Tag: military

The hypocrisy in Filipinos’ anger towards US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton

October 16, 2014October 16, 2014 benign0 139 Comments

Within the mounting virtually national initiative to demonise not just United States Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton but the entire US military over the murder of Filipino transgender Jeffrey Laude, it is difficult to find any semlance of credibility among the noisiest of Filipino ‘activists’. The Philippines is home to one of the…

Crime, Culture, Government, Society

The transgender life: It’s not just about becoming a girl, it’s about becoming an ATTRACTIVE chick!

October 16, 2014 benign0 21 Comments

One thing that the brouhaha over the murder of Jeffrey Laude (allegedly by Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton of the United States Marine Corps) revealed is that Filipino transgenders live in legal limbo in the Philippines. No less than the Philippine Supreme Court is reportedly “confused” over how to regard them. The publisher of…

Crime, Culture, Lifestyle, Politics, Science, Society

Was Jeffrey Laude a prostitute who concealed his true gender in the practice of his trade?

October 15, 2014October 19, 2022 benign0 140 Comments

As expected, gay activists are now all over the case of the murder of transgender Jeffrey ‘Jennifer’ Laude. According to Benjamin Pimentel who wrote about the incident in the context of Gay Pride in his Inquirer piece Death of a Filipino transgender, “Despite progress and victories on many fronts, violence is still a frightening reality…

Crime, Culture, Lifestyle, Society

Video of ‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes praising ‘good friend’ Tony Tiu during launch of Agri-Tourism Park emerges!

October 15, 2014 benign0 22 Comments

A video emerged yesterday showing “senator” Antonio Trillanes IV congratulating his “good friend” Tony Tiu on the launching of the SunChamp Agri-Tourism Park. Trillanes, in the last several days had been insisting that Tiu was being used by current Vice President Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay as a “dummy” or “front” to conceal his “ill-gotten wealth”. Trillanes…

Crime, Politics

Was the murder of Jeffrey Laude in Olongapo a case of the ‘Crying Game’ syndrome?

October 14, 2014 benign0 49 Comments

Whether the victim was gay or straight, looks like a girl and is a girl, or looks like a girl but is really a man is really a non-issue, isn’t it? The case of Jeffrey Laude, a Filipino transgender found murdered in a hotel room in Olongapo city is really just that — a murder…

Crime, Culture, Government, Society

Philippines mulls creation of Islamic state in its backyard as US prepares to bomb ISIS

September 12, 2014September 12, 2014 benign0 37 Comments

United States President Barack Obama announced on national television the other night that the US will be stepping up its military involvement in the Middle East to crush the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — specifically “degrade and ultimately destroy” it. “I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who…

Culture, Government, Politics, Religion

Changed situation in Golan Heights renders UN peacekeeping mission there irrelevant

September 5, 2014 benign0 20 Comments

It seems the real question that needs to be asked with regard to the role of Filipino troops deployed to United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Middle East is this: Is it our war? As the term “peacekeeper” implies, UN “peacekeeping” missions protect peace within their respective areas of responsibility. When there is no longer…

Government, Politics

Winning, heroism and the palamunin mentality in Philippine society

September 1, 2014September 1, 2014 benign0 12 Comments

Keen observers of the Filipino Condition had long ago collectively agreed to put a word to the concept: palamunin. The word encapsulates many aspects of Philippine culture encompassing its renowned mendicancy, lack of foresight, heritage of smallness, victim mentality, false hope, and anti-intellectual values. Indeed, the most disturbing aspect of Philippine society is the way…

Culture, Development, Society