Years before the ZTE scandal broke out, I’ve read a book by the PCIJ with an in-depth section on oligarchies in the Philippines. In a nutshell, most of the biggest corporations in the country are controlled by a handful of families. Neri’s lecture on political economy, as narrated by Lito Banayo in the Senate hearings, affirms this, and so does common sense, if one were to actually take the time to observe. Read more on Neri’s observations and reform agenda on the PCIJ blog. Should make for an interesting study. (Diagram taken from Inquirer.net)

I guess “interfaith” includes atheists. Here are pictures taken from the rally at Ayala corner Paseo de Roxas in Makati. We got there 6:00pm and left when the program finished at 9:00pm. Great crowd! Parang ayaw pa talaga umalis, nakailang ulit yung emcees sa pagsabing, “Umuwi na po tayo, next time na lang!”

Sabi ng mga ale sa tabi ko habang naglalakad pauwi sa Ayala:

ALE #1: Dapat tuluy-tuloy na ‘to eh. Dadami pa yang dadating parang dati, yung mga pamilya nagdala ng pagkain. Nagbibigayan lahat, walang nagugutom.
ALE #2: Oo nga eh. Reading-ready pa naman ako mag-overnight. May baon akong t-shirt, o!
ALE #1: Ako may dalang panty!

Hahaha. Astig mga Pinoy!

Click here to see the rest of the pictures.

Just when you thought this couldn’t get any messier. The plot thickens.

Today the Spratlys, tomorrow Palawan

By Manuel L. Quezon III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:11:00 02/27/2008

On Tuesday, a witness told the Senate that the Chinese insisted that the President leave her husband’s sickbed, because they were skeptical of the seriousness of the government with regard to the national broadband network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp. She complied, returning the favor of commissions being released in time to help the administration election campaign last May.

After repeatedly playing the China card, eventually the Chinese have to collect. What’s in it for them?

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tagubilin at habilin.
ni Jose F. Lacaba

mabuhay ka kaibigan
yan ang una’t huli kong tagubilin at habilin
mabuhay ka

sa edad kong ito, marami akong maibibigay na payo
mayaman ako sa payo

maghugas ka ng kamay bago kumain
maghugas ka ng kamay pagkatapos kumain
pero huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay para lamang makaiwas sa sisi
huwag ka maghuhugas ng kamay kung may inaapi na kaya mong tulungan

Read the rest of this entry »

Created by a team of artists for hard-hitting Portuguese magazine Grande Reportagem. They came up with the idea to put new meanings to the colors of flags, using actual data taken from Amnesty International and the United Nations. I’d like to see them do one on the Philippines. How do you think that will come out?

Angola

Colombia

United States of America

Want to see more? Click here.

And now for something fun.

The Story of Stuff is a nifty minimalist animation that is both quirky and engaging. If you’re pro-environment, you’ll really appreciate this piece. Here’s a description from The Story of Stuff website:

“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

Click here to watch the video now!