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Editor's Pick Blogs -
A Typhoon and the scared Filipinos
Posted On: December 8, 2014
Published On: December 07, 2014
There are two certainties in life: Death & Taxes! In the Philippines, I will add a third tothis maxim: Typhoons! On an average year, we have more than half a dozen of these tropical storms th[...]
5 Things in Philippine Politics worth Recognizing For
Posted On: December 1, 2014
Published On: November 30, 2014
Can you list down 5 items in the Philippine Political scene worthy of praise lately? Our mainstream media – print & TV, echoed in social media, has been bombarding us with news reports on [...]
THE RESILIENT FILIPINO – Good or Bad?
Posted On: November 17, 2014
Published On: November 17, 2014
In the aftermath of the devastation byTYPHOON YOLANDAthe World was astounded by the “resiliency” of the ordinary Filipinos when they witnessed how we tend to adaptmagnificently to the treme[...]
Posted On: November 10, 2014
Published On: November 09, 2014
"Someday THEY may RULE the WORLD.” The statement above refers to ROBOTS and their foreseeable power to replace the functions of human beings. This line is among the “11 Reasons to F[...]
Name Recall and The Politics of Personality
Posted On: October 27, 2014
Published On: October 26, 2014
NAME RECALL & THE POLITICS OF PERSONALITY In the parlance of Philippine politics, a strong reputation is a pre-requisite in winning elections. With reputation comes power. Within the Philippi[...]
Posted On: October 20, 2014
Published On: October 19, 2014
I was asking our young staff and some Fellows of the political institute about how the young among them absorbs, understands and values the current issues they face; especially those that touch the bod[...]
The Wrong Way Forward: Political Parties as Moral Impediment to Progress and Social Transformation
Posted On: October 13, 2014
Published On: October 13, 2014
In this country, election season rivals Christmas in heightened awareness, not necessarily in the creation of goodwill and joy of festivities. The 2016 election season started early with the emergence [...]
Posted On: September 29, 2014
Published On: September 28, 2014
In a report recent from Rappler, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for the first time in 45 years burned Philippine flags. Our flag is a symbol of the country. The colors and images of th[...]
Integrity in Political Reforms
Posted On: September 22, 2014
Published On: September 21, 2014
The following is an excerpt on a talk to be delivered by the author to a group of “Integrity Facilitators” under The Integrity for Jobs (I4J) Project. This project focuses on the pilot[...]
Posted On: September 15, 2014
Published On: September 14, 2014
We Filipinos love spectator sports. We love watching games, competitions and all sorts of diversion especially with a little blood mixed in them - just a little, not much. That’s why everything s[...]
Ice Bucket Challenge - Filipino Version
Posted On: September 8, 2014
Published On: September 07, 2014
So many things have been happening lately. Social Media has contributed largely in spreading awareness and information to promote all sorts of causes in almost all parts of the world. At Facebook, Y[...]
PNOY COULD BE THE GREATEST FILIPINO PRESIDENT
Posted On: September 1, 2014
Published On: August 31, 2014
Two of recent news headlines crossed paths. First, the remarkable“6.4 per cent growth of the Philippine economy”during the second quarter boasting that the countryisthesecond fastest growin[...]
National Heroes & National Villains
Posted On: August 25, 2014
Published On: August 24, 2014
Today, August 25, is National Heroes’ Day. We honor and recognize the acts of courage of those who gave their lives for our country and our people. Some spilt their blood and others simply died f[...]
The Blossoming of a Genius or The Emergence of an Idiot
Posted On: August 18, 2014
Published On: August 17, 2014
This week we were confronted by a President who changed his mind on charter amendment which he steadfastly protected from the start of his reign as a legacy of an iconic mother – a family heirloo[...]
EBOLA VIRUS: Is this the End of Our World?
Posted On: August 11, 2014
Published On: August 10, 2014
Quite recently, we wake up to the screaming headlines of Newspapers that alert us about the outbreak of Ebola virus from Central & West Africa infecting people from several countries. Spread of thi[...]
