Archive - Commentary

COMMENTARY:Will Pia Cayetano vote to convict Sara Duterte? While not part of the core administration majority bloc in the Senate then, she aligned with the key policy goals of the Aquino administration in 2012. She played politics.

David San Juan: The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is important because it shows continued vigilance over the process… and answers the questions of citizens still undecided on the VP’s guilt or innocence on the charges.

Salmon in the Philippines is considered food for rich people. It’s nutritious but since it’s imported (mostly from Chile and Norway), it’s expensive for ordinary Filipinos. Chinese food technology research offers the enticing prospect of making affordable salmon prices. But it’s not that simple, as the research by Washington-based journalist Ian Urbina shows.

China is marketing fish from Xinjiang as a triumph of technology and frontier development. But behind the sales pitch lies a deeper struggle over fraud, trust, and the political remaking of a heavily scrutinized region.

COMMENTARY: As the Duterte trial begins next month on November 30, his family and supporters will be assured of a court of law capable of unbiased and accessible justice.

COMMENTARY: The attempts were all an onslaught to destroy Trillanes. All to no avail.First, there was the presidential attempt of Rodrigo, said to have been implemented by his Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, for a Trillanes assassination.

The Office of Civil Defense should already begin looking into programs or dusting off existing ones that will map out a civil defense strategy in times of conflict as the rest of the DND takes on the other equally important task of modernizing the Philippine military.

The burning question: in the event the DENR will rescind the Original Certificate of Title – and therefore all improvements therein will be forfeited to government, including Manresa Town and the Masterson Campus of the Future – will Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan follow the rule of law? Or will it be, like many of our traditional politicians, a law bender?

COMMENTARY: Will PBBM be the national leader who will ultimately break this selfish and corrupt elite curse on Philippine governance? Probably not within his time since after all he is a beneficiary of the largesse his parents siphoned out from the country’s coffers.

This is Pia Cayetano’s predicament: Accountability is very much in the minds of the public. The public is intensely interested to see more senators in jail.

COMMENTARY: Loren Legarda’s spokesperson, the self-proclaimed “human rights lawyer” Tony La Vin̈a, has been silent on the Manila Polo Club meeting even if the incident can be easily verifiable.

On Sept. 14, residents of the Bangsamoro in the southern Philippines will elect regional parliamentary representatives. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Georgi Engelbrecht explains the importance of this step in the peace process between the national government and ex-rebels in the region.