GRPundit

What has the Philippines achieved as a country? That is the question which needs to be answered before nationalism can be declared by each filipino. Nope, EDSA 1 was not a collective achievement, same goes for all other regional uprising in the Philippine history. Nope, the jeepney is also not something to be proud of. On the contrary, it just shows how filipinos cannot move on, they are basically stuck with this decades old design, inconvenient, uncomfortable, unsafe and inefficient. Nope, not the personalities mentioned here: http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2013/11/24/1260056/what-makes-you-proud-be-filipino-now … those are singular achievements by individuals and not of the country. Not this, too: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_should_Filipino_be_proud_of_the_Philippines ..this only shows how skewed a typical pinoy's idea of national pride is. Proud of the virgin forests and majestic beaches, come on!!! If others have something in their minds that we can...

"Do you know what leadership means, Lord Snow? It means that the person in charge gets second guessed by every clever little twat with a mouth. But if he starts second guessing himself, that's the end. For him, for the clever little twats, for everyone. This is not the end. Not for us. Not if you lot do your duty for however long it takes to beat them back. And then you get to go on hating me, and I get to go on wishing your wildling whore had finished the job." ―Ser Alliser Thorne to Jon Snow It is lonely at the top but Noynoy really has never been there. Until 50 avoided all responsibility or simply had no ability or desire for it. Then mommy dies. Of course he went from little or no to criticism to an avalanche of it. Somebody tell him it is part of the territory. But he can't even realize that. ---------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/07/president-noynoy-aquino-and-criticism-cant-...

The only positive things that tend to be repeated about Filipino culture and society are ones that are basically universal, and which aren't as positive as they like to think. The most common accolade is the idea that Filipinos are 'dedicated to family,' as if every other country on Earth kicks its old folks into the snow once they're no longer useful. Of course, this is only used as a desperate attempt to finally score a point over 'the West' (since people live much the same way in every poor country), where more people can afford to pursue independent lives and to have relationships with their extended family on the basis that suits them, rather than being forced to live together for financial reasons or in the hope of having people to borrow from for the next operation. Not to mention that loyalty to the bloodline is where a lot of this country's problems stem from. Look for something else to be proud of. ----------------- This is a GRP Featur...

BS Aquino has a skewed logic that when he is criticized, it is taken as an attack against his person. Well, that goes for most of filipinos, too. And then they switch to a full-on defense and counter attack mode, and the last resort is get emotional. So ok, some criticisms are a bit on the harsh and nasty side, and some people will say, that criticisms can be said in a "nicer way"...that is true.....in pre-school/nursery. This is the real world, where his smallest decisions could mean loss of livelihood for some or worse loss of human lives. With his track record and kind of personality, I wouldn't even trust him to drive my rig across a technical obstacle. That says a lot about how he would be running his life or this country, for that matter. Trust is earned and not shoved down someone's throat. 50+ years is a really long time to earn the people's trust, and what he has to show for now are not people who trust him, but people who have blind faith on hi...

It is hard to pick a side when there is no hard platform, or focus on either side's rhetoric. No proof or driving force that ideas can be a reality. It's why in all the years I could vote, I did not. And why many others do not. I can't complain about the way things are considering i freely gave up that privilege. We are aware things are getting worse but neither is a choice between sludge or less sludge. We deserve better. It is simple— show us the drive instead of the empty words; the start of a movement that could be a ripple effect, and we will be able to choose, finally. Otherwise is best to govern ourselves, and then HOPE, that even if we feel change will not come in the remainder of our lives; that the door is open to the possibility of being surprised. Where this hope comes from is simple. I work in the construction industry; I see ideas come to life everyday brought about by varied Filipino teams— from the masa to the educated to the actual owners. The met...

What is worse is that anyone who opposes the Administration and who is not part of the Left is automatically linked to former Pres. Arroyo. The opposition rhetoric of the administration (man, that just sounds weird) is being used as a shield and to legitimize his "end-justifies-the-means" approach to his beating the administration's enemies. Take for example the rumor that there are some retired generals seeking to destabilize government. This rumor, which is being spread by Sen. Trillanes is being linked to Gloria Arroyo. I don't know if you would agree with me, but this rumor just seems so laughable, I couldn't believe my ears when the media reported this. I guess its just one of the problems also with an administration which was once from the opposition, they always need a target to vent their wrath. Without that target, they just can't seem to justify their own existence. --------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! ...