Posted On: August 4, 2014
Published On: August 03, 2014
(Paraphrasing Clinton’s 1992 Campaign Slogan v/s George Bush – the father) The next President should have one thing foremost in mind – the economy. In the Philippines, succession t[...]
Posted On: July 28, 2014
Published On: July 27, 2014
The country does not know this yet but Mindanao could be engulfed in a conflagration, if Pnoy does not address the one question that will make or break his legacy. Charter Change Why Should Pnoy [...]
Part 2: IMPEACHING CORY’S BOY IS A LUCRATIVE ENTERPRISE
Posted On: July 14, 2014
Published On: July 13, 2014
Last week, we made a case of Pnoy’s blatant transgressions on the uses of DAP, which the Supreme Court decided as unconstitutional. We opened the debate on the impeachability of the acts of the P[...]
COULD CORY’S ONLY SON BE IMPEACHED?
Posted On: July 7, 2014
Published On: July 06, 2014
Now, it’s in the open and blatantly so. The President used the enormous power of the purse in order to impeach the former Chief Justice Renato Corona.The poor fellow never had a chance. And to pu[...]
Posted On: June 30, 2014
Published On: June 29, 2014
From a Political Movement to a Political Party In 2009 together with a partner in TACDRUP ⃰ an NGO, supported by Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) we conceptualized the SUCCESSOR GENERATION Prog[...]
Part 1 - the Philippines in a Spectrum: Contexts and Ideological Underpinnings
Posted On: June 23, 2014
Published On: June 22, 2014
Short History of the Philippines The Philippines by any measure of antiquity is much younger than the nations, states or political entities in Indo-China. We are an archipelago isolated from the mai[...]
PRESIDENT AQUINO IS MORE POWERFUL THAN PRESIDENT OBAMA
Posted On: June 16, 2014
Published On: June 15, 2014
This is because the Philippine President controls Congress and the Judiciary! The Executive Department, headed by Pnoy, which by our Constitution is co-equal with the other two branches of Governmen[...]
Posted On: June 9, 2014
Published On: June 08, 2014
When Rey Teves, my partner was alive, we used to entertain a lot of our friends and colleagues witha duet of songs of the 60’s. Even up to the time just before his demise in November of 2009, we [...]
LET’S DECLARE WAR AGAINST CHINA
Posted On: June 1, 2014
Published On: June 01, 2014
Status of Philippine Stab at Diplomacy Since we started calling our fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea as ‘PANATAG SHOALS’ and China naming it ‘HUANYANG ISLAND’ &ndas[...]
Posted On: May 25, 2014
Published On: May 25, 2014
Have you come across a new and exotic word lately? You have just encountered one. ‘Semenekaki’ has host of meanings depending upon the disposition of the user at a particular point – [...]
Implications of the alleged Napoles List
Posted On: May 18, 2014
Published On: May 18, 2014
Ominous news reports nationwide now bare the list of not less than 90 government officials allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam. In an attempt to save their tainted images, many of those said to [...]
Posted On: May 12, 2014
Published On: May 12, 2014
Steal while the stealing is good! Squeal on your co-conspirators and save your own skin! Return part of the loot and be free from prosecution! And perhaps…just perhaps be hail[...]
The Fellowship of the 300: A Book on Centrist Democracy
Posted On: February 25, 2014
Published On: February 25, 2014
THE FELLOWHIP OF THE 300: A Book on Centrist Democracy (By Rhea Mae Cartin) 20thof February 2014 was the most remarkab[...]
What Political Parties Must Do All Year-Round, Off Election Season
Posted On: October 3, 2013
Published On: October 03, 2013
The reality in the local political landscape is that political parties are only active during election season. Off-season, they tend to “hibernate.†Ideally though, political parties ou[...]
WHY POLITICAL PARTIES MUST BE MEMBER-BASED
Posted On: October 3, 2013
Published On: October 03, 2013
We mentioned in an earlier blog that members of political parties in the Philippines do not pay dues and do not have a real stake in them. These parties are funded by self-proclaimed candidates, party [...]