“Foul whisperings are abroad. Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles.” —William Shakespeare, Macbeth At around the time that the hardworking and prayerful Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was due to deliver her ninth—and presumably last—State of the Nation Address, as well as for several days after, the phrase “lame duck” was predictably bandied about to refer to her. [...]
Stephanie Dychiu, James Putzel, and the ethics of reportage
March 23, 2010 By 101 Comments
The primary function of language, being a social fact, is communication, and it remains operative throughout whatever other uses language may be put. The communicative function of language takes on additional weight in journalism, because the currency of that particular trade is information, and the objective is the equal distribution of wealth thereof, as it [...]
Against a non-partisan People Power
February 28, 2010 By 34 Comments
Speaking at the ceremony commemorating the 24th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, our hardworking and prayerful President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, bemoaned the “partisanship” that the notion of “people power” has acquired through the years, and arrogated unto herself the authority to define it: “It is not about whose politics one supports. It’s about the heroism [...]
Proceedings of Youth 2010: Bumoto Para sa Pagbabago
January 29, 2010 By 10 Comments
Note (Added 02 February 2010): It has come to my attention that portions of this post are being cited as though they were verbatim statements from the candidates. Let me emphasize that this is a live blog, not a transcript. The contents of this post only reflect my understanding of the candidates’ statements while they [...]
Truth and lice
January 8, 2010 By 11 Comments
Whatever else can be said about the adoption of Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (Makabayan) senatorial candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza by the Nacionalista Party (NP), it is definitely nothing less than an event for the history books. After all, Ocampo and Maza are militant leftists, while the NP is a party headed by real [...]
Art, science and politics
August 15, 2009 By 5 Comments
Professor Flor Lacanilao has thrown in his bit on the national artists fiasco. He writes in a post for a Pinoy scientist blog “The naming of National Artists and National Scientists in the Philippines has been continually threatened or beset with fake artists and scientists. Quite surprisingly, however, our respected artists and scientists have different [...]
The Hungry and The Foolish On the Road to 2010
July 3, 2009 By 62 Comments
Over a hundred years ago, a Republic was born. It was born amidst a era of nationalism. It wasn’t a unique idea. It was borrowed from Western thought. And a people, like many across the world wanted to self-govern. That Republic was short-lived and it became a Commonwealth of the Americans. But the dream never [...]
Philippine Political Culture Circa 2009
June 1, 2009 By 26 Comments
Philippine Political Culture Circa 2009 What is Political Culture? The open source reference defines Political Culture as “The orientation of the citizens of a nation toward politics, and their perceptions of political legitimacy and the traditions of political practice,” and the feelings expressed by individuals in the position of the elected offices that allow for [...]
Government by the people
May 8, 2009 By 8 Comments
(This rather lengthy commentary is a bit dated; it’s being crossposted and shared with FV only because it’s deemed quite relevant to the ramblings that Manny Pacquiao, the world’s most famous boxer today, is again getting ready to rumble in Philippine politics.) “Why (do) movie actors get elected” by the “average Filipino voters”? Prof. Randy [...]
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