Making Science serve the Country

Posted by Irineo B. R. Salazar on June 7, 2026 · 11 Comments 

Recent Tweets about proposed legislation to “institutionalize a permanent, science-based, multidisciplinary national institution for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction [to be] named the UP National Climate Resilience Institute” make me very happy as that is a very important matter for the Philippines. A scientist like Dr. Mahar Lagmay who spearheads such work is making … Continue reading →

Category Ecology/Global Warming, Governance, Philippine Government · Tagged with , ,

Is a Philippine Detroit possible? Checking out Industriepolitik

Posted by Irineo B. R. Salazar on April 22, 2026 · 128 Comments 

My previous article mentioned Michael Jackson’s father and his frustration with the factory. The Philippines barely has factories: unlike Motown aka Detroit, it never built the industrial base that turns working people into a middle class. That is why the majority of Filipinos live in precarity, and why the poorest remain truly destitute. So I … Continue reading →

Category Economy, Governance, industry, Philippine Government, Technology/Internet · Tagged with , , , , , ,

An Open Letter to the Congress of the Philippines

Posted by Karl Garcia on December 15, 2025 · 1 Comment 

Honorable Members of Congress, I write as a private citizen who believes that democratic reform begins not with slogans, but with institutional discipline, accountability, and humility before the Constitution. First, I respectfully urge Congress to strengthen its oversight role over laws that remain unenforced because they lack Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs). A law without … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Economy, Governance, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

Filipino Political Literacy, Middle-Class Agency, and Decades of Self-Assessment

Posted by Karl Garcia on December 7, 2025 · 132 Comments 

By Karl Garcia Over the past twenty years, two influential critiques of Philippine society have shaped public conversation:(1) Richard Heydarian’s 2025 observation that the Filipino middle class is “functionally literate but not politically literate,” and(2) the earlier discourse from Get Real Philippines (GRP), which framed national underperformance as rooted in cultural habits and civic attitudes. … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Education, Family/Parenting/Children, Governance, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

From Shadows to Shields: The Philippines Must Finish What It Started

Posted by Karl Garcia on December 3, 2025 · 83 Comments 

By Karl Garcia Photo credit Linkedin The Philippines is at war—though not in ways most people see. Cognitive, cyber, asymmetric, and incremental maritime pressures are all quietly reshaping the nation. No missiles fired, no headlines made—but sovereignty tested, minute by minute. Winning these wars demands more than warships. It demands sharper minds, stronger institutions, and … Continue reading →

Category China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Governance, Philippine Government