A Family Dies, The Country Cries, and GMA still lies...

In the following piece, you will find adoration, history, and at least one typo. However, nowhere in this article will you find the truth...

Cory Is Dead, Get Over It.

This presents me with great opportunity, as it does some frustration, to expose the constant glossing over of the Aquino dynasty. When the mainstream media mentions Tita Cory, it is always with fond memories and gyrating adjectives. When I, and millions of detractors think of her, it is with disdain because of the way Marcos was usurped and handed over to the dogs. Almost quite literally. I would venture to guess that if you are reading GRPshorts, you have an inkling that maybe, just maybe, all those people in the "power people movement" didn't really care whether Marcos was in power or not as long as they could sort of make ends meet every day. Maybe just maybe, all those jologs she ransacked from the squatter encampments didn't have a clue as to how to fix the situation but she offered herself as their messiah and they gladly offered.

This is the Aquino legacy I present to you today and it isn't emotive-headline friendly, but I can tell you it is beautifully painted as the raw veritas that few of us want to remember; particularly the media hogs who are keeping such dynasties in power because they are funded by them. I hope that, if anything, the tambays who shed a tear for ol' Noy when he finally kicks the bucket (if he doesn't get murdered while still in office. He seems to be working on the same ending as daddy quite nicely.) are aware that they are crying because they got duped into supporting two generations of brand name commercialized idiocy at the expense of their kababayan and all the potential this country holds.

Urban Planning Challenges in Metro Manila and the Philippines

I was browsing the blogosphere (i don't know why i continue to use that word, it just sounds catchy) and came across this well written piece. I'd like to share it with you, the readers...Let's face it. Manila is one of the last things that comes to mind when we talk about the world's most organized cities. This metropolis of nearly 20 million (daytime population) is the stereotype of a Third World city, where there are slums everywhere and issues like garbage disposal and traffic are poorly addressed. As the country's capital, it's such a shame that we only have this to show to the world. It smacks right against the good image that the Philippines is trying to project.

Urban Planning

Better and best rather than just good

In writing about Philippine politics and society in general, I often come across Filipinos who get offended by my "no holds barred" criticism of the country and its people. They quickly defend the mediocrity in the country by saying, "Don't be too harsh on Filipinos. It is worse in India" or whatever third world country they perceive to be in worse condition than the Philippines. I find that kind of statement so lame. It is an excuse for defending the status quo.

In saying that there are countries in worse situations than ours, we congratulate ourselves for being better while doing minimal work. We therefore come across as a people who are content with inferior workmanship or what is called "pwede na yan". Which is why we remain who we are today, a nation of braggarts and show offs living in third world conditions.

Like what I said in my previous article...

Until Filipinos learn the real meaning behind the adjective word "good" in its comparative and superlative form, "better" and "best", we cannot consider our society "resilient."

Unfortunately, most Filipinos actually take comfort in the thought that if the Philippines is bad, in their mind, some countries are worse or the worst off. And I do believe that Filipinos are still waiting for the day when things go from bad to worse before they do something more drastic to uplift their condition.

Biggest Ten Commandments in the world made in the Philippines!

The Philippines recently received yet another "Number One in the World" distinction after the unveiling of what is purported to be the world's biggest tablets depicting the Ten Commandments. The building-sized carving of the Jewish deity's charter that was handed down to Moses in Mount Sinai back in the days of, well, biblical events has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest of its kind.

Indeed, the scale of this worldly representation of the Word of the Lord fits the society that hosts it. The gigantic size of this now noted Filipino rendering of the Ten Commandments for me is symbolic of the monumental challenge of getting Filipinos to observe the most basic of codes articulating ethical behaviour. The words of Congressman Bernardo Vergara who represents Baguio City which hosts this edifice summarises where the thinkining underpinning this whole enterprise had gone so wrong...

"This beautiful and divine edifice will serve to drive away the evils of spirits that time and again emerge," [said Vergara] at the inauguration. "May it drive away evils of illegal drugs, gambling, prostitution."

I don't know about you, honourable Congressman, but I'm not holding my breath. The "evils" of illegal drugs, gambling, and prostitution are complex social issues that cannot be solved by building in-your-face religious colossuses. Since time immemorial, the mightiest civilisations have adorned their important cities with monuments to their gods. Yet all have succumbed at one time or another to catastrophic decline. Really, there is no substitute for sound governance when it comes addressing "social ills" and maintaining harmony in one's society. And last I heard, government plays an important role in that endeavour.

