GRPundit

Singapore is the only country in southeast Asia where prostitution is legal yet continues to be regarded as a "prudish" and "squeaky clean" society. A recent underage sex scandal may have embarrassed the government but has, ironically highlighted the excellent consistency with which the Singapore government applies the law. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/184073/under-age-call-girl-scandal-shakes-singapore-elite

[ NB: Below is a copy of a comment posted on Get Real Post. Join the discussion in the only Filipino blog where insight trumps idiocy! ] @JoeAmerica: I don't know what your obssession is with this notion that GRP is out campaigning to "oust" Noynoy. I speak for myself when I say that I have always been for Noynoy serving his entire term. And I believe none of the GRP writers as far as I have seen have advocated removing him from Malacanang unconstitutionally. In fact, Filipinos should deserve to be subject to the Noynoy presidency for the full six year term. Filipinos deserve Noynoy, because they voted for him. We remain exceedingly consistent not just in our focus on Noynoy's idiocracy but on the idiocracy of the broader society of Filipinos his presidency reflects. What I wrote back in June of 2010 , for example, may as well have been written today... Noynoy is just another bozo who just happened to have walked into our crosshairs and flashed his iconically ...

A speculative storyboard on the evolution of presidential sister Kris Aquino's thoughts on the family jewels - Hacienda Luisita. Image courtesy: PinoyExchange.com .

The following is an excerpt from the book From Third World to First (the Singapore Story written by Lee Kuan Yew. In this excerpt taken from a chapter on Singapore's efforts to develop relationships with other countries in the region in th 1970's the elder statesman provides some revealing insight into an outsider's take on the character of Philippine society. The Philippines was a world apart from us, running a different style of politics and government under an American military umbrella. It was not until January 1974 that I visited President Marcos in Manila. When my Singapore Airlines plane flew into Philippine airspace, a small squadron of Philippine Air Force jet fighters escorted it to Manila Airport. There Marcos received me in great style – the Filipino way. I was put up at the guest wing of Malacañang Palace in lavishly furnished rooms, valuable objects of art bought in Europe strewn all over. Our hosts were gracious, extravagant in hospitality, flamboyant. Over...

What is a broken record? It is a disparaging term for someone who repeats a statement over and over without any variation whatsoever. How about a one-trick pony? It describes a person, again disparagingly, who is really very good at doing only one thing. What happens if you put the two together? You get someone who keeps repeating a statement over and over, yet that is the only thing he knows how to do.  We need not look far for an example of a one-trick pony who sounds like a broken record. President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) demonstrated that he has been and will be that for a long time to come during his speech at the commencement exercises of the Philippine Military Academy’s class of 2012 last month.  You can read the full transcript in the following links in the original Filipino text , or in the translated English version Once you get through the speech, you will realize that he just did the same thing over and over again; making references to his mother...

Unfortunately for the hapless landowner, the Philippines is a society that likes to play the "humanitarian" card when it comes to squatters. Even the use of the word "squatter" has for some time been routinely dropped in "polite" conversation in favour of the euphemism "informal settler." Indeed, "human rights" activists have been quick to side with Davao City mayor Sarah Duterte, in the process becoming apologists for a mayor who, in front of TV cameras, launched into an unprovoked assault against sheriff Abe Andres, an officer of the Judiciary who, apparently, was just out to implement a court order. That, plus the convenient downplaying of what was clearly criminal behaviour on the part of the "informal settlers" affected by the demolition order who were throwing rocks and sharp objects at Andres's team and the police officers who were escorting them, is typical of a society where impunity rules. Bottom line is that t...

Recently, Social Security System (SSS) has announced what seems to be like good news; it has lowered interest rates to reach out more to people who badly need some loans to get by. Furthermore, it has increased its housing loan limits to cater to more Filipinos. To read the actual figures regarding the new SSS policy, you can check out this  link . While Filipino citizens can more or less breathe a sigh of relief over the benevolence of SSS, there is still a pressing need for everyone to be prudent with their financial decisions. I must emphasize that most of the responsibility falls on SSS, the benefactor. Since it relaxed its policies, it must expect a sudden rise in the number of individuals borrowing from SSS. More importantly, it must be careful with managing its reserve ratio to avoid lending too much, and to withstand external blows should they arise (people refusing to pay debts or delaying them). The last thing Philippines needs is a bubble in the financial sect...

