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Editor's Pick

Commemorating the Battle for the Liberation of Manila

Commentary

By Jose Antonio Custodio

Feb 7, 2026

Eighty one years ago, on February 3, 1945, the Battle for the Liberation of Manila began. It was the only urban battle of the Pacific War and it raged for one month, ending on March 3, 1945… The battle remains controversial due to the excessive loss of civilian life as well as the destruction it caused. It made Manila the second most devastated Allied capital city after Warsaw in Poland during the Second World War.Some of the specific controversial issues surrounding the battle are: Was it a necessary battle? Could the city have been bypassed to save the residents from the horrors of urban fighting and massacres? Was the use of artillery by the Americans done in an indiscriminate manner?

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Let the Law do the Talking

Commentary

By Melissa Loja and Romel Regalado Bagares*

Feb 5, 2026

The National Maritime Council bears particular responsibility...A multi-agency approach is necessary, but convergence without leadership is fragmentation. Public messaging by maritime and security agencies must reinforce a coherent diplomatic line, not generate parallel narratives that complicate it.

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A ruling that reshapes the road to 2028

Commentary

By Tita C. Valderama

Feb 2, 2026

In the end, the question is not merely whether Sara Duterte can run in 2028. It is whether the country is prepared to confront the tension between political power and legal accountability, and what it means when the two collide long before a single vote is cast.

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Defunding foreign-assisted projects—and the costs we now bear

The joy of watching Alex Eala

News

By Bullit Marquez

Jan 26, 2026

It’s not a wonder why Alex Eala is popular. She embodies grit and integrity-qualities that Filipinos admire and dream to have for themselves.

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Fact Check Filipino Online Posts

FACT CHECK: PEKE ang pictures nina Sen. Risa, Fr. Flavie na nakatingin sa ‘figurine’ ni Kian Delos Santos

Kumakalat online ang dalawang larawan kung saan tinitingnan umano ni Sen. Risa Hontiveros at Fr. Flavie Villanueva ang rebulto ni Kian Delos Santos sa Paghilom Lakbay Museo exhibit sa Senado. Edited ang mga ito.

News

When Journalism is Treated as Terrorism*

Frenchie Mae’s arrest, prolonged detention, and eventual conviction for terror financing – based largely on testimonial evidence – form part of a broader pattern: the use of terror-tagging and anti-terror laws to blur the line between journalism and criminality. This practice did not end with the Duterte administration. Despite having the power to reverse course, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has failed to dismantle the mechanisms that allow such prosecutions to persist.

Commentary

Unpolluting the memory: Duterte’s flood control corruption

Marcos Jr., no doubt, will be held accountable. But it is a false dichotomy to assume that there was no corruption under the Duterte regime and that Sara must not be investigated.