Perhaps this is but a quaint example of how many of our important government officials seem to have muddled the affairs of the state with the empty appeals to emotion of religious hocus-pocus. But what may seem to be a glib and even innocent remark by a Philippine Congressman reveals the underlying primitivism of 21st Century governance in the Philippines. Public administration is a field that is underpinned by some semblance of coherent logic and method. Falling squarely within the scope of expertise of a public administrator (and those who frame the laws that guide his administration) is the application of sound principles to manage these "evils" Vergara cites. Quite simply, deferring to the black-and-white "morality" of religious dogma and even just implying a reliance on imposing religious icons to implement measures to address social problems is just plain bad form in a society that aspires to modernity.

A new Pinoy creed

I choose to live by choice and not chance (fatalistic thinking, a common pinoy trait)to make changes, not excuses (need i say more?)

to be motivated, not manipulated (be thou not swayed at the polls, much less everyday life. Being motivated to go abroad is about the only thing pinoys have to their legacy right now)

to be useful, not used (filipinos get used on a regular basis because they leave themselves open to chance, which opens the door for mediocre circumstances and thus dramatic situations. I call it being addicted to the "struggle" or self sabotage..and i think part of it stems from the trashy novelas we're all exposed to in this country)

to excel, not to compete (excelling is frowned upon by crab mentality, when in fact it should be the norm with as much talent and population as we have. do not compete with others, be the standard. forget about saving hiya and set the bar high!)

i choose self esteem, not pity (self esteem and confidence are different than vanity and narcissism, another common pinoy trait. self pity only has a home in a mediocre society)

I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random voice of others (this harks back to the point about being manipulated)

Purpose and Reason

Kanoy -2. An American who is considered Filipino at heart. It is a word combination of "Pinoy" (Tagalog word for Filipino), and "Kano" (Tagalog word for American)

After my debut post, I would like to introduce myself to the readers, you out there who care about this country, these topics, as much as I do. I have chosen this name, not carefully, but out of experience. When you assign value to something, to someone perhaps, that value becomes its own living entity and it begins to take on its own form and shape over time. As names go, I could do much worse and Kanoy suits me just fine. It literally describes my nature as I not only wish to see, but actively participate in the drive to push this country to its greatest potential. I am American, yes.. I still get baffled by Filipino behaviors and such occasionally. I believe efficiency is the best way to conduct one's daily affairs. I cannot tolerate certain kinds of Filipino food, as in I cannot digest them without becoming ill. But part of me is certifiably Pinoy, and I would venture to guess as most of you may, that organ would be my heart.

My reasoning skills are still intact, I'm not feeling based as many pinoys are, but as the great hymnal goes in America, "This land is your land, This land is my land." I love this country even with its sociopolitical ugliness and corruption. How wonderful that line would be if that were the truth and not just an ideal: The 60/40 provisions live on! I deeply care about the direction we are heading as a country, as a nation of people. We seem to be a tribe without a leader, a rebel without a cause. This saddens me, but I write and work not out of pity, but of empathy for the Filipino condition. I only serve a purpose to stir the minds of Filipinos unwilling to accept the frantic pace of self-destruction seemingly now woven into the culture. I reach out to you, the reader and activist, the casual politician and armchair philosopher, in a gesture of confidence and trust that the present is not the future;you must believe the power of many also stems from the power of one. I invite you to comment and interact and I look forward to the years ahead in which we build a new Pinas, one that allows its people to provide for themselves and achieve their goals..a Pinas in which all are represented, not just the oligarchy's interests. A Pinas in which we can truly be proud of because we all contribute to its wealth out of choice, not its demise out of ignorance and lack of choice.

Epic fail in grammar at Taal Lake in Tagaytay

Considering the various proposals to put up gigantic letters all over Taal Volcano it comes across as a bit scary that even a simple warning sign fails the simplest standards of quality...

Mediocrity rules everything in Da Pinas

"Why is your country so poor despite the fact that you - as a people - have the greatest potential to lord it over the rest of Southeast Asia: you're talented, you're skilled, you use English, you're creative, etc????" -Orion Pérez D. getting "the big question" ad nauseam by Singaporeans

One word: Mediocrity. Mediocrity rules everything in Da Pinas. From manufacturing "standards" to education to government on all levels, mediocrity reigns supreme. Even the entertainment is half class. I used to think it was the hot weather, but if that was the case, all of SE Asia would be in slow motion. The time for people that care is long overdue; they must come out of their foxholes, their abominable silence, and switch on the lights for the rest of the country. We must show the world that we are more than the world's maids, au pairs, teachers, and nurses. We must show we have abilities beyond singing, dancing, breeding, and acting retarded in the streets at 3am with our barkadas. Our supremacy in Asia has been dormant, let us galvanize and revolutionize the Philippines!

