Tag: squatter

Life on the tracks of Filipino rail taxi ‘driver’ featured in Australian TV feature!

November 6, 2014 benign0 5 Comments

Amidst the horrors of Metro Manila’s infamous perma-traffic can be found interesting stories of how ordinary Filipinos cope with the mess left by decades of administrative neglect. Australia’s SBS world documentary program Dateline featured the heartwarming story of Genaro Daclison, a Filipino father of two who made his living pushing a rail trolley on foot…

Civics, Development, Glitz and Glamour

Senator Pia Cayetano: Some proper perspective is due the whole Torre de Manila brouhaha

August 28, 2014 benign0 10 Comments

While I find a bit justified the whole stink being raised around the way the Torre de Manila highrise condominiums being constructed in Manila by developer DMCI Homes is supposedly “ruining” the view of the Rizal Monument, I think we are missing the bigger picture. Metro Manila is an ugly city. And that ugliness did…

Civics, Crime, Development, Government, Lifestyle, Media, Politics, Society

It’s more hot in the #Philippines!

July 11, 2014July 11, 2014 benign0 6 Comments

Literally. And this heat is attracting a lot of political heat as well. It is one of the biggest ‘concerns’ aired by the recent set of high-profile senatorial jailbirds about their new accomodations in Camp Crame. A lack of airconditioning to alleviate the oppressive heat there is finally getting a bit of air time (pardon…

Development, Environment, Government, Lifestyle

It’s so hot in the Philippines!!

June 5, 2014April 26, 2023 Kate Natividad 9 Comments

Ang init!! While the well-heeled among us cry over power bills inflated by airconditioner use, imagine the millions of Filipinos who don’t even have electric fans. Worse, imagine those living in the squatter areas! It’s bad enough having to sleep with no airconditioner in a big room with lots of windows. Imagine what it’s like…

Glitz and Glamour, Lifestyle

Bianca Gonzalez engaged to JC Intal after big NAIA public proposal!

March 21, 2014 Kate Natividad 2 Comments

Wow! Despite all the other important things going on here and all over the world, what is really the buzz in the Philippines is the engagement of celebrity model Bianca Gonzalez to her basketballer boyfriend JC Intal. What probably set off the Philippines’ mass kilig is the way the guy did it — in public……

Glitz and Glamour, Lifestyle, Media

Are donations to the relief and recovery of Yolanda victims in the Philippines all going to waste?

November 25, 2013December 21, 2021 benign0 35 Comments

Back in 2009, a massive bushfire raged through much of the state of Victoria in Australia, killing 173 people following record high temperatures in the state. It was the highest peace time civilian death toll from a single disaster in Australian history. At the time, the state Integrated Emergency Coordination Centre (IECC) applied a “stay…

Civics, Development, Environment, Government

A sustainable solution to the squatter problem in the Philippines

July 16, 2013December 28, 2013 Ilda 48 Comments

Judging from the reaction of the readers to previous articles on squatters in the Philippines, there are definitely more decent Filipinos who are fed up with squatters who bite the hand that feed them compared to the number of readers who defended some of the squatters’ parasitic tendencies. After my suggestion that illegal settlers should…

Development, Society

Land ownership Hell: The Philippines is Squatter Central when it comes to government subsidies!

June 24, 2013June 24, 2013 benign0 57 Comments

Squatting does indeed pay in the Philippines. The most recent pandering to this vote-rich sector of Philippine society is an 18,000-peso “rental subsidy” to be provided by the Philippine government to each squatter family relocated to other settlement sites. This follows a reported announcement from Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson that “there is…

Crime, Lifestyle, Politics