Stories about Philippines from December, 2008
Southeast Asia: Controversies and tragedies of 2008
In the previous post (Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008), I wrote about the major events that took place in Southeast Asia. In this article, I will highlight other stories which became controversial as well.
Philippines: Uproar over mauling by mayor/son of Cabinet secretary
Filipinos are unleashing online vitriol at the son and namesake of Philippine President Arroyo's agrarian reform secretary, who reportedly mauled two persons last Dec. 26 at a golf course.
Global Health: 2008 Blogs In Review
Bloggers in 2008 showed all the ways in which global health is interconnected with other issues, by covering health stories that touched on everything from poverty and women's rights to the environment and economics. They shared stories such as the prohibition of cannabis in Japan, how ads for children's food...
Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008
For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.
Oversleeping in the Philippines
Going against the current traces the cultural roots of oversleeping as a taboo in the Philippines.
Philippines: Watching Pinoy Big Brother
Overwrite views the popular reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother from a Baudrillardian lense: ‘When one watches the show, where is the center-point? Who is watching who? And which side stands on reality? Does it mean that the actors are showcasing reality because they are in the “reality show”? Or...
Philippines: Music Teacher's Memoirs
A young music teacher from the southern Philippines shares her experience on teaching musical expression to children.
Philippines: Fisherman saved by dolphins and whales
According to a Filipino fisherman, he was saved by dolphins and whales when his boat was turned upside down last week in Palawan, Philippines. It is a remarkable story, but is it true?
Philippines: Iligan City Mall Bombings
Iligan City bloggers react to two bomb blasts that rocked two shopping centers in the the Southern Philippine city.
Philippines: Kumusta or How Are You
Don’t English Me, I’m not School muses on the usage of the word kumusta, a Filipino greeting which means “How are you?”
Translation and Literature in the Philippines
Cebuano poet Adonis Durado posts an article on the importance of translation for literary development in the Philippines. Durado recently launched his book of Cebuano poems, Dili Tanang Matagak Mahagbong [fil] (trans. Not All That Drop Falls).
New film on Philippine revolution
FeudArt posts trailers and a backgrounder of Baler, a new film based on events during the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonizers at the end of the 19th Century.
Southeast Asia: The shoe, the shoe
Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi will be known for a long time as the shoe thrower. He who succeeded in throwing a pair of shoes at U.S. President George Bush last Sunday. The shoe throwing incident has been hailed as heroic by many people around the world, especially those who opposed the foreign policies of the outgoing leader. What are the reactions of Southeast Asian bloggers and residents?
Filipino portfolio, plagiarized by US design firm
In the Philippines, many are angry that a US-based company WebSapient plagiarized the entire portfolio of a Filipino web designer. WebSapient has brought down the plagiarized materials and have not been able to put up its own, as of posting time.
Philippines: To the Young Writer
Januaries reposts a message to young writers from the Philippine national artist for literature and foremost novelist, F. Sionil Jose.
Philippines: Oldest Barbershop in General Santos
Bariles Republic's GeneralSantos.com blogs about the oldest barbershop in General Santos, a city in the Southern Philippines.
Philippines: Students’ Lives in Contrast
A Cebuana student contrasts students’ lives in the Philippines. The lifestyle of the rich and the poor students are poles apart, she concludes.
Politician bloggers in the Philippines
Filipino internet users are increasing every year. Majority of those who use the internet are reading blogs. It is not surprising that politicians and political parties in the Philippines are now bringing their campaigns in the internet.
Migrant Workers in the Gulf
Nimr, from America-Palestinian Kabobfest, discusses the issue of migrant workers in the Gulf – and how their governments are not fending for their rights thanks to the millions of remittance payments they send back home every month.
Philippines: War in Mindanao
A Mindanao-born student explains that the number one reason for the unresolved conflict in the southern Philippines is the national government's disregard of the Moro people's right to self-determination.
Philippines: Official Skips Hearing to Watch Boxing Match
Sugob ni Longino questions the priorities of Environment Secretary Lito Atienza who skipped the Philippine Senate budget hearings to watch the fight of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao.
