Category Archives: nation

China’s COVID-19 Diplomacy Backfires in the Philippines

By admin | October 16, 2020

The Chinese embassy in Manila released a music video dedicated to COVID-19 frontline workers, but it quickly drew widespread anger among Filipino internet users because of the song’s indirect reference to the South China Sea, known locally as the West Philippine Sea. The music video of the song “Iisang Dagat” (One Sea) was released on […]

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Duterte’s New Threat to Philippine Press Freedom

By admin | July 13, 2020

Written for The Diplomat When the Philippine government’s solicitor general filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to forfeit the franchise of ABS-CBN, the country’s leading broadcaster, the development attracted international headlines. As it should: While Duterte’s efforts to undermine press freedom are longstanding, this is the most serious threat to press freedom since he […]

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What Does 2020 Hold for the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte?

By admin | April 27, 2020

Despite the landslide victory of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s party in the 2019 midterm elections, he still faces several serious challenges that could potentially undermine his government in 2020. The Southeast Asian country next holds general elections in 2022. Duterte’s strong showing in midterm elections last year, following the presidential election victory that propelled him […]

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Rising Anxiety About China’s ‘Debt Trap’ in the Philippines

By admin | February 13, 2020

Over the past few months, rising scrutiny on Chinese investments in countries ranging from the Maldives to Malaysia has intensified an ongoing conversation in the Philippines about the risks of a Chinese “debt trap” in the country as the government of President Rodrigo Duterte pursues increased engagement with Beijing. This discussion has become more pronounced, […]

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The Philippines’ (Too) Quiet Opposition

By admin | December 31, 2019

After the Philippine midterm elections, some members of the opposition party decided to join the majority coalition in Congress. This despite the aggressive campaigning of opposition candidates against the human rights abuses under the government of President Rodrigo Duterte. That opposition politicians would quickly affiliate themselves with the ruling party reflects not only the quality […]

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The Ampatuan Massacre: 10 years of fighting for justice

By admin | December 22, 2019

The 10th anniversary of the single most deadly assault on journalists ever takes place on 23 November. IFEX’s Asia & Pacific Regional Editor Mong Palatino writes about a decade of activism on behalf of the 58 Ampatuan Massacre victims, among them 32 journalists, in this Spark multimedia feature article. Written for IFEX Global solidarity for […]

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2018: Exposing the Bully and Resisting the Tyrant in Malacanang

By admin | December 12, 2019

Here are the highlights of the people’s struggles in Metro Manila in 2018. Labor Unrest The labor sector initiated breakthrough actions in 2018. Taking cue from government pronouncements rejecting contractualization, labor groups stepped up its organizing among contractuals. It led to workers asserting their right to unionize in response to the duplicitous move of capitalists to outsource their responsibility […]

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Is It Time for the Philippines to Move Its Capital City, Too?

By admin | November 24, 2019

Indonesia’s decision to go ahead with its plan to transfer the seat of power from Jakarta to East Kalimantan has renewed earlier debates about whether it’s also time for the Philippine government to leave Manila and look for another capital. Like Jakarta, Manila is notorious for its swelling population and an expanding urban area grappling […]

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The War Against the Philippine Press

By admin | October 2, 2019

If the aim of the media attacks is to distract and mute the opposition, so far it is not succeeding. But it sends a dangerous message about how far this government is capable of doing to stretch the limits of the law to run after its critics. Written for The Diplomat Magazine Why Philippine Politics […]

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What the Neverending Imelda Marcos Case Means for Philippine Politics

By admin | August 17, 2019

Published by The Diplomat The consequences of Imelda’s conviction continue to spark the realignment of political forces and it could end up in a duel between a Duterte-backed alliance of pro-Marcos groups against an opposition coalition supported by a battle-tested anti-Marcos movement. That is further testament to a broader trend in Philippine politics, where the past […]

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