The Philippines Is Playing It Safe

by Joseph-Ivo It always seemed to me that Filipinos never could make up their minds who they wanted to imitate. Maybe, with a hybrid engine in mind, they tried to copy the best of the cultures they were confronted with. But when I visited the Chinese cemetery in Manila, I finally understood: Filipinos want to play … Continue reading →

Filed under Culture and Arts, Economy, Philippine Government

How President Aquino’s Date with Yolanda Went

Have you ever had a date that was a disaster from the getgo? You thought she (he) was intriguing but you quickly discovered it was not working. Perhaps you took your girl to a nice steak house and found out she was a vegetarian. Or she started preaching quotes from the Bible as you looked … Continue reading →

Filed under Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

The Philippines: A Nation that Does Not Trust Its Citizens

This is not a complaint. It is an observation, with some ideas. I’m not a citizen and so I accept that I should be considered with wary mistrust. But should ordinary Filipino citizens be mistrusted? One of the peculiar cross-cultural discoveries I’ve made since moving to the Philippines is coming to grips with how little … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Culture and Arts, Philippine Government

Poe Part II: Do Filipinos Grasp Freedom?

 This is a brief follow-up on the prior blog. Four things fell into place as an aftermath of the discussion about Grace Poe’s parentage and I was hit upside the head with a startling discovery. Many Filipinos do not grasp the essence of freedom. They cannot conceptualize what freedom means. The four things that came … Continue reading →

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

The Poe Files: A Little Matter of Parentage

I was perplexed the other day when, in a regular visit to Raissa Robles‘ fine blog, I got caught up in some kind of unspoken intrigue about Senator Grace Poe’s parentage. People there seemed to have some inside information they were trading in the backroom. I was blissfully ignorant about the matter. Well, the bliss … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, Culture and Arts, Family/Parenting/Children, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics