Making It Fun in the Philippines

It's time to consider the whole problem of businesses getting involved in partisan politics in any shape or form. What does partisan politics mean? Here's how the Free Dictionary would define it: 1. favoritism shown to members of one’s own party, faction, sect, or cause. 2. strong adherence to the tenets of one’s party, faction, sect, or cause. — partisan, n., adj. A huge problem related to media related outlets in the Philippines is where networks play partisan politics. For example, ABS-CBN claims that it's "walang kinikilingan" or sides with nobody yet it tends to be biased with the news -- how can you claim you side with no one if you don't hear both sides? It's just like how Jim Paredes' side was interviewed but what about the Duterte supporters on the 31st anniversary of the EDSA Revolution? Let's give an example of how partisan politics is done. I could give you an example where a Duterte supporter refuses to serve a customer just b...

It's time to reveal something that maybe, not everybody knew about good old Jesse Robredo -- he was pretty much anti-tambay or anti-vagrant. Don't believe me? Well Naga City's anti-vagrancy city ordinance was pretty much anti-vagrancy which was SIGNED by approval by none other than good old Jesse. If you don't believe me -- you can read the whole document here . Here's how the Naga City Ordinance defined vagrants or tambays -- this is more or less the same way President Duterte would define those tambays he wants to be dealt with and this is a #NagaLeaks that you can't afford to miss: SECTION 5. VAGRANT. – The word “vagrant” used for purposes of this Ordinance shall  be penalized under Section 5 hereof and shall mean: (a) any person who, having no visible lawful means of support and has the physical ability or  capability to work, but neglects to apply himself/herself to some lawful calling; (b) any person not being physically able to earn but is seen ...

Two weeks ago, one of Noynoy Aquino's projects namely the New Mactan Airport International was finished under the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The successes and failures of the Noynoy Administration can show why the presidential system actually sucks -- six years is NOT ENOUGH to create much change. If people want to criticize Noynoy for not making the Philippines a first world country -- did they even bother to ask if six years was even enough for such ambitious visions that Noynoy or anyone had? Here's an excerpt from the airport inauguration last June 7, 2018 : PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 7, led the inauguration of the new passenger terminal at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). MCIA Terminal 2 (T2), which brings the airport's annual capacity to 12.5 million passengers from the current 4.5 million, will start operations on July 1. It will serve solely as an international passenger terminal. Construction of T2 is part of the P17....

The Philippines will always forever be stuck in the Marcos vs. Aquino dichotomy or will it? One issue is the problem of the Marcos descendants vs. Aquino descendants -- you have Marcos/Aquino loyalists who only voted for Bongbong Marcos/Noynoy Aquino because of the father -- all the while both sides tend to argue like toddlers on who's side is better. This is the problem of the poor logic of judging people mostly by their lineages. Marcos loyalists tend to forget that Mariano Marcos was just as guilty as Benigno Aquino Sr. all the while they roast Noynoy for simply being a descendant of both Servillano Aquino (a traitor) while the Aquino loyalists tend to hide those facts. The same can be true for Bongbong vs. Noynoy. Noynoy and his comrades always go against Bongbong for simply being a Marcos. But guess what -- Bongbong had very powerful words for Noynoy - " MOVE ON! " While atrocities and abuses during the rather sudden declaration of martial law in 1972 can't b...

I don't want to deny that at this point that the Yellowtards are correct about the fact that a Duterte supporter went mad at the members of Bayan Muna and Migraine International at Hong Kong. The person threw a tantrum and did a dirty finger. It's not appropriate and quarreling with activist groups is something that President Duterte didn't do during the Cavite flag raising ceremony this year. This Duterte supporter went crazy and I don't condone to his actions. Yet, the Dilawans want to make a hasty generalization based on some Duterte supporters' misbehavior but did they FORGET their own side? Who can forget what Jim Paredes did during EDSA 2017? Although he DID NOT do any dirty finger or "putang-ina" but what he did is just uncalled for as well. This outburst is no better than the Duterte supporter who was spotted in Hong Kong quarreling with activist groups. Is this even an act of decency just because Paredes didn't do any "putang-ina...

