We beg to differ.
It is tempting to think of the unresolved issues with the Marcos family – their alleged ill-gotten wealth, the lack of compensation for all those who supposedly suffered during the Martial Law era, and now the purportedly “undeserved” burial of the late strongman Ferdinand Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) – as political…
A key insight during the recently concluded national elections emerged, and was pointed out by many on social media: Filipinos will be divided on whom to vote for, but they all agree on whom to vote against. The candidate for president who was, tough luck for him/her, voted against was none other than Mar Roxas,…
Read More “The issue of “unity” under a Duterte presidency” »
Standards of honor in Filipino civilian society are quite simply, bulok. The only opinion I have had – and will ever have – of Mr. Aldrin Cudia’s case with the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is this: the only thing known for sure is that the Honor Committee found him guilty of violating the Honor Code….
Read More “You can’t apply dishonorable Filipino civilian standards to military institutions” »
I don’t pretend to know much about the nitty-gritty of military life. In fact, the closest I ever came to experiencing it involved being an officer in the Citizen’s Army Training (CAT) program in high school, and being a normal cadet in the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in college. If anyone cares to…
Read More “Why cadet Cudia’s case has played out on social media like an EDSA revolution” »
The definition of “honor” that Filipinos are more familiar with – and therefore live out more – is, in the vernacular, dangal. Dignity. They will use whatever means necessary, even illegal, to protect their dignity from hiya (shame, losing face). The other, just as important way to define honor – katapatan, propriety – is hardly…
Read More “Upholding honor: Filipino civilian and military societies need to work hand in hand” »
The case of dismissed Philippine Military Academy student Aldrin Cudia has lingered long enough among the chattering classes. When news of it first broke out, it seemed that Cudia was dismissed for being a few minutes late for a succeeding class. Eventually, it became known to the public that Cudia was found guilty of something…
Read More “What the case of PMA student Cudia says about Filipino society at large” »