Recent statements of President Rodrigo Duterte on the firing of government employees en masse—particularly appointees from the previous administrations—sent shivers down the spine of the bureaucracy. He said this was an anti-corruption measure to clean up the government. Others fear gross violation of a constitutional provision protecting the tenure of civil service employees from unreasonable […] More
In the government’s war against drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte defended his program by saying that it is either the safety of the public or the lives of the criminals. Despite the mounting criticisms and expressions of concern over the alarming increase in the body count in this campaign against the drug menace in the Philippines, […] More
Did you hear about the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) conferring on President Rodrigo Duterte what could be the biggest honor any man could have? According to a pro-Duterte Facebook fan page, it feels especially good to be a Filipino these days, thanks to Duterte and his achievements, one of which is being hailed […] More
“Sen. De Lima confirms dating married driver; denying Duterte’s proposal,” or at least that’s what a few articles that have been circulating on Facebook claimed. The articles said that Senator Leila de Lima “boldly confirmed” that she is going out with her married driver a few days after Duterte’s revelation of her being an “immoral […] More
Is Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte indeed the best president in the world? Facebook fan page “Dugong Maharlika” posted a link to an article with a headline, “Philippine’s Rodrigo Duterte Announced as World’s Best President.” [ads1] The post was captioned, “The President of Philippine’s Rodrigo Duterte has been announced as the best President in the world […] More
President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday, August 23, that he was urging Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to double the salary of soldiers by December. Duterte said this in front of newly promoted generals and flag officers in Malacañang. “Before I start, I’ve been egging Secretary Ben Diokno to really see to it that by December, […] More
President Rodrigo Duterte defended his threat to take the Philippines out of its membership in the United Nations, saying that he was just joking then. However, he said he was serious about telling the international agency that it should not meddle with the affairs in the country, especially in the government’s war against illegal drugs. […] More
The University of the Philippines Diliman added another voice to the groups of people condemning the rising cases of extrajudicial killings in the country through a rally held at the campus. Student councils, members of the administration, and several political formations attended the rally held behind the Oblation statue. This photo was posted on the […] More
After being infuriated by mounting criticism against the anti-drug campaign of his administration, especially by the United Nations (UN), President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday suddenly came up with a wild thought. He toyed with the idea of withdrawing the Philippines from its UN membership. “Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United […] More
It is better to temporarily shelf any talks on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN Summit to avoid pissing off China about it. This was the stance President Rodrigo Duterte took during a press conference on August 17 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). […] More
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay clarified on Monday, August 22, that the Philippines will not leave the United Nations. “We are committed to the UN despite numerous frustrations with this international agency. But we are certainly not leaving the UN,” Yasay told the media in a press conference. This statement came after President Rodrigo Duterte lambasted […] More
Amid calls from United Nations experts human rights experts to stop extrajudicial killings in the Philippines’ war against drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to leave the UN and even asked what good deed the intergovernmental organization did for the country. “Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. Eh kung ganiyan […] More