The House horror show illustrates why Federalism is a bad idea

By Joe America Did you catch that strange House hearing in aid of legislation last week? The objective of the hearings was to examine the drug problem in New Bilibid Prison. Unfortunately, legislation and Bilibid were set aside to pursue a public shaming of Senator De Lima. The House reps stunned most of the Senate, a lot … Continue reading →

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

Knowledge rising in the Philippines

By Joe America I think the Duterte Administration has a new enemy much stronger than the “Yellows”.  It is knowledge, an awakening of Philippine universities and students to the offensiveness of the Marcos burial. An awareness of history, a compassion for victims, and an understanding that this sneaky burial was simply not right. An awareness that … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Culture and Arts, Education, Philippine Government

Two cases from the Society’s legal department: on line violence and presidential immunity

By Joe America I find legal documents in the Philippines to be enlightening. For one thing, I can read the arguments from the people involved rather than as filtered through mass media, the State’s troll armies, or other biased or unreliable sources. Here are two cases I found pertinent because they involve how to deal … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Technology/Internet

Does Senator Poe understand and approve of Duterte’s Propaganda Centers?

By Joe America I’m sorry I had to use Wikipedia to get a list of Senate Committee members. However the Senate’s web site listing has not been updated since August, 2015, and I know Senator Drilon is not the Senate president anymore. Some guy of very different principles and evidently little administrative precision took over the … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Education, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

The Philippines leads the world into post-truth modernism. It’s ugly.

By Joe America In the post-truth world we live in, we define our values according to utility, and so we paint the factual world around us as we need to in order to get what we want to get. Okay, okay, I know that is vague, a lot of words chasing an idea but not … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Culture and Arts, Economy, Laws and Ethics