We beg to differ.
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…
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…
Read More “Rehabilitation of #Haiyan devastation report card: Philippine Gov’t FAIL” »
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…
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…
Read More “Hall of Bad Taste: Esquire Philippines puts Mar Roxas on its cover!” »
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….
Read More “President BS Aquino will not succeed unless he listens to his critics” »
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…
Read More “What if US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton was a Filipino-American navy man?” »
As expected, US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton was a no-show in yesterday’s preliminary hearing on the death of Filipino transgender Jeffrey Laude in which he stands accused. Pemberton’s legal counsel Rowena Garcia Flores reportedly argued that her client’s presence was “not required” and that he “was still studying the complaint against him.” In response, chief…
It has been becoming increasingly apparent that “natural” disasters are now a routine occurrence all over the Philippines. The idea that Filipinos ought to be more “prepared” for such calamities — whilst something one would think ought to have been an obvious national priority — is only now resonating across the broader public. To the…
Read More “‘Disaster preparedness’ has become an oxymoron in the #Philippines” »