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

After President Duterte spoke of his wish to see city streets rid of bystanders who like to spend the night at street corners and public places singing, drinking, gambling or just shooting the breeze, the Philippine National Police started rounding up everyone they thought had no business being where they were. In so doing, the … Read more

The violent attacks on Catholic priests, resulting in the killing of three and the serious wounding of one in the last seven months, represent an alarming development in our nation’s life. It crosses a line that generations of Filipinos have respected even in revolutionary times. Two of the murders were committed inside chapels, while the … Read more

One hundred and twenty years ago, our ancestors raised the Philippine flag from a balcony in Kawit, Cavite to signify the beginning of our journey as a free nation. Hijacked by the United States of America right at the start, and interrupted by Japan during World War II, the quest for an independent Filipino nation … Read more

A legislative bill creating a national ID system is just inches away from becoming a law. But, for a measure that has been proposed by nearly every administration in the last 20 years, the issues it throws up have not really engaged the attention of the average Filipino on the street. I don’t think we … Read more

There can be no doubt that the world system which determines the relations of nations to one another has dramatically changed over the last 30 years.  The United States of America, the superpower that completely dominated the world stage following the collapse of Soviet socialism, is manifestly retreating from its role as a global leader … Read more

The relationship between law and politics is always a complex one. On one hand, they are coupled to one another. Politics produces and shapes the law, and law regulates the practice of politics. But, on the other hand, law and politics must be able to operate autonomously of each other — that is, governed by … Read more

Time magazine’s latest issue banners the article written by Ian Bremmer, titled “The ‘Strongmen Era’ is here. Here’s what it means for you.”  Filipino readers will be keen to know if the country’s tough-talking president, Rodrigo Duterte, is among the “strongmen” featured in the Time essay.  They won’t be disappointed.  He is. What it means … Read more

The “rescue missions” recently undertaken by Philippine Embassy personnel in Kuwait to free Filipino household workers from the grip of their abusive employers are, from a Filipino standpoint, singularly laudable. Done quietly — and with the knowledge and cooperation of the host government — these proactive moves affirm the state’s responsibility to come to the … Read more