After ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, his protégés—Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go—are most likely to be arrested next for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the “war on drugs” and brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to former senator Antonio Trillanes IV. “Bato is sure to get it. Bong Go is almost...
Author: TJ Burgonio
Post
ICC charges Rodrigo Duterte as ‘indirect co-perpetrator’ of crime against humanity
Three counts of murder were filed on Monday by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors against former president Rodrigo Duterte amid claims by his family that a third country is open to hosting him if he is released. The three charges of murder as a crime against humanity allege the 80-year-old’s hand in the killings...
Post
From ‘Baha sa Luneta’ to ‘Trillion Peso March,’ Sept. 21 is a day of protest against corruption and for accountability
Street protests against corruption on Sept. 21 will culminate in a grand rally at the People Power Monument in the hope of reliving the “Edsa spirit” that led to the ouster of strongman Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. But the goal is to hold erring officials accountable, not to topple President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the late...
Post
Despite RA 10353, families of desaparecidos endure deep loss and longing
The activist James Jazmines was biking home in Tabaco City, Albay, on the night of Aug. 23, 2024, when he disappeared in the darkness. He had just come from the birthday celebration of his friend and fellow activist, Felix Salaveria Jr., at a downtown restaurant. Salaveria, who had reported Jazmines’ disappearance to the human rights...
Post
Campaign launched to find justice for all victims, whether during martial rule or the war on drugs
The former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and the student Kian delos Santos were felled by bullets 34 years apart this month in starkly different circumstances, but many agree that they—along with the victims of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s martial rule and of Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs”—met their end in a climate of impunity. Seeing...
Post
The South China Sea and the need for a ‘unified legal and historical narrative’ on the Philippines’ stand
The South China Sea conflict had been a battle of maps long before China deployed its warships and the Philippines engaged in multination military drills as a countermeasure in the international waterway. China officially claimed the Spratly Islands in 1947 with a nine-dash-line map. But Spain marked the islands as part of Philippine territory two...
Post
Morobeats invite Filipino artists to take up ‘Teritoryo: West Philippine Sea Rap Challenge’
“Wala naman dapat pag-awayan kung di lang kayo sakim/ Karagatan at lupain pilit na inaangkin/ Di pa kayang tanggapin sadyang makitid lang ang utak/ Filipino ang tatak kailanma’y di pasisindak.” Morobeats rapper Dizzy Caday performed before a crowd of journalists on Monday morning, chanting in dynamic rhyme about the Philippines’ fight for sovereign rights...
Post
Supreme Court strikes down impeachment complaint against VP Sara Duterte
The impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte may be dead in the water—for now. The Supreme Court has struck down the complaint as unconstitutional, saying it is barred by the one-year rule on the filing of multiple impeachment complaints. The justices unanimously ruled that the Senate has no jurisdiction over the impeachment complaint seeking...
Post
Will reforming the K-to-12 program mean backtracking from the global standard?
As more Filipinos express dissatisfaction with the K-to-12 program, Rep. Roman Romulo is dangling an option for Grade 10 students: to leapfrog senior high school straight into college. But there’s a hitch: Tenth graders must pass an “honors” examination to land into a college of their choice. Otherwise, they need to complete Grades 11 and...
Post
Blended learning seeks to address classroom shortage, but outcome may be worse
In the postpandemic era, the Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City stands out for attempting to pioneer blended learning for its more than 15,000 students. With only 90 classrooms fit for 3,500 learners and no space to build more rooms, the administrators split Grades 7 to 10 students into morning and afternoon shifts,...