Category: Development

MalacaÃ±ang finally admits excessive preoccupation with prosecuting Arroyo

December 27, 2011December 27, 2011 benign0 10 Comments

In the aftermath of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Sendong upon northern Mindanao which may ultimately claim up to 2,000 lives, the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has released an official statement admitting that it may have been distracted from warnings coming from climate and environment experts… Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda admitted that…

Development, Environment, Government, The South

Burying Filipinos like garbage – Typhoon Sendong need not have been as deadly as it was

December 20, 2011September 18, 2018 benign0 45 Comments

The Philippines has now become renowned for template disasters. These are disasters that are caused by systemic issues that are profoundly inherent to the country. They are templates and therefore, by design, are highly repeatable. They happen again and again. Here’s the template for the sort of tragedy unfolding in northern Mindanao today… Heavy rains…

Culture, Development, Environment, Government, Politics

Valerie Concepcion allegedly wows PNoy as Sendong strikes Mindanao

December 19, 2011November 1, 2022 benign0 101 Comments

The last thing a nation needs in time of extreme crisis is more political intrigue. It seems however, that the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III simply attracts that scourge of useless chatter and even fans its flames. The other night as, reportedly, “the nation mourns”, Noynoy was apparently busy “laughing at [the] jokes”…

Culture, Development, Environment, Glitz and Glamour, Media, Society

What Typhoon Sendong’s destruction of Cagayan de Oro City says again about us

December 18, 2011December 18, 2011 benign0 147 Comments

While scanning the news the other day, a friend of mine made a rather glib remark. She said that Filipinos have lately been so fixated on their petty politics — the bickering among politicians and justices over the jurisdiction of their respective offices — that the only way to force people to step back from…

Development, Environment, Media, Politics, Society

Constitutional blitz – Is President Noynoy Aquino not as dumb as we all thought he was?

December 17, 2011December 17, 2011 benign0 52 Comments

I think it’s time I gave President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III some credit where it is due. In the span of less than two months, he had pulled off a successful blitzkrieg across two venerable institutions of the Philippine Government — the first involving a swift and decisive flattening of a series of roadblocks both…

Development, Economy, Government, Media, Politics, Religion

Let us ‘Occupy the Supreme Court’ according to the unoriginal mind of Conrado de Quiros

December 6, 2011December 12, 2011 benign0 23 Comments

The irony of Inquirer.net “columnist” Conrado ‘Noynoy is Aragorn‘ de Quiros’s use of the “Occupy” fad to brand his personal crusade against the Philippine Supreme Court seems to have escaped his increasingly tunnel-visioned take on Philippine politics. I don’t follow the moronic “Occupy” movement in the United States, but I hear it has since been…

Crime, Culture, Development, Media, Politics

Why ad agencies are paid the big bucks: Coca Cola and The OFW Project

December 3, 2011 benign0 26 Comments

Persuasion 101. Lay out a strong emotional context, extend sharp emotional hooks, feel the bite from the audience, reel in the catch, then flash the brand. This is the science that earns the ad agencies the big bucks. Using flashy moving visuals — and lots of money to cobble these into an “inspiring” video —…

Culture, Development, Economy, Media

Ten reasons why Filipinos blame Gloria Arroyo for everything

December 1, 2011November 6, 2013 Ilda 915 Comments

I can’t help but think that Filipinos who blame former Philippine President and Congresswoman, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) for everything bad that has happened in the country have a squatter mentality. By my own definition, people who have a squatter mentality have this strong sense of entitlement. They believe that the government owes them benefits or…

Culture, Development, Featured, Government, Media