Tag Archives: duterte

The naughty and nice of 2020

By admin | October 3, 2023

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer This has been a terrible year because of the pandemic, but there are people who made the lives of Filipinos more miserable. The “naughtiest” is President Duterte, whose incoherent late-night speeches did nothing to ease our worries. His militarist mindset proved ineffective and counter-productive in dealing with the health […]

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A call for relief, accountability, and climate justice

By admin | August 1, 2023

Published by Bayan Metro Manila The pandemic and typhoon disasters tested the resilience of many Filipinos. But even the most resilient won’t survive if the government is slow to respond, refuses to be held accountable which prevents it from learning where it failed, and prefers to be indifferent even if the poorest in society are […]

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IFEX Asia Brief: April, May, June 2022

By admin | May 16, 2023

April 2022: Political crises, anti-Muslim violence, and Maria Ressa’s pushback. South Asia’s civic space is on fire: Massive protests in Sri Lanka, rising anti-Muslim violence in India, continuing crackdown in Kashmir, and intensifying political conflict in Pakistan. In the Philippines, Nobel laureate Maria Ressa countered the latest government harassment with a legal pushback. May 2022: […]

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Punishment, not promotion, for ‘mañanita’ general

By admin | April 29, 2023

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer National Capital Region Police Office chief Debold Sinas is a pasaway general who has yet to face accountability for his crimes against the people. At the very least, he should be penalized for clear violation of ECQ rules when he allowed a “spontaneous” mañanita to celebrate his 55th birthday.Under […]

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Keywords, sound bites, and newsmakers of 2022

By admin | March 30, 2023

Published by Bulatlat Since this was an election year, the most notable newsmakers were presidential candidates led by the frontrunners Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and Leni Robredo. Decades or even years from now, historians will also recall the historic candidacy of labor leader Leody de Guzman. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant in January […]

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Freedom of Expression Declines Further Under Marcos

By admin | January 20, 2023

Written for The Diplomat Three months after coming to power, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has failed to reassure the media community and the public that he will promote freedom of expression and reverse the impunity that worsened during the term of his predecessor. To be sure, there was little expectation that the son of […]

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Did the Left Enable Duterte’s Deadly Regime?

By admin | December 4, 2022

Written on February 2018 Our emphatic response is no, but some are flaunting the question as if the issue is already settled. That the Left is guilty of political opportunism by collaborating with the government of Rodrigo Duterte; that it shed its revolutionary credentials by joining Duterte’s Cabinet; and that it was already shamefully late […]

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The First 30 Days of the Marcos Presidency

By admin | October 22, 2022

Published by The Diplomat Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will mark his first month as president of the Philippines on July 30. If his performance in the past month has been a glimpse of his leadership for the next six years, we can assume that his presidency will be substantially similar to that of his predecessor. Marcos […]

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The Philippines in 2022: Elections, Omicron, and a Delayed Recovery

By admin | September 26, 2022

Written for The Diplomat The year 2021 ended tragically for the Philippines as Typhoon Rai (known locally as Odette) battered the southern part of the country, including prime tourism destinations. Recovery had barely begun when the Omicron variant once again plunged the country into panic, in addition to triggering a new set of mobility restrictions. […]

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Defund Duterte’s disinformation machinery

By admin | August 20, 2022

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer The Duterte administration’s so-called “whole-of-nation” approach in dealing with the communist movement has been exposed as nothing more than a costly “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” It is infuriating that public funds were utilized to spread disinformation targeting activists, leftists, and other critics of the government. The military said it supports […]

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