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 UN Rights Body Resolution: Reactions Bury Some Exceptions FROM ITS early months in 2016, the government’s campaign against illegal drugs has been confronted with protest against human rights violations in its implementation. But nothing has effectively restrained the “war on drugs” which, based on records of the Philippine National Police (PNP), continue to show the killings of... House Speakership Coverage: Spotlight on the Dutertes PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte broke yet another promise with his meddling in the race for House speakership. Despite his earlier assurance that he would stay neutral on the issue, the president announced during a speech on July 8 that “Your Speaker will be Alan Peter Cayetano”—adding that Cayetano (1st Dist.,... Amnesty International on the “Drug War”: Media Took Little Interest AMID RISING international concern about the spate of killings in the Philippines, the London-based human rights group Amnesty International (AI) released a new report on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs last July 8, its second on the subject since January 2017. The report highlighted their findings, including that... Youngest Drug War Victim’s Death: Media Echo Official’s Indifference JEERS TO the media for their uncritical reporting on the latest child casualty in the Duterte “drug war,” with coverage so bereft of context. Three year-old Kateleen Myca Ulpina was killed in a June 30 police operation that targeted her father, whom police said was a drug dealer. Police... Tooting the Palace Horn: Malacañang PR for Banner THE DUTERTE Administration has been most adept in the use of propaganda for everything it does; social media influencers supplement the messages that run freely through government media. It does not really need mainstream media to add to the flow of self-praise. And yet, some news organizations lend their... The Recto Bank “Incident”: Government Narrative Trumps Survivors’ Accounts ALMOST A month after the incident, public interest has remained fixed on the issues raised by the ramming and sinking of the Filipino fishing vessel in the West Philippine Sea. The accounts given by the victims and the Vietnamese fishermen who came to rescue Filipinos attest to the facts:... Bomb Attack Underscores the Failure of Martial Law in Mindanao MARTIAL LAW has been in effect in Mindanao since May 2017. And yet the region has continued to suffer from bomb attacks. So far, there have been at least 7 bombing incidents reported during the period; the latest on June 28. Two explosions rocked the camp of the 1st... Come Hell or No Water: The Continuing Crisis CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for pointing out that the water shortage has been a continuing crisis in Metro Manila since March and that some areas have been suffering from extended water interruptions all this time. Both Metro Manila water concessionaires—Maynilad and Manila Water— announced new schedules of... The Kapa Ministry Issue: The Separation of Church and State Explained MEDIA PICKED up on the questionable activities of Kapa (Kabus Padatoon or poor will be rich) Community Ministry Inc., a Surigao del Sur-based religious group, when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered it shut down in a TV guesting, saying it is running an investment scam. Members were quick to call... Reporting “Drug War” Deaths: Numbers Are Meaningless Without Analysis IT HAS been three years since the Duterte regime’s “war on drugs” was implemented. Thousands of suspected drug users and pushers have been reported killed. But the exact number of these deaths has yet to be established, as government figures and those of human rights groups continue to clash.... « Previous1…7778798081…204Next »
