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Australian living in the Philippines published a book titled: “The Unlucky
Country. The Republic of the Philippines in the 21st Century.” The author
Duncan McKenzie came up with the title as the counterpoint to “The Lucky
Country” a book written in the mid-sixties that refers to Australia. In his
book McKenzie explains that the Philippines is unlucky because, for
starters, it is an archipelago and therefore naturally fragmented. In
addition, it is a land plagued by “frequent disasters, both man-made and
natural.”
Today, we borrow that
phrase as we contrast two leaders, one from the Philippines and the other
from Singapore. Ferdinand Edralin Marcos ruled the Philippines from late
1965 till early 1986 when he was removed from power by the EDSA, People
Power revolution. Lee Kuan Yew ruled Singapore from its inception as an
independent country till late 1990 when he became its Senior Minister, then
its Senior Mentor from 2004 to 2011.
Like Marcos, Lee ruled his
country with an iron hand. Unlike Marcos, Lee had a vision of what Singapore
should be. He cajoled his people at first, then carefully guided them to
first-world prosperity. Singapore today is an economic powerhouse of just
5.47 million people. According to Wikipedia, “Singapore's economy has been
ranked as the most open in the world, 7th least corrupt, most
pro-business, with low tax rates (14.2% of Gross Domestic Product, GDP) and
has the third highest per-capita GDP in the world.
Singaporeans indeed are
lucky to have had a great leader, a true statesman, and a visionary who took
their country from a backwater state in Southeast Asia, and turned it into a
world-class economic powerhouse. Unfortunately, Filipinos were not as lucky.
Not only did they have to endure decades of repression with hundreds
tortured or killed. Marcos and his lapdogs bled the country dry,
 ruined
the nation’s economy, and destroyed the social fabric of the country before
fleeing to safe havens abroad.
And if that was not enough,
Marcos provided the “template for plunder” used by corrupt politicians who
follow in his footsteps. So that to this day, the Philippines is a country where
thieves and crooks are allowed to amass obscene wealth and then get away
with it.
Today our condolences go out
to the people of Singapore, you have lost a great leader and a true
statesman. But we grieve as well for our country. And wonder: will our luck
ever change? Or are we destined to be “the unlucky country” forever?
Published 3/23/2015
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 Philippines and China dispute to continue despite UN Tribunal case
MANILA - Despite the presence of a high-level Philippine team at the hearing of the Philippines’ case against China before the Arbitral Tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) this week, the issue of who owns the contested islands in the South China Sea will remain unresolved.
Gov’t branches unite to present arbitration case in The Hague
MANILA, July 6 -- The three branches of government have come together to present before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands the Philippine’s case against China’s excessive claims in the West Philippine Sea.
 Beijing lobbies hard ahead of South China Sea hearing despite snubbing UN tribunal
HONG KONG/MANILA - China's claims to the disputed South China Sea will come under international legal scrutiny for the first time this week, but while Beijing has officially refused to take part in the case filed by the Philippines at a UN tribunal, it has made its presence felt.
Malacanang warns public against fake rice
MANILA, July 5 (PNA) -- Malacañang warned the public on from buying fake rice which reportedly had found its way in Davao City. "Nananawagan po tayo sa mga mamamayan na maging maingat at bumili lamang ng bigas mula sa mga accredited at reliable na nagbebenta nito ...
Mindanao peace and security in upswing due to peace process, says Gen. Pangilinan
COTABATO CITY, July 6 -- The peace process and the signed Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Moro forces) continues to positively impact the peace and order in Bangsamoro communities ...
 Palace: All avenues being used to find Binay's 'aides'
MANILA - Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the government will exhaust all processes to determine the whereabouts of Vice President Jejomar Binay’s alleged aides Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy and Gerardo Limlingan.
DOLE to recruitment agencies: Become recruitment centers of care and excellence
The Department of Labor and Employment called on recruitment agencies to also be centers for care and excellence for overseas Filipino workers. DOLE said that just as the DOLE and the Department of Foreign Affairs are doing their utmost to transform Philippine Overseas Labor Offices ...
ASEAN, EU discuss future direction of partnership
Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) have gathered in Brussels for their 23rd Senior Officials' Meeting to review the two sides' enhanced partnership and discuss future direction, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
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 Roxas to Mayor Binay: You’re not special, you don’t own Makati
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas urged Makati Mayor Junjun Binay to step aside. “This is not a telenovela or a drama about your family lording it over Makati
City. This is about the rule of law which says you are suspended by the
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
House eyes ‘super body’ to prevent repeat of Torre de Manila issue
The House Committee on Metro Manila Development is looking at the creation of a “super body” that would help prevent issues similar to the Torre
de Manila construction. The super body would integrate and synchronize
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
 Junjun steps down
MANILA, Philippines - Saying he could not bear to see more people get hurt, suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay
yesterday stepped down “temporarily,” ending a standoff that began
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
Global carriers tag NAIA as ‘high-risk’ airport
MANILA, Philippines - Global airlines have tagged the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)
as one of the high-risk airports in the Asia-Pacific region due to
unresolved safety concerns as well as poor infrastructure
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
 Ombudsman orders filing of PDAF charges against 5 more former solons
Five more former congressmen, including members of the Liberal Party (LP), are facing graft and corruption charges in connection with the alleged illegal disbursement of their Priority Development Assistance
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
Aquino blames previous admins for poor state of military
CLARK, Philippines — With about a year before he bows out of Malacañang, President Benigno Aquino
III scored the previous administrations once more during his keynote
speech at the Philippine Air Force’s 68th anniversary
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
 Veep Binay describes Aquino gov’t: Lazy, slow, indecisive
Where is the government? Vice President Jejomar Binay repeated this sentence throughout the 15-minute speech in Filipino as he delivered his sharpest words yet against the Aquino administration at launch
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
ERC chief, ex-BOC head indicted for ‘pork’ misuse
MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has trained its guns on administration allies by ordering the filing of criminal charges against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) commissioner Ruffy Biazon ...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
 Erap skips party launch: ‘I'm not part of UNA’
Former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada was absent during the launch of the United Nationalist Alliance as a political party because he was too busy with other matters, GMA
News
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES
Binay's defiance creates instability: Makati Business Club
MANILA – The Makati Business Club has expressed concern over developments involving the suspension of Makati Mayor Junjun Binay. In a statement, the group said Binay's
"defiance of the suspension order" up until he vacated
...
