Category Archives: nation

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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Has the Impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte Been Defeated?

By admin | October 19, 2025

Written for the Diplomat As politicians secretly negotiate the terms of the impeachment, various groups are demanding transparency, vowing to hold public vigils and pressure the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial. The impeachment may be in limbo and held hostage by transactional politics, but the campaign for truth and accountability is very much […]

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Rodrigo Duterte as VP is anti-democracy variant we should resist

By admin | October 10, 2025

Published by Philippine Daily Inquirer (June 7, 2021) The PDP-Laban’s internal squabble is its problem, but the group’s resolution urging President Duterte to run as vice president should be condemned outright. It has to be named for what it is: a shameless maneuver to extend Mr. Duterte’s term beyond 2022. The PDP-Laban is no ordinary […]

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Congress Hearings Reveal Sordid Details of Duterte’s Drug War

By admin | September 9, 2025

Written for The Diplomat While the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating the role of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the bloody enforcement of the “war on drugs,” the House of Representatives has decided to also look into the matter and establish linkages between the drug-related killings and the use of illicit money for […]

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The Marcos-Duterte Rift is Getting Nastier and More Personal

By admin | August 26, 2025

Written for The Diplomat The political rivalry of the Marcos and Duterte families has become fiercer, nastier, and more personal. The two powerful dynasties formed a coalition and clinched a landslide victory in the 2022 elections, but this so-called “uniteam” imploded in the last quarter of 2023 until the rift intensified and led to an […]

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No peaceful retirement for Sinas, a notorious human rights violator

By admin | July 29, 2025

Published by Bayan Metro Manila General Debold Sinas should be held accountable for his bloody human rights legacy instead of being appointed to a civilian position in the bureaucracy. His ‘mañanita scandal’ should at least make him ineligible from getting a new post in the government. He has bigger sins that should warrant an immediate […]

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What’s Next for Philippine Politics After Duterte’s Arrest

By admin | July 2, 2025

Written for The Diplomat Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking a significant step forward in the pursuit of accountability and justice for the extrajudicial killings perpetrated by state forces during his bloody campaign against illegal drugs. How will Duterte’s arrest in Manila and detention […]

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Coup Plot Dismissed in the Philippines

By admin | June 30, 2025

Written for The Diplomat Retired and active officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the leadership of the House of Representatives have expressed support to Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. after former President Rodrigo Duterte called for military action against the incumbent government. The Marcos-Duterte rift might appear to be a mere […]

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What’s Old and New in the Midterm Philippine Elections?

By admin | May 16, 2025

Written for The Diplomat The Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) says that that it has received 43,033 applications for the midterm elections scheduled for May 2025. Each voter will select 12 senators, a district representative, a partylist representative, and local officials in each province, city, and municipality. A total of 18,280 elective posts will be […]

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