Archive - Commentary

The results of Pulse Asia's June 7 to 16 survey, showing high dissatisfaction rating in the government's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, sends a strong message for a review of the Duterte administration's action plan, particularly with the increasing number of new infections from the more contagious Delta variant.

It has been three years since the extraordinarily barefaced development: a president firing a career government official of a constitutionally independent body tasked with anti-corruption functions, for disclosing details of his bank accounts.

Why is Leila de Lima in jail?

Tomas "Buddy" Gomez III was always the life of the party. He always had the most generous smile and biggest laugh. He never ran out of stories to tell. He loved to share historical tidbits about people, events and places.

The Chinese misinformation campaign about the SCS Arbitration Award received a boost recently, with a claim now circulating wildly that the SCS Arbitration "abolished" PD 1596 and thereby erased the Philippines' claim to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). Supposedly, the Award has eliminated the Philippines' sovereignty and possession of the KIG. This is FALSE.

Five years after the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, there is renewed debate about how best to understand its impact on the Philippine claims to the Spratly Islands chain. A contentious point is the Arbitral Award’s effect on Presidential Decree 1596, issued by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1978.Recent government pronouncements on the Julian Felipe Reef question have staked continuing Philippine claim over the feature based on the Marcos decree.

She had a humble beginning that is the stuff of star-success tales.

In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte said, "I assure you, this will be a clean government... You know, ako makagarantiya (I can guarantee), 101% it will be clean."

That was the marvel of social media. Tomas “Buddy” Gomez III and I never had the pleasure of meeting, but we communicated fairly often to exchange views on the state of our country. Albeit separated by the Atlantic, we agreed to embark on what he had thought was a small but momentous mission of unfinished history.

It is an irony when Dumaguete city lands on the national consciousness, but for the wrong reasons.

It was a devastation that happened forty-seven years ago that today hardly flickers in the memories of many Filipinos. But as always, there are carriers of memories who are sustained by time despite the pain and the agony of remembering.

The bitter power struggle within the top leadership of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) should serve as a warning to voters about potential candidates who do not deserve to get elected.