The Philippines is in great shape. It’s in the numbers.

Posted by JoeAm on March 26, 2015 · 448 Comments 

We often complain about the way things are in the Philippines. We grouse about the politics, the lousy tabloid media, the poverty, the poor storm preparation, the trash and over-fishing, the corruption, the murderous rebels, the crazy bishops, the congestion, the electricity, the slow bandwidth. Today looks a lot like yesterday, and we don’t figure there will … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Economy, Family/Parenting/Children, Philippine Government

Are anti-Aquino forces playing into the hands of China in the Mamasapano debacle?

Posted by JoeAm on March 24, 2015 · 286 Comments 

  By Yvonne Let me start by stating that I expected a public outcry on the Mamasapano debacle due to the unprecedented loss of lives among our PNP-SAF personnel who were on a mission to capture, or neutralize, high value terrorists. The chance to get three long-wanted, violent criminals in a single police operation was … Continue reading →

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

The case for a State-owned newspaper in the Philippines

Posted by JoeAm on March 22, 2015 · 224 Comments 

“In 1841, Thomas Carlyle wrote, ‘Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all’. . .  Carlyle saw the press as instrumental to the birth and growth of democracy, spreading facts and opinions and sparking revolution against tyranny.” (Stanford University, … Continue reading →

Category Blogging/Journalism, Citizenship/Patriotism, Philippine Government

20 ways to demean the Senate

Posted by JoeAm on March 21, 2015 · 252 Comments 

Each of 20 senators who signed the “Poe Report on Mamasapano” is complicit in attempts to deceive Filipino citizens. They have taken the public’s trust, in the name of fact finding, and twisted it for opportunistic reasons. Here’s what they agreed to: That the primary responsibility for the 44 SAF deaths should be placed on … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

Senator Grace Poe and her impeachment remarks

Posted by JoeAm on March 19, 2015 · 377 Comments 

  by crispinbasilio As Sen. Grace Poe read out loud the executive summary of the Senate Mamasapano report, JoeAm wondered why she mentioned impeachment at all, when the report presumably made no mention of it. This writer wondered, too. The following might help put recent events in perspective… Coincidence? First, notice how the approval rating of Pres. Aquino … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics