GRPundit

The number of OFWs is actually a symptom of a greater ailment called LACK OF OPPORTUNITY in the home country. It is not something to be applauded or admired. It is not something borne out of creativity. It is something they are FORCED to endure to SURVIVE. They leave their families and especially kids at home. Their wives or husbands meet JODY and the kids grow up without real guidance from their father. Imagine being a father and not being able to read your kid a bedtime story? Not being to kiss his boo-boo when he is hurt and hug him assuring him he is OK? Seeing him get thrilled when he sees a bird eat some bread he left out? I will not even go into the abuses OFWs endure from their foreign masters. OFWism is a sign of PINOY FAILURE. OFWism is REACTIVE and not PROACTIVE in nature. Beauty pageants – celebrating fate – reactive Country progress and no OFWs like Singapore – celebrating accomplishment – proactive GETS? Pinoys do perceive themselves as ugly. Why do you think ther...

1. Ignorance Not the bigotry kind, I'm talking about the dictionary definition of ignorance: Ignorance: lacking knowledge, training, or awareness in general. It's a quality most businesses would do well to avoid in their employees. Ignorant employees are less suited to the task, harder to train, and less focused while at work. And even the most menial of tasks can be disrupted by employee ignorance. Lack of training aside, it's always more desirable to find employees who show an interest in the products they represent, whether manufacturing, selling, or anything in-between. Workers who show effort to remain well informed and current within their industry or perhaps are even passionate customers themselves not only tend to be better suited for their jobs, but they're generally more confident and proactive as well. How to avoid ignorant employees: screen resume's carefully by strict minimum education & experience requirements as the position requires. Fo...

Can we throw a tent over this circus please. The verdict….guilty beyond reasonable doubt…..Bogus…there was plenty of reasonable doubt in this case. Did anyone actually see Pemberton kill the tranny?….reasonable doubt! The door was left ajar, anyone could have entered that room after Pemberton left. Let me focus on the Laude family…From the delusional mother Laude, "Boo Hoo Hoo, we are strong Catholics who pray before every meal but where was our God when my Daughter who I spent my life raising, was being killed" 1.) Um….Your daughter was a Dude. Where do you think your F***ing god was? 2.) Hence, your son was a manipulating, lying, deceitful man-whore who needs to be aware of the consequences that may befall a gay man when playing around in the heterosexual world. Where do you think your F***ing god was? 3.) Your Son was a money hungry opportunist who did not consider the consequences of his actions on the 19 year boy's future who he lured in. Where do you think y...

The resort to radical methods such as vigilantism suggests a greater failure in the government's duty to protect its people. Leadership skills unfortunately do not automatically proceed from patriotism, however great and noble. I understand the man's love for his city and country but I do not agree with his reasoning. Drug addicts are not the root of social injustice. From a medical point of view, drug addiction is a mental illness that can possibly result from occult or undiagnosed organic or functional pathology. Relatively incapacitated, these people need professional help, not discrimination, not a death sentence. Not all drug addicts resort to crime. Not all criminals use drugs. Duterte's argument is clearly skewed. This vigilante system, like political dynasties, is very much vulnerable to abuse. An innocent person with powerful enemies can be easily framed, given over to the death squads. When the State is unable to protect the rights of each citizen, regardless ...

In all major cities around the world, 'people-movement' within the city is limited to government-operated mass transit systems. From New York City, Paris and Barcelona to Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, and others… whose populations vary from 5 millions to 18 millions…city-owned/operated buses, trains, trams and sub-ways, are the only ways to move people to their destinations, safely and efficiently. To these cities' governments, the movement of their citizens is much too important to just leave to private business whose sole motive is profit. Manila, however.. like Karachi and Dacca.. among other 'backward-looking' mega-cities.. seems to be an exception. So.. it now deals with the daily 'arterial blockage' that causes paralysis in the streets, and the intermittent and costly interruptions to trade, commerce and to wage-earners' commutes that the country can ill afford. As an 'aside' to this commentary, it must be said that the DOTC and '...

