Tag: china

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

Climate change activism: mere farts in the wind

September 25, 2014December 16, 2022 benign0 12 Comments

Another United Nations (UN) climate summit, another bunch of promises. Has the UN really been an effective body in efforts to mitigate the worst of humanity’s many scourges that Planet Earth suffers? Considering that China is, today, the single biggest producer of “greenhouse gases”, the role the UN plays in an effort to curb emissions…

Development, Economy, Environment, Government, Lifestyle, Science, Society

Study confirms need to establish English as medium of instruction also at elementary school levels

August 20, 2014April 1, 2023 benign0 36 Comments

A study jointly conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Assessment Curriculum Technology Research Center-College of Education (ACTRC) and the University of Melbourne on the effectiveness of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in (MTB-MLE) in the Philippines has confirmed something many Filipinos have known for some time — that English remains a highly-prized skill that most…

Culture, Development, Education

Philippine President Noynoy Aquino starts a bloodless civil war over #DAP!

July 16, 2014 benign0 20 Comments

War is now brewing between the Executive Branch of the Philippine government headed by President Benigno Simeon ‘BS” Aquino III and the Supreme Court headed by Aquino-appointed Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno. This is a path chosen by President BS Aquino after the epic fail that was his public address last Monday, the 14th July where…

Crime, Development, Government, Politics

The persistent myth of economic growth

July 4, 2014August 4, 2022 benign0 5 Comments

Development in understanding in recent years is making real limits on growth a lot more palpable since it is becoming quite evident that our approach to measuring economic value and the costs of acquiring said “value” (i.e. our monetary system) is woefully incomplete. Yet economic growth remains the be-all-end-all that pervades every aspect of human…

Development, Economy, Environment, Lifestyle, Money Talks

Will global ‘outrage’ over jailed Al Jazeera journalists turn into CONCRETE action?

June 24, 2014 benign0 7 Comments

Global outrage has erupted over the harsh prison sentences meted out to Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, and Baher Mohamed last Monday. The three were successfully prosecuted in an Egyptian court for allegedly “undermining” Egypt’s “national security” supposedly by supplying false news and aiding terrorist movements deemed threats to the Egyptian government. Being…

Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Is June 12, 1898 REALLY the Philippines’ Independence Day?

June 11, 2014June 12, 2016 benign0 15 Comments

It’s 2014 and as of this writing, guess what: tomorrow is “Independence Day”. Again. According to the latest Philippine History books, the 12th June is the day the Philippines became “independent” — the outcome of the Philippine Revolution which began August 1896. On the 12th June 1898, Aguinaldo led the declaration of Philippine independence from…

Government, Society

Five things the Philippines needs to develop to become a great nation

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014 benign0 31 Comments

The following are the five key pillars that form the foundation of what could make Filipinos’ aspirations to build not just a better Philippines but a great Philippines a reality. No amount of nebulous campaign slogans and promises delivered in flowery speeches will replace the need for solid foundations for development and progress. Here is…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Development, Economy, Government, Society