Sunday, 23 March 2008

Articles from PDI ...

... as was caught in my eye:

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Talk of the Town
23 March 2008

We can do much more for our country
(Wishful thinking?)

Philippines, "most corrupt" in Asia
(Hah! Tell me something I do not know ...)

Thursday, 20 March 2008

new thrilla in Manila

i'm sorry, but i just can't help posting this .... i just have to share (in case you haven't heard).

though thousand of miles away from the Philippines, i make it a point to touch base on what's going on out there by reading online mags and newspapers from Manila. while at it i came across Brian's blog which is fascinating in many ways possible - and he confirmed once more how things work in the Philippines. i felt so sad ... you see, there is nothing wrong about the Philippines per se ... it is some people, and a handful lot, who brings shame and bad reputationin to the Philippines as a country.

Brian's plight is just one of those things that happen in the Philippines - and boy how he brought the house down against the so-called "elites" of the Philippines. below is the link to Brian's fight and cause ... make sure you read the history behind this saga (click the 8 posts on the upper left side corner of the page).

http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/

i'd say : JUSTICE FOR BRIAN!

Thursday, 6 December 2007

si GMA talaga!

natawa ako when i read somewhere how proud the philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was upon learning that the peso has strengthened against the US dollar. this, she claimed, was because the philippine economy got stronger during the years.

what bullshit!

i thought she's an economist - didn't she know that this phenomenon is simply because the US economy is now very low and suffering - that this is the result of Bush's misplaced economic priorities when he waged war on Iraq? get real madame president! the philippine peso is, and will always follow the US dollar's suit - and that is going down the drain unless you do something drastic.

i find it so irritating the way she's campaigning around Europe for it to ease restrictions for filipino migrant workers - seems like GMA's only solution to the economic misery of the philippines is to send out more and more migrant workers abroad. why can't she improve things better in the philippines instead of uprooting the family oriented filipinos and send them away? why not work on the country's natural resources? the philippines receives a lot of foreign financial aids from rich countries - where does that go? when we exported our "know-how" to our neighbouring countries, we helped build their nations. why can't we nurture that "know-how" in our own country and benefit from it? problem with budget allocations? i sometimes find that excuse hard to believe. there should be enough money - most of it is not even from the government but from NGOs - JUST GIVE IT AND USE IT FOR ITS PURPOSE INTENTED! then, and maybe then, life for an average filipino may be easier.

needless to say, how do you really serve your public madame president?

Thursday, 25 October 2007

philippines, my philippines - what has happened to you?

I felt betrayed. I felt numbed. I feel so angry. I feel insulted.

These are just some of my sentiments when I read about the executive clemency as granted by current Philippines President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to Joseph Estrada. I can’t help but think that all the court hearings and proceedings that have transpired was nothing but all show. What kind of message does this send across the globe? To all other sovereign nations that kept close track of the proceedings of this one-of-a-kind case .... a case that finally showed people all over the world that this time around the political scene in the Philippines has changed for the better - imagine, prosecuting the ousted President of the Philippines!

And then, this happened ... (read link)

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=96730


Oh, Philippines, my Philippines - what's gotten into you? When will you ever put yourself on global news on a better light? Nowadays, very little things of good nature are being said about the Philippines and the Filipinos - now, that's very sad. Why do you keep embarassing yourself internationally? Why the bickering among the Filipino nationals, whether in the Philippines or abroad? And now, this! Shame, shame, shame ....


on manny pacquiao ...

i chanced on the article below about manny pacquiao, and it sure irritated me ... no, not because i agree with the writer but because i cannot understand the need for filipinos to put such an ordinary man on a pedestal, short of worshiping him in his grand days and then criticise him when he doesn't serve his purpose to the chosen few ...

http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/ThePacquiaoFiles/view.php?db=1&article=20071022-95894

i believe this guy didn't ask to be the average filipinos' local hero. the politicians made him that - in the absence of better things to do. this is typical of what is sometimes wrong with the filipinos - "putting their eggs on the wrong basket" in its every sense ...

manny pacquiao is his own person - with or wothout the adulation of the filipino people! he achieved most of his accomplishments by doing what he do best and these politicians were the ones who simply had a free ride in terms of publicity and name recall for the filipino public. the philippines wouldn't need a hero in the person of manny pacquiao or the OFWs if the philippine government is doing their job properly.

i'd say, leave the guy alone! concentrate on improving the economy of the philippines instead of bidding your precious time over so little things as manny's "responsibility" and "loyalty" to those who put him in the pedestal. your accord of appreciation of his achievements should come voluntarily without any expectation of a "pay back" from your hero. he did not ask for you to make a bonanza of each of his win! he did not ask to be awarded any medal of honour or recognition for his achievements. with or without the local funfare, manny is still a winner in the book of international boxing due to his own merits!

Monday, 1 October 2007

wowowee update, anyone?

it's now october 2007 ... any news about the wowowee scandal? what happened? was there ever a case filed? was the alleged rigging even investigated? did ABS-CBN managed to wrestle public opinion? was the scandal over and done with? forgotten? no follow up?

hmmm ... very filipino. forgive and forget? whatever happened to the catchy "in the service of the filipino people"-slogan? sad ... sad ... sad ... just empty words!

Thursday, 6 September 2007

the wowowee-scandal

i've been asked what i think about this particular scandal ... well, i have quite a mouthful to say but in summing it all up, i can only think of one word - that of being sad .... what i would like to know is what you guys think about it - do share!