Tag: democracy

Lessons from Greece: Can Third World nations really afford ‘democratic’ governments?

July 15, 2015 benign0 7 Comments

You can almost hear Robin Leach snootily addressing his audience in the popular 1980s TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous when you read this: See that demoractic government? You can’t afford it. By hook and, literally, by crook a while back, Greece joined the European Union and replaced the drachma with the euro…

Development, Economy, Government, Politics

Philippine society is living off unearned pride bought with false achievement

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 benign0 18 Comments

Groupthink for the sake of “stability”? That might work if you are a Germany or Japan — or even a China or South Korea. But this is the Philippines. Filipinos got groupthink all wrong. Whereas the other successful collectivist societies groupthought their way to scientific, technical, and economic achievement, the Philippines degenerated into a sad…

Culture, Development, Society

The Philippines is an idiocracy, not a democracy: Happy Independence Day!

July 3, 2015 benign0 31 Comments

What?? Good-versus-evil again?? Is this the only way Filipinos will ever regard their elections? It’s no wonder then that the Philippines never gets anywhere. There is no roadmap forward. It’s always just a “fight” of some sort where the “winner” is seen to be continuing a struggle against an imaginary “tyrant” still lurking in the…

Culture, Politics, Society

On Filipinos’ premature celebration of the same-sex marriage win in the United States

June 29, 2015 Add 36 Comments

I don’t understand why many of us have been celebrating the victory of the Rainbow Movement that happened on the other side of the Pacific, half way around the world. It must be that many dream of a Western way of life. Don’t they look at the mirror and see that they are Asians, to…

Culture, Lifestyle, Religion, Society

The 2016 Election: Why Voting Feels Like Suicide

June 28, 2015 Grimwald 16 Comments

I have been called out a number of times on the way I like to make pop culture references too much. Of course, for the most part, I can’t really blame them too much because of my tendency to overdo just about everything that I do. One can almost say that I watch too many cartoons for…

Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

Jejomar Binay’s move to criticize Noynoy Aquino is part of democratic process

June 28, 2015June 29, 2015 Ilda 10 Comments

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay is a free man, at least for now. Lately, Binay has been using that freedom to advance his causes. After all, he lives in a so-called “democratic” country that supposedly champions “freedom of speech”. Those who think that Binay should stop criticizing the performance of the current government under President…

Government, Media, Politics

Speech delivered by Vice President Jejomar Binay after quitting PNoy Cabinet

June 25, 2015 benign0 19 Comments

[The following speech was delivered in Tagalog by Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace, Manila, Philippines today and, here, translated into English by the author of this post.] My countrymen: Now is the new beginning of our fight against poverty. I resigned from the Cabinet because I cannot accept the way my…

Crime, Development, Economy, Education, Government, Politics

The Kardong Kalabaw Interview #1: On Freedom And Democracy

June 22, 2015 Grimwald 9 Comments

Finally, Kardong Kalabaw and his staff have agreed to an interview with GRP! This is the first interview with Kardong Kalabaw that will showcase his opinions and ideas on his campaign and his plans should he win the up and coming 2016 presidential election. Now, we shall finally see just what kind of nation the…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Development, Education, Government, Media, Politics, Society