Stories about Philippines from March, 2006
Philippines: The Story of Jolo
Blogkadahan tells story of Jolo, a small town in the southwest of the Philippines which she remembers as once one of the most beautiful place in the country. Now, she says, after 30 years of neglect by the government, being torn apart by war, prejudice, and opportunistic vultures, Jolo is...
Philippines: Blogging Humanity
San Juan Gossip Mills Outlet gives thanks for all the people he's met through blogging. He writes: “All in all, friend or foe come home to nest in their respective blogdoms and visit other people’s sites either to spite, anger, inspire or simply thank each other. In short, humanity abounds...
Philippines: More on Rent Control
Another Hundred Years Hence responds to a reader, a Filipino-American who owns some apartment buildings in New York, who argues that rent control may help the urban poor stay in cities and protect them from gentrification.
Quo vadis, Philippines?
The lifting of Proclamation 1017, or the State of National Emergency, has not done much to quell the political unrest in the Philippines. Joseph Estrada, the president booted out of office in 2001 after a failed impeachment trial, finally took the witness stand in his trial for plunder. Willie Galang...
Philippines: Dress Codes
Jove Francisco asks if whether the Philippine press corps’ decision to dress “up” or “down” reflects their level of respect for the President.
Philippines: Linguistic Divide
Howie Severino talks about the linguistic divide in the Philippines between Tagalog a.k.a. Filipino (the language spoken in and around the capital Manila) and English (the widely-used colonial lingua franca). “…a foreign correspondent once noted that our presidents use Filipino only when they want to tell jokes or be folksy....
Philippines: Poverty and Science Fiction
Jardine Davies, an ardent Filipino science-fiction reader, analyzes why in so many science-fiction novels poverty is juxtaposed with high technology.
Philippines: Historic Highway
Howie's Sidetrip talks about old pictures of Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, a major Manila urban artery on which the country's 1986 People Power Revolution was played out. Not that long ago, EDSA skirted rural rice fields. Now it passes by malls and skyscrapers.
Buen Provecho!
Greetings from Panama! This week's food blog round-up is extremely scrumptious. Please do not read if you are hungry! #1: From Greece, Wanderlust ShaLadies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce you to Ms. Sha, the empanada queen! Oh,…just take a look at those photos. Just be prepared with...
Philippines: Red Spectre
caffeine sparks criticizes the Philippine government's “resurrection” of Communism as a threat to national stability. She recounts meeting a real Communist and not being very scared or impressed. “I don’t remember the details of what he said, but I remember thinking he didn’t say anything I didn’t already know and...
Philippines: Right to Be Heard
Dean Alfar at notes from the peanut gallery argues for the Philippine opposition's right to be heard.
Philippines: The Long View
Another Hundred Years Hence takes the long view of the evolution of Philippine politics. Despite the upheavals, the long-term trend is positive: “the comfort is that chaos on the surface is generated by the friction in the deeper layers.”
Southeast Asia, Philippines: Adequacy of Democracy
An underthought article in the Guardian decrying the lack of democracy in Southeast Asia angers Eevil Midget, a Filipina in London, who responds: “democracy is a farce anyway! as if the Western world is that much better.” Torn and Frayed in Manila shares his own thoughts on the piece.
Philippines: A New Voice
On Feb. 27, in the wake of demonstrations calling for the overthrow Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Filipino blogger Bong Austero wrote a post called an “Open Letter to Our Leaders” in which he expressed his frustration and anger at opposition leaders’ grab for power. “You know why?,” he wrote....
Philippines: Cappucino Revolutionaries
An oppositionist group's “Black Friday” protest against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – which involved wearing black, buying a drink, and hanging out at a local Starbucks – has earned ridicule from Filipino bloggers. Walk this Way asks: “You're spending HOW MUCH for a stupid drink in order to show...
Philippines: Pose in Protest
Opponents of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have come up with an interesting form of “flash-mob protest.” It involves dressing in black, buying a drink and standing at a Starbucks.
After the Philippines’ “Coup”: Anger, Apathy and a Sense of Deja Vu
Last week there was an attempted coup in Manila, resulting in a declaration of emergency rule. So what's new? That was the reaction of some Filipino bloggers who wrote about last week's murky events. Leftists and groups opposed to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had planned protests between Feb. 22 and...
Philippines: We Prefer Irony
Filipino blogger and columnist Jessica Zafra suggests eight reasons why comments to her blog sometimes don't show up. For example, “1. You are earnest and literal. We prefer irony.”