There are some people today such as Filipino COMMUNISTS and other critics w ho are slamming President Rodrigo R. Duterte for cracking down on the tambays . Tambay is a Filipino word that means unemployed people who are doing nothing but loiter on the streets and do nonsense. In short, the person is neither employed for someone nor self-employed in any business (big or small). These people do nothing but just be there - this means a bystander or someone who is just there to be there. What's causing all this? Well, as it should be stressed - it's the problem of economic protectionism that has caused tambays to be there. Why am I blaming economic protectionism for the increasing problem of tambays? We must understand first the supply-demand gap. How many Filipino businessmen are there (regardless of ethnicity such as Filipino-Chinese or Filipino-Spanish) vs. the number of Filipinos looking for jobs? The unemployment rate itself is related to the huge supply vs. demand gap of h...

I remembered writing some time ago an article where I jokingly said that Philippine democracy is truly dead last September 21, 2017 . It's time to consider one quote that Ninoy Aquino said from Los Angeles last 1981 when he said that Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. killed democracy. The same gimmick is done except there are a lot of important points to remember -- Marcos Sr. declared martial law nationwide (and it was just too sudden) while President Duterte's declaration of martial law was fully lawful and constitutional with delegated powers, that the freedom of the press still exists and that President Duterte hasn't called for unlawful arrest of political opponents. Just think of it, the "new Ninoy Aquino" Senator Antonio Trillanes IV hasn't been arrested yet and if he does get arrested -- it could be linked to sedition charges . If Noynoy Aquino also ever gets arrested then we can also think that it's because he has a lot to answer for during his six years ...

Kadamay means to help, to condone and to sympathize. However, they deserve the name Nadamay better because it's the Tagalog word to implicate someone with fault. So here's my latest proposal -- why not ask former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas for the free housing instead? This would be a good chance for Mar to prove to everyone that he's indeed competent and better than President Duterte if he can provide the members of Kadamay with all their demands. However, there's a huge drawback here. If you want everything for free then you must expect that the quality of goods and services will go down as a result. I could mention the reality that every business whether profit or non-profit still needs some profit above their break-even point in order to maintain and improve their businesses. Why do you think an old space or room for rent (where no significant renovations were done for years) would end up costing 2x or more of its original price when it's been repaired? It...

It's a shame that Senator Bam Aquino was once a celebrated student and businessmen has become a laughingstock. I mean, he's supposedly way more intelligent than I am but what has he been doing as of late? I think he really needs to review basic economics (considering that he's a businessman) but again what has he been doing as of late? He's been having his Aquino First Policy  which made him fail to function properly as a member of the opposition. In a parliamentary setting, he would have probably been kicked out from whatever side of the parliament he belongs to whether he's a majority bloc senator or an opposition senator.  Let's put the situation of the parliament where he's in the side of the opposition. Bum can't just open his mouth like he does if he's in a parliamentary system. As of late, he's actually blaming the tax reform law for the increase of the goods and services. While he does have a point in trying to regulate certain exc...

After the interview where Stephen Sackur actually grilled Maria Lourdes Sereno then another more likely candidate that may want to dare an interview is Maria Ressa. After all, didn't she win an award called the 2018 Golden Pen of Freedom Award ? She should go and put that award into good use by actually appearing on BBC HARDtalk after Sereno's rather humiliating interview. I actually wanted to see a one-on-one interview with Jover Laurio  though it could get more interesting if Ressa herself would be the next guest. For what reason? The whole Rappler controversy itself could be the next heated topic aside from her award on whether or not she truly deserved to have it. For instance, Sackur may want to have figures and ask why did Rappler write thousands when CNN only said hundreds walked out . He may also point out the problem of Rappler's failure to pay its taxes properly  or even question Ressa's claims of President Duterte is supposedly "repressing press fre...

Here's a picture of Jim Paredes' latest nonsense which I got from GRP Shorts . For those who can't understand Tagalog, let me translate the Tagalog statements as: We're now prepared to become their province! Dreamworks is made in China so they say. More like a nightmare and brainwashing! It'ss stupidity at its finest. Didn't Paredes leave the Philippines sometime last decade and he returned? Yet he has the audacity to show his "nationalism" yet again by making yet another stupid comment. The problem behind the Chinese aggression in Scarborough Shoal is not on the Chinese people but the CHINESE GOVERNMENT. Those are Chinese military forces and NOT Chinese civilians. Some Chinese are probably glad that their government lost the Spratlys arbitration case because they have friends in the Philippines or they've had enough of their government. Are those shows from China owned by the government or by the Chinese people? If a business from China oper...

