Tag: pork barrel

Rodrigo Duterte is the ‘antifragile’ presidential candidate

December 1, 2015November 22, 2021 benign0 14 Comments

Former Davao City Mayor turned presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte continues to baffle critics and political rivals alike. Despite lacing his miting de avance speech with expletives, bragging about his womanising, cursing Pope Francis, and, again, vowing to kill suspected criminals, Duterte continues to attract a growing following. What is the source of his seeming immunity…

Politics, Society

Filipinos deserve a Duterte presidency because Philippine society is inherently unjust

November 30, 2015 benign0 21 Comments

Former Akbayan House Representative Walden Bello was, of course, right when he said that “The burden of proof, in short, is on us to prove Duterte wrong.” He was referring to those who take issue with former Davao City mayor and now presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte’s defiant stand if he is elected president to continue…

Crime, Government, Politics, Society

Noynoy Aquino wasted Filipinos’ time and resources on the wrong priorities

November 19, 2015 Ilda 27 Comments

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in the Philippines is evidence that if the government’s priorities are right, it can accomplish or do important and difficult tasks. Case in point is the way the government spruced up Metro Manila in preparation for the arrival of the international delegates attending the summit, which included world leaders…

Development, Economy, Government

A Mar Roxas presidency will be a ‘Mini Me’ presidency

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 benign0 11 Comments

Mar Roxas is a worse sort of politician than his boss, President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III. It was bad enough that BS Aquino ran for and won the presidency on the back of a pedigree platform. His being the son of Filipino “martyrs” Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino was his only pitch to Filipino…

Crime, Culture, Politics

Will President Noynoy Aquino go down in history as a good president?

November 2, 2015 benign0 49 Comments

Probably not. For the essential and even critical problems that have beset the Philippines for decades, there was hardly any change that came out over the last six years under his watch. Why? The answer is quite simple: President BS Aquino did not try hard enough. Consider the manner with which BS Aquino’s fans lauded…

Crime, Government, Politics

“Don’t start a business in the Philippines”, according to BizNews Asia

October 23, 2015October 24, 2015 FallenAngel 127 Comments

The cover of the BizNews Asia, vol. 13, no. 22 reads “If you want to start a business, don’t start it in the Philippines”. This is further expounded on in a paragraph also found on the lower part of the cover page: The World Bank ranks the Philippines 95th in ease of doing business, 161st…

Economy, Government, Politics

Filipinos’ rotten politics mirror their inability to look FORWARD

October 20, 2015 benign0 11 Comments

Many Filipinos are too caught up with what the Philippines should “never” be or “never” suffer again. It’s become a popular political fashion statement. Trouble is, too few Filipinos could hardly imagine much more think about what their country could be. And this is why the Philippines does not move forward — because Filipinos are…

Crime, Culture, Government, Politics, Society

In just 6 years, Noynoy Aquino’s record of failure is now worse than all of the Marcos years

October 14, 2015October 14, 2015 Ilda 488 Comments

Filipinos who can’t stop talking about the “horrors” of the Martial Law years under the late former President Ferdinand Marcos are starting to come across as hopeless and desperate for attention. While the atrocities against the victims should be condemned, their cases were already brought to court and won compensation. It is now time to…

Crime, Development, Government, Society