We beg to differ.
I echo my initial thoughts on the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III before joint sessions of Congress today, the 25th July 2011: The speech seems thick in narrative, thin on conceptual substance, and lacking in vision. This verdict I make on the basis of the…
“Pinpoint the mastermind behind the Hello Garci scandal and prosecute all those who participated in this shameless act”. These are the exact words of deposed former president and convicted plunderer, Joseph “Erap” Estrada regarding allegations of cheating in the 2004 Presidential elections. His statement reeks of vendetta. It seemed like a good idea then, but…
Read More “Election fraud did not just happen in 2004, it happened in other elections too!” »
Politicians are quick to grandstand about their achievements and their “contributions” to the development of our wretched land, the Philippines. Whenever statistics about the economy or survey results describing public sentiment is released, politicians will go on a media blitz to ensure that an association between these and themselves are implanted in the vacuous minds…
Read More “Facts and figures: President Noynoy Aquino’s promises by the numbers” »
Lots of populist huffing and puffing going on again after Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao was allegedly refused membership in the über prestigious Manila Polo Club (MPC), which reportedly counts only people who are “the country’s A-listers belonging to the influential and affluent level of the Philippine status quo” as worthy to join its ranks….
Read More “Main Event: Manny Pacquiao vs the Manila Polo Club” »
They’d presumably be flirting and exhibiting wit and cool (the stuff that we are all finely-tuned to use as a basis for making friends and finding mates) using real voices, making real eye contact, and exhibiting real body language, all of these reciprocated by the other party using the same biological ensemble. People who are…
Read More “Online social lives – the modern-day mental virus” »
Making news today is another blast from the past — the re-opening of the 2004 election cheating scandal that engulfed most of former President Gloria Arroyo’s term from then ’til 2009 and a new investigation mounted on the back of a possible testimony from Zaldy Ampatuan and Lintang Bedong both of whom have admitted to…
Read More “Why re-opening the Hello Garci case is like the second invasion of Iraq” »
Driving up or down EDSA, the main road transport artery through the Philippine megalopolis of Metro Manila, is like navigating a badly-designed website. The huge billboards that line the iconic thoroughfare competing for the attention of motorists and their passengers are monuments to the aesthetic sensibilities of Filipinos. Manila, after all, is the cultural capital…
Read More “What Metro Manila billboards tell us about the Filipino character” »
My dear countrymen, members of Congress, honourable House Speaker, Senate President, and Chief Justice, ladies and gentlemen of the diplomatic corps: Today I stand before you, this 25th day of July 2011 to do three things: (1) report on what we had achieved in the last twelve months, (2) give you a summary of the…