We beg to differ.
Back when the Spanish Conquistadors first set foot on Philippine shores and claimed all in the name of God and the Spanish king, it would have looked like this all made sense. Christianity, after all, was the “good” religion and Western civilisation regarded as a necessary “civilising” force. Europeans saw themselves as burdened by a…
Filipinos should start to rethink their office attire. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and a tie is really impractical in a tropical climate. Perhaps if Filipino office workers are allowed to wear sando and shorts, more people would be willing to take public transport. For that matter, tens of millions of kilowatt-hours are expended on air-conditioning every…
When Kim Kardashian breaks a fingernail, the world gasps. Meanwhile, hundreds of young girls could be kidnapped and raped in places like Nigeria and Bangladesh. There’d be a token burst of indignation across social media and, perhaps if these girls are lucky, a mention on a big mainstream media new outlet. Beyond that, it is…
What do ordinary Filipinos really want to get out of the imperative to “showcase” the Philippines’ best foot to the delegates of the coming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum that Manila is hosting this year? For many, it will be an opportunity to go on an extended vacation, taking up the “encouragement” coming from…
Read More “APEC 2015: a time for Filipinos to reflect on their place in the global economy” »
When President Corazon Aquino established the Fifth Philippine Republic in 1987, she set forth a new constitution that in theory would eliminate the “excesses” of previous administrations. Foremost among these was the “Martial Law” clause that, in the event that a seated President would declare it, would allow it to pass through Congress first; Post-Marcos, this was…
Read More “Why the Current Philippine Republic Needs to Die” »
Let us spare a moment of silence for the Lumads, one of the indigenous people of Mindanao who are desperately seeking sanctuary after they were allegedly threatened by a number of paramilitary groups who seem to be affiliated with the Philippine Army. As of the moment, they have taken shelter in a number of evacuation…
Of course there aren’t just five; history, after all, is just a timeline perceived by those who know how to write it. What’s wrong about all of this is that people do still accept inaccuracies as fact, and quite a few are too rabidly apologetic about them. Consider this gloriously graphic example of a meme…
Read More “Five More Inaccuracies Still Accepted as “Philippine History”” »
“Hindi kaunlaran ng nakararami. Kaunlaran lang ng iilan.” This is what Marlon Angara, a fisherfolk from Casiguran, said when asked about what he thinks of Aurora Pacific Economic Zone or APECO. He is one of the locals who are at risk of losing their land and livelihood to give way for the construction of a…