Monthly Archives: August 2011

Pnoy’s Pantawid Pamilya Program

President Noynoy Aquino’s expanded Conditional Cash Transfer program is an unimaginative program to solve the country’s intergenerational poverty. Giving subsidies to the poor isn’t wrong but it shouldn’t be in the form of insulting dole-outs. Isn’t it pathetic how the obscene distribution of petty cash is being presented as an innovative fulfillment of Pnoy’s overrated […]

Posted in nation | Tagged | 3 Comments

Singapore’s Transport Woes

Singapore may be a global city known for its superior quality of living and efficient public services. But its mass transport system isn’t something to be envied. The overcrowding on buses and trains is the visible manifestation of the city’s transport mess, and the main transport operators SMRT (train service) and SBS (bus transit) have […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged | 1 Comment

Greeneration

Speech delivered during the First Green Jobs Conference, SMX Convention Center. My topic was “GREENerations: Leading the Path to a Greener Future.” Unknown to many, it was Joseph Estrada who provided the simplest if not original definition of global warming when he was still president in 1998. Responding to the allegation that he has been […]

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Saudization and Migrants

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is embarking on a ‘Saudization’ programme, or nationalization of jobs, called Nitaqat. Its goal is to provide more than one million new jobs to Saudi citizens by limiting the number of foreign workers that companies can employ. Under Nitaqat, a colour zoning scheme is implemented to determine if companies are […]

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Araw ng Kabataan

Kapag Labor Day, may nakahandang biyaya ang pamahalaan para sa mga maliliit na manggagawa. Pagtatanggol sa kalikasan at kultura naman ang karaniwang tema kapag Indigenous People’s Day. At tuwing Araw ng Kababaihan, may pagdidiin sa kabuluhan ng pagsusulong ng pagkakapantay-pantay sa lipunan upang mabaka ang diskriminasyong nakabatay sa kasarian. Pero ano dapat ang maging paksa […]

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First week of 2012 budget deliberations

“The budget is the skeleton of the state stripped of all misleading ideologies.” – Joseph A. Schumpeter This year’s budget deliberations are significant for the following reasons: 1) The budget submitted to Congress a day after the State of the Nation Address is the first to be completely drafted by the government of President Noynoy […]

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Southeast Asia: Internet freedoms and unfreedoms

I was inspired to write this piece after speaking in the 6th International Vietnamese Youth Conference held in Manila, Philippines. I’ve been reading Southeast Asian blogs since 2008. My other sources of alternative information include twitter, facebook, and other social media sites. They provide not only interesting news stories but also incisive commentaries on various […]

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