In the video below, although George Carlin refers to the American public, it is applicable to us Filipinos as well. Keep in mind, this is stand-up comedy.   Take it with a grain of salt. RIP, George Carlin.  One of the funniest American stand-up comedians ever.   George Carlin makes a case for why he does not vote

I found this picture on Facebook, and I believe it applies to Filipinos who emphasize form rather than substance:

Found on PinoyExchange.com posted by PEx netizen "tambay ng recto"... (Click to enlarge)

Just thought I'd share this gem of a photo of Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III which I swiped off Ben Kritz's article Powerless in Mindanao . The following was the caption to this photo in that article: N/A demonstrates decisive leadership by providing a hands-on demonstration of the Administration's answer to Mindanao's power woes. You can find more Noynoy Kodak moments here .

News yesterday of the failure of the North Korean missile to launch has had many people within the region rejoicing and posting in Twitter and Facebook all over.  "That's why it's called rocket science." Don't party just yet.  I can't say for a fact how smart North Koreans are, but they've shown cunning, and resourcefulness in dealing with the world.  While it's highly unlikely, they may have another rocket waiting to launch somewhere within their country.  After all, foreign inspectors have rarely been allowed in, who knows where all the launching sites are? Let's try to think of things from their perspective.  Since it is the 100th birthday of their founder, Kim Il-Sung, on April 15, to have failed to launch the Unha (Galaxy) rocket is a big dishonor to their ancestors.  They couldn't care less what the world thinks; all that matters to them is to maintain what little face they think they have left with their dear leaders.  Worst case sc...

Am I being a crab if I thought that the Philippines as the least rude country in a recent survey is complete and utter bullsh*t?  If you think about it, maybe we are very polite and cordial, to foreigners, as long as we can keep milking money from them.   Actually, this isn't even being polite; it's being called sipsip and switik.   Once they run out of money or just stop spending it on us, and especially once they criticize us constructively and give us tips on how to improve, we immediately say that the Joes are stupid and that they should all go home. Filipinos smile because they don't want the world to know that they're suffering.  If the world does know, Filipinos will only get more questions as to why, and the truth will eventually come out that most of the time, their suffering is the consequence of their own stupidity.   Filipinos go out of their way to help foreigners because most of the time, they're looking to get a sort of monetary reward or...

News of STC defying the court TRO by not allowing those kids to join graduation rites may be so last month, but I can't help but think that what we have here is someone emulating a "grand" example. That they defied the court TRO merely imitates Secretary De Lima's defiance of the TRO during Arroyo's departure. Oh well monkey see, monkey do.  Then again, STC has two excuses:  they can always say "De Lima made me do it!", or they can invoke possibly the most retarded excuse.  "The law of God is above the law of men".  Yeah, right.  The kids may have been irresponsible with their Facebook settings, but what business did the STC nuns have peeping on them? Therein lies the dilemma of these self-righteous Catholic institutions.  In a world increasingly becoming more secular and more connected through technology, they've lost all relevance by maintaining archaic, irrelevant, and downright moronic stances on issues.  They are not the absolute...

Coming home from watching the Hunger Games (although I haven't read the book yet),  I let my imagination run wild again. Why don't we create the local version, except this time the contestants are the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona?  We gather them all, let them loose in the Philippine forests (or what's left of them).  They need to fight each other, and for their survival, until only one of them remains.  The prize: pork barrel, to handed over by none other than President Benigno Aquino III himself! Di pala sila nagbasa ng complaint ha .  Let's see how they do when their very survivals as human beings are on the line.  They will face the many dangers of "roughing it" in the wild, and they may end up seeing Red. Happy Hunger Games congressmen, may the odds be ever in your favor...

