Wilfredo G. Villanueva
Cha Coronel Datu
Juana Pilipinas
Karl Garcia
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Irineo B. R. Salazar
JPilipinas
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JoeAmClassmates and Achievement
Johnny Lin made a remark in a recent thread that focused on President Aquino’s membership in an Ateneo group called the “Fab Five”. The comment pertained to an Inquirer article that revealed that President Aquino appears to rely upon the counsel of his schoolmates working at the Palace over the counsel of his cabinet members.That … Continue reading
The Letter "L" by Ambrose Bierce
Excerpts from “The Devil’s Dictionary“ By Ambrose Bierce Selections from the Letter “L” LANGUAGE, n. The music with which we charm the serpents guardinganother’s treasure. LAP, n. One of the most important organs of the female system–anadmirable provision of nature for the repose of infancy, but chieflyuseful in rural festivities to support plates of cold … Continue reading
Face and Power as Currency in the Philippines
You don’t find much psychotherapy in the Philippines. Seeing a shrink is an admission of emotional weakness, a no-no in a society that prizes power. After all, that’s what shame is, isn’t it? The opposite of power? The undermining of esteem. So if we view “face” as a self-defense mechanism against shame, we are basically … Continue reading
Philippine Class Structure, Revisited
The core of this article ran about a year ago. I’ve since added the class “Rational Climbers” and will now try to put it into a context that is useful. This article is commentary. It does not pretend an academic or statistical foundation. It is a westerner’s impressions of Philippine society gleaned by living in … Continue reading
The Anchor for Morality
Morality = manner, character, proper behavior. Joe Am doesn’t like statistics, but he’ll deal with the little rascals from time to time. “For simple replacement of the population to keep up with deaths, most people assume that the average family size should be 2 children, or perhaps 2.1 or 2.2 to make up for human … Continue reading
The Society of Honor by Joe America 