Analysis and opinion. By JoeAm By my definition, a leftist is a liberal with a pro-worker agenda. A liberal is a person who tilts in favor of government helping citizens to realize their potential rather than leaving this to the haphazard and self-dealing private sector. In the Philippines, leftists are 1950s holdovers, unable to adapt to changing Philippine conditions. They see US imperialism as a boogie man rather than point to the real bad guys, China, communism, socialism, and corruption. They work in opposition to the democratic system, without influence, rather than within it to better ..read more

The Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago nation, grapples with a complex web of interconnected “securities” and “insecurities.” This paper explores how the Philippines strives for food security, human security, national security, and maritime security. By examining these interwoven realities, we gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s challenges and ongoing efforts towards stability and progress. Part 1: The Intertwined Challenges At the foundation lies the challenge of ensuring both food security and human security. While achieving self-sufficiency in rice production holds nationa ..read more

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America A new ranking of American presidents is out based on a survey led by two US political science professors. Here’s an article about it: NEW SURVEY OF SCHOLARS FINDS LINCOLN REMAINS AMERICA’S GREATEST PRESIDENT This excerpt considers recent presidents: “The survey shows that while presidential scholars continue to consider Abraham Lincoln the nation’s greatest president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt has passed George Washington as the second-greatest president. President Biden enters the rankings at #14, behind recent Democrats Barack Obama (#7) and Bill Clinton ..read more

By Karl Garcia Former President Rodrigo Duterte has declared September as MaNaMo or Maritime Nation Month in 2017.  We have a rich maritime history. We have a rich maritime history. This can be exemplified by the types of boats documented and discovered throughout our rich history. Our great rivers from North to Southhad been used for commerce and water transportation. Cagayan River, Pampanga River, Pasig River[3] in Luzon. Ilo-ilo[4] in the Visayan and the Butuan  River in Mindanao have all been documented to be cradles of civilization and commerce. https://guides.library.manoa.hawa ..read more

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America I’ve long objected to those who bring popular conspiracy theories to blog discussions as factual truths. A theory is not a truth until verified, as Einstein knew but modern social media marauders do not. Advocacy these days has taken the form of beliefs over evidence. Can you imagine a state in the US in the very modern year of 2024 banning dictionaries as tools of subversion? Or holding that a pregnant woman trying to save her life by ending a miscarriage would be deemed a criminal? It’s on the slippery slope to the irrational view that a woman who is rap ..read more

by Andrew Lim We start with a politically incorrect joke:  Gays for Gaza: Yipee, we’re so happy all the tall buildings in Gaza are gone. Hamas: Why?  Gays for Gaza: Because you can’t throw us off them anymore. First time I heard it, I doubled in laughter. And relieved, too I wasn’t a public figure nor still fighting in the trenches of activism.  Because I would have been rebuked and cancelled. Which brings us to the central point of this essay:  If the progressives/left persist in ideological/personal purity they will lose every battle. Full stop. Former US President Obama ..read more

Analysis and Opinion By Joe America I was an enthusiastic supporter of the Aquino Administration through all kinds of trials and tribulations, even when the entire nation went into a screaming rage because he chose not to greet 44 coffins in Manila. You see, presidents are human and they have data we don’t have. And they make mistakes. And media don’t cover all the good works. The Marcos Administration is no different. Most of the “mistakes” people cite occurred before he got elected, and many argue that is the whole of him. No, no. It is not. Not any more than Mamasapano was the whole of th ..read more

By Gerald Baldivia Dr. Benigno (“Iggy”) Agbayani, Jr. was a well-regarded orthopedic surgeon who specialized in knee arthroscopy, other joint conditions, and sports medicine. On October 5, 2023, as he was serving out his last month and a half as a prisoner at the Manila City Jail, he suffered a heart attack and passed away, aged only fifty-eight. Iggy left behind not just a devastated family and a small army of friends, colleagues, and patients that sorely miss his humanity and his irreverent wit and who are outraged by the injustice of his criminal case and the bitter circumstances of his pas ..read more

by Irineo Salazar Prof. Xiao Chua recently posted that he could see Pablo, the leader of SB19, as a potential future President of the Philippines. I do see as well how Pablo sees things strategically and how he thinks out of the box. Prof. Xiao sees Pablo’s drive to make Filipino music worldclass but based on unforced use of Filipino language and culture. Unforced or “di-pilit” is a key word as Pablo is pragmatic and eclectic in his language, from Tagalog songs like Liham, mixed creations like Crimzone to fully English WYAT. WTF? Oh no, not another from showbiz is how some could react. Still m ..read more

Interview by Wilfredo G. Villanueva October 21, 2023 Nominated by President Benigno S. Aquino III to be Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America on November 30, 2010 and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on February 9, 2011. He formally assumed his position on April 2, 2011 and served until June 2016. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Cuisia was Vice Chairman of Philam Life after having served the company as its President and Chief Executive Officer for 16 years.  Before becoming Philam Life’s President and CEO, Ambassador Cuisia served as ..read more