Tag: nationalism

The truth about Tagalog that James Soriano failed to explain

September 4, 2011June 18, 2014 Ilda 42 Comments

William “The Chair Wrecker” Esposo of Philstar.com has joined in the debate about the Philippine national language (or lack of it) in his recent column. This was in response to the controversial and now removed article written by James Soriano from Manila Bulletin. While Esposo rabidly defended our constitutionally mandated national language, Tagalog, he wrote…

Culture, Development, Education, Society

Why there is no Tagalog word for ‘efficiency’

August 30, 2011February 13, 2018 benign0 37 Comments

Lots of people seem to have, at best, a rather shallow understanding of what I mean when I keep harping about the lack of a concept of “efficiency” in the Tagalog dialect. My simple explanation is that the lack of a concept of efficiency native to (or long embedded in) Tagalog reflects the inherent intellectual…

Development, Education, Science, Technology

English vs Tagalog: James Soriano owes no one any apologies

August 27, 2011 benign0 117 Comments

Whatever it was said by whoever this James Soriano is, if it is the truth about the utter lack of intellectual tools Tagalog provides its speakers, then no apologies are needed to be given to those who take offense from these words. A Manila Bulletin column published on August 24 titled “Language, learning, identity, privilege”…

Culture, Education, Media

Should the Philippines increase military spending and prepare for war?

June 24, 2011February 26, 2022 benign0 32 Comments

In the last couple of months, tension between China and the Philippines around claims of sovereignty over the Spratly Islands have escalated, punctuated most recently by the deployment of the Philippine Navy warship BRP Rajah Humabon which sailed on a “patrol” mission to the Scarborough Shoal off Zambales. The Armed Forces of the Philippines as…

Civics, Culture, Featured, Society

What it means to be truly proud to be Filipino

June 21, 2011June 30, 2013 benign0 9 Comments

Who really wins a game, the star player or the team? Our star players — doctors, IT professionals, artists — are leaving in droves for a better life with the winning teams because they are tired of propping up (being heroes for) what essentially is the losing team. Lea Salonga, for example, is an achiever….

Civics, Culture, Society

Philippines: Stuck in reverse since Independence Day

June 11, 2011June 12, 2014 Ilda 60 Comments

A lot of Filipinos want to copy everything about the United States of America. From the form of government down to the style of music, Filipinos look to Uncle Sam for direction. For as long as everyone can remember, Filipinos have always viewed the home of our former colonizers as the land of milk and…

Culture, Development, Economy, Government, Media, Science, Society

Philippine ‘Independence’ Day on June 12: a desperate claim to a false achievement

May 29, 2011June 9, 2013 benign0 12 Comments

Guess what’s coming up: “Independence” Day. More precisely, it is the could-have-been day of independence unilaterally declared by General Emilio Aguinaldo back on the 12th of June 1898 that we are celebrating this coming 12th of June. Many who see that day as a day that defines “Filipino nationalism” are right. We are a nation…

Culture, Society