We beg to differ.
Has it begun already? Today is the last Friday before Christmas. So guess what: an entire megalopolis of shortsighted people will be trooping to Metro Manila’s famous mega-malls to shop shop shop! Caught in the vehicular crossfire will be people like me who just want to go home. Well, I want to go home now….
“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…
Ultimately this is really the only question that really matters. There is no disputing the fact that the Philippines must change. The alternative? Well, that’s really up to Filipinos. If the Philippines does not change, it will continue along its current path. It would be a matter of being content with that course and the…
Read More “Why is it so exceedingly difficult for the Philippines to change for the better?” »
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…
Read More “An open letter to Pope Francis on his visit to the Philippines in 2015” »
In a classic moment of anger after being told “you have a pimple on your face,” Filipinos again cried foul against an article of a Spanish researcher living in the Philippines. Jorge Mojarro, whose article was published in Interaksyon (his being called “spaniard” in the article seems to reflect the antiquated thinking in our society)…
Read More “Spanish Writer Draws Fire for Exposing “Filipino Mindset”” »
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” »
Why?? Why should the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) be named after Corazon “Cory” Aquino, former president of the Philippines and mother of current President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III? According to Nueva Ecija Rep. Magnolia Rosa Antonio-Nadres, author of House Bill 4820 which aims to do just that, naming the NLEX after Cory will “constantly…
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” »