Tag: Middle Class

US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders kicks off campaign with a populist bang!

May 27, 2015 benign0 14 Comments

Presidential campaign fever is in the air in the United States amidst widespread lament over a lack of strong policy- and issues-based debate so far coming from the top presidential contenders Jeb Bush (Republican) and Hillary Clinton (Democratic). In the midst of all this, Senator Bernie Sanders (Democratic (Independent caucus)) launched his campaign with an…

Economy, Politics

Telenovelas: Building Walls in Society

January 13, 2015 Grimwald 14 Comments

Well let’s face it: Do the telenovelas of Philippine TV really have anything to offer the common people? I’m an upper middle-class Pinoy who lives with a lot of kasambahays who just love to watch telenovelas. While I hate said shows with a passion, I cannot help but notice a few issues with the…

Culture, Glitz and Glamour, Society

Empowering Filipinos: why it hasn’t worked

July 14, 2014July 14, 2014 FallenAngel 9 Comments

Inclusive growth – that has become sort of a buzz word for the government of current Philippine president Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino. In fact, the definition BS Aquino has for it includes, “to empower citizens to become bona fide actors who productively contribute to nation building”. It sounds nice really, but the results up to…

Development, Economy, Lifestyle, Politics, Society

The country we’ve made for ourselves: why we need an outsider’s perspective

March 25, 2014November 22, 2017 benign0 2 Comments

The following is a copy of the Foreword I wrote for my friend Ben Kritz’s new book Same Planet, Different World: An Outsider’s Inside View of the Philippines. You can download the book from Amazon here onto Kindle or any of a variety of apps also supported by Amazon. We in our clique of the…

Civics, Development, Economy, Government, Money Talks, Politics, Society

MMDA’s Proposed Ban and Bane

July 20, 2013 John Bay 12 Comments

People are outraged by MMDA’s proposed number coding scheme that is set to ban vehicles plying EDSA for two days instead of one. While the movement seems like a legitimate effort to curb vehicle volume, perhaps the same has not been well thought and apparently costing the administration some points especially with the upcoming SONA….

Development, Government, Politics, Society