The rise of a new authoritarian regime in Asia

Posted by JoeAm on September 22, 2016 · 240 Comments 

Let me get as dry and analytical as I can. Those who seek support for a cause, no matter what it may be, are unlikely to find satisfaction here. You might look for a particular Rolling Stones song, and play it loudly (Lyrics: “Satisfaction“). Even if this is a blog that absolutely no one wants, perhaps it may … Continue reading →

Category China, Economy, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government, Religion, USA/Americans

The (Im)moral Justifications of Duterte’s Anti-drug War

Posted by edgar lores on September 18, 2016 · 358 Comments 

w By Edgar Lores “Human rights are not worthy of the name if they do not protect the people we don’t like as well as those we do.” Trevor Phillips Three ethical doctrines have been asserted to justify President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug war. These are: o The utilitarian doctrine o The ethnocentrism doctrine o The … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

A modest explanation, and a thank you

Posted by JoeAm on August 16, 2016 · 165 Comments 

Thank you to all who have expressed their understanding and best wishes for me and my family. There are a number of reasons for suspension of the blog. At the root, as many supposed, is a concern for my family’s well-being, cast against the unkindness inspired by a leader who seems to want to use … Continue reading →

Category Blogging/Journalism, Citizenship/Patriotism, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

The great test of Philippine democratic institutions

Posted by JoeAm on August 15, 2016 · 69 Comments 

It is clear that President Rodrigo Duterte has little respect for the rights of individual Filipino citizens. He doesn’t care about the Constitutional promise of safety or the fairness of presumed innocence. He doesn’t care if they die. Furthermore, other individuals, even members of important democratic institutions like the Supreme Court and Senate, are regularly … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

“The heaping corpses, the endless bodies to stumble upon!”

Posted by Wilfredo G. Villanueva on August 11, 2016 · 127 Comments 

w by Wilfredo G. Villanueva Swirling events. Corpses everywhere. A discombobulated populace. No public outcry. Democrats speaking to one another, preaching to the choir. In the meantime, bodies continue to pile up. Is anyone out there? God is. I have taken to waking up early, around 3:30, to read the Catholic mass readings, and pray … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics, Religion