How well the RH Bill will be executed or complied with is an issue that becomes relevant down the track @paulfarol

I agree with what @paulfarol says about the blanket presumption surrounding the proposed reproductive health services articulated in the RH Bill(s) being debated in Congress which he summarised thus...

RH services will 'lead' to better health for women and children, encourage 'ideal' family size - which can be 2 or more.

Which puts a caveat on the the notion that passing the RH Bill will necessarily induce reduction in population growth rates (which, personally, I think is the whole point of passing such a law in a Third World country like the Philippines where every baby born subtracts rather than adds value to the economy).

However (and I might be mistaken in my interpretation here), the following, it seems, are the main pillars of Paul's argument that the RH Bill should not be passed (considering the provisions supposedly contained in it that paves the way for government procurement of contraceptive devices and the dole out of these to the Filipino multitude)...

Here...

it basically assumes an optimistic view of cde demographic and the govt system to deliver services

...and here:

No assurances or guarantees for the uptake of RH prods and services. Ergo, no guarantees for population reduction. Just faith.

My view here is that all laws are framed on the basis of optimistic or idealised presumption that said laws will be abided by and executed properly once they are enacted. Though legislators may take every measure within their capacities to minimise loopholes that can be exploited or ambiguities that can be abused, compliance to these laws fall outside of their scope of concerns.

Whether the public abides by these laws and whether the government agencies tasked with executing these laws apply them in the spirit of what they were originally intended for is more a concern of the Executive and Judicial branches of government.

As such, worrying about whether the RH Bill will be complied with and executed properly is not much a concern now as it is later on when it becomes a matter of enforcement and executive oversight.

Filipinos need to toughen up!

Enough with the victim mentality, folks! Just prove your worth. This country needs fewer crybabies and more go-getters to be able to move forward.

So you think someone is bullying you? Try being a blogger. I have been called "stupid" so many times just because some BOZO thinks his opinion is way better than mine. I have become thick skinned and have developed the ability to say, so what?!? I hope you do too.

We can't please everybody. We'll always have detractors. Just go read the comment section of any of my articles and you will realize how nasty it can get. But life is too short to worry about what some insignificant person has to say about you and your beliefs. Only those who are not too sure about their own principles tend to get affected by their critics anyway.

Double check your beliefs and find out if your convictions are strong enough to withstand any criticism that will go your way. If you have doubts, it means the principles with which you live by is just a veneer or a front that can be easily stripped away. In other words, it is not real.

However, if you are confident about where you stand, my advice is to simply toughen (the f***) up!

Order to investigate murder of PUP VP Augustus Cezar comes from the top

Why does the Philippine President himself need to "order" the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a "probe" on the murder of Polytechnic University of the Philippines vice president for administration Augustus Cezar? Isn't that a job that law enforcement agencies do even without prompting?

“We will be helping the Manila Police District in investigating the death of Cezar since we were tasked by President [Benigno "Noynoy"] Aquino to determine who were the perpetrators behind the slay of Cezar,” said NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula.

Tough luck, I guess, for all the other Filipinos who had been murdered. Philippine law enforcement officials, it seems, don't act unless orders to do so are issued from the very top.

Magnificent coral reefs and wildlife off Busuanga in Palawan

The natural beauty of the Philippines is fast dwindling. It's time we pay more attention to what we are fast losing. Even as we fail to build a great nation, let us at least succeed at not destroying our lands and seas.



Save our coral reefs. Save Palawan.

Philippines aspires to eliminate rice imports this year!

According to this report, the Philippines will reduce rice imports to ZERO this year...

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Philippines will no longer import rice this year even after recent typhoons that damaged crops, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said in Manila today, after a meeting of the National Food Authority council.

The import plan for next year will be discussed in November once an audit of the damaged crops and likely harvest for the remainder of 2011 have been completed, Alcala said.

Re-visit our featured video short on the Rice Crisis of 2008 here!

Goodbye Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

The thing about being in a mall in Manila...

Thing about being in a mall in Manila is that it's such a huge investment in time and effort to get there in your car -- including parking it -- that you get into a mindset of having to make the most of your stay.

This includes trying to do everything that you could conceivably do while there which, it seems, makes one more vulnerable to the powers of suggestion of all the 'buy me' messages that scream at you in bright colours and catchy jingles from every corner of the building.