The moment that many Filipinos may have been waiting for has finally arrived --  it's Maria Lourdes Sereno's interview at BBC HARDtalk . I'm now thinking about how Sereno herself has said some really stupid things. So much for being a graduate from the University of the Philippines -- the very school that once held so much pride in its law students and produced Atty. Harry Roque and the late Miriam Defensor Santiago has become a Yellow Zone.  Stephen Sackur has nailed it right when he said, "You’re sounding very much like a politician and a die-hard Duterte opponent than a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court." It was the same grilling that he gave to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV last 2017. Trillanes showed how he doesn't even respect the proper Philippine democratic process. Now Sereno has proven herself to lack common sense such as when she couldn't account for not filing for her SALN. Instead of sticking on topic -- she ends up firing one red herrin...

I remembered the good old days when I could actually enjoy watching some Pinoy sitcoms. ABC-5 used to have Ispup (Spoof) which got cancelled last decade. Back then, Bubble Gang during the 90s used to be very funny. But now what really happened? Is it me or are most of the good stuff in Pinoy entertainment but a thing in the past?  Take for example the intended situational comedies like Tsuperhero and Super Ma'am. I don't care if it's trying to make fun of Japanese or American superheroes. The problem is focused on the lame humor and really badly done action scenes that this one has it. It's got almost EVERY PROBLEM from that failed Alyas Batman En Robin film -- except this time it's a TV series and it's gotten even worse. At least Alyas Batman En Robin had some interesting musicale entries!  I decided to do some rewatch of Japanese, Korean and Chinese comedy. Take a good look at Drunken Master and Kung Fu Hustle -- they were meant to be comedies but m...

It's not a surprise that the Cavite rain DID NOT stop these rallyist bozos from causing trouble yet again. You can remember almost every president that they caused trouble with -- in short, they have a problem of BLAMING incumbent presidents for problems that they've caused themselves . Like seriously as much as I don't like former president Noynoy Aquino but NOT everything is his fault for whatever happened in the previous administration. The same can apply for President Rodrigo R. Duterte especially with their daring act of causing trouble at Cavite amidst the rain. So who's paying them to cause trouble anyway? It's hard to determine who's paying them. My only speculation is that either they may be paid by unscrupulous Filipino-Chinese businessmen who want to maintain their hold on the oligarchy, possibly drug syndicates (both local and foreign located in the Philippines) or maybe even international groups (which puts their "nationalism" in furth...

Leni Loud Robredo's publicity stunts are getting more hilarious, aren't they? Here's a picture of her at the Rizal Park where she honors the Filipino Flag under the rain. It makes me laugh to think about how she's went from painting school walls to dancing the Ifugao dance -- now she's saluting the Filipino flag under the rain. Heck, CRappler even wants to honor her lack of common sense here. Here's a bigger picture of Leni Loud under the rain. Well, most of her fellows here are having rain-appropriate attires. The soldiers are wearing their caps and long sleeves. However, some aren't so wise to allow themselves to get drenched in the rain -- was it Leni Loud's idea of "nationalism" to purposely allow yourself to get drenched in the rain when you really DID NOT need to do so. I can understand soldiers saluting under the rain after a long war is over or in honor of a fallen comrade but this isn't the case for her, right?  I can...

Happy "Independence Day" and no, the Philippines didn't become an independent, self-governing nation until July 4, 1946. In other words, the independent Philippine Republic is merely 72 years old. The whole Republic founded by Emilio Aguinaldo was a de-facto Republic -- the Philippines fell under American control during 1898 (So what's so independent or self-governing about that?), it fell under the Imperial Japanese occupation during 1941 and the Philippines was later released from American control on July 4, 1946 . Some could argue that June 12, 1898 should justify their hundred or more years argument fallacy and say it's not a fallacy. It can be used by the sworn defenders of the 1987 Constitution defend the faulty presidential and unitary system because their basis is Filipinos have a hundred or more years experience in unitary-presidential and zero experience in both parliamentary and federalism. Here's a bit of the history of the Malolos Constitut...

Celebrating Independence Day on June 12 is a lie. If you re-study history then notice when did the Philippines truly become a sovereign state? June 12, 1898 or July 4, 1946? If your answer is June 12, 1898 then maybe it's time to let you re-read your history books from elementary because July 4, 1898 is the correct answer. Please don't ever raise the founding of the first Filipino republic happened on June 12, 1898 because the Philippines soon came under two colonizers -- the United States of America and the now deceased Imperial Japan. So was the nation REALLY independent back then? It's time to consider the first president Emilio Aguinaldo. Is he worth even being called the Filipino George Washington or the Filipino Benedict Arnold? This guy should be included in the history of the dark side of the Filipino-Chinese community . While there were Tsinoy heroes who helped the founding of the Philippines as it is today while there are villains in it, too. Aguinaldo should b...

