We beg to differ.
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…
Read More “‘Disaster preparedness’ has become an oxymoron in the #Philippines” »
Traffic flow on Metro Manila’s main arteries is routinely being jammed by public utility buses loading and unloading indiscriminately in the middle of the road. This is one of the obvious problems plaguing the country that Filipinos are seemingly too stupid to do anything about. We tolerate public utility buses loading and unloading indiscriminately in…
Read More “Borderline criminal: Contribution of Manila’s public buses to traffic congestion” »
Recent events have, yet again, highlighted the embarrassing way with which Filipinos and the government they elected to lead them are desperately scrambling to extricate themselves from systemic poverty after decades of misguided “development” approaches and serial promise breaking. Like many many previous presidents before him, Philippine President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III went on…
Read More “The futility of begging for foreign investment when your country sucks” »
Just what we need. More requests for “patience” and “understanding”. That is what Malacanang beseeches Filipinos to show while the government pays lip service to the decades-long but fruitless effort to “solve” Metro Manila’s infamously hellish traffic. According to Malacanang mouthpiece Herminio Coloma Jr, the government puts foremost importance in the livelihood of Filipinos and…
Read More “Why Metro Manila’s horrific traffic will NEVER be ‘solved’” »
Not surprising. Political observers gave Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya a unanimous Fail in his most recent public relations stunt. Yesterday, the 28th August, Abaya stepped up to a self-imposed challenge to prove Manila’s decrepit Metro Rail Transit was “safe”. The MRT has been beleaguered by recent high-profile mishaps, among them…
Read More “DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya’s epic MRT public relations fail” »
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…
Metro Manila is a dump. And it is getting worse, not better. The city is being crushed under the weight of its own success as a magnet for domestic migrants looking for jobs the Philippines’ barren hinterlands cannot provide. But why is Metro Manila, the Philippines’ premiere economic and cultural centre, not improving? Not only…
The mounting desperation of the average Metro Manila commuter is becoming so palpable you can taste it in the air every morning when you come out the door of your home and face the hard slog to work. It is utterly depressing to face a day where the first thing you will be experiencing is…
Read More “Traffic has sentenced every Metro Manila resident to prison time befitting murderers” »