Greg Macabenta

Ang Mamatay Nang Dahil Sa Iyo

Thursday, 10 May 2012 11:05 Greg Macabenta

I had a bad dream. I dreamed that the Chinese invaded the Philippines after the confrontation at West Philippine Sea finally exploded into an all-out war. I dreamed that while Philippine officials were meeting with the US State Department in Washington DC, China attacked the Philippines in a manner reminiscent of Pearl Harbor.

The AFP was no match to the vastly superior Chinese forces. Although our soldiers fought gallantly, the war was over in a few days. The entire country found itself completely under Chinese control.

Scrambling for low-hanging fruits

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 10:11 Greg Macabenta

TIME flies so fast. I can’t believe it was in 1991 (21 years ago) that I got a call from Freddie Garcia about ABS-CBN’s plan to enter the US market in earnest. Since it launched The Filipino Channel in 1994, ABS-CBN International (as the Kapamilya Channel) has established a firm foothold in America, as well as in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, bringing to homesick overseas Pinoys Manila-produced entertainment, as well as news on the Filipino communities in the countries covered.

Then came GMA Network, launching GMA Pinoy TV in 2005. Like TFC, GMA (as the Kapuso Network) has been exporting news and entertainment to overseas Filipinos. What it doesn’t offer, however(except occasionally), is news about Pinoys in the countries where they live.

Taking on Goliath

Friday, 27 April 2012 13:37 Greg Macabenta

THE current standoff with the Chinese over the Spratleys at Panatag Shoal will get worse before it gets better. What are we to do as a country and as a people? Scanning my commentaries over the years on situations like this, I came upon a piece I wrote in June 1997 about China bullying us over Scarborough Shoal.

Except for the size of the Philippine population (70 million then) and the names of Gen. Arnulfo Acedero and Bill Clinton, who were AFP chief of staff and US president, respectively, at the time, this column might as well have been written today. My stand on the issue of dealing with the Chinese Bully remains the same.

Let it all hang out

Thursday, 05 April 2012 10:56 Greg Macabenta

If senator-judge and presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile will not allow Corona’s defense lawyers to present the SALN of legislators and cabinet secretaries, as well as that of President Noynoy Aquino, I would suggest that they feed all the information they can mine into social media. And let it all hang out.

Since their client has been subjected to trial by publicity, they should have no compunctions about giving everyone else the same treatment.

Noynoy-ying, Arroying and Pusiting

Friday, 23 March 2012 11:43 Greg Macabenta

It’s more fun coining words in the Philippines. Take “Garcifying” which means cooking the elections. And “Hamborjer,” which refers to a multi-billion peso broadband sandwich. The latest to hit the media is “Noynoy-ying,” which is supposed to mean “doing nothing.” Some mischievous characters have also proposed “Arroying.”

Arroying means enriching the economy with one hand and stealing from it with the other. On the other hand, according to them, Noynoy-ying means not stealing from the government coffers, but not doing anything for the economy, either.

More Articles...