We beg to differ.
In the Philippines, dumbed down political discourse can be seen in various forms of media, particularly in the way political issues and candidates are discussed and presented to the public. This can include the use of simplistic language and slogans, the emphasis on personal characteristics and image over policy positions, and the use of sensationalist…
Perhaps rightly so, Opposition partisans in the Philippines lament the way “democracy” is working for them nowadays. They lost an entire nation in the 2016 elections that catapulted former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency today and botched a chance to gain a foothold into Congress when they suffered a catastrophic loss in…
Read More “How Filipinos can fix their broken “democracy”” »
What is truly shocking about the bottom ranking of the Philippines in the recently-published Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report is that Filipinos are shocked to begin with. It is hardly surprising that Filipinos scored dismally in key areas of basic education given that Philippine society has long been known as one that does…
Read More “Shocking PISA bottom ranking a wake up call for Filipinos to uplift education” »
Whether we like it or not, the Philippines is changing. Whether it is because current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is making good on his campaign promises or not, change will come to Filipinos. We need to put a stop to the traditional thinking that any one person, clique, or some sort of “god” is behind…
Read More “Change cannot be avoided. Stop thinking like VICTIMS. Refuse to be one!” »
If there is something deeper that would characterise the last two to three years, it is an increased confusion around Filipinos’ sense of identity as a people. Filipinos no longer enjoy the benefit of being told who they are. This is thanks to the rise of the Net and, specifically, its killer app — social…
Read More “Filipinos should seize the opportunity to define themselves on their own terms NOW” »
What is the goal of the Philippines’ elite communicators and thought leaders? We are told many times by the Philippines’ so-called “social media experts” that there is a huge responsibility on our shoulders to produce and publish high-quality content that could help uplift the Philipines’ public discourse. The quality of this discourse is important because…
Read More “Should Filipino thought leaders communicate in ‘maka-masa’ style or in proper English?” »
Indeed, Filipinos need to be reminded that “facts matter”. That’s because Filipinos were not raised at home nor trained in school to build factual bases for what they believe in. In most cases, Filipino kids are told what to think rather than taught how to think. It is challenging too considering that Philippine society is…
Read More “Filipinos can overcome ‘fake news’ by developing more CURIOSITY #FactsMatterPH” »
The Philippine political “debate” remains as confused as ever because partisans across the spectrum cannot agree on who or which administration is at fault for the persistence of a number of problems. Many of these problems are big ones: Manila’s traffic and public transport woes, foreign policy around which bloc of superpowers the Philippines should…