Mong Palatino

Blogging about the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific since 2004

About

@mongster is a Manila-based activist, former Philippine legislator, and blogger/analyst of Asia-Pacific affairs.

Published by The Diplomat

The year 2021 saw Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte make a series of dramatic political flip-flops that characterize his final year in office. Meanwhile, several women have earned national and international recognition for their advocacy and achievements amid the pandemic and rising authoritarianism.

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Why are Schools Still Closed in the Philippines?

Published by The Diplomat

Schools in the Philippines have remained closed since March 2020 due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s insistence that sending students back to campuses is a risk he cannot take during the pandemic.

Duterte first rejected the proposal of the Department of Education (Deped) to reopen schools in December 2020 by citing the surge of COVID-19 cases linked to the Alpha variant. At that time, malls and cockfighting arenas had already been allowed to resume operations.

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