Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has linked recently resigned public works secretary Manuel Bonoan to a government contractor of multibillion-peso flood control projects in Bulacan, a province that, he said, “has proven to be the national sewer of corrupted flood control projects.” Delivering on Tuesday the second part of his privilege speech titled “Flooded Gates...
Category: News
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The unrest in Indonesia is driven by inequalities and entrenched oligarchic rule
Indonesia has been ravaged by its worst popular unrest since the downfall of the dictator Suharto in 1998. Large-scale street protests began last Aug. 25 in the capital Jakarta—the culmination of widespread economic frustration and anger at widespread corruption, democratic regression, gross inequalities, and the indifference and lack of empathy of Indonesia’s leaders, elite classes...
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Escudero loses Senate presidency to Sotto as scandal over multibillion-peso flood projects rages
Francis Escudero lost the Senate presidency to Vicente Sotto III on Monday, just over a month after his reelection to the post—a sign that senators are listening to public opinion, according to a political analyst. The change in leadership in the Senate occurred in the face of growing public anger over the government’s multibillion-peso flood...
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The employment impact of a national ban on single-use plastic will be manageable
Negotiations for an international plastics treaty ended in failure last month, setting the stage for a new round of talks. Nevertheless, local environmental groups argue that no deal is better than a bad one or a watered-down treaty. An agreement could have nudged the Philippine government to finally enact a national ban on single-use plastic...
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Ex-police intelligence officer is convicted in Duterte-era drug war killing
Nearly a decade after the deed, a police intelligence officer in then President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has been convicted of homicide for the death of a drug suspect in Baguio City in July 2016. It is only the fifth known conviction related to Duterte’s “war on drugs” that has resulted in the extrajudicial killing (EJK)...
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House begins ‘evidence-based’ inquiry into corruption in flood control projects
The House of Representatives’ “tricommittee” begins today its own inquiry into questionable flood control projects, with the objective of “completing the story” behind those deemed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as “ghost” and substandard projects. Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, chair of the House committee on public accounts, said he and his colleagues would start with...
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Marcos ready for lifestyle check and release of SALN, but analysts say genuine reforms necessary to address corruption
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is prepared to undergo a lifestyle check, including the release of his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), but political analysts said such a move must be paired with genuine reforms and must also address the corruption issues that attended his father and namesake’s strongman rule. “All members of...
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Israel’s silence on sea conflict may affect future defense deals with PH, say Filipino senior officials
The Philippines has been calling for international solidarity against an increasingly assertive China in the West Philippine Sea but Israel, one of its top defense partners, has yet to respond categorically to its appeal, according to senior Filipino diplomats and security officials. Israel’s neutral stance is affecting both current and prospective defense cooperation between the...
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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...
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Marcos relieves ‘high-performing’ Torre as PNP chief in what lawmakers see as ‘escalating internal conflicts’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has relieved Gen. Nicolas Torre III of his post as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief—a sign of growing conflict within his administration, according to some lawmakers. The move was “by order of the President” and “effective immediately,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told Torre in a letter dated Aug. 25. “For the...