Tag: disaster response

An open letter to Pope Francis on his visit to the Philippines in 2015

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 Ilda 78 Comments

Dear Pope Francis, Information about your visit to the Philippines has been occupying the country’s local media for months. Members of the national and local government have been busy preparing for your arrival. The Manila City Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada recently declared a four-day holiday for Manila residence during your visit. The decision, he said…

Civics, Crime, Development, Government, Politics

Why are platforms, vision statements, and strategies still MISSING from the Philippine ‘debate’?

November 21, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

So, yet again, we approach another seminal presidential election and there is much bubbling and foaming on the surface of the political scene. While the attention of the public has been focused on the turbulent surface of Philippine politics, few have appreciated the underlying reason behind that turbulence. For like the way rough rapids only…

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

BUSTED: JICA Refutes Pnoy’s Claim on Tacloban Airport Move

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 BenK 34 Comments

For all the stupid things President BS Aquino v. 3.0 says to provide fodder for online and offline critics, it is actually rare to catch him in a flat lie. Rare, but apparently not impossible: Among his otherwise-forgettable comments made during his appearance in locations that are not the City of Tacloban to mark the…

Development, Media, Politics

Rehabilitation of #Haiyan devastation report card: Philippine Gov’t FAIL

November 11, 2014 benign0 10 Comments

Even way back on the 24th October this year, Ibon Foundation had already highlighted in a report the unimpressive performance of the Philippine government in the rehabilitation of the disaster zones left by Haiyan. The report quotes numbers from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) which show that the region…

Civics, Development, Economy, Government

A country under an inutile gov’t: The #Philippines 12 months since Typhoon #Haiyan struck

November 10, 2014November 10, 2014 benign0 29 Comments

The marking of the first year’s anniversary of the visit of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) to the Philippines in November 2013 is a bittersweet one. While the disaster devasted millions of Filipino lives, its most appalling legacy is the vast open wound it left in the Filipino’s collective psyche — the realisation that theirs is an…

Culture, Development, Environment, Government, Media, Religion, Society

Hall of Bad Taste: Esquire Philippines puts Mar Roxas on its cover!

November 7, 2014November 7, 2014 benign0 55 Comments

Apparently not a spoof! The image of the cover of the November 2014 edition of Esquire Philippines is actually posted on the Esquire Philippines Facebook Page. Interesting considering The Manila Times columnist Bobi Tiglao’s latest exposé on the role Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas played in botching the Philippine government’s appallingly…

Media, Politics

President BS Aquino will not succeed unless he listens to his critics

November 6, 2014 Ilda 14 Comments

Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino is fed up with complaints about his administration. As far as he is concerned his critics can all go to hell because in his mind, he is doing an excellent job and no one can tell him otherwise. He will not accept any criticism even from his own allies….

Government, Politics

What if US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton was a Filipino-American navy man?

October 24, 2014 benign0 12 Comments

The United States aircraft carrier USS George Washington sailed into Manila for a port call today after two days of exercises with the Philippine Navy. The Nimitz-class warship played a big part in the rescue and relief operations in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which ravaged the central islands of the Philippines in late…

Crime, Culture, Society