I am a Fil-AM and I chose to move back here in Philippines coz it's my homeland. Sad to say it's not what I think it was. If you think MATURELY, you would know it's not easy to just decide to move and go. I made a mistake. I have to live with it and am working on making my life easier in the Philippines as others make it harder for me to live here (e.g. services: electric, water, phones, etc.). But yes, I will move out of this country when I can finally be able to because if others hope that someday our fellow Filipinos will change for the better, I believe it will never happen. It's not just the politicians, it's the Filipinos as a whole. There are many good people here but they still are Filipinos. They still show what and how they really are. It's the culture. Laziness is a culture. They love to ALWAYS REST even at work. Only in the Philippines. Something I haven't done back when I was working in the states. I have learned strong work ethics. Work...

[Referring to the statement:] "After entire national security, military, and intelligence communities have been re-organised to profile Arabs as the 21st Century's pre-eminent highest-risk bogeys to watch, it turns out that an old mid-20th Century Cold War foe reduced to arming ragtag rebel fighters would perpetrate this appalling crime." It wasn't the intelligence professionals who dropped the ball. It was delusional politicians in America and Europe who pursued a 'reset' in the relationship with Russia who weakened the capability of the world to contain Putin's aggression, in spite of the prescient advice from their own intelligence analysts. Today, western Europe is paralysed - held hostage - because of their reliance on Russian oil and gas. America, after having unilaterally emasculated its European forces, is reduced to begging Germany and France to doing something about the crisis. - The successes by the 'rebels' in the Ukraine ma...

How did this thing spring out of nowhere in the middle of one of the world's biggest megalopolises? Perhaps it is true...  :-D

The perils of allowing foreigners to own key infrastructure management and development companies and entrusting an incompetent government to keep it honest... "I've just read all of Meralco's annual reports from 2007 to 2013. There is not a single sentence in any of these reports that Meralco has strengthened, or even plans to strengthen, its infrastructure to withstand typhoons as our neighboring countries have done with their electricity systems. "The responsibility given by the government to Meralco, in exchange for having a monopoly over some 5 million households, is not just to provide electricity at normal times. It is to build a power infrastructure that can resist the most powerful of typhoons, as Metro Manila and the adjacent regions make up an area hit every year by typhoons." Read the full article by Bobi Tiglao: http://www.manilatimes.net/screw-indonesian-controlled-meralco/112949/

Growing perception among Malaysian Airlines passengers, lightning could strike twice, as booking cancellations mount.. http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/travellers-cancelling-malaysia-airlines-bookings-after-mh17-tragedy-says-agent-20140718-zudhg.html But this is the 3rd plane shot down over the Ukraine in recent months... (1) "On Monday, a Ukrainian AN-26 military transport crashed in the separatist stronghold of Luhansk on the Russian border." (2) "..on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials accused Russians of shooting down a Ukrainian Su-25 jet over the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine" Full story on the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-ukraine-plane-crashes-20140717-story.html Photo of crash victim's recovered passports courtesy @JeromeTaylor https://twitter.com/JeromeTaylor/status/489823346154942464

Malaysian Airlines MH17 was to land on Melbourne Airport as MH129 at 8:25am today. Australia suffered the second highest number of casualties at 27 possibly dead after the Netherlands which had 154 of its citizens as passengers aboard the I'll-fated plane. Photo shows mourners at Dutch embassy in Kiev courtesy Twitter user @olgatokariuk : https://twitter.com/olgatokariuk/status/489897115167240192

Ukraine government in Kiev claim jetliner shot down over their territory by pro-Russian separatists... - Malaysian Airlines MH17 travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur - No survivors reported among 280 passengers 15 crew. Back in April US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) had deemed Ukraine airspace unsafe for civilian air travel. https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/04/25/2014-09545/prohibition-against-certain-flights-in-the-simferopol-ukfv-flight-information-region-fir Excerpt: "...political and military tension between Ukraine and the Russian Federation remains high, and compliance with air traffic control instructions issued by the authorities of one country could result in a civil aircraft being misidentified as a threat and intercepted or otherwise engaged by air defense forces of the other country." Conversation intercepted by Ukraine intelligence points to possible confirmation that pro-Russia separatists are claiming responsibility for th...

This according to Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros: "The argument that the Supreme Court has gotten in the way ('hadlang') of government puts forward a perilous logic. His own analogy for the Court's ruling is that it's trying to prevent government from parking on a "no parking" street when it is doing so as a matter of emergency, as a matter of saving a life. In fact, the better analogy is that it's preventing government from cordoning off an entire 'no parking' zone for whatever it is it wants to do." Mr de Quiros alludes (perhaps unwittingly) to the quintessentially Filipino *pakyaw* mentality where goods, services, and facilities that were intended for shared public consumption are horded under a perverse first-come-first-served premise unique to Filipinos. You can see it in the way public jeepneys and buses behave on Manila's streets, the way Philippine senators and House 'representatives' gouged out huge chun...

