In its campaign against COVID-19, the Duterte administration adopted the slogan, “We Heal as One”, emphasizing the need for national unity amidst the global pandemic. The government reiterated that all… Continue reading "The “VIP vaccinations” scandal prove there is one rule for the ruling class, another for everyone else"
As pharmaceutical companies inch closer to developing a COVID-19 vaccine, countries race to secure doses to immunise their respective populations. Governments rush to negotiate procurement deals with Pfizer and BioNTech,… Continue reading "Gross negligence or a geopolitical machination?"
With the re-emergence of COVID-19 in New Zealand, the issue of border security and managed isolation facilities has become a hot political topic. After all, the country was once considered… Continue reading "New Zealand: How should we manage our borders and quarantine facilities?"
On August 5th, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield announced to New Zealanders that community transmission of COVID-19 in the country is “a matter of when, not if”. The revered public… Continue reading "New Zealand: I hate to admit it, but Gerry Brownlee has a point"
This week, mainstream media revealed that personal details of New Zealand’s 18 active COVID-19 cases had been leaked. A data breach of this scale is embarrassing for the Government and… Continue reading "New Zealand: the National Party are deliberately sabotaging the government’s COVID-19 efforts"
Placing entire communities under lockdown have been the go-to response for many countries to the COVID-19 pandemic. This measure is effective in curtailing the spread of the virus, but adversely… Continue reading "Philippines: the poor are being left out by the Duterte government’s COVID-19 response"
With New Zealand moving to alert level 3, Parliament resumed in limited numbers on the 28th of April. As is customary, the leaders of the different political parties each made… Continue reading "New Zealand: Will the COVID-19 pandemic usher in a new era of economic nationalism?"
In late March, New Zealand was placed under lockdown to stymie the spread of COVID-19. Under alert level 4, only “essential” businesses could remain open, while schools and religious gatherings… Continue reading "New Zealand: Are we ready to leave the alert level 4 lockdown?"
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic slowdown has become inevitable. This will be the case not just for New Zealand but the entire global economy also. Worse, the full… Continue reading "New Zealand: What was the Ministry of Works and should we bring it back?"
On the 1st of April, dozens of residents from Sitio San Roque in Quezon City staged a demonstration asking for food assistance from their local government. The Enhanced Community Quarantine… Continue reading "Philippines: No security measures can trump the basic human instinct to survive"
