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Sui Generis: Impeachment as more a political judgement exercise

February 7, 2025 Ramon Ortoll 1 Comment

Impeachment in the Philippines is unlike any ordinary court proceeding. It is a sui generis legal process defined by the 1987 Constitution, designed to hold high-ranking officials such as the President, Vice President, and Supreme Court Justices accountable for serious offenses—including betrayal of public trust, corruption, and violations of the Constitution. Although there are elements…

Politics

Is Rappler a beneficiary of USAID?

February 7, 2025 benign0 4 Comments

One would think so. Over just the last seven days, Rappler and its hipster “journalists” seem to be all-hands-on-deck kicking up a media frenzy over the gutting of a renowned global ATM machine; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Philippines, after all, is dependent on an umbilical cord that delivers cash from…

Development

Sara Duterte IMPEACHED! Her father saw it coming back in 2019…

February 6, 2025 Ramon Ortoll 4 Comments

Then President Rodrigo Duterte’s warning way back in 2019 has now become reality with the impeachment of his daughter, current Vice President Inday Sara Duterte. Duterte on Monday warned Sara that the presidency will destroy her amid rumors she is positioning herself as his potential successor in 2022. He slammed “paid hacks” and “hyenas” in…

History, Politics

Super Bowl Monday Why It Might Be Fun Even For You

January 24, 2025 Gogs 15 Comments

It is a weird premise: early Monday morning party with the possibility of beer. Now how could it be fun even if one could care less about the NFL? Food and Drink Really Early My friend Alan and I have been going or attempting to go to Super Bowl viewing events in Manila since around…

Business, Culture, Glitz and Glamour

Amb. Babe Romualdez: Liar or just plain ignorant?

January 12, 2025 Juanito Santos 1 Comment

What if the United States and China decide to fight each other in an unrestricted warfare? Which side should the Philippines choose? The wisest answer is “None”, just like what are neighbors like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia are doing. Better stay neutral and let these giants fight. If one emerged victorious, then choose the victor….

Politics

Aren’t we all just SICK of AI? Oh and of Sam Altman too…

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025 benign0 4 Comments

A lot of money has been pumped into the artificial intelligence (AI) industry and, as a result, we are now being spammed by the AI hype juggernaut. We get “encouragement” to use AI at work to improve our “productivity” in the tasks of churning out “content”. We are constantly reminded of the “existential threat” AI…

Tech Talk

The idiotic “EDSA people power” frame Filipino thought leaders apply to analysing world events

January 5, 2025January 5, 2025 Ramon Ortoll 8 Comments

Filipino thought leaders always jump at every opportunity to apply their favorite “people power” frame to personal thoughts on current events that they share. Inquirer columnist Randy David, for one, still believes in people power and expounds on this in his piece “South Korea’s ‘Edsa Tres’ moment” where he highlights a key insight… South Korea’s…

Charter Change, History, Politics

Do Filipino brains lack an engineering chip?

January 4, 2025 benign0 16 Comments

Everywhere you look — physically or conceptually — in the Philippines and you find systems and solutions that cannot scale. The most famous of these is the jeepney. The jeepney “system” (if you can even call it a system) is a public transport solution that requires more labour input with every unit of capacity expansion….

Culture, Development