After the outburst of public anger, amplified by official outrage orchestrated by an unpopular government, Taiwan is sounding less bellicose these days. Perhaps President Ma Ying-Jeou and his advisers think they have forced the Philippines into a corner. They would be wrong.
Getting from Katipunan to Greenhills took two-and-a-half hours. This was early evening of Monday. It had been raining intermittently in the afternoon—not furious downpours but relatively light ones. When I left Katipunan, it was only drizzling. It was a breeze getting through the street, but when I got to the bridge just past Ateneo everything stood still.
Whatever it was that motivated our colleagues and students at the University of the Philippines College of Business Administration to name their college—the academic program itself, and not just the building—after their esteemed alumnus and former dean, Cesar E.A. Virata, I am quite sure it had nothing to do with the pledge of an endowment. Though he has rich and powerful friends, Virata himself has kept a low profile and is known to live modestly. But, more important, as far as I know, UP does not confer honor in exchange for money.
The furor did not die instantly, and the issue on rape being the subject of jokes will rankle as long as rape continues to be made a laughing matter. There have been discussions, reflections and reactions in print and online (not much on TV where the cause of the furor belongs) on the rape joke that was heard and laughed at by thousands in a live concert and later viewed with shock online.
My good friend Eddie Yap, chair of the urban development committee of the Management Association of the Philippines, wrote an excellent piece on the ills of the metropolis. After I saw how life and work were again disrupted, with so many people stranded and stuck for hours in unmoving traffic after a little rain on Monday, I think what he said deserves public attention and government action.
A bowl of rice. Something so common can mean so much—a staple in our diet, and a symbol of our heritage. Steaming simplicity, which represents the ideals of community and sharing that Filipinos hold so dear. A people of faith, hope, and perseverance—what qualities of the spirit push us to achieve more?
The offline world of dating is complicated. To meet your potential mate, you have to find him or her in the university, at work, and in social gatherings.
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience– Teilhard de Chardin
Two things are booming in our country: the economy, and political dynasty. The first is a hero; the second a villain, a growing pain that’s disliked and detested by many.
Allow me to commend the Inquirer’s June 17 editorial (“8.1 billion”). The Inquirer did a great service to the Filipino people by focusing on the crucial subject of the movement of the world’s population in general and of the Philippines in particular.
Even in ordinary, everyday life, missed deadlines are no trifling matter. When something is not done or delivered or paid for at the agreed-upon time, there are consequences. A student who turns in a late assignment runs the risk of a failing grade. A bounced check can land its issuer in court for estafa. A business supplier unable to produce the required goods under contract faces legal liabilities. And employees habitually tardy at completing their tasks may find themselves out of work sooner or later.
When foreign visitors ask me about travel time within the Philippines, I sometimes crack a joke like, “Oh, the flight from Cebu to Manila is an hour, but to get from the airport to Quezon City it can take two.”
