Journalism Review Archives | Page 69 of 159

Questioning Duterte’s need for emergency powers

THE DISMAL performance of the national government in handling the COVID-19 pandemic has enraged ordinary citizens, who have been forced into a lockdown without concrete guarantees for their daily survival. The Palace’s request for Congress to grant President Duterte emergency powers made news on March 21. This caused concern...

The pandemic’s economic fallout

PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte on March 16 placed Luzon under “enhanced community quarantine,” which restricts the movement of roughly 60 million Filipinos. The quarantine mandated the temporary closure of non-essential shops as well as the suspension of public transport. For many, this meant the loss of jobs and livelihood. The...

A closer look at the weak link in the fight against COVID-19

THE CRISIS over the novel coronavirus has highlighted the weakness of the national health system in the country, an issue that urges concerned Filipinos to understand it within a framework of common reference. Recall that when discussions began last year, the proposed budget for the Department of Health (DOH)...

Deconstructing the administration stand on POGOs

NO ONE seems to agree with President Duterte that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) are good for the country. And yet no one dares question his judgment to his face. Media reporting these merely as contradictory statements do not provide the context that can make sense of the situation....

Hostage-taking crisis in San Juan mall: Media could have done better

SADLY, HOSTAGE-taking incidents are not new in this country; there have been enough to teach the police how to handle these situations so as to prevent more harm. But the episode on March 2, when a dismissed security guard took out his grievance on employees of Virra Mall (V-Mall)...

Immigration Story: Influx of Chinese and POGOs

THE HEAT IS on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), and by extension, the influx of Chinese nationals, with the latter under scrutiny for criminal activities and incidents of bad conduct. Separate hearings in recent weeks uncovered new problems, among them the POGO connection to prostitution rings, tax evasion and...

Tall order? Questions about South Korea travel ban

WITH 64 countries other than China reporting confirmed cases, governments have stepped up efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). South Korea is second only to China in the number of cases, with 5,328 infected individuals as of March 4. The Philippine government responded to the situation by restricting...

Senate’s war on terror: Bill goes unquestioned by the media

ANOTHER MEASURE broadening the scope of state action to fight terrorism is on the horizon. But the proposed legislation, which was approved on its third and final reading this week, seems to have gone under the radar of media attention. Senate Bill 1083 seeks to repeal the existing Human...

Curious confidential funds — and media’s curious loss of interest

THE RESIGNATION of a public official at the level of undersecretary does not usually make news. But when Eliseo Rio, Jr., undersecretary in the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), announced he was leaving his post, it caused a bit of a stir in major newspapers. He filed...

Government’s COVID-19 response: Media must ask for the finer details

FEAR AND restlessness is a natural response to crisis. More so when the crisis involves an epidemic spreading with the speed of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV). The outbreak has so far afflicted thousands in China and hundreds more across twenty-four countries, including the Philippines. The nCoV, now newly...