Cultured Corruption, Not Culture Of Corruption

by  jun asuncion
 
It’s impressive this Culture Of  Honesty among ordinary Bulaneños and interesting how it supports the findings of the Reader’s Digest Global Honesty Test conducted last 2007 wherein Manila placed 5th among other world cities tested (see report below).
There is reason to have faith then in our people’s inherent integrity and sincerity, indispensable values for [...]

The Anatomy Of Destruction

by jun asuncion
 
The two super typhoons that went through and above the Philippines have reminded us again of our human vulnerability, but this time with such an intensity that hundreds of thousands of our countrymen were displaced from their dwellings, hundreds lost their lives, properties destroyed. Total chaos, total misery.
What is left now are the  [...]

Of Green Vegetables And Green-Eyed Monster in Bulan

 jun asuncion
 
“There is a family that live adjacent to the property. When my nephew planted the vegetables and were almost a foot tall, these people had their little children (ages 8-12) went over the fence and trampled on all the growing vegetables. When my nephew went there to see his plants, almost all were damaged [...]

The Death Of A Political Dynasty

(Or, Rediscovering Apolinario Mabini)
by jun asuncion
 
“…  Political dynasty  is also subject to natural death as history has shown us: it dies due to lack of next generation that will continue it or the shift in interest or lack of energy of the new generation, or continued strife with other political dynasties has led to total annihilation of [...]

The Final Insult To The Filipino Mind

by jun asuncion
This SONA 2009 sounds like a desperate appeal to the public of one of the most unpopular presidents of the Philippines- Gloria Arroyo- to change their perception of her for the better before she steps down the throne of power where, for years, she overstretched the meaning of political corruption in the Philippines. [...]

Is Bulan Really That Expensive?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A  quick visit to the Bulan Integrated Bus Terminal
by jun asuncion
 
 The morning after the typhoon Dante, we drove quick to Fabrica to have a look at the  Bus Terminal.
That’s the entrance to the terminal for passengers. The ground was still muddy and the town filled with debris. We also checked on the buses traveling to 
 Legazpi [...]

The Eye Of The Storm

There is also calmness not only before but after the storm only that there is much to be done: rebuild bridges or homes, look for missing friends or family members, nurse the wounded and eventually bury the dead.
For the government and rescue leaders that’s the time for damage assessment and evaluation of its disaster management [...]

BULAN RESCUE TEAM ASSISTS MAGALLANES LANDSLIDE VICTIMS

Bulan, Sorsogon, May 8, 2009-
As a show of solidarity with the People of Magallanes Town, Bulan Town Mayor dispatched on May 6 & 7, the Bulan Rescue Team headed by Councilor Simmy Gerona to assist the residents of the landslide-ravaged barangays of Magallanes Town.
The team headed by Councilor Gerona also included Team Members Darius Razo [...]

Arroyo’s AO 255: The Last Insult To The Filipino Mind

 
Chiz Escudero seems to be reading Bulan Observer for now he just dared President Arroyo to “show sincerity in her moral renewal campaign”, this just after I have posted Strengths And Weaknesses Of  The Filipino Political Character where I used the concept of sincerity as the foundation of a sustainable political culture. Yet,  kidding aside, [...]

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Filipino Political Character

by: jun asuncion
 
Part 1: The Virtue Of Sincerity As The Foundation Of Sustainable Political Culture
Lack or flawed sincerity  underlies our socio-political underdevelopment. What is sincerity? Webster dictionary defines it as honesty of mind and intention. It is therefore closely related to honesty. The political Filipinos have the fondness of making things complicated; they corrupt a simple thought or action [...]

Talking With The Mouse Only

 
The Mouse says : “The rapacious desire to amass great wealth for own satisfactions. It is a never ending want for more money until the bleeding country falls into catastrophic chaos of pathetic despair and bankruptcy”.
It is a blessing that mice do not need money, that all they need are crumbs of bread (if they are [...]

The Perfect Society

 
Man has always been moved by tendencies to dominate, be dominated and be free. These have given rise to man’s  various political philosophies and forms of government throughout history: Monarchy, Dictatorship, etc. Political Dynasties were also the result of  these instincts; few families’ instinct to dominate is made possible by the peoples’ instinct to be dependent, to subjugate [...]

