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While many people would not even bat an eyelash in naming Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the worst president the Philippines have ever had; it would be a bit myopic to suggest that her term didn’t usher in developments that helped the country greatly.

Now that I think about it, most people really appreciate the Marcos Era for the amount of infrastructure that were erected during his tenure – the reclamation of huge swathes of Manila Bay, the Folk Arts Theater, the Cultural Center of The Philippines and the Light Rail Transit system. Many would remember Ferdinand Marcos as a scheming power-hungry dictator who crushed enemies mercilessly; but most would generally concede that the did some things right. Most would go as far as saying that his first term as President was a fairly admirable effort.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not get the same merciful treatment. Continue Reading »

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UP Los Banos’ debate organization (The Parliament) has decided to expand the annual UPLB Intervarsities. Instead of being an exclusively for-UP tournament, invitations have also been sent this year to debate organizations in the island of Luzon.

The even will run from September 5 to 7 at the UP Los Banos Campus.

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I was geniunely surprised – and mortified — when Peyups suddenly posted my 5 year old article on atheism I called The Heretic Speaks. This article was probably seen as really mediocre that the older editors condemned it to the bottom of the bin. It was really shocking to see it published on the front page – and with 38 comments at that. Let’s just say that most of  ‘em weren’t exactly fan mail. This is similar to having your naked pics as a toddler posted on the internet, I guess.

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I’ve been invited to speak as one of the lecturers for this event. It’s a great honor and we at Visit Sagada are very privileged to have been picked by the good people at YouthTrip Philippines. I will be there on Saturday afternoon to pitch for Sagada, Mountain Province and why the youth should consider it as their next backpacking destination. There will also be other people who will present other places in the area like Banaue and Batad.

What: Destination: PiliPinas – Conquering the Cordilleras

When: August 22 2009 4pm

Where: Travel Club TriNoMa

See you there.

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As someone who dabbled in being in an atheist acoustic duo for over a couple of years, hearing of another similarly minded partnership makes me somehow feel warm and fuzzy inside. William of Happy Days Ahead shared their new songs at the Filipino Freethinkers mailing list and he has quickly made new fans out of us in the group.

The song See is a very witty take on how romantic relationships between religious and atheist individuals play out. Atheist undertones aside, See is a very catchy song that could most definitely make believers (pun intended) out of many people.

To listen to the song, simple go to Happy Days Ahead’s MySpace page.

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I’ve really found it hard to stomach the idea that mere humans who have been only around for a couple of million years – or a few thousand years if you’re a creationist *snicker* — would have the gall to rank geographical features of the Earth that have been progressively evolving and changing through more than millions of years.

What’s even more insulting is that support for these so-called wonders is largely based on national loyalties. Most of the justification stems from the fact that it is a popularity contest and an added boost to tourism would always be good for the Philippines. I guess most Filipinos don’t really care that much as long as we end up with a globally-recognized tourist trap. Matters that concern nature need not be a competition. When we look at natural wonders, it should be from the perspective as a child of the Earth – not through snotty, insecure and pseudo-patriotic mindset that seeks to power vote through every Miss Universe pageant’s Most Photogenic Award competition. Continue Reading »

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