Did China send the Shabu to remind us who owns the West Philippine Sea?

Posted by JoeAm on August 21, 2017 · 120 Comments 

By Andrew Lim Is Philippine foreign policy under “regulatory capture” by China? For alert observers of the political scene, it is a puzzling, if not head-scratching event: P6.4 billion worth of shabu made its way to Philippine shores via the Bureau of Customs last May 2017, and there’s hardly any reaction from the President. For … Continue reading →

Category China, Crime/Corruption, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government

Philippine laws are a snake’s nest

Posted by JoeAm on August 18, 2017 · 104 Comments 

By Joe America In a recent article, I looked for quick and easy ways to fix Manila. This one looks at the hopeless snake’s nest that is Philippine laws. I can’t see a quick fix. Solution is keyed to the quality of legislators elected and voters are not thinking so well these days. Philippine laws, … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

Journalists writing about “resilience” are soft

Posted by JoeAm on August 16, 2017 · 175 Comments 

By Joe America Filipinos are so used to being downtrodden that they turn “survival” into a positive trait. I notice all the time that when people are beaten down, but persist, journalists praise them for being “resilient”. The latest case is in Marawi. Residents, many of whom have died or suffered from illness, starvation, and … Continue reading →

Category Blogging/Journalism, Citizenship/Patriotism, Philippine Government

Why the PCOO accreditation program for bloggers is unethical

Posted by JoeAm on August 14, 2017 · 107 Comments 

By Joe America PCOO is the Philippine Communications Operations Office headed by Secretary Jose Ruperto Martin M. Andanar. Many readers will recall that Andanar was “side-promoted” out of the spotlight to head PCOO following several gaffes when he served as President Duterte’s primary spokesman. Ethics are the rules by which a profession or organization or … Continue reading →

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

The Philippines and the US: finding a way to work together?

Posted by JoeAm on August 10, 2017 · 275 Comments 

By Joe America Three pieces of information flew into my surprised face a couple of days ago, and out popped this blog. One came from Phelim Kine, the Deputy Director of the Asia Division, Human Rights Watch, regarding US Secretary of State Tillerson’s conversation with Philippine President Duterte at the ASEAN foreign minister’s confab. Kine … Continue reading →

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