Let's not speculate. Let's deal with fact. Muslims, wherever they are worldwide, are adherents of a monolithic, inflexible and unrelenting religion… Islam. All of them strictly follow the tenets and strictures of the Quran, as well as the Sunnah and the Hadiths which were handed down by their prophet Muhammad. The Muslim you may encounter in trouble spots like Iraq, Palestine, Nigeria or Syria, are of the same fabric… cut from the same bolt of cloth… as the fractious Muslim in Mindanao, Sulu and Basilan.. and Metro-Manila. All of them are of the same mindset, that is, that theirs is the one true religion and that anybody who says otherwise is an unbeliever.. an infidel, who must either convert or, be taxed heavily, or, be put to death. The Mozarabes.. Spaniards who did not convert to Islam, in the 8th through the 15th century, Moorish Spain.. paid dearly to live in their own country during that period. All these are data gleaned from today's news and from books like '...

"To all those who have seen these awful things, I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow." - Francois Hollande, President of France

Shootings and a developing hostage situation have been reported in Paris, France. About 60 people are reportedly being held in a Bataclan concert hall in central Paris after shots were fired during the concert of a California rock group called Eagles of Death Metal. Shootings were also reported at Le Cambodge restaurant and a bar called Le Carillon both in the 10th arrondissement. Reports of an explosion at Stade de France, where the French soccer team was playing Germany are also circulating. French media have indicated a strong possibility that a suicide bomber was involved. This follows confirmation released last Friday by the US that it was reasonably certain that Mohammed Emwazi a.k.a. 'Jihadi John' was killed in a US-British missile strike last week. Emwazi is regarded as 'the face of ISIS' having made a name for himself appearing in the group's brutally graphic execution videos.

NAKAKAHIYA I watched Bodet Honrado's performance before the Senate. It's clear that the job of NAIA Gen Manager is too big for him. He is out of place there and should be yanked out before more damage is done to passengers, airlines, tourism, the economy and the country's reputation.  The lesson here is quite basic. Place people in key positions whose qualifications, experience and track record fit the job. But when people who don't know any better elect the appointing authority, who like them, doesn't know any better, chances are the appointees won't know any better either. ----------------- Posted by Rafael Alunan III on Facebook... https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205289708062924&id=1254072299&set=a.1178983755458.2026101.1254072299&source=57

Apparently, there's not much awareness on the plight of the Lumads. Heneral Luna and AlDub became a hit because the Philippine media, especially the social media, make it a trend. With the case of Heneral Luna, there's a group of big and scholastic people in our Philippine media who made a call to promote the film. The plight of the Lumads should be headlining the local news but it's not. The fact that the most popular TV network treat it like the usual hit and run or homicide incident because the Philippine military was involved and the President himself gave the go signal for Oplan Bayanihan same as in the Mamasapano "mission" being the Chief of State kept the majority of Filipinos, who are relying on our Philippine media for news, in the dark about the plight of the Lumads. SAF44's case got highlighted because there's much indignation in the higher stratum of our society. See, if people like the Senate committee, PNP heads made a clamor out of it, i...

You have to admit the common Filipino is one very bizarre creature and as a westerner you will never truly understand them. You see the reason is simply because a westerners mindset is not prehistorically narcissistically hard-wired (thankfully otherwise we would ALSO be third world monkeys). They can appear so calm, friendly and innocent and it is so easy to fall into their premeditated sociopathic trap which they have instinctively woven. You have to admit it is both beautiful and grotesque at the same time to watch it in action. Forget the chameleon, they are the true masters of disguise in this vast animal kingdom! Bravo Pinoys you must be truly proud (as only Third World Pinoys with absolutely nothing can be) of your desperate attempts to get out of the disturbing culture that you are solely responsible for, just please leave your culture at home where it belongs and try to assimilate with those higher up on the food chain when you do eventually emigrate to greener pastures ...

"I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom. Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks – no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea, if there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men. So that we do not depend on their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them." - James Madison ---------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/11/noynoy-aquino-govt-helpless-and-useless-at-stopping-crooks-behind-bullet-planting-at-naia/#comment-1403465

Here are some reasons how those 'turkeys' that we call leaders have taken the country to where it is today.. this 'sh*t creek' we can't seem to wade out of. 1) Most Filipinos are functional illiterates even as the country's 'literacy' rate is at 95.3%. Most sales clerks have had at least a year of college; most bus and jeepney drivers have been through high school; all the Armed Forces and Police personnel are high school graduates or better. These ranks do not yet include the government and private sector operatives; nor the teachers.. all of whom have college degrees. I suppose all these help achieve that 95.3%% figure. The problem, however, is that after school, this vast army of 'literate' persons stop learning. There is a dearth of anything to read that might enlighten and enrich their minds. The little that there is, in the way of reading material, is aimed at the 'inteligentia' who can appreciate and afford these trade journals...

