Category Archives: nation

2009 political words of the year

By admin | December 16, 2009

The 2009 Oxford words of the year are unfriend, hashtag, intexticated, netbook, sexting, funemployed, birther, choice mom, and deleb. Many of these words, though familiar to most Filipinos, are not applicable in the Philippines. Unfriending people in facebook, friendster, and other social network sites is not a common internet habit among Filipino netizens. We cannot […]

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Stop Balikatan war exercises in the Philippines

By admin | November 13, 2009

Written early this year. In reposting this article, I dedicate it to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton…. Today we condemn the continuation of the joint military exercises between Philippine and United States troops in the Bicol region. The resumption of the so-called Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) exercises clearly indicates that President Barack Obama has not fundamentally […]

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More lessons from the Philippines’ storms

By admin | November 2, 2009

The Philippines was battered by four successive typhoons in the last two months. Typhoon Ketsana triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in the past 40 years. Typhoon Parma caused deadly landslides and mudslides in the northern provinces. Typhoons Lupit and Mirinae hampered the reconstruction efforts in the typhoon-ravaged communities of Luzon Island. Typhoons Ketsana […]

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‘Funeral power’ in the Philippines

By admin | August 17, 2009

“Funeral power” is a potent political phenomenon in the Philippines. Filipinos have long been expressing their political sentiments by attending the funeral marches of celebrated political icons. In 1983 the funeral march for murdered opposition leader Ninoy Aquino was attended by more than 1 million people. His death was blamed on former Philippine strongman Ferdinand […]

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