MANILA, Philippines – Impeach was the word of the year, with the former ombudsman and the Chief Justice being the target of political proceedings, both being identified with the past Arroyo administration.

President Aquino could not be swayed from his straight path, opting to fulfill his campaign promise of going after those who wasted the country’s resources and swelled the ranks of the poor. (Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.) Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been asked many times this question in the last few weeks: Where do I stand in the midst of all these frenzied efforts to exact judgment at whatever cost and through whatever means possible?

The honest answer, which I have so far kept unarticulated until this writing, is that I view the whole sordid chain of events with pained resignation. Read the rest of this entry »

At a time when we should be hearing Christmas carols and gearing up towards the yuletide celebrations, it seems that people’s lives have needlessly been “trespassed and infested” by life sucking politics, media sensationalism and the personal grudge matches of politicians and rich families. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Our gathering today is called a Summit on Poverty, Inequality and Social Reform. This is not the first time that we have met for such a purpose. One might therefore ask, why another summit? Read the rest of this entry »

TERMINAL 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International has been voted the world’s worst airport this year—down from fifth worst in April—by the online guide to sleeping in airports (http://sleepinginairports.net). Read the rest of this entry »

I was deeply immersed in preparations for a national conference in the last two weeks and I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I still have tons of emails to wade through, but there is one thing that I needed to get out of the way. So to the many friends and readers who cared to send me emails and the links to Geoffrey James Quartermaine Bastin’s scathing blog on Manila, yes, I got your ardent pleas for me to weigh in with my own two cents’ worth. Read the rest of this entry »

A nationalist business group appeals to all Filipinos to patronize locally-made products as it launches its “Buy Philippine Made” campaign.

Bayan dela Cruz, president of the National Economic Protectionism Association, told GMA News Online over the weekend that the Buy Philippine Made campaign, which the NEPA launched last Sept. 27, aims to demonstrate that the country’s economic capabilities and industry competitiveness could be developed if each Filipino begins to adopt economic nationalism as a “personal code” of sorts. Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how great the Filipino people were, and how this is what we should sell to the world.

Today, I’d like to raise a few points that, if addressed, can ensure that advantage can be turned into wealth gain for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The Management Association of the Philippines has announced the creation of a MAP National Branding Committee that will help the government create strategies to improve the overall image of the Philippines abroad. Read the rest of this entry »