Nanette Vytiaco And Tony Ariado : A Retrospect

Or, Bulan’s  Past Brothers And Sisters in Arm
Every political ideology began by man finds its end also in man. First, people killed for communism and in the end people killed communism. Fascism (National Socialism), Anarchism, Monarchism, Imperialism, etc., had also met the same fate. What we still have in abundance today in Asian continent are political dynasties, which is [...]

Continue Your Good Work!

I have been contemplating whether to share or not share with you this email I got just this afternoon. This cold evening, after thinking things out over a cup of coffee, I finally decided to share this with you. The way that this mail has warmed my heart after reading it, I also hope this would [...]

“Hello Obama!”

Or, Arroyo’s Frustration  (reaction to J.A. Carizo’s and Atty. Benji’s comments)
   I expected somehow that Arroyo would not support Obama but rather McCain for Arroyo knows exactly that she cannot hide behind Obama should he become president; Obama is just too transparent, hence  not a good hiding place for Arroyo. For Obama, it was and [...]

A Transcendental White House

Obama, Or the Clash Of Ideas, Not Of Emotions Or Races
The Obama effect on me was that sigh of relief the day he won this historic election. Think about the real significance of this event for the black race as well as for the white and all other colors in between. For the Afro-Americans, a historic triumph [...]

Two-Edged Swords

by jun asuncion
( My reaction to rudybellens interesting contribution ” Lessons We Should have Learned…)
This situation analysis about Taiwan and the Philippines boils down to the most basic fundamentals again that we have been talking about: education and character, with all its strengths and weaknesses. To illustrate this I quote hereunder salient portion of rudybellen’s [...]

Of Greener Pastures, Brain Drains and Headhunters

 (A response to J.A. Carizo’s comment on A Lesson from From Shamans…)
Colonization actually started also with the dream of greener pasture which, as in the case of Spain, not really to spread Christianity and glorify their God and His Ten Commandments like Thou shall not kill, Thou shall not steal, Thou shall love thy neighbor etc. , for in [...]

When A Shaman Runs Amok

Or,  The Problem Of Depression And Violence In Finland
It happened just a few hours after I have posted my previous article about Finland: In Kauhajoki, Finland, a Finnish gunman ran amok killing  several students in a classroom. This horror echoes last November 11, 2007 ’s student shooting -also at a classroom in Finland- which is known as the [...]

A Lesson From The Shamans, Witches And Magicians

Or, Education in Finland
by jun asuncion
 
What do I know about Finland aside from my nokia handy and the outstanding PISA ranking? I digged down and remembered Alvar Aalto, (February 3, 1898 – May 11, 1976)  a celebrated Finnish architect and designer, the Kalevala which is a book and epic poem compiled from the Finnish and Karelian folklore by the [...]

The Great Filipino Dream

Or, Greed Over Education
 
(This is actually my response to attybenji’s comment on Teachers, Don’t Leave Us Kids Alone!)
You may recall that Mrs. Arroyo refers to college education as the ‘great Filipino dream’. Indeed she’s right this time considering that, as the DepEd says, out of 10 students entering Grade 1, six will complete the elementary course, four [...]

The Rice Terraces Strike Back

Filipinos are still aware of  what’s happening in their country and they still know what they want or not want. In the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) they sent the president diving. But as we have observed in her SONA 2008 she’s not to be blamed for her abrupt decline in this satisfaction [...]

Sad For My Country

An old article authored by The Call Of The Wild
 
I recently read an article in the newspaper about the current squabbles between the son of the former Speaker of the House, Mr. de Venecia, and the first Gentleman Arroyo.  I can not help but chuckle.  I was not surprised with the involvement of the husband of [...]

I, Me, Mine Administration?

Or: The Phases or Forms Of Bulan
“It’s for us some kind of public service. Mayor reads the mails you know. And she’s very open-minded. And we have read many suggestions already, she has been doing her best to respond by way of action, which we don’t need to constantly publicize, though it’s necessary sometimes. Anyway, [...]

The Pen or The Sword?

The perennial question involving  pen and sword: Which is mightier? Well, you have read atty. benji’s exposition about this matter in his article “badil vs. tabil“. As of now I’m inclined to say that both of them could be  useless or mighty, depending on ( or relative to ) time, place and circumstances and above all [...]