A First Class Philippines: Amando Tetangco, Jr.

What should we look for in selecting a responsible head of  Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines which stands as an institutional peer to the powerful Federal Reserve Bank in the United States? How about we look for a person like Amando Tetangco, Jr. , a first class governor? The … Continue reading

Senate Silence on Sotto

I wonder as to the great silence emerging from the Senate regarding the transgressions of Senator Sotto, to wit: (1) plagiarizing other people’s copyrighted material, (2) using outdated material in a misleading way and out of context, (3) denying there was anything seriously wrong with what occurred, and (4) expressing absolutely zero remorse for the … Continue reading

Buy Rubber Boats! The Earth is Melting!

Typhoon Ondoy was an eye-opener for the Philippines a few years ago. People still talk about it. Secretary Teodoro lost the rubber boats and Manila washed out to sea on a river of plastic bags. Preparations are better these days, the rubber boats have been found and some communities are banning plastic bags, but too … Continue reading

Is China Stupid? Subtitled "America, the Spinach"

Okay, just off of my latest Ken Follett novel, “Code to Zero”, I’m in the mood for a little international skullduggery, spies and intrigue. Those big games of “Who Do You Trust?”. China is a masterwork of controlled public reactions. Homebound Chinese seem to be emotional people, the Italians of Asia, I guess, easily stoked … Continue reading

Philippine Ethics: A Mirror to Values

Ethics mirror the fundamental values of a group or community or nation. “Ethical”, an adjective according to the Humpty Dumpty New World Dictionary, means “well principled”. “Unethical”, its opposite, pertains to unprincipled behavior. These are acts that may or may not be illegal but are outside of accepted convention. Honesty is considered to be an … Continue reading