In review and in prospect
The op-ed section of the Manila Times is now behind a paywall which means it presents a strong value proposition to its leaders as a source of reliable information and insightful thinking that people are willing to pay for. To be fair, the Times now has a deep and diverse bench of columnists which means there is a broader range of points of view that one could evaluate within a single space. John Mangun’s work in Business Mirror is also a good source of sober and data-driven insight backed by the compelling context a guy of his experience and story-telling acumen applies. Contributors to the Opinion section of the Inquirer are hit-and-miss with many of them settling into such predictable patterns that it is usually hard to get past the first paragraph of the pieces there before working out that one is in for yet another plight-of-the-poor spiel or appeal to the “human rights” cause. As far as Inquirer op-eds go, it is the works of the more “numerate” amongst them — Mahar Mangahas, Cielito Habito, to name a couple — and the robust logic wielded by Randy David and Artemio Panganiban that stand out. Maybe a smidgen of The Noted One, the venerable Manuel L Quezon III for tradition’s sake, completes the opinion sampling effort there.
These days it has become a virtual bipolar rivalry between two conservative camps — the camp of President Bongbong Marrcos and that of the Dutertes headed by the former president and, as proxy, his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte. The liberal camps dominated by the Yellowtards and communists have largely been discredited in the 2022 elections. Whether as a result of that or as a contributor to it, they are an utterly decimated political force. As such, the arguments that matter in the national chatter today — between the two ruling camps with fundamentally similar foundational thinking — now require more nuance to unpack. This requirement for nuance (compared to the Left-versus-Right battle over the last several decades that offers lots of room for glibness) has made identifying salient signals in this chatter a lot harder.
The broader swathe of participants in the chatter lack the skills, intellect, and maturity first to accept that the battle fronts have changed, second, that there is no “good” versus “evil” in modern politics, and, third, that nobody really cares about the “poor” and “oppressed” in the Philippines (the “plights” of the latter being the pillars of ideologies that cost the Opposition an entire nation). The issues and challenges at play are bigger than the plight of manufactured “victims”. Vietnam had already overtaken the Philippines in a key (albeit incomplete) measure of national wealth — per capita gross domestic product. Despite this, the Philippines still lacks a clear pathway to compete globally. It is clear but unsurprising that “democracy” has not delivered in a society that evidently does not get the whole point democracy to begin with. This, again, raises important conversation around disturbing historical correlations between authoritarian governance and measurable economic development in the region.
The important conversations are no longer happening on social media which, particularly in the Philippines, had proven to contribute negatively to the quality of discourse. Social media rewards volume over substance which, by its nature, encourages winning arguments by brute force rather than through a genuine exchanges of ideas. For conversation to progress, moderation and oversight needs to be applied both on the quality of content and over the conduct of participants. None of this exists in social media where anyone is at liberty to declare one’s self the victor of any “debate” on the mere bases of measures (such as volume and the number of likes, retweets, and re-shares collected from the exercise) that one selects. It is likely we are seeing the beginning of the end of this grand experiment with social media and a possible return to traditional moderated forums and references to branded content producers that count public trust as their key asset.
Last three weeks’ blog posts
Analyzing Duterte’s Magically Increased Budget and Totalitarian Tendencies
July 10, 2023 by Oman
"Documents showed that the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s 2022 budget ballooned by 32 percent to P947.1 million as of end-2022, from the original P713.4 million approved under Republic Act 11936 or the General Appropriations Act of 2022."
Totally Inday Sara: Life Under Full Blown Totalitarian Rule By 2028 and Beyond
July 9, 2023 by Oman
"Her tough approach and consolidation of power raise concerns about suppression of opposition, use of force, and lack of checks and balances. However, it is also crucial to acknowledge the challenges she faces and the support she receives from the Filipino people."
Does Taco Bell Philippines Have The Legal Right To Put LeBron James In Their Ads?
July 6, 2023 by Gogs
"Taco Bell Philippines in their Facebook page as well as their ads have LeBron holding a taco. There is no evidence that the taco he is holding was prepared by anybody officially affiliated with Taco Bell."
VP Inday Sara’s Pork Barrel Fund: The P9 Billion Barangay Development Program
July 5, 2023 by Oman
"I pointed out that to win the 2028 Presidential election, you have to have as many vote rich areas under your control. Now consider the following about Inday Sara Duterte..."
COA Flags Inday The Red Tagger For Non-Compliant Satellite Office Expenses
July 3, 2023 by Oman
"We must remember that similar instances of so-called 'emergency purchases' were so rampant during the rule of Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio’s father, especially around the time of the COVID 19 pandemic."
Democracy Will Die With Inday Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio
July 2, 2023 by Oman
"A healthy democracy encourages open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas. However, Duterte’s behavior suggests a tendency to silence dissenting voices, which can stifle the diversity of opinions necessary for a functioning democracy."
Inutile Opposition leaves administration factions to carve out the Philippines among themselves
June 28, 2023 by Ramon Ortoll
"Amazing how many Pinkidiots were triggered by the tweet about MaDumb marking her wedding anniversary with Jesse again. It’s not that she 'lives rent-free' in people’s heads. It’s more about her accepting her fate, which should also be the case with her moronic supporters."
On Afghan refugees: Philippines bending so far backwards for the US it risks breaking its back
June 19, 2023 by Ramon Ortoll
"What the US wants with the Afghan refugees is an imposition. Why the Philippines to begin with? Probably because we’re not the type to complain and say yes faster than the Americans can finish making the request."