What do most Filipinos do when stopped by a policeman? Of course – lagay. And then they start screaming how incompetent and corrupt the leadership is! Not to excuse the corrupt, incompetent leadership but sometimes we get what we deserve. We have voters who haven't the slightest clue about any issue. We should only allow those with college degrees to vote! Unfortunately the only hope for a turnaround, Rodrigo Duterte is not running. So what are we suppose to do? Don't bribe a policeman, don't bribe a customs inspector, don't bribe a BIR examiner, don't bribe a LTO clerk, don't bribe anyone in City Hall, etc. If you ask any of the current candidate what their vision for the Philippines I bet you won't get any inspiring answers because they don't have any. ------------------ This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/03/5-things-that-will-happen-when-mar-roxas-becomes-president-of-the-philippines/...

My sister-in-law who is 19, wanted to register as a first time voter..the COMELEC of course wanted to see an ID or her NSO issued birth certificate…since she graduated high school two years back, she has been staying with my family watching over my kids and of course her ID was of her senior year in high school…NOT ACCEPTABLE they say..get a birth certificate they say..no surprises at NSO either..NO ID NO BC..get a barangay clearance they say so they can issue a BC..off to the barangay hall…WTF..they will only issue clearance if you are a registered voter… Spoke to a councilor and all he can say is sorry but that's the protocol…fuck that, you just lost 4 votes you moron…no wonder why people resort to get ID's from Recto…round in circles we go in this fucked up country..damn..i never wanted to use my visa to the US because i wanted to stay here hoping things will changes for the better..but with this latest incident, i am seriously considering leaving this STUPID place.. -...

Just to share my experience earlier, as I was about to get to a bus near Shaw boulevard, I was surprised to see something unexpected: A line for boarding the bus. Though they were only 5-6 people, that made me smile as it really caught me off guard. Seldom will you see that in this country. I joined them. A while later, another person with his friend came and tried to cut through the line. One uttered that there was a line so those people backed off. but then, more people came… So of course, the line disappeared to my dismay. As we were boarding the bus, I heard the person earlier who tried to cut the line tell his friend in a sarcastic tone: "May pila daw kanina. Wala naman pala. Buysit" Well shit. Siya pa na-buysit. Meron naman talaga pila bago nun eh. Pasaway lang talaga tao. And I know what your thinking: Bakit hindi sinita yung mga sumingit? Well, may kalbo kasi na malaki na mukhang siga na dumire-diretso kahit kitang-kita naman na may pila na. Tapos marami na rin su...

[Filipinos live by flawed notions when it comes to] casting blame. It's practically saying let's punish the children or descendants of those people who did wrong in the past. Let us make the children answer/suffer for the shortcomings, real or imagined, of their elders. I don't think that is what Jose Rizal meant or thought when he made a statement about our youth as the future of the country. Pointing to the past crimes of the other party will not really prove the innocence of the accusing party. It will only prove that everybody is guilty of the same crimes. I don't think martial law is being use as a tool to frighten the people. Even if it is I don't think there will be people who will get scared because martial law is a non-starter at this time. It was a fad in the '70s and '80s. It was the trend in the past that will be hard to repeat in the present. What actually was happening was, for lack of a legitimate issue against, for example Bongbong [Marco...

It seems Filipinos are not really interested in solving problems. They are more interested in finding someone to blame. It's likely because blaming someone gives the illusion of moral high ground, and it feels like solving the problem when it really worsens it. In this case, for why the Philippines is so backward and dysfunctional, it is popular to blame Marcos. But that's actually the wrong answer. Blaming-addicted Filipinos fail to understand that the true reason behind the country's dysfunctions is the very attitude of Filipinos themselves. Indeed, a significant cause is their very culture, composed of their beliefs vis-a-vis their actions. The laziness, the "me-first" attitude, the parochiality, the victim mentality, the arrogance through "Pinoy Pride," and more. These are all part of what led to Marcos's regime after all. But when faced with the obvious solution, Filipinos refuse to do it. They refuse to admit their own faults and take res...