Back in 2008, GMA had this program to connect the North i.e. Valenzuela, Bulacan and Pampanga areas to the rest of the MRT. After spending billions of pesos trying to get the project off the ground, and budgeting billions more to finish it,something happened, PNoy wins the presidency and voila, all of GMA's projects paid for by taxpayers and loan grants from international banks were subjected to "review" and cancelled unceremoniously, contracts be damned. Now all Filipino taxpayers are paying the banks, interests included for loan releases on projects that are now rotting in the trash can and what of the money? They are now "savings". And through the creativity of Mr. Abad, we call it DAP. Are they really savings? No, its economic sabotage plain and simple. Good faith? Only if your idea of good faith is bribing legislators to do your every whim. Right now, armies of yellowtards, with the help of Malacanang invaded one of the country's government ba...

If someone said the Supreme Court decision may have been wrong, then that same persons can show me where in the decision a judges reasoning is unsound, illogical, circular etc… at which point a motion for reconsideration can be filed. That motion may not make it past a clerk, but the clerk does have to look at it and then is in the public record and everyone can stay reasonable. If that person fails to show me where in the Supreme Court decision something is wrong then that person is being unreasonable. I would expect the President to simply announce that his Office lawyers are going to file a motion of reconsideration or any motion for that matter. Because if anyone claims the decision was wrong', then that same person has to show where in the decision something is unreasonable, if they want to stay reasonable. Because an impeachment or revolution 'ought' not start just because some one simply claims the supreme court decision was wrong. If an impeachment or re...

Neither BS Aquino nor Jim Paredes are infallible, but they talk as if they are, & that they know better than the SC. This is the problem with people whose loyalty and attachment are to personalities, a 'clique', or celebrity/social privileges which are fleeting, rather than to right principles which are timeless. The sober deliberations of the SC is way more more reliable than the gripes of a sentimental has-been, who leverages his celebrity, by coaxing the author of the above article to reveal him/her-self, in order to prey on the gullible into thinking that Paredes' opinions should be given more weight—-instead of forming one's conclusions based on the inherent merits of the arguments themselves, put forward by both sides. The need to focus on the arguments themselves, objectively, and not on the personalities dishing them out is precisely the point of the anonymity. Of course, to sentimentalists like Jim Paredes, everything becomes personal—objectivity, opt...

The President insists that the DAP is not unconstitutional despite the Supreme Court decision saying otherwise. Oh come on Pnoy! Don't tell the justices of the Supreme Courts erred? They won't become justices of the SC if they had not have the credentials to fit in the positions they are occupying now. They'd studied law and most of them excelled as cum laude from top law schools here and abroad. They are the final arbiter when it comes to the interpretation of the law. With the thirteen-zero vote as to the unconstitutionality of DAP is a slap on your face. And yet you insist on its legality?! Threatening the justices would just put you in deep sh-t. There is more to come once the investigation startd. Tons and lots of scandalous fraudulent transaction under the illegal DAP committed in cahoots with your administration will be put to light. This scene is so appalling and revolting where the people would see that the very person they'd elected in the office of ...

Isn't there a saying that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"? Now in the Philippines it's paved with "good faith". Speaking of 'hell', the late Pres. MLQ is surely getting his wish. AbNoy would park in a No Parking area not to help truly hapless persons, but to bribe cohorts into destroying enemies including a SC Chief Justice. But, of course, it's all done in "good faith." Now if you've been issued a ticket for violating a No Parking rule, you just go to the President and let him either pay for it or have the issuer fired. Just tell him that you did everything in "good faith". I guess it's ok to break the law, especially the constitution as long as you can claim to have "good faith". BTW, where's my shotgun?—I assure you it's all in "good faith". ------------------ This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/07/acc...

Former PNoy apologist and Inquirer.net columnist Conrado de Quiros weighs in. The DAP is not necessarily good and is still subject to debate: "The proposition that the DAP has been good for the people is just that, a proposition. It is an assertion, a claim, a say-so. Specifically from Abad, specifically in the form of the DAP being a stimulus for growth. There is no proof that today's growth-which truly can be granted-came from the DAP." Indeed, the debate is hinged on the subjective "good faith" which is a slippery slope into the disturbing premise that "the end justifies the means." On that de Quiros say: "Lest we forget, Marcos himself justified declaring martial law to arrest anarchy and scuttle the oligarchy. Which he did at first, only to spark a more anarchic despotism and to mount an even more oligarchic crony system. Which shows why taking a patently wrong means for a presumably right end is wrong. An extreme example, doubtless, bu...

