Inday Sara – Digong “Daughterte-Duterte” tandem puts 2022 in the bag for admin camp

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on Inday Sara – Digong “Daughterte-Duterte” tandem puts 2022 in the bag for admin camp

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is the political equivalent of Dolphy whose comedic timing was impeccable — so unlike comedians of today who rely on their gender and insults to get laughs. The idea of Duterte as Vice President was first floated by Bong Go. It didn’t resonate with voters. Even the so-called “Duterte Die-hard Supporter”…

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Politics

Opposition horse-trading shaped by energy oligarchs vying for control over oil and gas in West Philippine Sea

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on Opposition horse-trading shaped by energy oligarchs vying for control over oil and gas in West Philippine Sea

So now journalists have to get their stories from Facebook posts. In her Inquirer report “Control of West PH Sea oil seen in takeover of Malampaya project”, Frances Mangosing uses a statement from a certain “security expert” named Jay Batongbacal as reference to highlight how a takeover of the Malampaya gas project by Dennis Uy’s…

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Business, Politics, Society

Philippines’ rail system finally being fixed and expanded after being messed up by Noynoy Aquino government

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on Philippines’ rail system finally being fixed and expanded after being messed up by Noynoy Aquino government

Dean dela Paz in his Daily Tribune piece “Tugade’s transport triumphs” recalls the state of transport infrastructure under the administration of former President Noynoy Aquino and the fiascos that punctuated his term… We need not list a litany of the successive failures as they are deeply etched in the consciousness of the public, like festering…

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Development

Looking back: Marawi City may have been sacrificed to allow US military interests to remain in the Philippines

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on Looking back: Marawi City may have been sacrificed to allow US military interests to remain in the Philippines

The tangled web of the Philippine police and military which links the latter to criminal gangs and other lawless elements has long been whispered about specially in the provinces where it’s mostly an open secret. Friends who have close friends whose relatives are officers in the police and military establishments have informally confirmed these links….

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History, Politics

On how the politicisation of community pantries and ayuda contributed to Filipino mendicant culture

Posted on By Benedict Exconde 1 Comment on On how the politicisation of community pantries and ayuda contributed to Filipino mendicant culture

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Philippines, “bayanihan” has been a mainstay of Filipino culture, especially in the provinces. As someone who spent my youth in the province, I am not surprised whenever the friendly neighbors come over to our place to offer some of their food during the fiesta or Noche Buena or…

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Culture, Economy, Society

How to build a non-Yellowtard Philippine Opposition

Posted on By benign0 9 Comments on How to build a non-Yellowtard Philippine Opposition

If there is one big hurdle the Opposition face in their effort to put up a respectable challenge to the camp of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte over the months leading to the 2022 election, it would be coming up with a non-Yellowtard campaign. Thanks to several decades of the Yellow narrative (an entire political mythology…

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Politics

A confluence of Islamic extremists’ and Mindanao drug lords’ interests led to the Marawi City siege

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on A confluence of Islamic extremists’ and Mindanao drug lords’ interests led to the Marawi City siege

My Professor in Communication Arts Marian Pastor Roces is at it again. Mass media and society was the course I took under her back then. As one who is deeply involved in showcasing Muslim-Filipino culture to the world, Roces takes it upon herself to carry the cudgels for the bakwit of Marawi. She writes in…

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Business, Crime, Culture

The Philippines needs less emotional millennials who can think strategically in terms of national interests

Posted on By Ramon Ortoll No Comments on The Philippines needs less emotional millennials who can think strategically in terms of national interests

Excellent read, this piece “A millennial considers the new German Problem after 30 years of peace”. Its author, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and German millennial Ulrike Franke, laments how her demographic “struggle to think in terms of interests, we struggle with the concept of geopolitical power, and we struggle…

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Development, Society