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IT AT PHILIPPINES NEWS HEADLINES |
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Who Should be the Next President of the Philippines?
 Make no mistake, the next elections will be one of the most important—if not the most important—elections the country will ever have. Never since the Philippines gained self-determination in 1946 has it faced such an existential threat from a hostile foreign country as it now faces from China.
Published 6/23/2015
Pope’s Encyclical May Finally Get Filipinos to Change their Evil Environmental Ways
 Pope Francis is about to issue an encyclical on climate change. The 200-page papal letter to Catholic bishops worldwide warns of "unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem" by the end of this century unless drastic changes are made to avert it. This encyclical could not have come any sooner for the Philippines.
Published 6/12/2015
Congress Wants Gloria Arroyo on House Arrest, Seriously?
 When President Benigno Aquino III, wasn’t looking (he was in Japan), the House of Representatives quickly passed a resolution urging the Sandiganbayan court to allow house arrest for detained Pampanga Representative and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Published 6/12/2015
Grace Poe for Philippine President? Not So Fast!
 She is photogenic, carries herself well, and Filipinos all seem to love her. The question to ask though is whether the well-liked lady senator is ready to be the next president? Filipinos it seems have a penchant for electing young “celebrities” with zero experience into positions of power, then simply hope for the best with “bahala na ang Dios.”
Published 6/7/2015
Filipinos Need to Stand Tall In the Face of Chinese Aggression
 President Aquino made the right move by going to Japan to bolster Philippine-Japanese cooperation. While he might be “preaching to the choir” as far as the Japanese are concerned, he nonetheless needs to communicate the graveness of the situation the Philippines currently faces.
Published 6/2/2015
Rodrigo Duterte Must Never Become President of the Philippines
 After consistently maintaining that he had no intentions to seek higher office, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hinted that he might actually make a run for the presidency. There was no mention of those lofty intentions that most candidates for president parrot when they make that fateful announcement.
Published 5/29/2015
How Filipinos Can Stop China Now
 The future of Filipinos will be nothing like their past. Each and every Filipino must realize this. The proverbial lackadaisical “Juan Tamad” lying under a guava tree in an idyllic Amorsolo painting-like setting will no longer exist. Instead a new reality like that of ancient Sparta or modern-day Israel will pervade. China is growing stronger every day and they are quickly turning into an aggressive, tyrannical power.
Published 5/23/2015
Pacman's Gamble
 The world now knows that while training for his May 2 “Fight of the Century” with undefeated world welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao suffered a shoulder injury. According to his trainer, Freddie Roach, this mishap occurred on April 4 in a sparring session when he threw a right hook and his arm “got entangled with those of his sparring partner”.
Published 5/17/2015
Chinese Military Bases Under Construction on Philippine Reefs Must be Destroyed Now!
 This
is the reality: China’s military leaders are rushing the construction of
military bases in six different reef areas inside the Philippines’
exclusive 200 mile economic zone. The Philippines is doing nothing to
immediately stop it.
Published 5/10/2015
Is Vice President Jejomar Binay the Manchurian Candidate?
 It was made into two classic films, the first with Frank Sinatra in 1962 and the second with Denzel Washington in 2004. “The Manchurian Candidate”, the 1959 best-selling novel by Richard Condon, told the tale of a group of American soldiers captured during the Korean War who were taken to Manchuria, China where they were brainwashed by Chinese officials.
Published 5/3/2015
Pacmania Sweeps the World
 Walk down any big city in the Philippines and you feel the excitement gripping everyone; men and women, boxing aficionados or not. Sunday’s match (Manila-time) between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather
will have the country, glued to screens, large and small in major
metropolitan areas as well as far-flung rural barrios.
Published 4/29/2015
Mary Jane Veloso’s Execution Will Only Highlight the Dysfunction of Filipino Society
 On the 28th of April, the Indonesian government will execute Filipina Mary Jane Veloso by firing squad. For this luckless young woman, it will be the culmination of a life that from the beginning, had been dealt a losing hand.
Published 4/25/2015
There Will Never be Lasting Peace with the Bangasamoro Basic Law
 It is incomprehensible to many that despite all the negatives piling up against it, the Aquino administration is still pushing for Congress to ratify the Bangasamoro Basic Law (BBL). First and foremost, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with whom the Philippine government entered into an agreement with, massacred 44 Special Action Force (SAF)
policemen who were serving an arrest warrant on an international
terrorist.
Published 4/18/2015
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