A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

ABS-CBN News I noticed that some stubborn boomers on Facebook are citing Article VII, Section 5, of the "sacred" 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. This is what it says: SECTION 5. Before they enter on the execution of their office, the President, the Vice-President, or the Acting President shall take the following oath or affirmation: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President (or Vice-President or Acting President) of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God.” (In case of affirmation, last sentence will be omitted.) Does this mean that the 1987 Constitution must be upheld at all costs? The reality is absolutely not . In fact, preserving and defending a constitution doesn't mean that no changes can be made whatsoever. This is the mindset that people like Atty. Hilario Davide Jr. (who...

PhilStar Life September 2026 is almost over. Robin Padilla's decision not to run for politics anymore had me thinking, "Just because I'm not qualified or don't have the time for politics doesn't mean I can't speak up!"  I'm not a political analyst, a lawyer, or an economist. However, it doesn't mean that I couldn't start citing them to defend my stance. Citing a Filipino economist like Andrew James Masigan (who's very pro-reform) is one. I also did research with sources like From Third World to First  by the late Lee Kuan Yew.  However, when it comes to the anti-constitutional reform people in the Philippines, one must wonder what their source is. I have even tried asking pages about who their source is, while purposely using the word "sauce" instead of "source." I usually get insults, and when I do start posting sources, I get the "mercy" of the block button,  when the insults only make me reply nearly non-sto...

Today is indeed the 35th anniversary of the Vizconde Massacre case . I wrote a previous article where grief was weaponized . The late Lauro Vizconde passed away sometime on February 13, 2016. It was already ten years ago when he died. It's a real pity that Hubert Webb got acquitted but the real killers got free. Grief was weaponized along the way. It was as if you believed that the wrong people were caught, the false dilemma was that you actually support criminals, and that you're not grieving with Lauro.  The Vizconde Massacre Trial, which only started in August 1995, sometime after April 28, 1995. That was when the "star witness" Jessica Alfaro , a self-confessed former drug addict, stepped forward. People were probably either too afraid, too excited, or, in the case of the Vizcondes, they were too perplexed not to notice that Jessica's story wasn't making any sense. However, it happened anyway  when Jessica stepped forward, and the crimes happened. We had t...

TV Worth Watching The Regional Trial Court hearing in the Chiong Sisters Case concluded on May 5, 1999 . It makes me feel strange that I knew some people who personally knew the star suspect,  Francisco Juan G. Larrañaga,  and even the Chiong Sisters. One of my friends, as I said, I will not mention names to protect their privacy. Back on June 7, 1998, the Chiong Sisters,  namely the late Marijoy Jimenea Chiong and her older sister, Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong, went missing. Two days later, a body that was assumed to be Marijoy was found in Carcar . However, the defense later disputed the body. Sadly, the body has been cremated, which means any chances of verifying its identity may no longer be possible.  I didn't mind the case too much until someone told me, "Do you still remember Paco Larrañaga? He's innocent!" It blew my mind to know that Hubert Webb was innocent, and so was Paco? What? That one truly caught my mind. I feel like revisiting the case. I watched the co...

Al Jazeera Today is March 30, 2026. It has been 15 years since the execution of the three drug mules. Their names are Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Ramon Credo (who was cremated in China shortly after his execution), and Elizabeth Batain (whose face was never revealed, perhaps due to the loved ones requesting more privacy). Contrary to what one might think, the three drug mules weren't a trio. Instead, they were three separate cases that just happened to be scheduled to die on the same day.  They weren't a trio. They had a temporary reprieve when  former vice president Jejomar Binay tried to save them . Villanueva, together with Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain, was scheduled to be executed last month but got a reprieve after Vice President Jejomar Binay traveled to China and personally appealed to Chinese authorities. BBC   News even gave such a short news report, that I felt compelled to copy/paste the whole time as a reference here: Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Bin...

Flor Contemplacion has been dead for more than a decade. However, we still have had 30 years of Flor Contemplacion Crybabies spreading fake news about her "innocence" . The sentiment was pretty much that Flor was innocent, there was some hatred for Singapore going on, and the narrative was that Flor was a saint. I thought about this torture scene (not available in the free edition  on VIVA Films' YouTube channel), but it's available if you either rent or buy the film on YouTube Movies. It's probably because of the Terms and Conditions that YouTube allows for free-for-all movies. You can rent the movie for PHP 180.00 (SD) if you don't want to own the film, but want to see the uncut experience. It's still that clear despite being SD.  For some indicators, if you want to see the paid  movie vs. the free movie, here are some differences between the free movie from VIVA Films vs. the paid version: 1:27:01 timemark (free movie) is also found in 1:27:01--1:27:02 ...

It was in 2012 when the Chona Mae incident happened. I remember the panic when people were running the opposite direction while I was working at Downtown, Cebu. The traffic was bad. People were panikcing. But the real twist? It was actually a father looking for his daughter, whose identity we may never know.  The Cebu Daily News   said this last 2022, which was before entering the post-COVID world: CEBU CITY, Philippines — It has been a decade since the famous “Chona Mae” line was uttered by a father looking for her daughter after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Cebu, February 6, 2012 .  From what was a simple call of a father to his daughter turned out to be the biggest tsunami scare in Cebu City.  “Ang tubig naa na sa Colon!” ("The Water is already in Colon!") was the line that has gotten everyone running on the street of Cebu looking for shelters up in the mountain parts of Cebu.  Today, we remember that frightful yet somehow funny day that w...

It's easy to post an outrage on Facebook, whether it's on the Butthurt Philippines' Facebook page or Gerry Cacanindin's relatively open Facebook profile (except that only his friends can comment). I try to ignore the guy's page. I was wondering if Gerry has learned his lesson (that the Philippines badly needs a system upgrade) or if he still wants to believe that "It's just a matter if Leni Robredo or Vico Sotto." The latest Facebook post gives me something to think about: People often ask why some countries seem almost immune to corruption. As if their leaders are just magically more honest. But that’s not really it. The truth is actually simpler. These countries didn’t wait for good people. They built systems where doing something dirty is hard, risky, and usually not worth it. In the least corrupt countries, corruption isn’t just illegal but inconvenient. Paper trails are everywhere. Payments are digital. Contracts are public. Anyone can look up wh...

  I was looking at the Mahal Ko Ang Pilipinas  (I Love the Philippines)  Facebook page, which made me laugh. This is what they wrote on their post saying that the Aquino Family isn't a political dynasty: THE AQUINO FAMILY IS NOT A POLITICAL DYNASTY 🇵🇭🎗 Pro-Duterte blogger Tio Moreno says that Bam Aquino is part of a political dynasty because the Aquino family is a political dynasty. But to me, this is not true. Why is it not true that the Aquino family is a political dynasty? 🤔 1. When Ninoy Aquino entered politics, none of his children joined him in his endeavors, and even his wife Cory did not join him in politics. 2. When Ninoy was assassinated in 1983, none of his children succeeded him in politics, not even his wife. But when the opposition and his supporters were looking to be the opposition's candidate for the presidency in the snap election called by Ferdie Marcos for 1986, his housewife Cory Cojuangco-Aquino was approached, encouraged or convinced by people t...