I remembered some time ago when I wrote about the Filipino soldiers who repelled the Maoist armies in Yuldong . It was back when Mao Zedong's incompetence made the size of the Chinese army useless and back when the Philippines still had a real fighting chance. The case today is very different. China used to be very poor during Mao's time while today's China is already a progressive country. The Chinese military today is not the same. The worse side is that the Philippine army has become a failure since 1987 or even earlier. Worse, the Philippines has become a country that's overly dependent on Uncle Sam's military  rather than seek to modernize and shape up the Philippine military. As of recent times, Rep. Gary Alejano has the audacity to really say that the Philippines in its current wrecked up state is "capable" of going head to head against China . Does he even realize the huge difference between the Filipino soldiers who won against the Maoist tro...

I was doing a bit of research and unfortunately, one incident out of many was used to justify the whole fallacy that says " Pelepenos are da most powerful race in a world ." -- it was the great Battle of Yuldong in North Korea which happened last April 22 - 23, 1951. It was once upon a time when the Philippines was still a great nation. It was merely three years and several months after the Philippines truly gained its independence. It was when a Tsinoy captain named Conrado D. Yap valiantly gave his life for the Philippines to defeat the combined forces of 40,000 Maoist troops which aided North Korea's troops. Take note that China's military was severely weakened thanks to Mao Zedong's irresponsible leadership. So does this prove that the Filipinos are the most powerful race in the world and the Chinese are always no match for them? Not at all. Need I remind you that the brave captain was Chinese by blood and that one of the greatest Filipino revolutionaries...

WTF and this screenshot is from CNN Philippines. So much for Kris Aquino who once claimed that she won't run for Philippine politics. What convinced her to or what made her change her mind? Was it because Mocha Uson tactlessly attacked her or did the Liberal Party prod her? As much as I believe that Mocha herself should be held accountable for her rather tactless behavior all the while  Kris shows how immature she is . Kris ends ups showing her bratty behavior where she would rather challenge Uson to a fight rather than settle things peacefully. I guess some people still remember when she made her fight with Rufa Gutierrez and her disputes with former husband James Yap VERY PUBLIC one way or another. I remembered I wrote a post where I asked if whether or not you will vote for Agot Isidro as Senator . It was later followed up with a post where I wrote that  Cynthia Patay may also run for Senator  though it's just mere speculation. With that in mind, I have no reason ...

Just recently, I was checking the idiotic PNoy Ako Blog now writes that Duterte supporters should cry over the fact that their fellow Dilawan, Maria Ressa, now has the 2018 Golden Pen of Freedom Award at the 70th World News Media Congress in Portugal. Hmmm... this does raise one question about the award that Ressa got -- can she use her award to raise her credibility among Filipinos through a foreign award?  I remembered some time ago when I actually wrote about Ressa's appealing to Western media  and another where Etta Rosales got the Progressive Alliance Award  -- but does an award always mean something? Awards can mean something if the people who received the award actually deserve it. But does Ressa actually deserve the 2018 Golden Pen of Freedom or does Rosales deserve a human rights award? No. Not according to what Filipinos can certainly testify that those two don't deserve it yet they got the award anyway. There's really the problem that a lot of people ...

I don't condone to what Assistant Communications Secretary Mocha Uson did with making a comparison of President Duterte's "kiss" with an OFW lady to the kisses that Ninoy Aquino made. Ninoy was probably just getting kisses from admirers. While I think Kris herself does have the right to be angry but she's reacting like a little girl. Imee Marcos-Manotoc may have had issues similar to Kris herself but the difference is one is emotionally mature while the other isn't. It's crazy for PNoy Pridists to criticize Mocha's lack of common sense (such as saying Mayon is in Naga when it's in Albay) while they praise Kris' immature rants. I don't want to deny that Kris once graduated with honors and she's a graduate of Ateneo de Manila -- a school where not so many pass its difficult entrance exam. Just because one is academically intelligent doesn't mean one isn't stupid in real life. You can talk about how many people end up learning...