Reading the recent notice of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute filed at the office of the United Nations Secretary General, one gets the impression that there are people in the present administration who equate the Duterte presidency with the Philippine state. They should be reminded that we are not an absolute monarchy. Not … Read more
Mike de Leon’s new film, “Citizen Jake,” is a psychosocial drama that focuses on the personal contradictions of a crusading upper middle class “citizen journalist” who appears to lack insight into his own privileges. His inquiry into a gruesome crime leads him to a profound realization of the corrupt system in which he—and, indeed, all … Read more
President Duterte despises international bodies and foreign leaders who comment on the way he runs the Philippine government, so much that he repeatedly declares he is not answerable to any of them so long as the Filipino people support him in what he does. This week, he angrily reacted to the recent move of the … Read more
On a long road trip the other day, I happened to be tuned in to yet another live broadcast of the unending marathon hearing on the impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at the House of Representatives. In the agenda of the House committee on justice that day was the testimony of the … Read more