Try GOLD - Free
BBM's dream world
The Philippine Star
|November 10, 2025
Emperors and presidents fall for it. Hans Christian Andersen wrote a children's tale about it, The Emperor's New Clothes. We all know how that ends.
BBM or Trump live in their own dream world detached from the realities of life that the people they lead live. Their detachment is aggravated by a cordon sanitaire of aides who isolate them from bad news.
It should be impossible to be so cocooned from reality in today's social media age. Trump even has his own social media company that allows him to go straight to the people, bypassing the gatekeeping mass media. But he only chooses to believe what he wants to believe.
With BBM, he might have acquired this detachment from reality from his "rich kid" upbringing. He is also getting bad advice from butt-sucking advisers on what to publicly believe. If this goes on, it will be his end sooner than it should be.
How can BBM say with a straight face that business or investor confidence in the Philippine economy has been "restored?" In his dreams, right? But that's what he said in a press conference in South Korea. That reduces whatever credibility he has left.
"If we had not exposed it, then they would be saying that there's a problem. Now that we have exposed it, their confidence is stronger in the Philippines. The level of confidence in the Philippine economy ... is restored," BBM claimed in a press conference in Gyeongju, South Korea.
But publicly claiming exposing corruption and doing some concrete actions to make the corrupt accountable are two different things.
It is delusional for BBM to believe he has done his job by "exposing" the DPWH ghost projects. Hay naku! BBM should realize his work has just started.
All BBM has done so far is change the DPWH Secretary and appoint an investigative commission. That's hardly enough for investors to think that the government is serious about reform.
This story is from the November 10, 2025 edition of The Philippine Star.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star
Rising loveteam Heart Ryan and Zeke Polina lead Viva One’s ‘Hell University’
Following the onscreen pairings of Andres Muhlach and Ashtine Olviga, as well as Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji, here comes another rising loveteam from Viva.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
More M&A deals expected this year
Merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the Philippines are expected to increase this year after deal activity saw a slowdown in 2025 with investors being strategically selective, according to a report by PwC Philippines.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
Traslacion held amid outrage vs corruption
A massive crowd of devotees joined the annual Traslacion of the Black Nazarene in Manila yesterday, with some using the gathering to express outrage over a corruption scandal related to flood control projects.
4 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
51% of Pinoy families feel poor – SWS
A slim majority of Filipino families rated themselves poor at the end of 2025, according to the fourth quarter survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS).
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
ROW for metro subway 90% cleared at end-2025
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has secured 90 percent of the right of way or ROW for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) as of the end of 2025, picking up the slack for a railway that is now behind by years.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
UN sees faster growth for Phl in 2026, 2027
The Philippines is expected to post higher growth this year and the next after likely falling short of its 2025 growth target, according to the United Nations.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
MPIC's mWell pushes access to health care in remote areas
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC)’s digital health care arm mWell intends to pursue more initiatives to help boost access to health care in far-flung barangays and island communities.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
Erice hopes unprogrammed funds will be gone for good
A Supreme Court ruling on the illegality of unprogrammed funds may lead to the permanent removal of unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the annual national budget, according to Caloocan 2nd district Rep. Edgar Erice.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
WHY 'THE KINGDOM' PROVES PINOY STORIES TRAVEL BEST WHEN THEY'RE UNAPOLOGETICALLY OURS
WHEN \"THE KINGDOM\" PREMIERED at the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) in 2024, it didn't feel like just another film festival entry.
4 mins
January 10, 2026
The Philippine Star
Marcos launches DepEd's AI program
President Marcos yesterday launched a new Department of Education (DepEd) program aimed at ensuring the responsible and productive use of artificial intelligence (AI) in basic education.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size
