Setting Goals: National Purpose #4

Posted by JoeAm on September 23, 2013 · 12 Comments 

“What is a nation for?” We have a hierarchy: Family. Clan. City. Province. Region. Nation. If you think about it, a nation is nothing more than a very large family, usually living within a defined compound with walls called a boundary which are defended by armies instead of dogs. These are all communities that work … Continue reading →

Category Economy, Philippine Government

What We Have Here Is a Failure to Legislate

Posted by JoeAm on September 9, 2013 · 41 Comments 

It is refreshing to come across articles that are candid without carping, critical yet constructive. Carl Javier, Assistant Professor at UP Diliman, composed just such an article for Rappler the other day, entitled “After Napoles“. His takeaway mirrors what JoeAm wrote a couple of blogs ago about President Aquino not being in the lead on the … Continue reading →

Category Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

JoeAm Upgrades Judiciary from Substandard to Encouraging

Posted by JoeAm on September 2, 2013 · 36 Comments 

S&P and Moodys’ have nothing on us less economically endowed opinion mongers.  We, too, can distill a nation or a department down to one word. And it pleases me immensely to announce an upgrade in the rating for the Philippine Judiciary from “Substandard” to “Encouraging”. Frankly, I’ve been hard on the Judiciary of late. I … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

Does Catholicism Make Us More Tolerant of Corruption?

Posted by JoeAm on August 26, 2013 · 77 Comments 

Theories On Why Corruption Is Pervasive in our Catholic Dominated Society Guest Article by Andrew Lim As I write this, the Napoles scam grows more tentacles by the day, ensnaring much of the past Arroyo administration’s officials, (some of whom jumped ship to Pnoy’s Liberal Party in 2010) , local government executives and even the … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Philippine Government, Religion

When the President Follows Instead of Leads

Posted by JoeAm on August 22, 2013 · 57 Comments 

I suppose if I were looking for a unique word to describe President Noynoy Aquino, it would be “reflective”. He thinks about things. Reads, talks to people, gathers information, and then makes a decision. Sometimes that decision is fast. That is when his mind may already have been made up. This occurred when the Sultan … Continue reading →

Category Philippine Government