August 2010
25 posts
“What does a better Philippines look like or mean to you?”
– “When each citizen dedicates some sort of resource aside from money to another citizen aside from someone among their friends and family.”
Albert Balbutin, Jr.
“Every citizen should have a common sense of pride and love for their country, making every opportunity count for a...
Thoughts on Communism and Microfinance | Jonathan...
(A personal account written in 2005.)
Yesterday I visited a remote barangay in the mountains of Pilar, Sorsogon. I traveled with Jesa, the Assistant Training and Monitory Officer of the micro-finance organization I work with, the People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation of Sorsogon, Inc. (PALFSI). We had a meeting scheduled with the barangay captain to get his permission to help the...
The Awful Truth | Rene V. Bonsubre, Jr., M.D.
I was an angry teenager during the 1980’s. I joined demonstrations against Marcos even before I was old enough to vote. The opposition promised us that if we could get him out things would get better.
It didn’t.
EDSA II was proof of that. I was already a doctor and joined the first two days of demonstrations in Manila against the Estrada administration. I later realized that to the outside...
Little Steps | Danielle Miller
How many things are wrong with the Philippines? Each of us, every Filipino citizen, is aware of all the ills that are a staple in our society. Nothing is hush-hush about it, we talk about it all the time. Complaints about the latest political money-making schemes, poor road conditions, hungry cops, and red tape are discussed by those in the carinderia as well as people in upscale restaurants. But...
“Hold on to the hope that our country will be free from bribery, corruption and...”
– Letter to Our Son
by Joyce and John Coronel
Dear Calvin,
As a toddler, we want you to explore the world around you with so much freedom and interest. It would be nice to see you play with other kids in a park full of trees, with fresh air and clean surroundings. After all, every child deserves...
Beyond Being An Employee | Cathy Laine Raagas
Many times, I know, we have realized that the orientation of a common college student here in the Philippines is studying to be an employee. Not to be the boss, nor the owner, but to be the employee. Although our teachers try not to get us comfortable with the idea of being a rank & file employee, nonetheless, they are unknowingly training every student here in our archipelago to be one of the...
An Overhaul | Val Castillo-Martinez
An Overhaul
by Val Castillo-Martinez
Our nation has a lot of heart, good values, and very hardworking citizens.
The problem is that we are stuck in a rut. A rut that has been inflicted by poverty, fueled by corruption, and enhanced by cultural taboos embedded in our way of life.
We lack efficiency and discipline. Bureaucracy and red tape has slowed down processes in the public and private...
Volume 1, Issue 1: Editorial
by Jo Anne Villarosa
i:The Citizen aims to start a very important conversation; and it begins with the question, “What does a better Philippines look like or mean to you?” A simple question, but one to which we may have not given a lot of thought. It is very easy to demand a better country, a better life, a better government, but what do we exactly mean by “better?” The articles presented here...
June 2009
1 post
http://www.ithecitizen.org →
February 2009
1 post
Call for Submissions
This is a chance, an opportunity, a call.
We all want a better Philippines. While the government is largely responsible for running the country, let us not forget that we, the people, are the country. We cannot just sit back or stand around and take care of our own lives, and leave the task of taking care of our country to somebody else. We cannot expect for something to happen if we are not...