We beg to differ.
Some time ago I watched a local documentary that dramatized Ferdinand Magellan’s visit to Mactan Island in 1521. Most Filipinos are aware of the events here: Mactan’s chieftain Lapu-Lapu kills Magellan, and the rest of the natives drive the rest of the Spanish back to their boats. What irked me however was what the actor…
Read More “Five Inaccuracies Still Accepted as “Philippine History”” »
It’s no wonder the government fatally screwed up to the tune of 44 dead Special Action Force police officers last January — and even more baffling that Filipinos are actually shocked that such a monumental foul up could actually occur in the Philippines of all places. The operation involved lots of coordination, up-to-the-minute planning, and…
Read More “The Philippines is too big a country for Filipinos to govern on their own” »
The 1986 EDSA “People Power” revolution has been credited with bringing democracy back to the Philippines. However, three decades after the historic event, it seems majority of Filipinos still do not understand what democracy is about. The system of government is there in principle but Filipinos do not know how to use it properly. Worse,…
Read More “Why democracy does not work in the Philippines” »
Another EDSA “people power” anniversary, another traffic jam. These commemorations of that now-debatable “revolution” have become bigger and bigger national cringes with each passing year. But this year’s “celebration” was particularly noteworthy as it features a government that is now on the run from its own “bosses”. Police in anti-riot armour were out in full…
Read More “The sad 29th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA people power ‘revolution’” »
The following is an article I wrote way back in 2001 following the ouster of former President Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada via a multi-million-strong street revolution that would go on to be known as “EDSA 2” (or EDSA Dos). The ouster of Estrada paved the way for the ascent to power of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who would…
There used to be an old 1970s-1980s term often used to describe the “politically passionate”. Cause-oriented groups or COGs as they were once called was the collective term used for activists and rabble-rousers alike. They had real “causes” at the time — many of which were focused on achieving “freedom”, because Filipinos were supposedly not…
Read More “The Philippine ‘Opposition’: A movement in search of a credible cause” »
Back in the heady days leading up to the 1986 EDSA “people power” “revolution”, the top slogan of supporters of then incumbent Philippine president Ferdinand E. Marcos was, what else, “Marcos pa rin!” (roughly translated: “Still Marcos!”). Fast forward to today and, guess what, the incumbent’s slogan that “trended” in recent days (presumably to counter…
Read More “The 1986 EDSA people power ‘revolution’ has irreparably damaged the Philippines” »
So the mysterious EDSA “gun poking incident” is finally solved. The incident which was caught on camera and went viral over social media involved eight police officers from the La Loma Police Station in Quezon City. The Inquirer reports… Arrested were commissioned Quezon City Police District (QCPD) officers Chief Inspector Joseph de Vera and Senior…
Read More “Was the EDSA ‘gun poking incident’ solved only because it was in the spotlight?” »