How President Aquino’s Date with Yolanda Went

Posted by JoeAm on March 12, 2014 · 32 Comments 

Have you ever had a date that was a disaster from the getgo? You thought she (he) was intriguing but you quickly discovered it was not working. Perhaps you took your girl to a nice steak house and found out she was a vegetarian. Or she started preaching quotes from the Bible as you looked … Continue reading →

Category Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

The Philippines: A Nation that Does Not Trust Its Citizens

Posted by JoeAm on March 10, 2014 · 70 Comments 

This is not a complaint. It is an observation, with some ideas. I’m not a citizen and so I accept that I should be considered with wary mistrust. But should ordinary Filipino citizens be mistrusted? One of the peculiar cross-cultural discoveries I’ve made since moving to the Philippines is coming to grips with how little … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Philippine Government

Poe Part II: Do Filipinos Grasp Freedom?

Posted by JoeAm on March 8, 2014 · 51 Comments 

 This is a brief follow-up on the prior blog. Four things fell into place as an aftermath of the discussion about Grace Poe’s parentage and I was hit upside the head with a startling discovery. Many Filipinos do not grasp the essence of freedom. They cannot conceptualize what freedom means. The four things that came … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

The Poe Files: A Little Matter of Parentage

Posted by JoeAm on March 7, 2014 · 69 Comments 

I was perplexed the other day when, in a regular visit to Raissa Robles‘ fine blog, I got caught up in some kind of unspoken intrigue about Senator Grace Poe’s parentage. People there seemed to have some inside information they were trading in the backroom. I was blissfully ignorant about the matter. Well, the bliss … Continue reading →

Category Blogging/Journalism, Culture and Arts, Family/Parenting/Children, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

A Philippine Hero: Benigno Aquino III

Posted by JoeAm on March 3, 2014 · 143 Comments 

It seems to me that it is time to stop referring to the President casually, as if he were our pal, an ordinary guy we demanded be our president because he was of good parentage and decent character. For me, it is now Mr. President, or the President, or Benigno Aquino III, or minimally Noynoy … Continue reading →

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