The Marocharim Experiment

Forced perspective since 2002

Archive for Politics

Truth is in the (Im)Balance

I figure that this passing essay belongs in the immediate domain of someone like, say, @iwriteasiwrite or @ellobofilipino – but having not written anything for the past few weeks I think I should write something here as meaningful filler. I firmly believe that the wrong solutions to the wrong problems find their roots in a [...]

Sin Carne

In Mahar Mangahas’ column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he claims that the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has reduced its standards for food.  One of his more poignant examples: Dinner was changed from: pork adobo/pechay guisado/boiled rice/banana latundan to fried tulingan/boiled kangkong/boiled rice.  Thus pork is replaced by tulingan; the poor may not enjoy [...]

The Drop

Federico Pascual of The Philippine STAR described it as “political pneumonia:” the double-digit drop of President Aquino’s ratings should be disturbing not only for the Cabinet, but for the President himself.  What worries Ernie Maceda, on the other hand, is that his officials may be taking this too lightly.  Which is in more ways than [...]

Icons

After 15 years, Aung San Suu Kyi is finally free.  For the longest time, she represented democracy in her country: looking out for Burma from her windows, her view framed by barbed wire and security forces from the military junta that ruled her people and put her house arrest.  Today, Burma rejoices – the free [...]

Hotdog-Gate

So the critics of the President took it upon themselves to criticize and to chastise him over the matter of… A hotdog. The vitriolic anger, the righteous indignation, over… a hotdog.  That being said, I wouldn’t even bother to add to the criticism or the defense, if only because in a country with too many [...]

His First 9 1/2 Weeks

It began almost like a love affair between the country and its new President.  The nine and a half weeks of the Aquino Administration began with a landslide victory that many found difficult to dispute, and ended with a hostage crisis many find difficult to defend.  All we know right now of Daang Matuwid is [...]