I think all countries, if they have the capability, have economic "hitmen". I have just learned, for example, from a friend in the UN that China seems to be today very busy in trying to influence anything and everything in the international body. From NY to Geneva, the wining and dining that is going and that the Chinese spend on the different and critical UN personnel is unprecedented and incredible, she says. The only reason we get hit by these US hitmen is because don't have strategic positioning, we are too inward looking, but that is because we don't approach things like business, and thus we don't nuanced. Business is always about gaining strenght, and strenght does not necessarily have to start with money and arms. It has to be founded on the right principles, values, and good foresight. Most people are rational, and they can be reason out. If only the Philippines just does this, I think we could have a lot of allies in the world in terms of countries, or...

Guys, please take a look at this link >>> Declare these ambassadors personae non-grata, October 16, 2015 Manila Times >>  http://goo.gl/7epCdm Ambassadors of 18 countries signed a petition pushing for the passage of BBL. Imagine that. Sonamagan. Now, what are we going to do? Let's see, either PNoy organized this petition to pressure Congress and the public, or it was the US. We all know that the BBL idea came from the US. It started at the time of Amb Kristie Kenney, who shuttled back and forth between ARMM and Manila until they got the MOA-AD done. GMA signed it, but Supreme Court threw it out as unconstitutional. Immediately, GMA distanced herself away from the project, and we thought it was dead in the water. PNoy comes along and, most likely under the pressure of US, resurrects the idea, but this time under a different guise, so they call it BBL, and the US Ambassador stays in the background; Kenney's high profile effort being burned earlier. Most...

On the issue of asking Bongbong Marcos to apologize for his parents, I agree, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't not because we're Asians but because he has nothing to do with what his father did. Why apologize for something he has nothing to do with? Ramos and Enrile (and other remnants of the Marcos regime) who were Martial Law architects were not asked to apologize for the dictator. Why would the son who was even a toddler/teenager at the time his father ruled with an iron fist? Of course, he can apologize and that would still be within what being an Asian is. Admitting something that is a fact. But of course, he will not and should not because it will really do no good for him or his family except as a sound bite for those who wants to make him dance to their music. ---------------- This is a GRP Featured Comment. Join the discussion! http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/10/revising-the-revisionist-philippine-history-as-told-by-the-victors/#comment-1373789 ...

The Philippines today is like a very poor version of late 19th century to early 20th century USA (minus the military power of course), complete with underpaid workers (factory workers in USA then, farmers in the Philippines now). What helped change USA at that time was a guy named Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt in my opinion is the best US president since Lincoln, since he regulated the really powerful big businesses at that time, and helped in preserving natural parks. Not only that, but during his political career, he fought against corruption even if it involved his own party, the Republican Party. From what I have read and watched, Teddy Roosevelt has a fiery personality, believed that he had a responsibility to his people, and acted upon it. He was also a determined man for he was a weak child and did what he can to strengthen himself. What was the point in knowing all that? My point is that as many have already said "Those who do not know history are doomed to r...

The Marcos Administration, during the 1972-81 martial law period tripled the country's road network, doubled the electrification of the country's homes, increased irrigated cropland eight-fold, and achieved rice and corn self-sufficiency. Minimum daily wage rates tripled, although inflation, driven by international oil price hikes and exploding U.S. interest rates, more than wiped out these wage increases. The oil price hike got Marcos thinking about Nuclear power. But the opponents of Marcos were soon being wined and dined in Washington, by both the right wing (Shultz and Wolfowitz) and the left wing (Rep. Stephen Solarz, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Princeton's Richard Falk) of the "Project Democracy" apparatus, which performed the subversive tasks assigned by the synarchist banking institutions. Salvador Laurel, the son of the quisling President of the Philippines under the Japanese occupation, headed the opposition after Aquino's assassination, and in Februar...

There is no such thing as sacrifice. One of the common phrase I hear Filipino parents tell their children to make them feel guilty is, "Lahat ng sakripisyo ay ginagawa na namin para sainyo; ngayon ito ang isusukli ninyo sa amin?" (We are already making all these sacrifices for you, and this is what you give us in return?). Well, if parents stop and think about it, their kids did not ask to be borne into this world. Parents wanted to have children for one reason or another. It is the same thing when we get married. No one twisted our arms and said we have to marry the person we are with. If anything, "sacrifice" that we tends to overused, and abuse, to make someone feel guilty is an actually an 'investment' in our future. We marry for companionship, to have children, and to have someone there to help us in life. We have children because we want our own "flesh and blood" to continue our legacy after we are gone, and, hope someone will take care...

