos really was that bad. Was the former strongman a…

Crime, Media, Politics, Society

Are Ateneans making too much of a big deal over the Imelda Marcos photos?

July 7, 2014July 7, 2014 benign0 47 Comments

I do regard with wonder the virulent and militant nature with which Ateneans today raise their fists in quaint anger over photos of Imelda Marcos schmoozing with their fellows in an Ateneo Scholarship Foundation (ASF) social event. Yet hardly an organised peep had been heard from the collective community of alumni and students over the…

Civics, Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Politics, Society

Lessons from Renato Corona’s experience: Five tips on how to survive an impeachment trial

June 2, 2012April 29, 2016 Ilda 72 Comments

After 43 sessions within the span of 5 months, the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has finally ended with an overwhelming vote for a “guilty” verdict. So much has been said about how the prosecution cut corners and violated the most sacred parts of the Philippine Constitution just to demonize the…

Crime, Featured, Government, Politics

It Is a Good Time for Change, Starting with Changing to Someone Who Can Actually Do It

December 31, 2011December 31, 2011 BenK 11 Comments

I read with some interest Jaime Garchitorenaâ€™s â€œEnd of Year Thoughts: If thereâ€™s a good time to initiate change I think that good time is nowâ€, and I found it intriguing in that it echoes in many ways my own understanding of the futility of â€˜ideal democracyâ€™: That rules many times are nothing more than…

Government, Politics