Whether it is GMA or PNoy, we can’t blame them for everything that is wrong in our society. We all have a role to play in our communities. Like what I have said in the past, being a member is not just about enjoying the privileges of being a part of it. It is important that we perform our roles as community members by calling the attention of those concerned and make sure they are doing their part in fixing what is broken. When was the last time you called the attention of the people who run your local municipality and told them to fix something in your community? Start with the Department of Public Works and Highway. As stated in a news item in June 2011: Mr. Aquino inaugurated the DPWH’s 24-7 hotline for those who want to report damaged roads and other public infrastructure, inquire about the completion and other matters regarding government projects, file complaints and make suggestions. The DPWH’s 165-02 hotline is operated by Solutions People Innovation-Global Inc., a subsidiary ...

The Holy Week is, without a doubt, a very influential event for Filipinos. The Senate has declared a five-week break from the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona just to pave way for the said event. Prominent figures in the circus that is national politics laid down their arms for a while to remind Filipinos of the meaning of Holy Week and its significance to us as a Christian nation. It seems that in the duration of this annual celebration, Filipinos more or less get to enjoy a short period of peace from political turmoil. But then, what do you think will happen after Easter Sunday, when Filipinos rejoice over the resurrection of Christ? What will happen when we're finished contemplating on how we lived our lives, confessing our sins and promising to become better people? The impeachment trial will resume, and the vindictive President will once again join forces with the flimsy prosecution to persecute the defendant. People will once again barrage GMA ...

As the Lenten season comes to a close, we see yet another opportunity to highlight reflection on our lives, and how to become better persons.  Yet we do not need to limit this to just the Lenten season.   We should always take note continuously of what we want to improve not just in ourselves, but in our environment. I find it disturbing that Filipinos are obsessed with self-inflicted pain, and suffering in general.  Every Lenten season we never fail to hear about Filipinos who practice gory rituals, as if to experience for themselves the suffering that Jesus Christ endured on his way to dying on Good Friday.  Why do Filipinos view suffering as normal?  Why do many of us brandish our crab mentality at people who are better off then we are?  We never run out of excuses as a people to blame everyone else but ourselves for our pathetic condition today. If only Filipinos were more resourceful, actually did the hard work, and used our kokote a little...

I just ate at a Bonchon Chicken branch this afternoon, after a long time. The skin is very delicious. Yet when I started eating the meat, I suddenly realized that it was rather bland. Why does this remind me of a typical Filipino? A typical Filipino will give you the impression that he/she is very noteworthy and astig ang dating with his/her braggadocio . In short, he/she likes to brag. However, if you go past that and start dissecting him/her, he/she usually has nothing to show for it. In short, he/she is all hot air, and mediocre at best underneath. I'm not telling you guys to stop eating at Bonchon Chicken. Yet the success of this product has proven yet again that Filipinos are all too quick to ride on the bandwagon of a product. Plus, they've shown themselves once again as suckers for a product that is, at the surface enticing, yet in the end is, in my opinion, rather mediocre. Yes, that's the Pinoy for you. A piece of Bonchon chicken.

I've entertained the idea that maybe President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) first, then Filipinos in general, should be handled similar to the way PMA plebes are handled. The Filipinos should be forced to hold their chin-up similar to the exaggerated attention stance. They should be forced to be on double time all the time. They should be forced to be at the beck and call of their “upperclassmen”. They deserve to be treated roughly and forced into the proper carriage so that they can grow a backbone . It’s an enticing idea that the Filipino citizens be run military style. I may not agree with the entire method the military uses to inculcate discipline, but I have to agree it works. Filipinos are predisposed to being submissive, obedient, mindless flunkies anyway. This is possibly a thing that can finally get Filipinos to be orderly and to work as a team. If, as a people, we don't develop discipline, teamwork, and order, we all deserve to get shot at.

It must be really bad when the Inquirer.net editor himself slams President Noynoy Aquino for yet another instance of his now renowned penchant for Noynoying on really important matters. "It's bad enough that the grant of an extension for the surrender of Reyes et al. had the effect of blindsiding the warrant, rendering it defanged and invalidated—something Malacañang had no right, much less power, to do. Worse was Lacierda's justification for it: because Reyes is 'a former governor'." Full article: http://opinion.inquirer.net/26219/star-fugitives