I thought this was a column piece of substance considering its author is a former Secretary of Foreign Affairs. In “The social media imperative” published on the Philippine Star, Roberto Romulo writes of “trolls”… “It was these ‘warriors’ on social media who delivered the presidency to Duterte, who won with over 16.6 million votes–convincingly and…
Former Customs Commissioner Ramon Farolan has a good memory recalling how former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) addressed the Chinese “occupation” of Mischief Reef. In his Inquirer piece today “Mischief Reef – where it all started”, Farolan writes… For what has happened, there is enough blame to be shared by everyone, not just President Duterte….
Read More “Filipinos will not progress if we keep electing puppets of the elite and the oligarchy” »
In a recent Facebook post, Inquirer columnist and former Undersecretary of Communications Manolo Quezon claims that an “Old Middle Class” that was “formed” by “Churches, Clubs, and Schools” had been supplanted by a “New Middle Class” that harbors a “great anxiety” and “votes accordingly, but without the civic engagement”. If we have 70 million voters,…
Read More “Manolo Quezon criticises “New Middle Class” OFWs as lacking in “civic consciousness”” »
The raging debate since the first lockdown has been about social amelioration. Having first-hand experience in government at the local government unit (LGU) level, I’ve seen the inefficiencies in its operations and the policy disconnect unless the two top officials work together for the benefit of their constituents. Tax the rich to give to the…
Read More “Dysfunctional Philippine bureaucracy cannot be solved by one president in just 6 years” »
Why can’t Duterte fix this simple problem within his own turf? That critical projects to build large vaccination facilities got this far and became an unncessary PR problem explains why we are in this mess. Sheer incompetence! Do you think government officials actually use their heads? Nope. The default mindset of the bureaucrats is they…
So they do read sometimes… (He refers to my earlier piece, “F Sionil Jose likens Duterte to Magsaysay, Philippine Opposition OFFENDED!”.) For the information of Philippine Star writer Joel Pablo Salud, I’m not a blogger to begin with. I’m just a pundit. I don’t even think of myself as a good writer. But what do…
Read More “PhilSTAR writer Joel Pablo Salud BUTTHURT by his failed tiff with F Sionil Jose” »
What will we do about the opposition? They seem to have shit for brains. Five consecutive quarters of recession and Inquirer columnist Manuel L Quezon III (MLQ3), former Communications Undersecretary of the Aquino administration, fallaciously follows the line of Financial journalist Prinz Magtulis by declaring we are officially in stagflation territory. In his piece “Welcome…
What is really needed is an executive summary of the arbitral ruling, with a comparative analysis of what what status was before and after. One also needs to take into account US foreign policy under former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, or was it the toner way around? In his Manila Times piece “Not…
As a political scientist and supposedly a self-styled political operator, Manila Times columnist and De La Salle University (DLSU) professor Antonio Contreras lacks one essential element, which is political pragmatism. In his piece “Fit to be thrown out as trash” he writes… No wonder it is easy for Duterte to throw to waste an important…
Carpio’s statements about the service contract for the Reed/Recto Bank dovetails with the analysis presented by former Ambassador Bobi Tiglao in his Manila Times column “Salim (aka MVP), Razon, Ongpin’s project behind Aquino’s discord with China” today. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio is clearly lawyering for the oligarchs who hold the service contract for…