benign0's blog

Doy Santos aka The Cusp recently trumpetted in an article on ProPinoy.net how the Philippines "has emerged as a world leader in [the value of exports of high-tech manufactures], edging out Singapore, the former front-runner since 1996".

Check out the latest Yellow Army image making the rounds (you can click on the image at right to enlarge it). Nicely done I might say. But still it doesn't count it out from my list of things that make you go "hmmmm..." .

In an Inquirer.net piece , columnist Jose Ma. Montelibano contributes to the defense of President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III's State of the Nation Address (SONA) which he delivered on the 26th of July to Congress. His approach -- and arguments -- were basically organised around two key pillars: (1) Taking stock of the arguments of the "members of the elite who were for other candidates" . This is basically much of the issues to do with P.Noy's lack of experience, lack of achievement, lack of intellectual depth, lack of ability to be his own man (independent of his family pedigree), and overall lack of substance. (2) Pointing out the continued popularity of the President . As expected, this has to do with the fact that P.Noy won an election determined by popular vote, came out with an 88 percent trust rating in a recent "survey", and generally is an all-around well-liked guy.

President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III's people continue to gripe about excess "rotting" rice in National Food Authority warehouses even as a shipment of 20,000 metric tonnes of rice ordered last April arrived. Of course Malacanang wastes no opportunity to blame the previous administration as Asia News reports ...

It looks to be another case of over-compensation -- a reflex-like reaction to a spectacular lack of coordinated response coming from Malacanang as salvos of critiques on the 26th July Stat of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III pummelled his Administration. We are now seeing the possibility of no less than 19 spokespersons squeezing into the already crowded public relations machinery of P.Noy's government...

What is wrong with this picture? Since 2004, the Philippine Government has effected a ban on travel to war-torn Iraq that is applicable to all its citizens. Despite that, we now know that there are at least 15,000 Filipinos who had been working there despite this ban. We know this because that is the number now on their way home. But here's the thing. They are being repatriated only because the United States Armed Forces has started a crack down on such workers ...

One of the key highlights of President Benigno "P-Noy" Aquino III's State of the Nation Address (SONA) was how the National Food Authority (NFA) "over-imported" rice. Supposedly this resulted in tonnes and tonnes of it rotting in their warehouses while impoverished Filipinos starved. Not so fast, according to former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap , who reminded the President that...

From what was hyped up to be a "shocking" "exposé" of "awe"-some proportions, Malacanang has now toned down its position on the fiscal position of the government and, backpedals yet again to using more benign words since promising in a 25th July Inquirer.net report "revelations of 'shocking' anomalies" in the previous administration's handling of government finances leading to "the depletion of the P1.54-trillion national budget and calamity fund".

The Inquirer.net today published the salient points of the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III. The " report " is the top headline of the site's front page today (27th July 2010). What is most notable about this "report" is what is not in it .

I remember as a kid in the lead up to New Year's Eve festivities lighting one of those big rebentadors expecting a loud bang after the fuse hits home. Most of the time I wasn't disappointed. But a few of them were duds that fizzled out. The street term for these duds comes to mind in the aftermath of Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III's first State of the Nation Address: supot .

The trouble with being made out to be a magician by one's handlers and disciples is that one becomes held to expectations bordering on the miraculous. Perhaps in reference to how the eminent Conrado de Quiros once likened President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III to the Lord of the Rings character Aragorn, the Philippine Left in the rallies they plan to mark P.Noy's State of the Nation Address (SONA) before Congress today will for their part complement de Quiros's take with a Harry Potter -themed effigy ...

This is another one of those Pinoy-style "solutions" typical in a society that comes up with jeepneys and tricycles as the primary means of transportation for a country of almost 100 million. A "solution" for the culture of corruption that infests the Bureau of Customs is underpinned by the Filipino's renowned ingenuity ...

Another case for automatic targeting of Philippine passport holders for cavity searches at major world airports! Even Philippine Congressmen get caught trafficking dope . Considering that these bozos are elected by popular vote in the Philippines, one can conclude that Philippine leaders pretty much reflect the quality of their constituencies.

After trumpeting that the first State of the Nation Address of President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III will be " an exposé ", Malacanang now backpedals and says it will be an exercise in " truth-telling ".

Looks like the men in robes are starting to play their aces and are starting to deliver the sort of low blows that President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III may find difficult to sidestep. After all, governing on a platform built squarely on his Mom and Pop makes him an easy target for the sorts of jabs the Morality Police are wont to dish out...

In her Inquirer.net column "Get Real", Solita Monsod is spot on about where an on-going holding of the President to account starts -- his platform . Unfortunately, Ms Monsod is having trouble finding the campaign platform of President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III ...

I found these photos of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) on a PinoyExchange.com thread and I gotta say, I am impressed. I also read on Baguio Insider that taking the SCTEX (after taking the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) from Manila) cuts travel time to Baguio City down to three hours. That's an improvement of one hour on the four-hour travel time to Baguio that I remember was possible back in the 70's!

In his latest article Conrado de Quiros in essence says that President Benigno "P.Noy" Aquino III is entitled to the excuse "they made me do it". Whether it be in appointing too many Abads to key government positions or any other appointment of a Kamaganak Inc henchman to a juicy post, to de Quiros, it is simply not the President's fault . Bad idea, yes. But, if we are to follow de Quiros's "logic", it is not Noynoy's fault.

Tiny Singapore has always played really well the bad hand dealt to it as far as natural resources go. One of its challenges is water supply. It is an island state with no natural ground water and few catchment areas. It's had to deal with a humbling reliance on Malaysia for much of the 1.36 billion litres per day it needs to satisfy the needs of its 4.4 million residents. Unlike some countries however, Singaporeans don't manage by crisis ...

