We beg to differ.
When that picture of Ferdinand Marcos’ grave at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani ciculated, I was struck by what they put on the tombstone. It just said “Filipino.” It didn’t have anything long or fancy, or anything like “Marcos was the greatest president.” It just said that: “Filipino.” A fitting epitaph. Of course, I see…
Read More “Why “Filipino” is a Fitting Epitaph on Marcos’s Grave” »
What sorts of police do the Philippines deploy? If there is anything to be learned from the case of Ateneo de Manila University star basketball player John Apacible who went on a violent drunken rampage in the wee hours of last Sunday, it is that Philippine Police officers do not make us feel safe. A…
As of this writing, it’s been 15 hours since news broke that a man driving a blue Maserati allegedly mauled a traffic officer of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday. The incident involved an altercation in Quezon City between MMDA traffic enforcer Jorvy Adriatico and the Maserati driver now identified by the Quezon City…
Read More “Maserati owner Joseph Russel Ingco prime suspect in mauling of MMDA officer!” »
We make one big assumption whenever we express indignation and outrage over the instances of banal injustice that make regular news fodder in the Philippines — that ours is a “decent” society. But step back and ask a more fundamental question: Is Philippine society really a decent one? Just now I spied a recent post…
Read More “Colegio de San Agustin road rage! Is the Philippines home to a decent society?” »
Hmmm… now I’m confused. Do I side with the jeepney driver? Or do I side with the Congressman’s son? Tough decision considering both types of people aren’t really in my top ten sorts of people to sympathize with. But here’s the context behind this personal dilemma of mine… A cellphone video earlier showed [King George…
Read More “Who do we hate more: jeepney drivers or Congressmens’ sons?” »
Quite unfortunate for Robert Blair Carabuena that he is employed by global tobacco giant Philip Morris International. It does not help the man whose reputation is currently being carpetbombed across social media that he is employed by what is also a much-demonised industry. Carabuena is currently under fire after he was caught on camera assaulting…
Read More “Is Robert Carabuena worth the trouble to Philip Morris?” »
Any motorist who’s spent enough time negotiating Manila’s potholed streets will attest to how the Philippines’ surreal complex of culturally-ingrained bad manners, ill-thought-out road layouts, inconsistent law enforcement, and the overall unsightliness that blankets the Philippines’ capital cities contributes to an experience like no other. At the root of the banal dysfunction of Philippine-style motoring…
Read More “Road rage and the Filipino ego – like navigating a bubble through a forest of pins” »