Tag: noynoy aquino

Manufacturing can be a key to Filipinos enjoying a free and healthy life

April 25, 2012September 1, 2014 Ilda 42 Comments

Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan defined a developed country as: “… one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. In theory, his statement is simple enough to understand but quite complicated to put into practice. Annan wasn’t specific about which country or…

Development, Economy, Government, Lifestyle

Ph Supreme Court rules on Hacienda Luisita – values vast plantation at a measly P200 million

April 24, 2012 benign0 31 Comments

It’s final. To the plea of Hacienda Luisita Inc (HLI) that its vast plantation in Tarlac is worth P5 billion, the Philippine Supreme Courte voted 8 to 6 for a final valuation just short of P200 million. This is based on an assessment of P40,000 per hectare made in 1989 when the Department of Agrarian…

Economy, Government, Politics

The 27th Law: Playing on People’s Need to Believe

April 24, 2012April 24, 2012 a 81 Comments

Back in the Dark and Middle Ages, the Church was practically the State. It maintained a firm and oppressive grip on the lives of the people, bending them to its allegedly holy will. People suffered and were persecuted, and all of these were done in the guise of Godâ€™s divine providence. Faith became the sharp…

Government, Politics, Religion, Society

A sense of nationalism: The Philippines has no such thing

April 23, 2012December 30, 2015 benign0 72 Comments

The Philippines is a country by colonial edict — much like the way the old Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were, as well as many African nations. They are meaningless hollow pin-up states cobbled together for the sheer pleasure, vanity, and mercantile ambitions of their former imperial architects. In the case of the Philippines, even the name…

Civics, Culture, Development, Society

Filipinos: like a ship lost at sea searching for a beacon

April 21, 2012August 12, 2013 FallenAngel 46 Comments

Introduction When I visited Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia last year, I saw a banner run across the two Petronas towers with the following words in Malay on it: Daulat Tuanku As soon as I could, I searched on Google what this phrase means. It is more or less the Malay equivalent of the English expression…

Culture, Economy, Government, Politics, Society

Strike three for impunity!

April 12, 2012July 25, 2013 FallenAngel 26 Comments

The Japanese have a proverb/saying: 仏の顔も三度 – hotoke no kao mo sando Literally, this means “Buddha’s face lasts only three times”. What this means is that even the nicest of persons can get angry after being provoked to a certain extent. Why three? I don’t know, but for simplistic reasons just think of it as…

Crime, Culture, Development, Environment, Government, Politics, Society

Protesting the destruction of trees by SM Baguio: a pointless exercise at best

April 11, 2012 benign0 43 Comments

So now we’re suddenly protesting the removal of a couple hundred trees from an area of land upon which an expansion of the SM Baguio mall will be built. I wonder, though: Why only now? Last I heard, the destruction of Baguio City had been going on for decades. Indeed, Filipinos have been destroying Baguio…

Development, Environment, Government, Society

Criticizing PNoy is good for us and democracy

April 11, 2012July 27, 2013 Ilda 51 Comments

President Noynoy Aquino still has until 2016 before he steps down from his post. That seems like a really long time for him to remain in office and have photos of him taken while “working” bandied around as evidence of “achievement”. It would seem even longer, like an eternity, to Filipinos who have lost their…

Civics, Culture, Development, Government