Category: Development

The Philippines cannot progress without an intelligent civil service

June 17, 2024 benign0 13 Comments

Nothing is more confronting than statistical facts. Today’s Inquirer op-ed, “Dismal passing rate”, paints a sobering picture of the Philippines’ brains trust — perhaps an oxymoronic term to use considering that it is anything but. The Inquirer Editor in essence issues an indictment on the ability of the Philippines to sustainably implement good governance and,…

Development, Education

All Filipino “revolutions” were co-opted by greedy and power-hungry oligarchs

June 12, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 4 Comments

China had the opportunity to colonize most of Southeast Asia if they wanted to. Did they do it? Nope. The Chinese weren’t colonial in their mindset and this is mirrored by their political and social structures during the time of the emperors. It was the Japanese who had plans to compete with the Western powers….

Development, Society

Here’s What’s Going On Up At Boracay’s Mt. Luho and It’s Not What You Were Told

May 9, 2024May 10, 2024 P. Farol 1 Comment

In a smallish Facebook Group called Boracay Island News, a post addressed to the Boracay Community by a certain Victor Jeffery made the rounds asking “What’s going on up at Mt. Luho”. It reads: Angry property disputes have started again at several locations in the Mt Luho area despite many court cases over the past…

Development, Environment

Agriculture continues to be BURIED by the Philippines’ enormous and rapidly-growing population

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 2 Comments

Social justice versus food security. This is what it boils down to now. In his PhilSTAR piece “Subsistence”, Alex Magno observes… Our rice production is immune to all the subsidies and credit programs organized by government. It will continue to be inefficient unless we consolidate and industrialize our farmlands. This sector remains trapped in subsistence…

Development

Declining trust in Bongbong Marcos an outcome of a lack of applied leadership fundamentals

April 7, 2024April 9, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 3 Comments

We cannot afford to postpone reforms. The nation’s capacity for delivering a better future for its people rests on realizing these reforms. The inauspicious start of the administration of President Bongbong Marcos was indicative of what was perceived. Indeed, it went on to prove true that his 2022 election campaign didn’t have an actual platform…

Development, Government

The Philippines as the Pariah in ASEAN

January 20, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 7 Comments

The administration of President Bongbong Marcos is about to mark its second year in office but it still has not been able to make much headway solving the problems Filipinos face in their daily lives. Rice prices, for example, continue to accelerate with the cheapest at around P50.00 per kg, despite the supposed bumper crop…

Development, History

The 1987 Yellowtard Constitution is the foundation of everything wrong with the Philippines today

January 4, 2024 Ramon Ortoll 18 Comments

What did we learn from the extra-judicial ouster of an elected president? The 1987 Constitution? Our generation was fooled into believing that the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos was evil and the late former President Cory Aquino who seized power from him in 1986 was a saint. We were naive then but for those…

Charter Change, Development

On what bases do Filipinos harbour “hope” for 2024?

December 31, 2023 benign0 8 Comments

A report on a recent Pulse Asia survey reportedly shows that more than 90 percent of Filipinos face the New Year with a feeling of “hope”. “Amid the various challenges Filipinos face on a daily basis, most of them continue to remain optimistic, with 92 percent saying they will face the new year with hope….

Development, Society