Philippine Democracy Online

  By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  In his most important work "Domination and Resistance," Dr. Jeffry Ocay explains the root cause of the problem when it comes to Philippine politics. The experience of powerlessness of the Filipino is not a self-inflicted wound. It was a result of the coercive apparatus of colonial rule. Division in society is ideal when foreign invaders desire to exploit the people. To implement such a scheme, the easiest way to do so is to give favors to local leaders who would willingly agree to become accomplices to the oppression. In our time, this translates to the patronage system being put in place by the powers-that-be. We complain about this system but there's no escaping that we are part of the problem.  The truth of the matter is that we miss in a huge way the fact that we belong to one nation, and that if we do not correct the ills of elitism in this society, from every barangay to the nation-state, we will continue to sink as a basket case ...

  By Menelito P. Mansueto I borrowed some of the phrases I used in this piece from hip-hop. Since I am an avid fan of Pinoy hip-hop, it will be the highlight of this short essay. Several of the best rap battle artists in the country today are from Mindanao. Included in the very best are the three from Davao alone, namely: Thirdy, Sixth Threat, and Sak Maestro. I do not expect everyone to appreciate the rap battles, but undeniably it is one of the emerging new art forms in popular culture today.  In his rap battle against Lebanese-American emcee Dizaster, Sak Maestro had referenced the Philippine government as a gang: “The biggest gang out here is the Philippine government.” Well, when those words were uttered, it did not ring a bell not until recently when those congressmen who voted in favor of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte were recently bashed online. They had been rebuked for being disloyal. The walls on Facebook have it all.  It is a tough pill to swa...