EDCA is a process, not a promise

Posted by JoeAm on January 28, 2016 · 476 Comments 

What do you call an acquaintance on Twitter? A Twerp? A Tweep? Not twirp, I think, unless they are trolling. I engaged in a brief discussion there shortly after the Supreme Court declared by a 10 to 4 vote (1 abstention) that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is constitutional and is an agreement rather than … Continue reading →

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

Fireworks for the New Year

Posted by JoeAm on December 28, 2015 · 296 Comments 

It is always good to start the new year with a bang, as Manila knows so well. Manila can do fireworks. So let’s put some important issues on the table, cerebral fireworks. Mind benders. To get the discussion rolling, we should look at some issues that we may not yet have found consensus on or, … Continue reading →

Category China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Humor/Satire, Philippine Politics, USA/Americans

Pemberton: the Philippines stands for justice and calm; the Inquirer fails to

Posted by JoeAm on December 17, 2015 · 73 Comments 

As I read about the Pemberton judicial findings, homicide rather than murder and a total of P4.5 million in damage awards rather than the P100 million sought by the victim’s family, I was struck that the judge worked calmly and independently to find reason among the conflicting arguments. Her findings did not seem to be shaded by politics … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, USA/Americans

China’s stealth invasion of the Philippines

Posted by JoeAm on December 3, 2015 · 212 Comments 

China is the muscular underachiever out to prove a point, behavior we would normally associate with a teen-ager, but China has been around awhile. Indeed, China displays symptoms of emotional duress born of centuries of playing second fiddle to smaller, stronger nations. Her leaders portray racial difference as racial superiority in order to get even, to compensate, … Continue reading →

Category China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Economy, Foreign Affairs and Defense, USA/Americans

The American US$18 trillion debt – a Rube Goldberg machine

Posted by chemrock on November 19, 2015 · 466 Comments 

This article is in response to many who have asked in this Society blog, as well as in Filipino internet chatter, why is the Pnoy administration taking on foreign loans instead of in local currency which the govt can repay simply by printing peso because it has the ability to print since it has monetary … Continue reading →

Category Economy, USA/Americans