True allies to the end. Embattled Philippine President Benigno Simeon 'BS' Aquino III is getting some tender loving care from his 'allies' in the Senate. "Aquino should dwell on the good brought about by the DAP, which the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision ruled on July 1 as unconstitutional" says Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV according to an Inquirer.net article. Furthermore, Trillanes believes that President Aquino "should stand by it and explain how the program benefited the country" rather than apologise. See Inquirer.net report: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/619318/stress-good-in-dap-senators-tell-aquino

An able leader does not need speechwriters. You only need those if you are more concerned with looking good rather than the real aim of the speech. Which also only shows that we have the wrong guy leading this country. I believe that if he means what he wants to say then he should be able to express himself without any hitches, but the problem is he is lying, thus he needs to choose carefully what he will be saying. Furthermore, the SONA is basically an accomplishment report, and he dare say it in plain tagalog with lots of "po", which to me loses it's essence being a formal report to the people. If one of my guys submitted a report which not done professionally then he doesn't deserve to work with me. The same should also work for public office. He should be sacked from his job, for his incompetence and unprofessionalism. ----------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/07/what-is-left-for-pr...

As someone asked in Washington DC, "who's that guy, wearing a suit, urinating in the street?" "Oh", the answer was, "that's the Philippine Ambassador." -------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/07/in-order-for-filipinos-to-change-they-need-to-feel-disgust-for-their-shameful-ways/comment-page-1/#comment-582207

I would like to ask a question to anyone from this forum, what would be your solution to the squatter crisis? We simply can't eradicate them for that would be violative of established norms and legal principles. So the only viable solution is to move these people somewhere, now the question is where do we move these people and how? Indeed I concede that public funds are scarce and must be wisely utilized, so if we were to make a massive relocation program it would be too burdensome to the taxpayers. If one were to say that, "it is not the government's responsibility," then I would humbly disagree, under the doctrine parens patriae, the government is the guardian of the people, thus, government must do what it can to uplift the conditions of these people, in addition, government has the means, connections, and power to effectuate a viable and sustainable solution to this problem. One could also argue "well these people should find jobs to uplift their ...

One of the reasons why I prefer to remain single. As a Filipina woman frustrated with the low-quality of Filipino male species being churned out everyday (which I would love to rebutt to those always defensive,pseudo-macho Flips here), all the folks in my four walks of life always wonder why do I have high standards with men? WTF-as much as I don't want to explain myself to them why, I want these people to know that as a human being who has dreams, who works hards to achieve what she wants in life and is open-minded to change and new things, I believe the Filipino man is not for me. They're too emo, they have these wrong perceptions about masculinity, they hate being pointed out of their mistakes, they treat you like an extenstion of their moms and *insert Ilda's article here*. Most of all, and this is what I hate the most, they're possesive in love. VERY POSSESIVE (thanks telenovela basuras for this). They don't treat you as an equal partners in love, but...

It’s sad really when you think about it. Why is it that Filipinos can thrive in other countries when they themselves at one time or another while living in the Philippines could not? Many people will say its the government and its politicians. Or maybe its the economy? But, to me, it starts with the people. The ordinary day to day people. Discipline, separation of church and government, and the respect for the law is paramount before the country can lift itself up from the mess it’s currently in. Some people say that the rich, or the political families have their way with the country and i say, the only way they can do that is because almost every one wants a piece of the pie no matter what the long term consequences may be. Its a vicious cycle that needs to stop. The [article where this comment appears] mentioned politicians who are treated as celebrities by the public, well, newsflash, they are or at least a large majority of them are celebrities who have no business being in o...

During my younger years, I've also been brainwashed to believe that: (1) Nothing truly positive could have come out of Marcos. (2) If others were given a chance to rule, they can even outdo Marcos. (3) Given more than 20 years, the combined efforts of succeeding regimes should surely far outweigh Marcos' accomplishments. But facts that could be empirically verified only indicate that none of those beliefs were true. I've been deeply regretting having rooted for Cory and the Aquinos. The only thing Cory and the Aquinos did was lower the bar of not only competence, and actual accomplishments, but also of responsibility, honesty, and accountability. The only department that has arguably accomplished anything in the Aquino gov't is their brainwashing/propaganda media department. No regime has so vigorously been so keen & have invested so much at ruining its political enemies and opposition, through hate campaigns and dirty politics, as the Aquino gov...

Again, a word of caution. Penoy's violation of the Constitution is an impeachable offence. An impeachment is initiated by Congress. Is it likely that the congressmen the Aquinos have paid off will allow an impeachment complaint to push through? And how long will it take for the Ombudsman to decide if charges against Penoy and company are warranted? Conchita Morales has already stated regarding Senator Enrile, Estrada and Revilla: '…only God knows if they will be indicted in court.' If their hearts aren't into prosecuting Enrile, et al on behalf of the Filipino people — opposition senators — how can we expect them to pursue a complaint against their bosses? ---------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/07/sc-rules-dap-unconstitutional-time-for-pnoy-to-walk-down-the-straight-path-to-justice/comment-page-1/#comment-568095