With insurgency-related fatalities reaching a new peak in June, the coming months will be crucial in understanding whether these figures represent an isolated spike or an emerging pattern in the conduct of state forces.
What might in fact be truly controversial is the fact that we have a vice president drawing far-fetched connections in the way her father did to justify his slapshod leadership, and a presidential sister and senator demanding that government violate the Tantocos’ right to privacy to feed the monster that is Duterte propaganda.
Rodrigo Duterte turned government into one national gambling machinery by making E-sabong a state-enabled enterprise. By 2021, the system spanned 14 regions of the country.
Juan Miguel Zubiri, senator of the land, is done with his work as judge in the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte. Even before the trial has begun, he has already rendered a verdict. And his verdict is acquittal. He has violated his oath of office.
So we ask. We read. We remember. Because this isn’t just about a joint bank account—it’s about what kind of country we’re willing to fight for. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Our association of the Duterte house in Doña Luisa subdivision is far from rosy. The self-confessed Davao Death Squad assassin, Arturo Lascañas, said it was in that house that the assassination of Leila de Lima, then the chair of the Human Rights Commission was planned by then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte while cooking sausages.
Patrick Alain Azanza, 7th president of Catanduanes State University, has been sworn in as the13th governor of the island province of Catanduanes.
In 2015, GMA News reported that Sigfrid Fortun’s acceptance fee is P20 million per case. If that is true, we can already envisage the bottomless pit of money that the Dutertes have. Remember that for the ICC case of Rodrigo Duterte, the family is not being impoverished by Nicolas Kaufman’s legal fees of P2,590,960 per month (Eu40,000). They have asked the International Criminal Court to help them cover the legal fees of the Kaufman team’s five lawyers.
The first step — acknowledging the reading crisis in Filipino students — is done. The next steps must, first, alleviate teachers’ taxing circumstances so they can focus on teaching; second, rebuild the schools’ curriculum and literacy programs; and, third, strengthen teachers’ ranks.
Joel Villanueva is not just a coach of Imee Marcos. He has become your typical politico who has a characteristic aversion to accountability. In November 2016, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales issued an order to dismiss Villanueva from public office for alleged misuse of P10M in PDAF. The Ombudsman concluded that the disbursements were coursed through a dubious NGO for a livelihood activity that turned out to be a ghost project.
