What make a good nation are good people. No matter how great the sceneries are, no matter how rich the natural resources is, and no matter how powerful the military defence might be, it cannot be a good nation if people living here are corrupt. Corruption has been the subject of discussion in this country for more than two decades. But while the media and political entities are busy revealing to the people of the nation and to the whole world how worst corruption in this country is, there are still cities, people and leaders that are proving “change for good” is still possible in this wonderful nation. As an observer, although I have not yet widely explored this beautiful country, I can say that Filipinos still has the courage to prove to the world that they can rise up to the challenge of times. In this country of OFWs , boxing legends, and white-sandy beaches, there are three places which I recently visited that I can say are making good things to happen despite of odds forcing this

Here’s my thought. Filipinos, we’re almost gone with the wind a few years back. Typhoon Yolanda, literally, almost buried us in the mud and blown us away to nowhere. Thousands were killed, lost their homes, morally degraded, starved, cried, and up to now desperate to recover from an unprecedented tragedy. The strong wind strikes again – Ruby. We’re flooded. We’re drowned. We collapsed again for a while. We welcome each year with this. We used to count days before Christmas. We used to light up candles a few weeks before we share our smile. Those were the November days. Some of us mourned while some of us commemorated the passage of our loved ones. We used to keep our smiles for a while and then burst it out in the cold days of December. The red colours and flashing lights are trying to calm us down. The cold wind is trying to speak its sorry after those tragic days that left us horrified. We can’t get out of the fire. It keeps on extending its tongue and grabs t

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year All! Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa Lahat! How do Filipinos celebrate Christmas? You'll be amazed. Here is my blog post for that. Christmas celebration is one of the most awaited event by millions of Christians around the world and of course, of the Filipinos here in the Philippines. Many says that Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration among any other nations on earth. How true? September Countdown As early as September, people are already decorating their houses with "parol" or lanterns, flashing lights, hanging bells, "belen" or a manger where Jesus, Mary, Joseph and several animals are gathered, and more stuffs that resemble the spirit of Christmas. September is also the month when TV and radio stations are starting to count down the number of days before Christmas. By October and November, people are already busy listing down the

This blog is the continuation of the previous post: "Singaporing" Manila – Reversing the Reality Part 2 When I went to Singapore in 2012, there is an estimated 163,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)in this country. When you look at the map of Singapore, it is really so small that some call this country as the “little red dot”. The government of Singapore is parliamentary (it has a prime minister) and motorists drive on the left side of the road. Now, take a look on these photos portraying the everyday life in Singapore. Singapore has 55 urban planning areas that are organized into five regions. If you take a closer look on the public transportation system of this country, you will notice how the railroads, highways, streets, and even river systems were developed. They devised the so-called 1991 Concept Plan which was introduced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Here in the Philippines, we have the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which was formed in 1975. Acco

The Real Face of Metro Manila This blog is the continuation of the previous post: "Singaporing" Manila – Reversing the Reality Part 1 Here are some facts and figures about Metro Manila. In 2011, the population of Metro Manila (or Kalakhang Maynila) is 11,855,975. Consisting of 16 cities and one municipality, its total land area is 638.55 sq. km. A permanent resident of Manila is called Manileño. As of 2010, Metro Manila is the 11th most populous city in the world. Here are some of the photos taken from different areas of Metro Manila today. You’ve just seen how Manila looks like today. In February 2013, I wrote “ Why Business will Grow in Manila? ” In this post, I cited that business will grow in Manila or in the Philippines provided that these three conditions would be met. Condition #1: Mind your own business. Condition #2: Forget about varying political and religious point of views. Condition #3: Save for real. Invest for real. I wrote this article three months after my ar