As influential as President Rodrigo Duterte may be, he alone does not hold a monopoly of power in the Philippines. Rather, the force that controls society and politics belongs to… Continue reading "Speakership race shows cracks in pro-Duterte alliance"
Further evidence of the Duterte administration’s desire to purge government critics is the bloody military operation known as “Oplan Kapayapaan” (OK; Operation Peace). Led by combat and intelligence agents of… Continue reading "War on human rights groups: Four activists killed in three days"
This weekend the ACT Party underwent a rebranding: a rehashing of its image, its messaging, and its brand of politics undoubtedly in preparation for the 2020 general elections.
It’s months away from Halloween, but the dead are already featuring prominently in Philippine media.
Every time added funding for the New Zealand Defence Force is announced, critics are quick to exclaim how wasteful such spending is. Why exactly does this tiny South Pacific nation… Continue reading "It’s time to recognize the NZDF’s humanitarian contribution"
“Get some guts and join the right side!” That was the remark of then-Prime Minister John Key of the National Party in response to criticisms of his decision to deploy… Continue reading "Putting an end to “mission creep”"
It seems that winning numerous sports accolades for the country is not enough to earn the respect of Filipinos. Decorated athlete Hidilyn Diaz found herself at the receiving end of… Continue reading "Hidilyn Diaz is right — Philippine sports is woefully underfunded"
While an all-out skirmish is occurring in the House of Representatives (HoR) over the position of House Speaker, tensions are also brewing among their legislative counterparts in the Senate also.
As mental health, trains, and tree-planting dominated the post-Budget 2019 discussions a very significant win was left largely unnoticed. Part of the inaugural “Well-Being Budget” was funding to secure our… Continue reading "Stronger borders funded in Budget 2019"
Aside from being the “champion of the provinces”, the New Zealand First party have also been taking the mantle of being the “champion for railways” – with state-led investments in… Continue reading "Rail wins big again — thanks to NZ First"
