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

The Philippines: Tiger or Stuffed Kitty?

Posted by JoeAm on August 16, 2013 · 54 Comments 

The Philippines is fascinating, a nation with well-developed democratic institutions but underdeveloped democratic principles, a nation of broad economic reach and almost no economic depth, a nation of foul-weather patriots who rip money from the civic coffers and fair-weather patriots who tie their soul to the fists of a boxer and lash out with indignant … Continue reading →

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