Tag: lee kuan yew

Anti-intellectual attitude a roadblock to Philippine progress

February 28, 2014July 15, 2022 Ilda 58 Comments

There is something really strange about Filipinos who look down on intellectuals. Even more bizarre is when the person insulting the intellectuals is a university professor and a so-called political “scientist”. In his article in GMANEWS online, Mr. Antonio P. Contreras referred to those who belong to the elite intellectual class of the Philippines as…

Culture, Education, Society

Filipino student shut down and dismissed by Lee Kuan Yew for asking irrelevant question

February 5, 2014 benign0 153 Comments

In this profoundly cringe-inducing video, Filipino student Harvey Campos suffers an epic smacking down by Singapore Elder Statesman and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. During the question-and-answer segment of some sort of convention, Campos had attempted to inquire into how Lee’s work was influenced by his late wife (jumping of the “old adage” that…

Culture, Society, Tech Talk

Vote buying is a win-win transaction for the average Filipino voter

October 29, 2013 benign0 17 Comments

You gotta love free enterprise. Filipinos will steal and sell anything that isn’t bolted to the floor. So no surprise in these recent reports following the latest barangay elections. Votes are certainly not the heaviest of objects to make off with. And there are lots of buyers. Why do Filipinos sell their votes? There’s really…

Civics, Culture, Politics

Asian Values, Filipino Values, Superior Values?

July 8, 2013July 10, 2013 ChinoF 25 Comments

In one of my earlier articles, “Is the solution to Filipino Dysfunction being more ‘UnFilipino,’” the discussion shifted to Asian Values and whether I was saying Filipino values were inferior – which was not my point. Perhaps I have not written the earlier article well enough and need to clarify my stance, with more references…

Culture

Showbiz government set to rule as Grace Poe and Erap Estrada take early leads in poll count

May 14, 2013 benign0 23 Comments

There’s really not much you can say about the outcome of the 2013 elections other than to invoke those famous last words: Told ya so. The proverbial pig is a lot bigger than its proverbial lips. So you may put as much lipstick as you want on said lips, and the fact will still remain…

Culture, Media, Politics, Society

Experts say President Noynoy Aquino is part of the Philippines’ problem

December 7, 2012November 5, 2015 Ilda 309 Comments

Foreign and local experts in their studies of government and economy have confirmed what some of us have been saying all along: that President Benigno Simeon Aquino is part of Philippine society’s problem. In the gathering of intellectuals held recently, participants have agreed that the country’s weak institutions combined with public servants who act like…

Culture, Development, Featured, Government, Politics

Mahathir Mohamad on why the Philippines may suffer from a case of mediocre political leadership

June 11, 2012September 10, 2016 benign0 123 Comments

Mediocre political leadership. These are the words Malaysian former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad used to describe a key possible pitfall of “unbridled democracy”. This he said in a speech he delivered on the occasion of his being conferred an Honorary Professor Title by the University of Santo Tomas. Mahathir also added that free-wheeling democracy can…

Culture, Development, Featured, Government, Politics, Society

Brand Philippines: building an ethic of world-class innovation

June 14, 2011 benign0 3 Comments

When was the last time youâ€™ve seen a truly innovative Filipino idea? That elusive water-powered car? Those fluorescent lights and karaoke machines supposedly invented by Filipinos? They certainly are out there â€“ somewhere. But no one can quite ascertain if they are mere urban legend or objective fact. What does prevail, as the symbol of…

Money Talks