Category Archive for: gobyerno

komentaryo

Tourism and the poor Filipino face

In January, the Department of Tourism (DOT) celebrated the 6.09% rise in the number of tourists to the Philippines. That’s 25,000 more people who have come to visit this country where everything’s more fun. That’s 436,079 tourists who landed in good ol’ Pinas in January alone.

It gives me goosebumps. Far from the good kind.

Because it would take an amount of delusion to think this all good, and only the naïve would think those numbers equal to development or change. This is not to dispute those numbers, neither is it to question those online surveys that say Boracay is the Best Beach in Asia. This is to ask questions borne of actually traveling this country, and observing tourism on the ground.

This is to ask: have you heard of the “poor Filipino face?” (more…)

komentaryo

on Robin and the Sultan

Over on Twitter, Teddy Boy Locsin claims credit for suggesting that actor Robin Padilla be brought to Sabah to help resolve the conflict. Locsin’s take on Robin of course is somewhat limited: he is charismatic, he is handsome, he can make people stop doing what they’re doing, Locsin says.

But in fact Robin’s iconography, his history as icon, reveals how while he might be all these adjectives, what is far larger than his charisma and looks is what he’s done, how he’s involved himself in issues political and religious, how these tie together to reveal a whole image that is in fact quite credible. He is after all one of the more sought after product endorsers of, wait for it, health products.

It’s easy to think that we’ve forgotten Robin’s younger more rebellious self. Of course in the landscape of popular culture in this country, it is highly probable that the Bad Boy title is what makes Robin even more credible. After all, how many of our icons can turn their lives around? (more…)

komentaryo

dear NBDB,

in light of your dot.gov website being hacked,  Andrea Pasion-Flores has said:

“We are an agency that promotes books, instruments of expression. I cannot express enough how much we value the act of expression. Now I have to redirect public funds to fix this problem. It delays the announcements we have to make, such as a fabulous subsidy grant to a regional conference I wanted to tell you about soonest. I guess you’ll just have to watch the NBDB’s FB space instead of going to our website. :)”

she misses the point entirely. if your government office is for freedom of expression, then it is its responsibility to every other freedom-loving-Pinoy to make a public statement against the Cybercrime Law. (more…)

komentaryo

a letter to Secretary De Lima: justice, please.

“My wife and I are now both very old – my wife just turned 80 and I am turning 80 next year. We would willingly spend this coming Christmas with our son as we did last year, if not for our failing health. We may have but a few years left and our only wish is to see Ericson walk free again.” — Isaias P. Acosta, father of Ericson Acosta, detained cultural worker and activist. (more…)

komentaryo

on kabastusan and Akbayan

because to me the ultimate kabastusan, what is truly disgusting, is to pretend to be of the marginalized, when you are so obviously already in prized posts in Malacanang, and at this point are coming off as a presidential sister, too.

you might imagine your kabastusan the acceptable kind, but you are no better than Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo making her son and allies run for partylist rep. for all your anti-GMA rhetoric PNoy, you are becoming like her in many ways. complete with wanting to silence critics. good job.

we focus on the burgis notions of kabastusan? we silence the more valid questions.

(more…)