Tag: people power

Three really appalling ideas being spread by prominent Filipino opinion shapers

December 12, 2011December 12, 2011 benign0 26 Comments

Consider the reality of democratic politics. Just about anyone can be President. Guys like former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada and current President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III are a testament to this truth. For that matter, any position in government that only requires that its occupant be elected by popular vote is subject to the tyranny…

Civics, Crime, Culture, Government, Politics

PNoy apologist Randy David pre-judges Arroyo and Chief Justice Renato Corona

December 9, 2011September 26, 2013 Ilda 113 Comments

University of the Philippines professor and Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist, Randy David was spot on when he said “In a society like ours, debt of gratitude to the appointing authority cannot be ignored. Often, it outweighs professional considerations. This is even more so when the appointing authority handpicks choices for sensitive positions with an explicit…

Civics, Government, Media, Politics

Focus on the future eludes Filipinos despite an abundance of lessons

March 23, 2011 benign0 2 Comments

In the past several weeks, many things have happened that rocked the globe and will likely have ramifications over the next six to 12 months that we can only begin to understand today. Consider that even so-called experts struggle to piece together a picture of what the world might look like in the mid-term under…

Culture, Development, Media, Society

Lessons learned from weeks spent doting upon Arab People Power

March 3, 2011 benign0 8 Comments

First we cheered on stirrings of what we described as impending “people power” Edsa-style revolutions that started in Tunisia and spread over the rest of North Africa. Quick to fancy ourselves as the doting grand-daddies of this sort of “grassroots-initiated” change movement, we tweeted, blogged, Facebook-“liked”, re-tweeted, and email-forwarded various newsbits and factoids that made…

Economy, Featured, Government, Society

The truth about the 1986 People Power revolution

February 22, 2011February 18, 2022 Ilda 187 Comments

It’s that time of the year again. February is always a big month for Filipinos. Two weeks after celebrating Valentines Day, Filipinos hold another annual celebration that is uniquely their own. On the 25th of February of each year, die-hard Aquino supporters have their annual song and dance routine usually complete with a live musical…

Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

The REAL story of the last 25 years since the EDSA People Power Revolution

February 20, 2011February 26, 2017 benign0 24 Comments

Twenty five years ago in 1986, former President Ferdinand Marcos was the most reviled Filipino on the planet. He was the bad guy in a world-renowned story that billed a bunch of people dressed in yellow waving “L”-shaped hand gestures as its main protagonists. Fast forward to today, and a “debate” on whether or not…

Culture, Development, Media

Reform by mob: does it always work?

January 29, 2011 benign0 20 Comments

Some recent events in Egypt and Tunisia illustrate the whole trouble with street mobs supposedly calling for “reform” – that in a situation described more by anarchy than any sort of clear higher purpose, it becomes difficult to sort the devils from the angels. Reports of looters vandalising ancient Egyptian artifacts and of Tunisian shopkeepers…

Culture, Featured, Media, Politics, Religion