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  • Banner collage photo of the Sep 21 Trillion Peso March protests in the Philippines (Photo: Lisa Marie David/Reuters) and a stock image of the Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines

    What the new Ombudsman needs to do to regain the public’s trust

    Despite earlier cautions raised by this blog, Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has been appointed as the new ombudsman. The appointment comes as no surprise,
    Read More
    The Philippines 
  • Banner collage photo of the Mabinay 6 activists Myles Albasin, Carlo Ybañez, Ajomar Indico, Randel Hermino, Joel Baylosis, and Bernard Guillen

    Seven years imprisoned despite innocent: The prosecution (and persecution) of the Mabinay 6

    After seven long years, the so-called “Mabinay 6” are free. The six student activists – Myles Albasin, Randel Hermino, Carlo Ybañes, Joemar Indico, Joey
    Read More
    The Philippines 
  • Banner collage photo of Senator Rodante Marcoleta and Pacifico Curlee Discaya and Sarah Discaya attending a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.

    What the Discayas are saying should disqualify them from becoming state witnesses

    Why is Senator Rodante Marcoleta in such a hurry to admit the couple at the center of the Flood Control Scam, Curlee and Sarah
    Read More
    The Philippines 
  • Banner collage photo of Senator Chiz Escudero and Senator Rodante Marcoleta and new Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III.

    The latest Senate coup is good news for those seeking truth in the Flood Control Scam saga

    While all eyes were on the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the Flood Control Scam scandal, a shake-up happened in Congress’ so-called upper
    Read More
    The Philippines 
  • Banner collage photo of the Department of Public Works and Highways building and a flood in Metro Manila Philippines

    Rather than flood control, we need to be worried about “greed control” instead

    When a barrage of typhoons battered the Philippines in July, Filipinos braced for the inevitable flooding. What they did not expect however, was that
    Read More
    The Philippines 
What the new Ombudsman needs to do to regain the public’s trustSeven years imprisoned despite innocent: The prosecution (and persecution) of the Mabinay 6What the Discayas are saying should disqualify them from becoming state witnessesThe latest Senate coup is good news for those seeking truth in the Flood Control Scam sagaRather than flood control, we need to be worried about “greed control” instead

Philippine StoriesView All

Banner collage photo of the Sep 21 Trillion Peso March protests in the Philippines (Photo: Lisa Marie David/Reuters) and a stock image of the Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines

What the new Ombudsman needs to do to regain the public’s trust

October 11, 2025 Louie Encabo Comments Off on What the new Ombudsman needs to do to regain the public’s trust
Banner collage photo of the Mabinay 6 activists Myles Albasin, Carlo Ybañez, Ajomar Indico, Randel Hermino, Joel Baylosis, and Bernard Guillen

Seven years imprisoned despite innocent: The prosecution (and persecution) of the Mabinay 6

September 29, 2025 Louie Encabo Comments Off on Seven years imprisoned despite innocent: The prosecution (and persecution) of the Mabinay 6
Banner collage photo of Senator Rodante Marcoleta and Pacifico Curlee Discaya and Sarah Discaya attending a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.

What the Discayas are saying should disqualify them from becoming state witnesses

September 17, 2025 Louie Encabo Comments Off on What the Discayas are saying should disqualify them from becoming state witnesses

Investigate DuterteView All

Banner collage photo of protesters at a candlelight vigil for victims of extrajudicial killings and former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Investigate Duterte The Philippines 

Rodrigo Duterte was afforded something his victims were not — due process

March 15, 2025 Louie Encabo Comments Off on Rodrigo Duterte was afforded something his victims were not — due process
Banner collage photo of the International Criminal Court in The Hague Netherlands and a photo of former president Rodrigo Duterte
Investigate Duterte The Philippines 

Why Rodrigo Duterte needs to face justice

March 10, 2025 Louie Encabo Comments Off on Why Rodrigo Duterte needs to face justice
Banner collage photo Inday Sara Duterte and Rodrigo Duterte and a stock image of the Philippine Army headquarters.
Investigate Duterte The Philippines 

The Duterte crime family and their supporters must be arrested for inciting to sedition

November 27, 2024 Louie Encabo Comments Off on The Duterte crime family and their supporters must be arrested for inciting to sedition
Banner collage photo of Department of Justice Philippines building and former president Rodrigo Duterte at the QuadComm hearing.
Investigate Duterte The Philippines 

Enough with the Congressional hearings, it’s time to bring Rodrigo Duterte to the Dept of Justice

November 16, 2024 Louie Encabo Comments Off on Enough with the Congressional hearings, it’s time to bring Rodrigo Duterte to the Dept of Justice

New Zealand StoriesView All

Banner collage photo of Shane Jones and Kermadec Islands New Zealand

The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary meant relinquishing our own marine resources, now the Government has scrapped it

March 28, 2024 Eric Lomas Comments Off on The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary meant relinquishing our own marine resources, now the Government has scrapped it
John Tamihere Māori Television Whakaata Māori Te Pāti Māori Shane Taurima Winston Peters Royal Commission of Inquiry into Media Bias

Māori Television controversy proves Winston Peters is right about media bias

December 9, 2023 Eric Lomas Comments Off on Māori Television controversy proves Winston Peters is right about media bias
New Zealand Election 2023 post-mortem collage photo stock photo ballot box and The Beehive with NZ flag and Tino Rangatiratanga flag in the foreground.

