The continuing occupation of the oligarchs

  by josephivo (1) Wayang kulit and the Philippine political reality A wayang kulit (= Indonesian shadow theater play) is the political reality we are looking at in the Philippines. Wayang kulit is special because of its double abstraction. First you only see shadows not the live actors. Second, the shadows come from leather puppets … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Education, Philippine Politics

The technocratic federated Republic of the Philippines

In this blog, I seek to develop a set of understandings about how the Philippines works as a nation. Is there a way to improve the productivity of the Philippines? The blog is another case of JoeAm thinking out loud, and writing about it. A puzzlement: what kind of government is best? One puzzlement for me has … Continue reading →

Filed under Economy, Philippine Government, Technology/Internet

Ruby, Ruby, calm thy raging winds

Ruby, Ruby, calm thy raging winds, thy torrents of water flying flat. Do not Yolanda be, God’s rage upon the poor. In tents they live still, and food they have not any. Be firm if you must, but be kind, for we are learning our lessons well. Natural reaction: “Well, here we go again!” The good news: the beast is … Continue reading →

Filed under Ecology/Global Warming, Foreign Affairs and Defense

Binay does not have to be declared guilty to get thrown from the presidential race

One of the great differences between America and the Philippines is the existence in America of what I will call the “community’s force of conscience”. It is a very important difference. Before getting to that, however, let’s start by observing  a similarity: both America and the Philippines have well evolved laws. These are the rules the community … Continue reading →

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

On the blacklisting of 9 Hong Kong protesters

The Aquino Administration has dropped its ban on visits to the Philippines by nine Hong Kong protesters due to complaints from journalism groups and Hong Kong. Well, I’m writing this blog anyway because, from where I sit, those critics seem to be missing great chunks from the entire picture. The topic is most interesting because it … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, China, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics