Corruption is a bottoms-up incentive plan

By JoeAm It struck me that the line between legal incentive payments and illegal corruption is rather narrow, ill-defined, and even hazy. Not too many people get real incentive payments in the Philippines, that is exceptional salary add-ons for exceptionally productive work. The incentives that exist, a 13th month for everybody, don’t incent anything but … Continue reading →

Filed under Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

Using a threat of ‘lawless violence’ is persecution of Filipinos

By JoeAm President Duterte and his officials make frequent use of the term “lawless violence” as a reason to move Armed Forces troops here and there, and to justify an extension of martial law in Mindanao. We get the sense that the lawless violence is so bad the entire nation could be put under martial … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Philippine Government

Nationalists are not good for the nation

By JoeAm Kindly allow me to jump from idea to idea in search of understanding. Words have many definitions, so it is important to know which one is in play. ‘Nationalist’ in its popular usage today has come to mean a right wing racist fascist extremist, as in white power over any and all other … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Laws and Ethics

China’s goals

By JoeAm My sources of information are spread around the globe, a giant spider web, each node a listening post. One source is a particularly intelligent student of the Philippine condition and he warns me that the Philippines is in bed with the wrong dragon. Given that he spells realise with an ‘s’ I think … Continue reading →

Filed under China, Economy, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government

Electrification and Decarbonization – what’s going on

By Chemrock This is the second part of a trilogy on electricity in Philippines split into: – The first part (Philippines Electricity Tariff Decoded) dealt with the high electricity tariff which showed that politics, corruption and competency issues are always inherent in the delivery of essential services. – This second part deals with the low … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, Ecology/Global Warming, Economy, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics