In cynical and despairing times such as ours, nothing perhaps lifts the flagging spirit more than to witness an event that expressly celebrates what some people do for others and their communities, quietly, persistently, and, often, in defiance of convention. Brimming with ideas and energy, they have a peculiar need to empty themselves. They are … Read more
The children of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos—namely, his namesake Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his eldest daughter Imee Marcos, whose respective political careers have received a special boost under the Duterte presidency—have repeatedly admonished their father’s critics to stop wasting time talking about the Marcos martial law regime. As the nation marked the Aug. … Read more
What makes President Duterte an interesting speaker is that, whatever the occasion, the audience never quite knows what to expect. His habit of discarding prepared speeches has become emblematic of this basic refusal to abide by the conventions of formal speech. Consider his pronouncement last Tuesday, before a gathering of the country’s top business leaders … Read more
(Kahit minsan lang sa isang taon, bilang paggunita sa Buwan ng Wika, ang aking kolum para sa linggong ito ay nasa wikang Filipino.) Bagama’t hindi ikinatuwa ng marami ang promosyonal na video na “pepedederalismo” ni Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson at ng katuwang niyang si Drew Olivar, talaga namang nakatawag ito ng pansin. Ibang usapin … Read more
In a time long past, the appearance of road checkpoints particularly in the metropolis would instantly elicit a flurry of petitions questioning their constitutionality. Checkpoints strike at the very heart of the Bill of Rights, or Article III of the 1987 Constitution. While the Supreme Court has conceded the legality of checkpoints during abnormal times … Read more
President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (Sona) succeeded in making him look and sound presidential. For the second time since his brief inaugural address two years ago, he behaved in accordance with what is expected of someone occupying the nation’s highest office. The special “diva lighting” that must have been used on him … Read more
Presidents of the Republic give countless speeches in the course of their terms. These speeches vary not only in length and style and their audiences, but also in the degree to which they are shared with the larger public. The one thing they have in common is that they all carry the authority of the … Read more
Social Weather Stations, or SWS, pegs President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating for the second quarter of 2018 at +45 percent, down 11 percent from his first quarter rating of +56 percent, but still “good.” Pulse Asia, on the other hand, records a very high 88 percent approval rating for the President for the same quarter, … Read more
The basic selling point of the Duterte administration’s planned shift to a federal system is that it would equalize development opportunities across the various regions of the country, check the traditional political dominance of a few favored centers, and thereby end mass poverty in the periphery. There is no basis for this expectation either in … Read more
It’s difficult to say what provoked President Duterte to mount a sustained verbal attack on the Catholic faith and the religious clergy this past week. Perhaps, Mr. Duterte himself doesn’t know. Self-awareness and rhetorical restraint have never been his strong suits. But, he clearly revels in his high survey ratings. He takes them as irrefutable … Read more