Dear GRP Insiders,
Filipinos are once again Proud to be Pinoy. However there is still the matter of the more collective achievement that remains the more important focus specially in the lead up to an important national election.
What do Filipinos stand for? The mystery persists. But hopefully not for long.
Regards,
benign0
In review and in prospect
The Olympic gold brought home by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz dominated much of the charter last week. That, plus the doom and gloom surrounding the surge of the coronavirus Delta variant that plunged most of the world back into hard lockdown, sample the continued mixed bag of public sentiment over what the future holds.
This week promises a lot of both surprises and I-told-you-sos. Even with the “Let Leni Robredo Lead” movement sputtering and a New Opposition possibly in the forms of the Ping Lacson - Tito Sotto tandem, there is still room for continued horse trading in the homestretch to the COMELEC registration of candidacy deadline.
At this point, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is the man to watch. He lacks the baggage that washouts like former Senator Antonio Trillanes and even Manny Pacquiao are saddled with. And he is ambitious.
Last week's blog posts
Politics
Antonio Trillanes: History catches up with a rabid Yellowtard attack dog
August 1, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"It was an ugly specter to see Trillanes relentlessly questioning his seniors at the Academy and the AFP. It resulted in the suicide of Gen.Angelo Reyes and charges being brought against Gen. Carlos Garcia and Jacinto Ligot..."
Hands down, Election 2022 will be a two-way race with Lacson-Sotto as the New Opposition
July 31, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"In my opinion, the windows of opportunity for Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senator Manny 'Pac-Man' Pacquiao have been shut."
President Duterte’s 2021 SONA: not a “long goodbye” but more of a “to be continued”
July 28, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"There was a man I knew before who wasn’t well-educated formally but loved to read. He kept on repeating the adage 'treat your enemies well and send them home defeated.' In hindsight, Duterte has done exactly this."
July 27, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Vice President Leni Robredo is finished. It’s back to the province for her. She should take pity on her 'supporters' and stop leading them on by making her decision known."
#SONA2021 “response” issued by @IBONFoundation sounds like a shrill girly temper tantrum
July 27, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Sonny Africa can’t single out the Philippines and dump all of the blame on Duterte. If IBON is such an excellent economic think tank, why don’t they propose innovative out-of-the-box solutions instead of continuously ranting..."
Isko Moreno and Manny Pacquiao still have lots to learn about what it takes to be President
July 26, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Isko is now number 5 while Pac-Man is number 8 in Presidential preference. Both drops have been precipitous because of the shaky foundations of their political careers as they don’t have a base to begin with except their career origins..."
Media
July 29, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"It is ironic that the very people whom journalists were supposed to serve have taken it upon themselves, to do the task of holding the politicians and the journalists themselves accountable for the consequences of their actions."
July 26, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Filipino journalists have become information counterfeiters at worst, mindless 'stenographers' at best..."
Society
Hidilyn Diaz lifts not just weights. She lifts an entire people.
August 1, 2021 by benign0
"There is probably only one other individual who can relate with the journey Hidilyn Diaz is only beginning today. That person is Manny Pacquiao."
Pandemic impact on today’s youth demands making education a top election issue
July 28, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The elephant in the room is the fact that there are parents who don’t make a commitment to fostering an environment of excellence for their children to begin with."
Pinoy Pride Euphoria Over An Olympic Gold Medal Singular
July 27, 2021 by Gogs
"Look at the pinoys going nuts now, all that energy. If they transplanted the energy we see in celebration and pour that into preparation then I am sure we would have gotten to that first gold medal sooner."
Important dates
30 Aug 2021 - National Press Freedom Day
01 to 08 Oct 2021 - Filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC)
Notebook
"In lockdown, the events we experience all have more or less the same context. If you’re spending almost all your time in your house, it’s harder to pinpoint individual memories of the things that happened there." (Full article)
"But much of the ebb and flow of a pandemic cannot be explained by changes in human behavior. That was true with influenza a century ago, and it is true with Covid now. An outbreak often fizzles mysteriously, like a forest fire that fails to jump from one patch of trees to another." (Full article)