We beg to differ.
If outgoing Rep. Edgardo “Sonny†Angara Jr. of Aurora wins the election to the Senate seat of his father, as he is widely expected to do, it seems he will be starting his tenure in the upper house of the Philippine legislature under an extraordinary cloud of controversy. Last week, in a statement whose timing…
Same old faces, same old farces. Same old names, same old games. Such is the painfully hilarious nature of our national politics. As the 2013 Philippine midterm elections quickly drew to a close, we stood witness to what our collective action has produced, to what our very own brand of democracy has to offer; a…
Read More “Philippine Elections 2013: Long live, democracy” »
 In 1844, a young German philosopher wrote a book entitled “The Philosophic and Economic Manuscriptsâ€. The said writer is no other than Karl Marx. In that work, Marx begun to examine, analyze and scrutinize the concept of alienation (entausserung). The other term that he used is estrangement (entfremdung). Marx’s central thesis is that: The…
Read More “Alienation and Estrangement: In Defense of Humanism” »
Political dilettantes talk about “enabling steps” because that’s all they know. Most people can’t tell how a chess game will go simply just by looking at the opening game. Â I think it’s actually the middle game that determines a great game from a mediocre one and the greatness of the game is not seen in…
I don’t think there is a point in holding elections in the Philippines. It’s so expensive and the whole process just disrupts normal activities and keeps Filipinos from moving forward. What is the point in going through something that won’t even change or improve how things are being run in the country anyway? Before every…
Read More “Filipino voters should be blamed for the Philippines’ problems” »
The latest buzz that has been circulating around the chattering classes is how ABS-CBN comedic talent Vice Ganda made a tongue-in-cheek remark when asked if he had any plans to pursue a career in public service. “Gusto ko president ako agad, yung wala kang background, pero mataas agad, parang ‘yung mga pulitiko lang ngayon. Walang…
Read More “What Vice Ganda’s tongue-in-cheek remark says about us Filipinos” »
Can a change in system of government really change the development trajectory of an entire nation? Perhaps so, but the complexity of any causal link that might exist between a system of government and the future success — or failure — of a country does not allow us a straightforward way of determining just how…
Read More “Will the Philippines prosper if we change its system of government?” »
[Any major occasion in the Philippines is always a good time to re-visit this most seminal of Nick Joaquin’s works. It encapsulates the character of the Philippine Nation and remains relevant today as Filipinos continue in their efforts to attain the elusive greatness they nonetheless feel is their ultimate destiny. I humbly present, “A Heritage…