‘Because you are Filipino’
The Philippine passport should be a source of pride, a shield of protection, not a badge of suspicion. Every Filipino deserves to see the world without being treated like a criminal just because of where they were born.
Contributor Archives
Easter reflections in the age of surveillance
While progress is welcome, it must not come at the cost of privacy and dignity. It is time to stop treating digital policy as a series of convenient shortcuts and start treating it as a frontline human rights issue. The government must prove it can be trusted with the power it has taken.
When the kitchen feels the crisis
Filipinos are resilient. We always find ways to cope. But we shouldn’t have to keep surviving problems that could have been prevented. We deserve leadership that plans ahead.
The noise of VP Sara’s silence
Sara Duterte’s silence in the House may be the loudest part of her 2028 positioning. Every unanswered question signals to supporters that the current administration is illegitimate. Every delay reinforces a narrative of persecution.
The mouth that roared: Rodrigo Duterte’s rhetoric on trial
Can a head of state be held accountable not only for what he did, but also for what he said? In the end, it may not be a secret memo or a taped call that will bring down “the Punisher,” but the echo of his own voice.
Day 3 of confirmation of charges hearing: Kaufman challenges link between Duterte speeches, killings
It is not enough simply to assert that Rodrigo Duterte said outrageous things, and that deaths occurred, and so, as a result, he must be criminally responsible - Kaufman
Day 2 of confirmation of charges hearing: Prosecution details killings, victims warn of ‘plague of impunity’
Prosecutors played video clips and cited transcripts of Duterte’s speeches in which he issued his “kill, kill” orders, promised to shield police from prosecution and assured them they would not go to jail for actions taken in the drug war.
Day 1 of confirmation of charges hearing: Butuyan warns of return of Duterte impunity if ICC won’t confirm charges
Joel Butuyan: Truth is the antidote to the virus of impunity, Your Honors. The victims dread a future where charges are not confirmed. It will mean that the virus of impunity will continue to spread and infect many more.
The Duterte drama at The Hague: Too weak to stand, but strong enough to snub
Is Duterte too frail to remember, or simply too defiant to face the music? Even his own prosecutor has described him as an “unreliable historian” of his health. He adjusts the story as needed. The “sickly” act is a shield , one that spares him the gaze of mothers and children who lost loved ones in the drug war, some of whom have traveled to The Hague seeking justice. By remaining in his cell, he preserves the tough-guy image for supporters back home.
From lawmakers to law-evaders: A Senate in crisis
A fractured Senate is a weak Senate. If leaders are busy managing internal conflict, the chamber cannot effectively serve as a check on the Marcos administration or as a counterweight to the Dutertes. Instead of focusing on laws and oversight, senators are distracted by survival
