What are the qualities of a good leader?

With Philippine national elections just around the corner (May 2010), we should be ready with our own checklist enumerating the qualities of a good leader.

Here's my partial checklist:

(1) A good leader gets his/her guidance from credible sources (tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are, ( Read more... )

My friend Mymy sent me an email about someone who was racially discriminating Filipinos. It is true that as a people, we are still a work in progress (what country isn't?) but there are also many reasons to be proud of the Filipino.

Many Filipinos have showcased excellence locally as well as internationally in fields such as: singing, painting, ( Read more... )

Now that the air is once again thick with talk about graft and corruption in government, I cannot help but think that genuine public servants do belong to an endangered specie. It makes me miss people who have gone before us like Haydee Yorac. She was a flash of brilliance in a society that was always on the lookout for role models in government.

( Read more... )

The Philippines' Willy Wang won a gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Wushu Competition. Wushu is considered a demonstration sport in this year's Olympics so the victory will not affect the country's medal standing. I hope we all choose to rejoice as a people and not allow words such as "but" and "however" dampen our spirits. Wushu is a showcase of ( Read more... )

Filipinos worldwide are now experiencing an adrenalin rush caused by the 2008 Beijing Olympics where our athletes will be competing in different categories. The last time we won a medal was in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when boxer Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco bagged a silver.

The Philippines will be represented by shooter Eric Ang; weightlifter ( Read more... )

Marides Fernando is the world-class mayor of Marikina City in the Philippines.

Marikina is the Shoe Capital of the Philippines because of its renowned shoemaking industry. The city prides in having the Guiness Book of Records-recognized world's largest pair of shoes. It also serves as the home of the collection of shoes of the former first lady ( Read more... )

Leonardo Sasa won the Kitchen Artist of the Year 2008 title in the Junior Chefs Award held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Leonardo is from Paete, the carving capital of the Philippines.

Because of the laws on logging, Paete's young generation turned the carving skills that their parents passed on to them into a foundation for the new industry that ( Read more... )

Sarah Jane Cua of the Philippines won the Brand's Sudoku Challenge 2008 Asia Pacific Open held in Singapore from July 11-13. This 14 year old student at the Pangasinan Universal Institute says that her victory was a result of speed and practice.

As soon as she arrived in Singapore, she invited her mother to go shopping for Sudoko books. She is said ( Read more... )

Filipino Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao is now the new World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Champion after knocking out his opponent, David Diaz, in the ninth round yesterday. Some of his other world titles (past and present) are WBC Flyweight Champion, WBC International Superbantamweight Champion and WBC Superfeatherweight Champion.

Manny Pacquiao was ( Read more... )

Paeng Nepomuceno is a six-time world champion in bowling. Guiness World Book of Records recognized him as the youngest ever to win a world title at the age of 19. He won the World Cup four times (1976, 1980, 1992, 1996) in a span of three decades. Add to this list these wins...the International Tournament Championship (1984) and the World Ten-pin ( Read more... )