Archive - Stories

STATEMENT: Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, responding to a question about coal and pollution during the second presidential debates on March 20, brought up the El Niño phenomenon and said it is climate change. “You know, even climate change, climate change does not have to be discussed. It is here. El Niño is the climate change. Kaya nga yung

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech to the Rotary Club of Manila last Jan. 14 he was once charged with acts of lasciviousness. But in the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro on Feb. 21, he denied such cases. A video of Duterte’s speech to the Rotarians was uploaded to YouTube by “Duterte Movement.” Duterte:  “In fact,

STATEMENT: In an interview in Mati, Davao Oriental on March 2, vice presidential candidate Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the Philippines is one of the remaining five countries in the world without a K to12 Education System. Asked about educational reforms the country needs, he said, “Isa na lamang sa limang bansa sa mundo ang Pilipinas na

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL DESPITE getting the high court’s nod to run as president, Senator Grace Poe continues to be hounded by issues on her citizenship. This was evident as she lost her cool Sunday, when her allegiance, particularly her supposed renouncement of her Filipino citizenship, was questioned by Vice President Jejomar Binay during the

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL IT is no joke to start over. Less than two months before the May 9 polls, the Commission on Elections has resorted to voicing a plea to the high court to rethink its demand of issuing vote receipts. Otherwise, there may be failure of elections, the Comelec said Friday. “There is a strong

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL TARPAULINS and posters of candidates vying for national posts are everywhere, from billboards, vehicles and lamp posts. But are they supposed to be there? For this year’s elections, the Commission on Elections has imposed stricter measures on posting campaign paraphernalia. Citizens are encouraged to report cases of illegally posted campaign materials

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL ELECTION timelines have been disrupted again as the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Commission on Elections to issue vote receipts in the May 9 polls, two months before election day. With overseas voting preparations halfway done, the Comelec has to alter certain configurations of vote-counting machines (VCMs) and make adjustments in

THE Commission on Elections website, as of March 7, lists the advertising contracts of 15 candidates for national positions. Hover your mouse over the bars to see the amounts these candidates have spent.

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL ACTIVATION of the on-screen verification (OSV) feature of vote-counting machines (VCMs) does not guarantee a fraud-free elections, a poll watchdog said Monday. Vote buying and the use of military and paramilitary forces to coerce voters on election day are still possible even with safeguard features in the automated election system, Kontra

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL A boxing fight is not a political advertisement. This is what Sarangani representative and boxing champ Manny Pacquiao told the Commission on Elections Monday to defend  the airing of his upcoming match with American boxer Timothy Bradley on Philippine television. Pacquiao, through his lawyers Antonio Carlos Bautista and Romulo Macalintal, said the April

COMPARE the results of the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia surveys on the presidential, vice presidential and senatorial races. Click to view this infographic in FULL PAGE.  (updated May) Hover your mouse over a name to see the percentages of votes.

By JAKE SORIANO OF the 54 million Filipinos registered to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, 318,013 have disabilities. The interactive map below shows the 10 provinces in the Philippines with the most number of registered voters with disabilities.