Archive - Commentary

There is a favorite slang term in Cebuano Binisayâ one commonly hears as an expression of disgust: Hilas. While it directly translates to “gross” or “disgusting,” it is actually frequently used to describe someone who is shameless, arrogant, highly confident, or has the audacity to do something inappropriate.

Ordinary Filipinos often bear the cost of prolonged political conflict. When leaders focus on political survival rather than economic management, reforms slow and policy execution weakens. Programs meant to protect vulnerable sectors, from fuel subsidies to social assistance, can become entangled in partisan disputes.

Given the limited capabilities of the Iranians, the threat to Filipino workers in the Middle East is not as serious as painted by journalists engaged in sensationalist reporting and commentary… The real threat to the Philippines is the economic fall out of the war especially in oil supplies. That will affect every single Filipino as prices will inevitably increase causing more hardship to a nation that is still recovering from the COVID pandemic’s disastrous effects on the economy.

The second thing I remember was of Panelo dozing off during the hearings. He was seated next to the aging and infirm Salvador Medialdea who was on his right. Panelo's head was tilted to the left, almost touching the seat on his left. ICC is keen on preventing any disturbance in the public gallery. Within clear sight of us, an ICC security personnel approached the dozing Panelo to wake him up from dreamland.

Vice President Sara Duterte: “Hindi na namin tinitingnan ‘yung chances of coming home.”

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.

Kaufman is totally and absolutely wrong that no corpse had surfaced (in Davao Gulf) . I am very sure that his reference for the Davao Gulf burials was the Edgar Matobato testimonies. In which case I am very sure as well that Kaufman was lying.

By the time Butuyan concluded, there were not a few dry eyes in the gallery. He had articulated to a T the general public sentiment of the Duterte case in the ICC. We in the gallery were momentarily suspended in a state of disbelief.

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.

Presiding Judge Iulia Antonella Motoc to Nicholas Kaufman: The Chamber, therefore, urges the Defence to place substance over stylistic and theatrical formulation.

In styling himself an international law expert, retired Justice Antonio Carpio has only managed to tie himself up in contradictions. His recent attempt to defend his ponencia in Magallona v Ermita (2011) only tightens the knot he now struggles to untangle. The landmark case had sought to declare Republic Act No. 9522 (2009) or the Archipelagic Baselines Law unconstitutional.

Unprogrammed Appropriations is defended in the name of efficiency. But efficiency without accountability is not reform—it is risk.UA weakens the separation of powers It tempts the Executive to complete Congress’ work. It encourages the invention of fiscal triggers. And it facilitates opacity and pork.