Election 2023: A referendum on co-governance and law and order

October 19, 2023 Louie Encabo Comments Off on Election 2023: A referendum on co-governance and law and order

International SolidarityView All

The key points from Al Jazeera’s documentary on Chinese spy She Zhijiang and CCP espionage in Southeast Asia

The key points from Al Jazeera’s documentary on Chinese spy She Zhijiang and CCP espionage in Southeast Asia

September 30, 2024 Louie Encabo Comments Off on The key points from Al Jazeera’s documentary on Chinese spy She Zhijiang and CCP espionage in Southeast Asia
Banner photo collage of Karapatan Philippines protest against aerial bombings and Lumad bakwit evacuees.

International Humanitarian Law: Why even wars have rules

May 19, 2024 Louie Encabo Comments Off on International Humanitarian Law: Why even wars have rules
Labour union movement International Workers Day workers rights

Today, we thank the unions

May 1, 2023 Louie Encabo 1
Winston Peters and capital gains tax
New Zealand 
April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

NZ First nets a capital gain on the proposed capital gains tax

Posted By: Louie Encabo 1766 Views capital gains tax, featured, new zealand first, tax working group, taxation in new zealand, winston peters

Ever since the Tax Working Group (TWG) released their final report last February, New Zealand’s political discourse has been largely dominated by its recommendations

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Farmers protesting PNP chief Oscar Albayalde
The Philippines 
April 16, 2019April 18, 2019

Operation Sauron: the covert war happening in Negros Oriental

Posted By: Louie Encabo 3803 Views armed forces of the philippines, featured, oplan sauron, philippine national police, rodrigo duterte, war on farmers

In less than six months, the province of Negros Oriental has witnessed two different massacres killing a total of 20 people – mostly farmers

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The Philippines 
April 15, 2019April 18, 2019

The many reasons why the break-up of Palawan province is bad news

Posted By: Louie Encabo 3678 Views featured, pag-asa island, palawan, panatag shoal, people's republic of china, west philippine sea

With the stroke of President Duterte’s pen, the province of Palawan has been split into three new entities pending a plebiscite in 2020. Republic

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Traditional politicians Philippines
The Philippines 
April 12, 2019April 12, 2019

How long will we keep fooling ourselves that Filipinos want ‘change’?

Posted By: Louie Encabo 2533 Views 2019 philippine senatorial elections, Bong Revilla, featured, jinggoy estrada, senate of the philippines

Election after election we hear the purported clamor of Filipinos for “change”: a radical transformation of our politics, where the government genuinely represents the

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Ronald Cardema, Sarah Elago and Ang Probinsyano
The Philippines 
April 10, 2019

Amidst all the charade, there is only one genuine voice for Filipino youth in the 2019 mid-terms

Posted By: Louie Encabo 2460 Views 2019 philippine senatorial elections, ang probinsyano party-list, featured, kabataan party-list, mong palatino, ronald cardema, sarah elago

Under the 1987 Constitution, party-list groups exist to give voice to marginalized sectors. Among those sectors is the youth, and because of this there

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The Philippines 
April 9, 2019April 9, 2019

The Senate needs a true People’s Champ

Posted By: Louie Encabo 2217 Views 2019 philippine senatorial elections, bayan muna, featured, makabayan bloc, neri colmenares

We all know of Manny Pacquiao as the “People’s Champ”, a moniker he earned from his illustrious boxing career. He brought this sobriquet with

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National Party bullying culture
New Zealand 
April 7, 2019

How long can the National Party get away with bullying?

Posted By: Louie Encabo 1958 Views bullying in new zealand, featured, maggie barry, mental health, National Party, sarah dowie, Simon Bridges, todd barclay

There seems to be a culture of bullying in the National Party. It has been revealed that a staff member is in a legal

Read more
Neri Colmenares and the Chico River irrigation project
The Philippines 
April 5, 2019April 7, 2019

Understanding the problematic Chico River Pump Irrigation project

Posted By: Louie Encabo 5004 Views chico river irrigation project, china debt trap, featured, neri colmenares

A project as ambitious as the Duterte administration’s “Build-Build-Build” infrastructure plan could not have gone through without becoming entangled in controversy, and it looks

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Farmers protesting PNP chief Oscar Albayalde
The Philippines 
April 2, 2019

What’s going on in Negros Oriental?

Posted By: Louie Encabo 2455 Views featured, national federation of sugarcane workers, negros massacre, neri colmenares, oscar albayalde, sagay massacre, sarah elago, war on farmers

When talking about warfare and massacres in the Philippines, the common guess is that it would happen in the island of Mindanao. Under the

Read more
The Philippines 
April 1, 2019April 2, 2019

What makes the May 2019 Elections so crucial for the Duterte administration?

Posted By: Louie Encabo 1831 Views 2019 philippine senatorial elections, featured, federalism in the philippines, rodrigo duterte, senate of the philippines

If you happen to notice that a generous amount of resources is being poured into the May 2019 elections, that’s because there is a

Read more

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  • George LaFleur on The case of Alice Guo: How raiding a human trafficking ring uncovered a possible Chinese “sleeper agent” in the Philippines
  • Dee Soto on No intelligence: The many problems with Sara Duterte’s confidential funds
  • Capt Jack on Today, we thank the unions
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