Monthly Archives: December 2025

Reflections after a prison visit

By admin | December 31, 2025

Published by Bulatlat No one enters and leaves a jail facility in the Philippines without being outraged by the conditions of inmates, the slow pace of the justice system, and the arrogant indifference of those who could do something to address these problems. It is a trip into the underbelly of the system that identifies […]

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Guns, goons, and gold? Now it’s dynasty, disinformation, and substitution

By admin | December 21, 2025

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer Despite the clamor for reforms, our electoral system is still plagued by violence and corruption which we often refer to as the use of “guns, goons, and gold” by traditional politicians or “trapos.” Since 2016, we saw the emergence of a new disturbing trend that features the following: brazen […]

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Philippine Exit from Money-laundering ‘Grey List’ Marred by Allegations of Abuse  

By admin | December 8, 2025

Written for The Diplomat Philippine authorities celebrated the country’s removal last week from the money-laundering “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), but some civil society groups described it as a “Pyrrhic victory” because of the filing of trumped-up terrorism financing cases against activists and community-based organizations. It remains to be seen whether […]

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