Tag: pork barrel

An open letter to Pope Francis on his visit to the Philippines in 2015

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 Ilda 78 Comments

Dear Pope Francis, Information about your visit to the Philippines has been occupying the country’s local media for months. Members of the national and local government have been busy preparing for your arrival. The Manila City Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada recently declared a four-day holiday for Manila residence during your visit. The decision, he said…

Civics, Crime, Development, Government, Politics

Will mutineer-turned-‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes IV make a good Philippine president?

November 26, 2014 benign0 20 Comments

The vacuousness of Philippine politics is on a roll, delivering yet another no-surprise revelation: mutineer-turned-‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes IV may be inching his way towards a presidential candidacy for the 2016 elections. His statements on the matter are obviously just feelers at this point. He reportedly stated in Tagalog a few days back that he is…

Crime, Government, Politics

Why are platforms, vision statements, and strategies still MISSING from the Philippine ‘debate’?

November 21, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

So, yet again, we approach another seminal presidential election and there is much bubbling and foaming on the surface of the political scene. While the attention of the public has been focused on the turbulent surface of Philippine politics, few have appreciated the underlying reason behind that turbulence. For like the way rough rapids only…

Crime, Culture, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society

5 things that will happen when Jejomar Binay becomes Philippine President

November 15, 2014February 13, 2017 Ilda 212 Comments

A lot of Filipinos are scared of a Binay Presidency. A Catholic priest even said it is a “scary prospect” after meeting Vice President Jejomar Binay himself. It is quite understandable why. If Vice President Jejomar Binay wins the Presidential Election in 2016, he will simply continue the world-renowned Filipino tradition of patronage politics. This…

Crime, Development, Government, Politics, Society

Binay-Trillanes debate! Yay!

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014 benign0 15 Comments

So convicted-mutineer-turned-Philippine-‘senator’ Antonio Trillanes IV has reportedly accepted a challenge from Vice President Jejomar Binay to a debate. Interesting and exciting times ahead! Trillanes will, of course, presume to grill the VP on the vast properties he allegedly owns. Binay will likely be denying. Hovering on top of all that will be Trillanes’s erstwhile “good”…

Crime, Politics

Binay’s estate, Purisima’s mansions, and Aquino’s hacienda – fodder for the same vacuous ‘debate’

October 9, 2014October 9, 2014 benign0 7 Comments

Pots calling kettles black pretty much summarises the all-too-familiar mudslinging that characterises the political “debate” Filipinos keep their small minds occupied with nowadays. Between the Aquino-Cojuangco bloc, the mansions and SUVs of disgraced police chief Alan Purisima, and the overpriced buildings of 2016 “presidentiable” and current Vice President Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay there does not seem…

Media, Politics, Society

‘Disaster preparedness’ has become an oxymoron in the #Philippines

October 8, 2014December 21, 2021 benign0 14 Comments

It has been becoming increasingly apparent that “natural” disasters are now a routine occurrence all over the Philippines. The idea that Filipinos ought to be more “prepared” for such calamities — whilst something one would think ought to have been an obvious national priority — is only now resonating across the broader public. To the…

Civics, Development, Government, Politics, Society

Filipinos give Philippine history’s ‘bad’ guy a second look due to lack of progress

October 6, 2014November 9, 2021 Ilda 117 Comments

Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos passed away in 1989 but seeing the way people are talking about him lately, it’s as if he is still alive today. This is evident in the way some members of mainstream media keep reliving the “horrors” of the Marcos years. There are quite a number of articles highlighting the…

Crime, Development, Government, Media, Politics, Society