Spurious last-ditch reports of candidates being disqualified and a buildup of fabricated vote tallies of presidential contenders took hold of social media as voters trooped to precincts on Monday. The misleading and deceptive narratives on election day largely targeted now presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his rival, Vice President Leni Robredo; their running mates,...
Philippine rural development has basically been the handiwork of colonialism and world capitalism. But the dominant role of external forces in development is not simply a colonial extension. Internal structures having already been laid in place by colonialism, they were able to continuously reproduce themselves in harmony with the external demands of the global capitalist...
In a world where changes are increasingly disruptive, creative works matter more than ever, not just to better understand our complex reality through stories, but also because stories shape our imagination and inspire the future. “Harvest Moon is a book that heeds the call to reimagine how we are going to survive and thrive in...
The Philippines has missed a number of opportunities toward long-term economic development. While it was in pretty good shape in the 1960s through the late 1970s—and certainly highly competitive with other developing countries in Asia—it began to falter at the turn of the decade. By the early 1980s it started to miss the boat in...
From surprise and shock to outrage, netizens have reacted to the way the Commission on Elections’ partial and unofficial results of the May 9 voting for national officials were being presented and reported by broadcast networks. They cited an intriguing pattern in the percentage ratios of incoming votes of frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice...
I knew this year’s elections would be different from all the others that we’ve had, but I didn’t want to make expectations. Elections in this country are like some exotic cultural rituals—festive and intoxicating events that teeter on the edge of total chaos. How we find a method to the madness—and survive—is a source of...
Morning of Election Day on Monday did not proceed well for many seniors and persons with disabilities (PWDs), who discovered that there were no vote counting machines (VCMs) in the senior voting areas, and if there were, the machines broke down early. Here are personal accounts of Filipinos in their 70s who went out to...
Monumental was the “miting de avance” of Vice President Leni Robredo in Makati City on May 7, dwarfing those of the other presidential candidates in terms of size and passion. The 780,000 estimate served to cap the throngs that came out to greet Robredo in cities and towns nationwide in the weeks and days leading...
An automated election is a complex process. From preparation to completion, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the constitutional body in-charge of managing elections, is faced with a daunting task. Unless citizens’ groups, volunteers, media and other government entities, such as the Department of Education and local government units, help, millions of voters will have difficulty...