Writing in 1890 for La Solidaridad, Jose Rizal takes up the question of the so-called “indolence” of the Filipinos. This claim, he argues, had allowed the Spanish colonial authorities to excuse their own “stupidities,” and the friars to “make themselves irreplaceable.” We should not be content to simply deny it, he says. We must “examine … Read more
The other night, while walking around the acacia-lined oval of the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, I found myself trailing behind a group of young people lost in cheerful conversation. They moved unhurriedly and seemed completely oblivious of everything around them. Every stride they made was marked by laughter. I had seen this before … Read more
A lot of nonsense is being uttered in response to a recent Pulse Asia finding which shows that forty-two percent of the respondents in the October 2007 Ulat ng Bayan survey consider Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “the most corrupt president in Philippine history.” Instead of disputing the scientific adequacy of the survey, defenders of Ms Arroyo … Read more
In 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, the population of the Philippines was approximately 45 million. Today, there are close to 90 million of us. But, beyond this demographic doubling, our society has become complex in many other ways. As individuals, we find ourselves less constrained by tradition. We are freer to choose our … Read more
Brigadier General Danilo Lim and former Navy Lt. SG, now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV are two of the smartest officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They are highly regarded by their men and by their contemporaries in the officer corps. Few senior officers in the Philippine military today can match their popularity among … Read more