GRPundit

A Christmas greeting tweet by "opinion columnist" and essayist Shakira Sison is just so wrong at so many levels. Merry Christmas! May you be a Bimby in a sea of Sandros and Isabelles. May you be a Shibby protecting Kians. If you are lost, may you be sought and found like an Ica. May you succeed like an Aika, and may you never forget it's your privilege in these times that keeps you alive.🎄 It's no wonder that Philippine society suffers from a culture of mediocrity seeing that counted among the characters Sison put up as her prescribed role models for Filipinos are children of politicians that happen to have the right family name (as in family names that appeal to the Yellowtard sensibilities of her lot). But beyond being born with these "right" family names, Bimby Aquino and Aika Robredo cannot really claim to have achieved anything of consequence, or at least something worthy of being given a place in the personal pedestal of a "two-time Pal...

A disturbing statement issued by former Ms Universe Pia Wurtzbach reveals her rather archaic notions of what it means to be gay. "And gusto kong ma-experience iyong mayroon [anak akong] excited na bihisan ako, ayusan ako, alagaan ako — parang magiging best friend ko . . . Nai-imagine ko na iyong anak ko magiging best friend ko beki siya." Translated: "I want to experience having a child who will be excited to dress and glam me up; take care of me -- someone who could be my best friend..." For one thing, not all gay people are fashionistas or "beki" in character. "Beki" is a Filipino colloquial term for homosexual. Interestingly while this definition may hold true one way, it does not necessarily follow the other way; i.e., not all homosexuals are "beki" in manner. There are many gay people who don't see their sexual orientation as a pillar of their character or sense of identity. These people see themselves as a person wh...

As we come to terms with the awful tragedy of the fire in a Davao City mall that killed 36 call centre employees, let us try to make this about the victims and the things and events that led to this accident. Davao City is, of course, the hometown of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his family. It seems that this fact is being used by Opposition "activists" as a point to rally further vilification of the current Duterte government. Nobody wants bad things like this to happen. But there is, of course, a need to investigate whether certain people were in a position or possessed knowledge that would've been useful to prevent this tragedy but did not use that position not acted on that knowledge. This is what the focus should be on: finding out what could be learned to help reduce the risks of accidents like this happening again and holding to account people who could have prevented it but didn't out of neglect or carelessness. There is a time for political...

All of a sudden, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is highlighting the "horrors" of social media , perhaps because she now perceives herself and the organisation she leads as its "victims". Interesting, considering Ressa and her crew of "online journalists" gushed ad nauseum about the power of social media to further their agenda just a small number of years ago. In the 2012  Rappler "report"  Social media for social change , Rapplerette Carmela Fonbuena built her thesis on what was then the Social Media Gospel According to Ressa that preached how social media is the be-all-end-all new wave tool for "nation-building". Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa said that with rapidly changing technology, television could be a casualty.  “Why are we all talking about social media? Because of these really, really big numbers,” Rappler CEO and executive director Maria Ressa said.  “We know that traditional media is dying. Tradi...

Everyone would be shrieking even if it were an American, French, or Finnish company bidding for the phone system. What terrifies Filipinos the most is the prospect of other people proving to be less incompetent than they are. Because then they’d have to start asking soul-searching questions like: why do Finns achieve more, with less work, than we ever have in the last 50 years? And they won’t like the answers. As long as the companies ripping them off, spying on them, and feeding them propaganda are all (theoretically) run by Filipinos, they’re good with that. The propaganda makes them feel good (“it’s all the fault of the Chinese!”) so they just lap it up. Of course, there is ONE area where Filipinos are acknowledged world leaders, and if the Chinese Telcos have any sense, they’ll stay away. They might think they have enough experience dealing with corrupt, criminal governments in Africa (or their own government, for that matter), but Filipinos are here to show them how it’s do...

Inquirer columnist Roderick Toledo writes where (he thinks) the problem lies , If our families are dysfunctional, schools, churches and the media should take up the slack and help make sure we are imbued with the right values and the discipline to observe them.  I'm not sure if the true payload of what was said above escapes most people but this small excerpt illustrates what is becoming a big problem in Philippine society. What we are seeing today is a society that has lost the ability to fix its problems at the source. The family is where people spend their most formative years and is where the short window of opportunity to instill the virtues of discipline and respect opens and closes. Like their public transport services, Filipinos have delegated a critical part of the foundation of their society to the private sector and to government agencies that are under-resourced and infested with corrupt officials. Filipinos have lost the ability to take control of their o...

Walden Bello does satire. And Rappler publishes it. In his piece  Sex at ang DDS , Bello suggests in satire that the Die-hard Duterte Supporters (DDS) community are sexually-motivated to support Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and act upon his wishes. In his piece, Bello relates a hypothetical interview with a "ka-DDS" who proceeds to describe the unique rush of the experience of being a Duterte supporter... Tinanong ko siya paano maging isang DDS. Sabi niya, "May magkakatulad kaming karanasan."  Puwede bang mas maging tiyak at malinaw siya tungkol dito?  Tumingin muna siya sa paligid bago sinabi, at parang nahihiya pa, "Nag-o-orgasm kami 'pag nakikita si Presidente sa TV." Translated: "I (Bello) asked her how one becomes a DDS member. She said, "We share a common experience."  Can you be more specific? She looked around her warily before replying bashfully, "We experience an orgasm when we see the Presiden...