We will not surrender our freedomsToday, Independence Day, we renew our pledge to serve the people, to continue speaking truth to power, and to guard and defend freedom of the press and of expression from all threats.Read More Covering the PandemicRead more Covering the CoViD-19 Pandemic From the Newsrooms: December 11 to 16, 2023 BEIJING’S RISING belligerence in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) has dampened the mood of seasonal merry-making, especially for the Filipino troops stationed in the area and the fisherfolk who have borne the brunt of China’s aggression. Media reports have quoted a security expert describing the shadowing of the country’s... From the Newsrooms, December 4 to 9 THREE MANILA-based broadsheets called attention to continued low ranking of the country, giving the news front-page banner-treatment on December 6 and 7. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and The Manila Times  reported the Philippines’ dismal performance in the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a worldwide... From the Newsrooms: November 27 to December 2, 2023 REPORTS OF a surge of respiratory illnesses in China recall the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019. Hospitals in Northern China, particularly in Beijing and Liaoning, have filled up with sick children. The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that these areas have reported an increase in respiratory infections since mid-October. COA’s ‘special audit’ report on Pharmally scandal out; few media pick it up HEFTY CONFIDENTIAL funds are arguably the hottest talk of the town since budget proceedings in Congress began some months ago. In the course of deliberating the 2024 funding for agencies, concerns in operations, implementation of policies or possible corruption come to light, usually upon questioning by lawmakers during the... De Lima granted bail in third and last drug case AFTER SIX YEARS, eight months and 21 days, Leila de Lima gained freedom after posting bail of PHP 300,000. Arrested and detained in February 2017, she spent nearly seven years in solitary confinement in Camp Crame—the national police headquarters—deprived of her political and civil rights, isolated from her family... Team Unity: A very visible break-up THE CRACK-UP of the UniTeam which carried Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte to victory in 2022 became the big story of the week as newsrooms picked up the quick moves to secure the power hold of Speaker Martin Romualdez over the House of Representatives (HOR). From the Newsrooms: Death and disorder mar barangay polls NEWS CAPTURED the political violence that bloodied the first barangay elections in five years. Delayed twice by the pandemic, the vote for grassroots leaders was hotly contested around the country, and the participation of over 68 million registered voters was expected to be high. From the Newsrooms: Persistent problems in barangay elections; Rodrigo Duterte faces criminal complaint AS THE first Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataang elections in five years, the October 30 vote provoked more than perfunctory interest from media. The Supreme Court ruled last June that the law that delayed the grassroots polls the second time was unconstitutional, ordering its conduct on this specified date. From the Newsrooms: Maharlika Investment Fund still for review; Filipino supply mission hit by Chinese vessels RECENT DEVELOPMENTS have made the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) a bit of an embarrassment for the Marcos administration. Its announcement in 2022 was met with furious controversy. Now its start is shaken by more disturbing questions. From the Newsrooms: Filipinos caught in conflict between Israel and Palestine; Rodrigo Duterte resurfaces to defend daughter’s confidential funds WAR HAS once again led local newscasts and captured front page headlines as Israel countered the October 7 brutal attack of the militant Hamas whose fighters and bombs killed mostly civilians, taking the elderly and children as hostages. « Previous12345…15Next »
