GRPundit

Criticizing any and/or every aspect of the Philippines. The penalty: death by incessant whining. [ Photo courtesy: PUP Memes FB page ]

Apparently you simply can't take the man out of Jose Marie Viceral (a.k.a. Vice Ganda) no matter how woman he looks. Jokes dished out by the popular Filipino comedian was simply un-womanly. As most women -- even certified babes -- who struggle with insecurities surrounding their physical appearance know at heart, jokes about weight hit home hard. But what really took the cake was Viceral's reportedly flippant regard for rape -- notably its particularly horrific flavour: gang rape . During his concert at the Araneta Coliseum, Vice Ganda made fun of Soho's weight and "joked that if Jessica Soho were a bold star in a movie, the scene would have to involve a 'gang rape,'" GMA News Online reported. Soho, class act that she is, responds with grace: "Rape is not a joke and should never be material for a comedy concert," Jessica Soho, who is GMA's Vice President for News and Public Affairs, said in a statement. "I thank all those who sh...

Little did it occur to Conrado "Noynoy is Aragorn" de Quiros that the very people who voted for Noynoy Aquino in 2010 now voted a bunch of "rogues" into office in the recently-concluded 2013 mid-term elections... One, Imelda Marcos, who won 88 percent of the votes in her husband’s turf in Ilocos Norte—she herself is from Leyte—retaining her seat in the House. She and her husband are well-known plunderers and oppressors. Two, Joseph Estrada, who won as mayor of Manila against Alfredo Lim. Erap was variously impeached, overthrown by People Power, tried and convicted of corruption, but later pardoned by his successor who lived in constant fear of an uprising. Of course Erap was pitted against an opponent who had earned the nickname “Dirty Harry” for ignoring such niceties as due process and human rights. Poor Manila, Nick Joaquin’s noble city. Three, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who also won 88 percent of the votes in her district in Pampanga. Obviously, it didn’t ...

To be a politician in the Philippines, one need only be familiar with the 4P's and be any or a combination of them to win elections: P opular P rayerful P retentious P resumptuous After all, politicians merely reflect the society they govern.

Search referral stats for Get Real Post as at 1745H 10 May 2013 AEST... Goes to show it's really too much to expect of Filipinos to focus on the truly important stuff.

But that economic growth only looks great on paper. The slums of Manila and Cebu are as bleak as they always were, and on the ground, average Filipinos aren't feeling so optimistic. The economic boom appears to have only benefited a tiny minority of elite families; meanwhile, a huge segment of citizens remain vulnerable to poverty, malnutrition, and other grim development indicators that belie the country's apparent growth. Despite the stated goal of President Aquino's Philippine Development Plan to oversee a period of "inclusive growth," income inequality in the Philippines continues to stand out. [ Above excerpt taken from " The Grim Reality Behind the Philippines' Economic Growth " published on The Atlantic.]

Seems Philippine President Benigno "BS" Aquino III is now the spokesperson of senatorial candidate Loren Legarda. In a press conference, Mr BS Aquino spoke about the recent transparency scandal surrounding Legarda's alleged Manhattan property portfolio which she allegedly failed to declare in her Statement of Asset Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). According to BS Aquino, "Legarda is prepared to answer all allegations regarding her ownership of a high-end condominium in Manhattan, New York." Also... "She has a long and credible record of advocacies, which is the foundation for her public support." "I am confident that she is not only prepared, but will do her utmost best, to answer any and all allegations raised against her," he added. Aquino said Legarda exemplifies Team PNoy. "Team PNoy's composition is based on a shared commitment to honesty, transparency, and accountability in public service." "Loren Legard...

A sitting president should be above partisanism (or at least should be seen to be above partisanism) in his role as leader of the country. As such his running around on the campaign trail for a ragtag bunch of people who can’t even get along amongst themselves is quite simply irresponsible given his demonstrated lack of skill in being President — which, he needs to be reminded, is his primary day job . Recall the earliest of the calls we were making to Noynoy back in 2009 leading up to his ascent to power in 2010: Be a man. Be a statesman. Be a PRESIDENT. This current personal hobby of Noynoy campaigning for “Team PNoy” is an absolute dereliction of his duties as president, not just in terms of the time and resources (all of which are accountable to the public trust) that he spends campaigning for his henchmen, but also in terms of the damage he is doing to efforts to mitigate the divisive effects of partisan politics on the already dysfunctional society that is the Philippi...

Aren't commies supposedly averse to any kind of foreign intervention (both political and economic)? But then... Jobs will not necessarily be created even if foreign investors do come into the country. Of late, investors have been increasingly pouring capital into financial markets rather than putting up new factories because they seek higher returns in the shortest time possible. For every P1 in foreign direct investments (FDIs) entering the country, P5 flows in as portfolios. This partly explains why the Philippine stock market is on steroids even as joblessness persists. Moreover, the sparse FDIs are concentrated on nonproductive sectors of the economy, such as mining, real estate, and business process outsourcing, which do not have the same broad labor base potential as manufacturing. Jobs in these sectors also pose serious health and safety risks to workers. Above is an excerpt taken from the KMU chairman's letter to the Inquirer.net published 02 May 2013 .

According to NSCB statistics, poverty incidence stood at 27.9 percent in the first semester of 2012—“practically unchanged” from the same period in 2009 (28.6 percent) and 2006 (28.8 percent). Although poverty incidence was unchanged in the past six years, the number of poor people was expected to be higher in 2012, in the midterm of the Aquino administration, because of the growing population. The Inquirer reported that Norio Usui, senior country economist for the Asian Development Bank, pointed out that the government must solve the problem of jobless growth if it hoped to reduce poverty. “I am not surprised at all,” Usui told the Agence France-Presse. “The benefits of strong economic growth have not spilled over to the people because they still cannot find a job.” He added that the Philippines’  economic model was dependent on consumption, stronger remittances from its large overseas work force, and the business process outsourcing industry, which employs college graduates. ...

Not many people will remember —or will want to remember—how Aquino punished Corona for forcing the distribution of his family's hacienda. But the workers who will denounce Aquino today would be wise to remember how foolhardy it is to expect this President to be pro-labor and pro-poor, given his defense of his own family's status as part of the economic and landowning elite that has ruled this country for more than a century. Above is an excerpt taken from "Truly anti-labor": http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/05/01/truly-anti-labor/