Our Cebu experience

(My screen capture of Metro Cebu skyline from Harolds Hotel’s 12th floor.) We spent a total of six days in Cebu from May 4-9, and I must say with no second thoughts, Cebu is way better than Manila. The ambiance in Metro Cebu is very much like Metro Manila (where I was born, raised, and

On Turkey and Mongolia’s ASEAN bid

During President Rodrigo Duterte’s attendance at the China-initiated One Belt, One Road Forum held in Beijing, he set bilateral meetings with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenbat and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and something absurd came out: their intention to join the 10-member ASEAN bloc. We have to put the following into consideration: The Association

Life as a Filipino aspie

Lately, I’ve been posing this question to myself: is it really necessary for me to tell people what my “condition” is?  Is it some kind of a curse or should I use it as an asset and take pride in having it? Maybe perhaps in this country we have a stigma when someone has some

Proposals for a federal government

(image courtesy of CNN Philippines) With the Duterte administration yet to fulfill its promises of shifting to a federal system, and the never-ending debates on whether we should initiate such a shift, please let us lay out own proposals for reform. A ceremonial presidency with some reserve powers The president will remain the nominal head

Ang nakakairitang telco system sa Pilipinas

Ano mararamdaman mo kapag nakaranas ka ng sobrang bagal na internet at sobrang bagal na customer service? Tapos yung ikaw na ang naperwisyo ikaw pa ang pagbabayarin? Nakakainis diba?  That exactly was our experience. Common knowledge naman sa atin na ang internet sa Pilipinas ay isa sa pinakamabagal sa Asya pero isa rin sa pinakamahal.

Araw ni Rizal sa mata ng mga trolls

Disclaimer: This post contains heavy amounts of sarcasm which some may not be able to handle, and may generate considerable amount of butthurt. Read at your own discretion. We will not be responsible for any backlash that may arise. Ito na naman ang araw na ipagdiriwang ng mga Pepetards ang araw ng pagkamatay ng kanilang

Ideas for routes to Latin America

We would like to pitch some ideas on how to operate flights from the Philippines to Latin America, as non-stop flights are still impossible even for jumbo airliners like the Airbus A330, Boeing 777, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, and perhaps Airbus A380 (correct me if I’m wrong): Manila to Sao Paolo via Johannesburg Manila to

New look, and stories in store

Before this year ends, I have decided to unveil a new look for the blog, which reflects the seriousness in our approach and to further attact readership. Coupled with that, we will improve our content. For our domestic (Filipino) audience, here are posts you will expect from us for the coming days or perhaps next

Banat Top 5 for 2016

With this blog barely a year old and due my relatively busy schedule (coupled with a penchant for procrastination), we have not been able to post that much content, but we would like to end the year with the top 5 issues that we feel  made a lot of impact. 5. Geopolitical earthquakes one after

On fake news: what’s your stand?

There has been a lot of talk regarding fake news recently, with the spread of heavily partisan news sources or outright hoaxes and its influence in shaping public opinion. But we would like to ask a question. Which is more alarming, and who’s more responsible, these “fake news” sites or mainstream media’s failure to truly