By: Teddy A. Casiño (www.rappler.com) Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo is in hot water for dipping his hands into the failed attempt to grant clemency for convicted rapist and killer Antonio Sanchez earlier this year. The Senate investigation on the aborted early release of Sanchez showed that Panelo had referred a […]
Editorial
Duterte and the POGO dilemma
By: Bob Herrera-Lim (www.rappler.com) \ Beijing has asked that POGOs be closed, but their departure would in the near term adversely affect the bottom line of several of the Philippines’ largest real estate firms. It’s for President Duterte to save the sector. When President Rodrigo Duterte visits China this week, he is expected to intercede […]
YouTube: The new battleground against disinformation
By: Robbin M. Dagle and Rossine Fallorina (www.rappler.com) YouTube is the new battleground in the fight against disinformation. The online video sharing and streaming site is next to Facebook as the country’s most active social media platform. In our research on the role of disinformation in the 2019 midterm elections, we found that YouTube has […]
How Duterte’s whims and caprices hurt the economy
There’s a term I hear with increasing frequency these days: policy-based evidence-making. The proper term, of course, is evidence-based policy-making. But in the past few years a number of government agencies have found themselves implementing policies without the benefit of empirical data and careful study. Many of these policies originate from Duterte’s ramblings and musings, […]
Applause for death, drugs, sex jokes – that is the State of the Nation
Every July for 3 years now, President Rodrigo Duterte drags us down a cesspool of rambling profanity, lasciviousness, and threats that, aided by film directors and creative camera angles, has been passed off as the State of the Nation Address (SONA). It is easy to say that his speechwriters lack the imagination to draft political […]
Walang tubig, kuryente, pera – penitensya ngayong Kuwaresma
Paaano ba tayo sasampalataya, magiging Kristiyano, at higit sa lahat, magiging tao sa panahon ni Rodrigo Duterte? Kung maikli ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot – iyan ang sabi ng matatanda. Ilang pamamaluktot ba ang kailangan nating gawin upang maka-survive? Walang tubig, walang kuryente, walang pera – ito ang drama ng buhay natin ngayon, at matapos magreklamo […]
Kaliwa and Chico Dams: More than just debt of money
By: Tony La Viña and Joy Reyes (www.rappler.com) In this article, we argue that the controversy over the Chinese loans that will finance the Kaliwa Dam and Chico River Projects should not be seen only through the prism of whether the Chinese loans are onerous or not. They should also look at the nature of […]
Michael Yang – ang crony ni Digong
Mukhang mayroong isang klase ng pagkakaibigan sa Palasyo na hindi matitinag ng intel report, kahit na iniuugnay nito ang kabarkada ng Presidente sa droga. Narito ang timeline. Nobyembre o Disyembre 2015. Dinalaw ng mayor pa noon na si Rodrigo Duterte si Michael Yang sa Xiamen. Makikita sa mga larawang naka-post sa Chinese social network Baike […]
How Duterte’s exaggerations worsened the Philippines’ drug problem
We’re nearing the midpoint of the Duterte administration, yet we’re nowhere near solving the Philippines’ drug problem. By all accounts, things even seem to have gotten worse. For example, over the weekend, Duterte proclaimed, “There are seven to eight million Filipinos reduced to slaves to a drug called shabu. Seven to eight million lost souls.” […]
Universal healthcare: Why we’re still not quite there yet
By: JC Punongbayan (www.rappler.com) We’re unarguably closer to providing universal healthcare for all Filipinos. But there is still a long way to go. On Wednesday, February 20, President Duterte signed into law the Universal Health Care Act which signifies a landmark in healthcare reform in the country. For starters, it automatically enrolls all Filipinos in […]