We beg to differ.
But of course it comes across as being “negative” when we talk about just how horrific a disaster Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) brought upon the Philippines. It is being “negative” when one points out how decades of neglect, corruption, and idiocy had laid layers and layers of the groundwork that turned much of the Philippine archipelago…
Now that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel funds has been declared illegal or unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, we are seeing a lot of politicians who are doing an about-face. Some members of Congress are now saying that they are happy with the decision because they have been for its abolition…
Read More “President Noynoy Aquino cannot take credit for the abolition of pork barrel funds” »
Normally giving stuff to poor people and taking the opportunity to adorn these “gifts” with logos or representations of your organisation is not necessarily bad. So, on one hand, I do agree with communications expert JP Fenix “tak[ing] exception to the negative comments on [ABS-CBN broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez’s] advocacy of giving away new rubber…
Read More “Why there is no need to feel sorry for Korina Sanchez” »
Noted constitutionalist and former president of the Ateneo de Manila University Fr Joaquin Bernas lauded the Supreme Court decision to ban pork which, he wrote, “restores the normal constitutional order of handling public money”. He cited the specific clause in the Constitution that clearly defines the limits of the power of any one government official…
The first 72 hours in every disaster relief and rescue operation is the most crucial. It’s when a responsible and speedy reaction is much needed. It was during this most crucial time, the 1st 72 hours, that I was hoping our government leaders have acted more swiftly and responded more responsibly as well. No, I…
In the aftermath of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yolanda (a.k.a. Haiyan) the hard question stares us squarely in the face: What’s next for a nation that, even in normal times, struggles to deliver the most basic services to the majority of its people?. According to recent reports, up to four million Filipinos are left…
Read More “The Philippines’ long road to recovery after Yolanda: Are Filipinos up to the task?” »
When it comes to advertising and product placements, Filipino politicians are the best. Advertising executives can actually learn a thing or two about how to optimise exposure of any product from them. The results speak for themselves. Politicians whose names and faces are printed on almost anything – billboards, noodle packets or candy bars get…
When Anderson Cooper of CNN reported that help was slow in coming to people in the provinces battered by Haiyan, the government and its supporters immediately went on the defensive. Instead of coming out with admissions of some lapses in leadership while reassuring that help is coming, they instead came out with defenses of their…
Read More “Comparisons to Hurricane Katrina are Excuses for Incompetence” »