English is the lingua franca of business and travel worldwide. Yes, the spread of English was the result of colonialism, but not of the Americans, but of the British who at one time said, "The sun never sets on the British Empire." Regardless of how or why English came to The Philippines, it IS the language of international business and tourism. To ignore it and lose competence for the sake of some childish "national identity" is simply stupid. The English used here is abysmal & even for someone like myself who has been here for 12 years (I teach English), I often find myself trying to make myself understood. English is just a more varied and colorful language than almost any other. The possible exceptions would be Russian and Farsi, so learn English properly if you want to get ahead in life. This stands true for the entire nation, not just the "elite" or the children of politicians. Take a look at Manny Pacquiao for an example. When he first f...

Unfortunately the Philippines is a sexualized society, meaning that the only thing that matters is lust. Ika nga "sex sells" and it's very sad that Filipino society is indeed sexualized. From noontime shows to simple conversations, sex is the number one topic. I'm not saying sex is bad. It's actually a basic human need. But it has not to be perverted or making it an obsession. Sexualization reduces a person into a sex object meaning he or she is only worthy if she's oozing with sex appeal. Her intelligence and inner character become useless. The American Psychological Association defines sexualization as follows:"individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness" and unfortunately, this is what defines modern Philippine society thanks to Hollywood and moreover to prudish Christianity especially the Catholic Church. You can say Christians are prudes and repress sexuality, but actually the...

Environmentalism has failed. It's been in existence for 60 or so years now, and yet conditions for humans and other forms of life on this planet are worse off than when the movement was born. What most environmentalists don't understand is that Earth does not need saving. "Saving Mother Earth" is pointless. In fact, Earth has been "destroyed" more than ten times in the past five billion years or so; it has collided with another planet, frozen at least three times, been through at least one gamma ray burst, and has been hit with countless mountain-sized rocks in its existence. Environmentalists need to rethink their philosophies, and part of it is understanding that it is the current ECOLOGY (the one with the humans and other forms of life) that needs to be conserved. Even then, they also need to understand that nature and human innovation must accommodate each other–a concept that many environmentalists in the Philippines still need to understand des...

In the early 1960s, the Philippines was, indeed, the 'Pearl of the Orient'. Korea,still, had rampant poverty; Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia looked up to us.. even sending over not just their students, but their middle-line executives as well for training; and, Vietnam was in the throes of the change-over from French domination to American influence and still to have an even worse fate.. the 'Vietnam War'. It was only Japan that was showing signs of becoming an industrialized power.. although 'Made-in-Japan' was a popular pejorative for anything that was poorly made. The 'Pearl of the Orient' was riding high and handsome, but was showing signs of being stuck in 'neutral' even then, whereas, these others were moving forward. We talk today of national leaders; the likes of Lee Kwan Yew, Mahatir Mohamed, Thanom Kittikachorn and others within the region. What is strikingly apparent is the seriousness and and the singularity of purpose of these ...

The sad reality is that the Philippines today is led by well intended incompetents, by scheming crooks, or by both who understandably,can't seem to get anything done together. This condition has been festering for the last four decades and it has exacted a heavy toll. The only saving grace seems to be the citizens who have had the patience, persistence and the resilience, (there goes those three words again), to absorb the hard times; to work around the road blocks; and, to keep their chins up. For some time now, understandably, these 'three virtues' have been showing signs of wearing thin; and, unless they are given something to hang on to and work with.. a raft or lifesaver.. or something.. the people's downward spiral could only accelerate. Many would say that this is a harsh assessment of the country today, and that I am wrong. Goodness knows that I hope I am. While I am skeptical about a reversal of just about everything that plagues the country now, I am not...

Not only is "the Presidency big business in the Philippines", but being able to have the gall to participate in the election PROCESS ITSELF AS A CANDIDATE is already big business. It puzzles many people why individuals who don't seem to have a fighting chance, based on surveys, would still opt to run. The reason is that being a candidate is already good business, win or loss. Once a candidate gets to be among the top 3 or 4 in the running for presidency especially as the election gets closer, you are looking at Billions of Pesos pouring in from political donations. Of course, the leading candidates get more. It is like a horse race; only this time, the bettors are smugglers, gambling lords, regular government vendors, corporations that need to protect something from govt interference, etc. I am very aware, for example, of a presidentiable who had a good chance of winning, but who knew he was going to lose. Well, his net take after expenses amounted to 400 million Pe...