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When trolls and propagandists occupy the Internet
My name is Bambi and I am a young street dancer awakened by the twerking movement of the 70s… That is, according to Wikipedia before we changed the text back to my true, albeit less vivacious,...
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Awash with cash: Can money really buy our elections?
With the way political ads are bombarding our TV sets, the 2016 polls may well turn out to be the most expensive in our history. And the official campaign period hasn’t even started yet.Reports...
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#AnimatED: Terror threat closer to home
The recent terrorist attack in the heart of crowded Jakarta, claimed by the jihadist Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), sends a chilling message to us: ISIS and...
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'Magnanakaw' sa Senado
Ayon sa Pinagkaisang Lakas ng Kababaihan at Kabataan (PiLaKK), isang malaking pederasyon ng mga maralita, ninakawan sila ni Senator Tito Sotto.Dahil sa sama-samang pagkilos, kung saan malaki ang...
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The presidency in the age of misery
The election fever is on. And in sorties, debates and voter education programs, this question is often asked – “What kind of leader does the Philippines need in 2016?” Some say it takes a leader with...
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The SC's Bt talong decision: Error in precaution?
The Supreme Court (SC) decision declaring field experiments on Bt talong permanently enjoined was justified on the basis of the “precautionary principle.”The precautionary principle says that “where...
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A (Vocational) University of the Philippines
A friend once told me that when a senior official of the University of the Philippines was asked which mantle he would rather wear – that of an academic or a “public intellectual” – the official...
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[DASH of SAS] Her name is Rosalie and she has 17 children
MANILA, Philippines – Her name is Rosalie. She has been pregnant 22 times and has 17 children. She had her first child at 16, and as she puts it, “just kept having them.”She’s quite famous in her...
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How privilege, power in the economy drive extreme inequality in Asia
The Asian continental “economic tiger” – after more than a quarter-century of sustained economic growth – is now confronting a defining challenge of inequality.Many Asian countries have prospered and...
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#AnimatED: Fast growth + slow job creation = inequality
The 2015 UN Human Development Report (HDR), launched in Manila on January 18, calls our attention to the glaring disparities in growth and access to work in Asia and the Pacific.And it’s not just...
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#TheLeaderIWant: High risk, high reward
On January 20, Rappler and its media partners DZRH-MBC, Media ng Bayan-PTV4, road-blocked up to 3 hours of airtime on nearly 200 radio and television stations across the Philippines to help give...
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New York's blizzard and Kelly's first snow
NEW YORK, United States – On the day Kelly Munro came to America from his tiny island in the Pacific, snow fell – his first snow. It was beautiful.Home was Granada, in the Caribbean, where you maybe...
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Challenge to US: Look to Southeast Asia's dynamic future, not its past
Given longtime US-Philippines ties, it would be understandable if Filipino and Fil-Am viewers were disappointed by the lack of any mention of the Philippines in US President Barack Obama's seventh and...
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Not in the shadow of Japanese Emperor Akihito's father
Japanese Emperor Akihito’s visit to the Philippines commemorates the 60th anniversary of normalizing ties between Japan and the Philippines. Usually, benchmarks are reserved for 50th anniversaries.Yet...
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Abortion? Vote according to compassion, conscience
The campaigns for the 2016 national elections have begun, and once again we are faced with the very important task of choosing our elective officials. There are pressing human rights issues that must...
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Keeping the memory of Mamapasano alive by sharing your stories
I cannot believe that it has been a year since President Benigno Aquino III gave the go-ahead for units of the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force to raid a sitio in Mamapasano village to...
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Scaling up national health insurance to deliver universal health coverage
As we get ready this year to start implementing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one item high on the agenda is universal health coverage (UHC) – ensuring that everyone can obtain...
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Foundlings are Filipino citizens? No basis for it
Politics concerns itself with the crafting of national policy, and this, we entrust principally to the elected representatives of the people. The judicial, by the constitutional apportionment of...
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Making sense of Digong Duterte
After years of marginalization and government neglect, a son of Mindanao is finally gaining a foothold in Metro Manila.In an earlier Pulse Asia survey, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte emerged...
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Emperor Diaries: Little-known facts about Akihito’s PH visit
The night Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko settled at the Sofitel upon arriving in the Philippines, a small group of Manila journalists and I talked over dinner in the same hotel with the imperial...
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