For decades, the Iglesia ni Cristoโs (INC) practice of bloc voting has drawn controversy, suspicion, and outright condemnation. Critics often frame it as religious coercion or an assault on individual conscience. Supporters, meanwhile, defend it as an exercise of religious freedom and internal discipline. A recent essay, โIglesia ni Cristo, Bloc Voting, and the Neoliberal […]
When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte ran together in 2022, they projected an image of overwhelming unity โ a political marriage of convenience that fused the Marcos brand of restoration with the Duterte brand of brute-force populism. Branded as the โUniTeam,โ the alliance promised stability, continuity, and dominance. By the end […]
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged โฑ926 million in questionable disbursements under the Department of Social Welfare and Developmentโs (DSWD) Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), raising concerns about weak safeguards and possible abuse in one of the governmentโs flagship cash assistance programs. Hereโs what you need to know. What is AKAP? AKAP, […]
The United Statesโ threat to sanction the International Criminal Court unless it guarantees immunity for President Donald Trump is not simply a diplomatic dispute. It is a clarifying moment โ one that strips away the language of โrules-based orderโ and reveals how international law functions when it collides with imperial power . At stake is […]
MANILA, Philippines โ Death carries a powerful legal consequence in Philippine criminal law. It can stop a criminal case in its tracks. This reality has fueled rare but high-profile attempts by accused persons to fake their own deaths to evade prosecution. Hereโs what you need to know. Why does death matter in criminal cases? Under […]
Former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, one of the most senior career officials ever to serve at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), died on December 19 after she was found unresponsive along the Bued River near Kennon Road in Benguet. Her death came as sprawling investigations continued into alleged ghost and […]
When public infrastructure collapses, stalls, or becomes the subject of corruption allegations, the first names dragged into the spotlight are rarely the politicians who pushed for the projects. More often, it is the engineers โ the technical people who sign plans, certify accomplishments, and carry the legal weight of every structure built under their watch. […]
Social media is once again buzzing with claims that the sanction of the United States against the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who faces an ICC investigation for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his drug war. The claim is catchy, politically useful, and widely shared โ but itโs […]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sharply criticized the United Statesโ latest move to impose sanctions on two of its sitting judges, warning that the action threatens judicial independence and the global rule of law. In a statement, the ICC said it โdeploresโ the US administrationโs decision to sanction Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and […]