Author Archives: admin

Resign Duterte

Published by Bayan Metro Manila President Rodrigo Duterte is nowhere to be found amid the surging COVID-19 cases and the build-up of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. The public health crisis alone warrants not just his attention but visible leadership to assure Filipinos that he is on top of the situation and that […]

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IFEX Asia brief: April, May, June 2024

April 2024. Journalists who ‘crossed the line’, digital repression, blasphemy prosecutions, and marriage equality bill. India goes to the polls amid continuing media harassment and content blocking. China’s repressive model of media and internet governance is increasingly being imposed in the region. A worsening rise in blasphemy prosecutions in Pakistan. Good news: Thailand parliament passes […]

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Sara Duterte Decries ‘Political Harassment’ Against Her Family

Written for The Diplomat Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte has described the decision to remove 75 police personnel from her security detail as “political harassment.” “Let us spare our people from all the lies. Let us call it what it is – a clear case of political harassment,” Duterte said in her four-page open letter […]

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Midterm Elections and the Prospect of Impeachment in the Philippines

Written for The Diplomat Election season has officially begun in the Philippines, with the filing of candidacies of prospective candidates for the midterm polls scheduled for May 2025. But aside from election-related activities, the prospect that Vice President Sara Duterte could face impeachment is expected to dominate the local news and political scene until the […]

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IFEX Asia briefs: January, February, March 2024

What’s new and old in 2024: Repressive laws, attacks, and election disinformation in Asia. New media laws in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal could negatively impact access to information. Afghanistan’s media situation remains precarious amid intensified state-backed attacks. Filmmakers in Myanmar and Malaysia face criminal charges. As political forces resort to restrictions and disinformation in […]

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Use NTF-ELCAC funds to give relief during extended ECQ

Published by Bayan Metro Manila The government should tap the funds intended for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and instead use it give urgent relief to families affected by the extended enhanced community quarantine and other lockdown restrictions across the country. The emergency situation should compel the Duterte government to […]

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The Marcos-Duterte Rift Widens in the Philippines

Written for The Diplomat The Marcos and Duterte political families in the Philippines have been publicly criticizing each other over the past four months, threatening to further undermine the “unity government” headed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. As the two dynasties maneuver for influence, an increasing number of Filipinos are outraged that these political […]

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‘Like the rain falling in torrents on a thousand raging rivers’

Book review of Jose Maria Sison’s On the Legal Democratic Mass Movement (Sison Reader Series Book 12). Published by Bulatlat “The enemy is strong, yes. But we, too, are strong. If we unite—if those who have strength contribute strength, if those who have intellect contribute intellect…like the rain falling in torrents on a thousand raging […]

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Filipino Jeepney Drivers Make Last Stand

Written for The Diplomat The year 2023 ended in the Philippines with several transport groups holding nationwide protests aimed at pressuring the government to reconsider its program that will lead to the phaseout of jeepneys. The jeepneys were World War II surplus vehicles of the U.S. military before they were modified and used by Filipinos […]

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‘Spirit of the Glass’: Aral ng kasaysayan at paghamon sa red-tagging

Sinulat para sa Bulatlat Matapang na tinalakay ng dula ang usapin ng red-tagging at kung bakit ito banta sa malayang palitan ng diskurso sa lipunan. Bukod sa napapanahon, malinaw, at maingat na tinilad-tilad sa dula ang mga pangkalahatan at partikular na ginagawa ng red-tagging sa komunidad at sa mga biktima nito. Kung pamilyar ang naratibo […]

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