Television journalist Atom Araullo and his lawyers said his landmark legal victory against Red-tagging can be used by other journalists and activists similarly victimized to thwart this dangerous labelling that opens them to various forms of harassment and intimidation. Araullo, 41, a multiawarded documentarist, won a P2-million civil lawsuit for damages against ex-anticommunist task force...
Category: News
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Political dynasties also swarm the party-list elections
While Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and his wife, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado, seek reelection next year, their son Bryan Revilla aims to keep his seat in the House of Representatives as the No. 1 nominee of the multisectoral Agimat ng Masa party-list group. After losing the presidential elections in 2022, world boxing icon Emmanuel...
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House quad committee uncovers ‘grand criminal enterprise’ in 13 hearings
The House of Representatives’ quad committee announced on Thursday that it has uncovered a “grand criminal enterprise” centering on former president Rodrigo Duterte in the course of conducting 13 hearings on the connections of illegal drugs, illegal offshore gambling hubs, and extrajudicial killings during the bloody “war on drugs.” “Ladies and gentlemen, the quad committee has started...
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Who can dislodge political dynasties?
(Last of two parts) For political clans that dominate local politics, the tactics to keep the capitol, the seat of power for local political kingpins, are almost the same nationwide. Sitting governors seek reelection and max out the allowable three terms for a total of nine years. If they are not seeking reelection, they are...
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Nearly 9 out of 10 governors belong to political families
(First of two parts) Political dynasties continue to hold a tight grip on provinces in the Philippines. By the count of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), at least 71 of the country’s 82 provincial governments, or 87%, are led by members of political dynasties. This dominance underscores a system where power is frequently...
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VP’s impeachment can be quick ‘if House wants to’
If it wants to, the House of Representatives can impeach Vice President Sara Duterte anytime over her alleged misuse of confidential funds because the evidence is in its possession, lawyer and former lawmaker Neri Colmenares said on Saturday. “They can’t say our evidence is lacking. The evidence came from them,’’ Colmenares said in reference to...
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To help those with special needs navigate life
“What will happen when we’re too old [to take care of them] or when these children age out of the school system? They need places to go, employment, housing, and friends.” “They need a structure that helps them navigate life.” These are the sentiments and concerns commonly expressed by parents and family members of children...
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Impeaching the VP is ‘the right thing to do’
Filing an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte is “the right thing to do,” according to former senator Leila de Lima, spokesperson of the 16 individuals who filed the complaint at the House of Representatives on Monday. The last straw for Francis Joseph Aquino Dee was Duterte’s profanity-laden rant late last month that she...
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Timely and necessary conversations
To write our literary and intellectual history is a significant undertaking, one that scholars of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) have embraced with dedication. Building on the successes of conferences honoring the late Edel Garcellano in 2018, 2019, and 2023, we organized a fourth iteration aimed at preserving his legacy as PUP’s foremost...
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Proposals to delay BARMM polls also seek to change makeup of interim gov’t
It’s not a simple postponement proposal. The identical bills filed in the Senate and the House of Representatives do not just seek to delay again the schedule of the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). They also seek to change the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) as...