Word about Charice Pempengco's cosmetic "treatment" goes viral over the Web. Even celebrity blogger Perez Hilton weighs in giving this piece of advise presumably to Ms Pempengco: "Get some help, bb - or you're not gonna last very long". ABS CBN News called the whole episode The commercialization of Charice .

One need only look at what composes the company of wolves that are vehemently opposing delivery of sex education via the public school system to get a flavour of the sort of dim bulbs we are dealing with here. Counted amongst their ranks are...

Cosmetic surgeon to the stars "Doctor" Vicki Belo went on record with her rationale behind the "thermage procedure" she performed on up-and-coming Filipino singer and actor Charice Pempengco...

Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is just a gaffe machine on fire! Most recent is his presuming to lecture the Japanese on "long-term programs and policies". That's coming from the leader of a people not exactly renowned for the virtue of foresight .

It's fascinating how people nowadays rely on social networking and the instant publishing facilities within these to validate their respective personal realities. Back in the old days, no self-respecting clubber would be caught dead toting a camera in an in establishment, much less posing for photos.

First it was Kris Aquino trying to pay off (in political kind) senators to back Kiko Pangilinan's bid for the Senate presidency, now his brother President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is trying to spring another Kiko supporter -- alleged rebel and "Senator" Antonio Trillanes from the slammer.

The most recent bout of false outrage being exhibited by Filipinos involves our workers "rights" in Hong Kong -- specifically their exclusion from a minimum wage law recently implemented there.

Another example of how Filipinos bite off the hand that feeds them. Despite bringing testing facilities into the country for the convenience of applicants, Pinoys in true form, stuff it up by destroying goodwill and trust ...

By highlighting two things in relation to the issue of the "review" of alleged rebel leader Antonio Trillanes IV, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III highlights two key characteristics of his administration. Quotes are from the Inquirer.net report :

Why does exiting from a failed relationship made to be so complicated? That's because this is the Philippines and its laws we are talking about. That plus the sorts of situations presidential sister Kris Aquino gets into, and we get a certified Pinoy-style spectacle .

In her bestselling book The Art of Choosing , author Sheena Iyengar implies an interesting proposition -- that some cultures habitually frame their world around pre-set paths also known as "destinies" in contrast with Western societies where the key guiding principle is choice .

Writers of the Aquino Family Newsletter frantically plastered stories about how President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III chewed out analysts of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), one of them made the top headline today and highlighted this bit...

Charice, born Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, is oozing with potential as she continues to gain stardom points in the United States. Hers is a story typical of Filipino home-grown resources in general -- whether they be our now-depleted fine mahogany trees or our best scientists and engineers. They all found mega-opportunities outside of the Philippines after being largely overlooked by a society renowned for its stunted faculties for setting apart the gems from the duds.

According to Noel Barcelona in a May 2009 American Chronicle article , the Philippines tied Canada in eighth place in terms of profits generated by the pornography industry in 2006. Presumably that data came from here . Pornography is illegal in the Philippines. But that does not seem to deter an undeground industry from raking in megabucks to the tune of $1 billion dollars annually in net profit . That's money that most likely goes to foreign producers, with Philippine operations found to be serving more as subcontractors to these enterprising multinational "investors". And because it is all underground, not a single cent of it goes into public coffers.

Compare a nuclear explosion to a controlled nuclear reaction. The earlier (the explosion) is a useless -- and destructive -- release of energy, whereas the latter (the reaction) represents energy that can be channel for productive purposes.

Goodness . Goodness is a key pillar of the "platform" that catapulted President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III onto the driver's seat. He is perceived to be good and perceived to be full of good intentions.

Simple question: Does Tagalog add value to one's marketability as a tradeable element in the global economy? That question should be the context in the evaluation of every dollar spent on classroom time devoted to Tagalog-articulated instruction.

I wonder what point Conrado de Quiros is trying to make by making something of former President Gloria Arroyo's having to subject herself to procedures that otherwise have to be "endured" by other Representatives in Congress...

Noynoy seems to be going about consolidating power the classical Machiavellian way — eliminating all his enemies. Problem is he is too limp-dicked to do it in the same way real tyrants did and too bratty to do it through the system.

It starts again. The Roman Catholic Church of the Philippines has started to meddle yet again on what is a state issue, and one relevant to one of the key pillars of our hopes for a prosperous future -- population control. As reported on the Inquirer.net ...

Personal accountability. Not exactly a strong character trait of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Most recently, it is the issue of his chronic tardiness that he is skirting responsibility over.

Hardly surprising that a religious cleric like Education Secretary Armin Luistro would bumble his way through his first encounter with the Media. Organised religion has a tradition of being averse to stepping up to a serious debate on a level field when its dogma is challenged. Certainly the Roman Catholic Church is not an exception to this tradition of intolerance to free inquiry , and Luistro merely reflects this primitivist stance.

Faced with a mountain of campaign promises he will likely be unable to keep, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III now latches foolishly onto one that he has full personal control over -- his decision not to use motorcades to expedite his morning commutes from his daddy's house to his office in Malacanang. His family newsetter reports ...

Every Filipino born is, on the average, destined to generate mediocre economic output – i.e. generate incremental economic value that is insufficient sustain him/herself. This is a simple but profound pillar of truth that describes the Pinoy Condition. It goes to the core of why every effort mounted by the Philippines to prosper simply fails. It is also a key underpinning principle of overpopulation , and it ties into my definition of poverty...

The Aquino Family Newsletter flashes a headline today whose oxymoronism will probably all but escape the vacuous sensibilities of its readership. Kayo ang boss ko ("You all are my boss"). That, in essence is the epic cop out of new Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.