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in September of last year, in a conversation about the PNoy government that was riddled with questions from a British filmmaker newly met, i found myself talking about the disappointment that is Malacanang. the palace with a three-headed communications office that takes pride in being connected to the people, and yet has proven time and again to be releasing either the wrong information, too much information, or just not speaking up when it should. that conversation led to many things, though… Continue reading »
congratulations are in order: the DOT after all has triggered a meme of itsmorefuninthephilippines and its campaign has functioned exactly the way they imagined (with the help of a media enterprise now admitting its bias, yehey!) it is not without its critics, myself included, but i don’t mind letting it have a life all its own, commentary included about as much as unthinking celebration: if we can trip on the DPWHere, how can we not trip on this one? which… Continue reading »
the cultural discourse on bayanihan and the Filipino’s propensity for kindness and reaching out has undoubtedly changed since the disaster that was Ondoy in 2009. then, relief efforts were galvanized online, like a grand display of how we could all be heroes, how we could help in our own ways, with narratives on heroism cutting across artistas going on their boats and surfboards to help out those stranded on the rooftops of their homes, with the nameless | faceless pinoys… Continue reading »
“An old student once quoted to me Allan Gurganus’ remark that it was the writer’s job to take the world personally. I think that that’s true. When I read about The Who or John Ashcroft, or the disaster at Chernobyl, I’m reading about it because I’m interested in the subject, and by interested I mean to suggest that not only my intellect but my emotions have been engaged. And when I’m reading, I’m trying to read receptively; that is, I’m… Continue reading »
By Joel Santiago I practically exhorted my Mom into writing in fairness to the president. “This is a show of force, a fierce display of political will,” I said. This is how he’ll get things done in Philippines politics — with change happening so fast it’ll make the trapos’ heads spin. And isn’t this how you’d want it? The only possible way it can happen? The only way to dig out of our entrenchment in the status quo? (Yeah, I was… Continue reading »
and this isn’t even about the fact of those tweets from the celebrity guests at what apparently was a christmas party in Malacanang on Sunday, December 18 — which cannot be denied, such is the curse of tweeting, such is the power of screen grabs / captures, and no those women weren’t irresponsible, they were being themselves. what is irresponsible is the fact that there’s talk at all of a party happening at this point in the most powerful halls of… Continue reading »
this timeline via typhoonk shows how Sendong was being monitored a full week, since december 9, as a potential storm that at some point was considered part of “hurricane season.” PAGASA announces that a storm was headed our way on december 15, at 5pm, with nary a warning of how dangerous it would be. the storm hit Mindanao the following day, the 16th, and as predicted through CDO and Iligan in the middle of the night. How can a typhoon… Continue reading »
via stuartsantiago. and then really i realized PNoy didn’t order the release of any political detainee / prisoner on human rights day. perspective on the wheel of justice.
Ninoy Aquino and Ericson Acosta might seem light years away from each other, and yet i’d like to think that more than what makes them different, what carries weight here is what makes them the same. illegal detention, trumped up charges, a military blinded by getting some “big fish” and not getting enough of the red scare, being forced to face your accusers everyday, being removed from and having limited access to the outside world, being treated like some dangerous… Continue reading »
if you look at the comments section of the bad vibes for NAIA 1 rehab piece, it’s easy to see how pouncing on the Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda team became the order of the day. especially after the Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture (PRBoA) released a statement questioning the three’s reputation and credibility vis a vis their “right” to even be working on the NAIA 1 project. yesterday, the PRBoA issued this disclaimer: it’s bad enough that we totally missed the point when… Continue reading »
Guillermo Luz Statement on the NAIA 1 Project Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this briefing on the NAIA project. This is really about a dream, a vision, for creating a better image of the country through a series of projects, within which people could participate and relive the spirit of Bayanihan. One of these projects was the rehabilitation of the NAIA. People were invited to participate in this project and work alongside government, and today we will… Continue reading »
for a PNoy government that talks about the matuwid na daan, which is to say doing things correctly and properly and justly, they sure know how to reveal themselves to be on some dirt road. so yes, NAIA 1 is the worst airport in the world, i know that, and i will not pretend otherwise. but of course it will take international disgust over the airport for some change to happen, and in October a world-renowned team composed of Cobonpue-Layug-Pineda… Continue reading »
when Malacanang (via Lacierda) invokes the fact that PNoy’s family only has 1% of Hacienda Luisita, what does that mean? 1% of 6443 hectares = 64.43 hectares of land. what is 64.43 hectares of land? Intramuros is 64 hectares. SM Mall of Asia is only 42 hectares The La Mesa Eco Park is 33 hectares (extraneous to the watershed and forest) The Heritage Park in Taguig (we’re talking the cemetery) is 76 hectares Ateneo de Manila University is 83 hectares 1%? STOP… Continue reading »
we should not forget. regardless of the success that is the distribution of Hacienda Luisita among farmer-beneficiaries.
this comes a wee bit late in the day — as i write this the early morning shows are talking about what can happen today to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. and i’m with you when you think: karma’s a bitch ain’t it. stuartsantiago‘s got us all covered on the whys and wherefores and gone wrongs in the unfolding of GMA’s arrest. but lest no one else points it out, there is something tragic in the undercurrent of kamachohan, of good ol’ Pinoy… Continue reading »
let’s begin with the fact that this video/docu was well done, shall we? it’s 15 minutes, with more information than we get out of a regular TV documentary, had no voice over, had short effective copy, great animation, a clear narrative line. and the best questions: who are the Cojuangcos, why have they gotten away with murder – literal and figuratively — in this country? that it has gone viral, which is to say its hits are at 337,048 as… Continue reading »
TEDx Talks are independently organized TED talks across the world, which is about “riveting talks by remarkable people.” TEDx Diliman was my first. This is a review of each of the TED talks that were part of it, done in 18 minutes or less, because that’s the time limit of a TED Talk. Read more about TED here, and check out this really good video on TEDx here. Roby Alampay on freedom is our competitive advantage the thing with saying… Continue reading »