Philippine Democracy Online

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc  The Story of Christmas tells us that there was no available room at the inn that night. Jesus was born in a manger. What is the message of this? It means that for some, if not many, the heart remains closed. Love has no place in the way they treat others. The reasons can be many, but the reality is that we only listen to our own voice, or are too caught up in the ways of the world wanting to achieve success or our own happiness, so that we fail to see the pains of those who are hungry.  In short, people cannot love because they can be selfish. Sometimes, we only think of ourselves. We don't or perhaps refuse to see the suffering of other human beings. We are too eager in our own quest for fame, money, and power. In this way, we forget that when we turn away the poor, the needy, and helpless, we are also turning away Christ. Christ, to paraphrase Emmanuel Levinas, is the face of the other. He is the orphan, the widow, the homeless, the victim of cor...

By Francis Jeus Ibañez  During the 1st Bohol Island State University Research Colloquium, I successfully defended my paper on the madness of Philippine democracy. I drew my thoughts from Nietzsche, Foucault, Derrida, and Freud. In the context of Philippine democracy, I reflected on the highly contested radical democratic theory of Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, which critics largely misinterpret. I reckon that what we need right now, given the many calamities our country suffers, is a type of radical action. Politics is not meant to serve the higher 20% of the population but the lower 80%, which means that those who label Duterte's policies and politics as popolism actually miss the point. Duterte represents the struggle of the Bisaya, especially those from Mindanao. Asked by Dr. Ferdie Mangibin about the relevance of the work of Maboloc, I said that it is not about him but what he wrote. It is about how Philippine democracy has been turned upside down so that liberals can no longer...

By Dr. Romulo Bautista  The lack of stricter environmental standards compounded by lack of stricter enforcement was evident in the Philippines during Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive damage to properties and massive loss of human lives. After many disastrous and catastrophic typhoons, climate change is now a growing national concern in the Philippines, especially after the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. [People are now beginning to realize its effects on their lives and the future of this country. - Eds]  Climate change is a two-fold phenomenon. For lack of adequate descriptions, one phenomenon might be described as “natural and constructive”, which is intrinsic in the nature of existing realities and is regulated by the laws of nature. The other phenomenon might be described as “man-caused and destructive”, which is extrinsic to the nature of realities and is regulated by ethical laws legislated by man. The Kyoto Protocol  In 1997, industrialized countries agree...