A plunge into the darkened mind of Juan Ponce Enrile

Posted by JoeAm on July 10, 2014 · 29 Comments 

I’m not a psychiatrist, just an observer. From time to time, I write fiction. This article can be taken as but another figment of JoeAm’s wayward literary license. It can also be taken as a bit of a rebuttal to Senator Enrile’s autobiography, which is said to deploy some imaginative literary license itself. If the esteemed Senator need not be bound by … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Politics

The hardhearted priest in the hardhearted Philippines

Posted by JoeAm on July 9, 2014 · 43 Comments 

Once again two seemingly unrelated incidents clinked a loud, unified chime in my certified cerebral collection center for the putting together of things. One, a Philippine priest berated an unwed mother who had brought her baby in for baptism, accusing her of living in sin and claiming the baby was born in sin. As if Jesus was … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Philippine Politics

JoeAm rates the top presidential candidates

Posted by JoeAm on July 7, 2014 · 32 Comments 

As I mention here and there, I don’t think facts are always that important. Facts can lead us into an obsession with detail, a problem many Filipinos have. Or they can be outright lies. Rather, it is ideas that count. Different ways of looking at problems, figuring things out, extending a few “what ifs” into … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Philippine Politics

The Philippines, a land of Mafia dons and dead journalists

Posted by JoeAm on July 4, 2014 · 44 Comments 

We read a lot about the shooting of journalists in the Philippines and the inability of the government to stop this assault on one of our most prized democratic values, freedom of the press. The killings are an affront to a nation that prides itself on being among the most expressively free in the world . . . … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

China’s plan to take Pagasa Island (Titiu), inhabited by about 200 Filipinos

Posted by JoeAm on July 2, 2014 · 18 Comments 

China’s enduring march to expand in the South China Sea is not flexible or fluid. It was set in action 10 years ago and is proceeding as scheduled. Every objection is met with a rebuff that paints the party objecting as an intruder into sovereign Chinese territory, as defined by the now-famous nine-dash line. Nothing the … Continue reading →

Filed under China, Economy, Philippine Government