Four months from now, candidates will start filing their certificates to join next year’s elections. This early, we’re seeing some interesting political posturing and realignment of forces. Of course, much of these developments will depend on who’ll be running for president. Or, to be more exact, who, politicians think would be likely to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. His daughter, by the way, is said to be gunning for the presidency — regardless of whether people actually care a...
Jun 21, 2021•50 min
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has requested authority to conduct a formal investigation into the thousands of killings under President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. Malacañang predictably downplayed, if not dismissed, this development asserting “sovereignty and independence from foreign interference.” But the process at the ICC is expected to proceed anyway regardless of whether Duterte and other officials instrumental to the conduct of his vicious drug war...
Jun 18, 2021•45 min
They say that if you’re not happy with how this country is being run, then go out and vote in 2022. Pick the candidate who’ll bring about the change you want, not the politician who’ll give you more of the same. For instance, if you think the current government has been incompetent in handling the pandemic, then pick the competent ones on the ballot. If you’re passionate about human rights, then go for candidates who truly respect human lives. make no room for human rights viol...
Jun 17, 2021•51 min
Over the weekend, the 1Sambayan coalition announced its nominees for the opposition’s presidential candidate in next year’s election. But except for former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who clearly welcomed the nomination, the rest expressed reluctance if not outright lack of interest. Is 1Sambayan off to a shaky start? Because how can you unify the opposition when you can’t even get people to consider running for president at least under your banner? Not only that. This early, the w...
Jun 17, 2021•47 min
Kieth Absalon was biking with relatives in the morning of June 6 when an explosive device suddenly went off along the trail in Masbate City. The 21-year-old Kieth, a promising football player who played with the Far Eastern University in Manila, was killed along with his uncle Nolven, a union leader. His 16-year-old cousin was also wounded in the attack. The culprit — the New People’S Army, which blamed the incident on “errors in military action” by its unit in the area. The NPA, the armed...
Jun 15, 2021•48 min
It was hailed as a victory for the planet - a Dutch court ordering oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to cut carbon emissions by net 45 percent by 2030 based on 2019 levels. Climate activists hope this would now set a precedent to hold other big oil companies — the so-called big polluters or carbon majors — accountable for seriously damaging the environment. Here in the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights initiated a landmark inquiry three years ago into how these multinational comp...
Jun 15, 2021•45 min
Early during the pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte banned Filipino health care workers from leaving for work abroad. The reason was seen as logical as it was patriotic — why deploy nurses, for instance, abroad when the Philippines we are also battling a raging pandemic? But the issue, it turned out, was much more complicated. yes, our health care system needed all the help it could. But how exactly did the initial deployment ban help our local pandemic response? It did it only provide unnecess...
Jun 15, 2021•43 min
The Philippine Congress has yet to decide whether to extend the transition government in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. It’s such a sensitive issue because it would mean postponing the new region’s first-ever elections scheduled in may next year. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front — which heads the Bangsamoro Transition Authority or BTA wants to move the elections to 2025 to give it more time to finish the work as promised or committed in its peace agreeme...
Jun 10, 2021•49 min
Because of the raging pandemic, perhaps you would think: those positioning for the 2022 elections might slow down a bit and perhaps try to play more by the rules. Well, it’s apparently not the case for the upcoming elections. You still have prospective candidates campaigning early through posters and paid broadcast ads. Of course, they can always argue — what’s wrong with that? This is a free country! But you and I know that they’re obviously campaigning introducing themselves to voters at...
Jun 09, 2021•45 min
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter running for president. Her vice president, a former defense secretary identified with former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This Sara Duterte-Gilbert Teodoro tandem, of course, was teaser by another former Arroyo administration official, former Budget Secretary and Congressman Rolando Andaya. So, what should we make out of this separate push to “convince” President Duterte himself to run for vice president? Well, there’s no tandem voting ...
Jun 08, 2021•55 min
There’s an interesting piece of legislation that came out of the House of Representatives recently. Despite their very busy schedules, congressmen still found time to promote press freedom which, we probably all agree, is important in a democracy. So our good congressmen saw it fit to pass a bill declaring August 30 of each year as National Press Freedom Day. It was a unanimous vote on third and final reading - but wait. Just last year, July 10, 2020 to be exact a committee from this same ...
Jun 07, 2021•53 min
At 76 years old and not exactly in the pink of health, President Rodrigo Duterte is being urged by his own political party to run for vice president next year. As we speak, there are signature campaigns across villages “urging” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to run. A Duterte-Duterte tandem, of course, won’t be a surprise anymore. we saw it in Davao City, which the family has firmly controlled for over 20 years. But to expand this political dynasty to the very top of Philippine politics is ...
Jun 07, 2021•51 min
Judge Raul Pangalangan has just completed his term at the International Criminal Court, an important body established as a court of last resort when states are unable or unwilling to genuinely prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. But nearly 20 years since it was created under the Rome Statute, the ICC has had its share of successes as well as failures often criticized for allegedly being ineffective, inefficient, or even biased. much of these, of course, a...
Jun 03, 2021•44 min
In this episode, Christian Esguerra talks to Dean Soledad Mawis and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino on psychological incapacity as a legal concept and its implications on cases seeking the declaration of the nullity of marriage. They also tackled the push to legalize divorce in the Philippines.
Jun 02, 2021•50 min
In this episode, Christian Esguerra talks to Metro Manila Mayors Isko Moreno and Toby Tiangco on the pressures and challenges of dealing with the pandemic at the frontlines of the government response.
May 31, 2021•49 min
After five years, and close to the tail-end of the Duterte administration, the Philippine National Police finally agreed to open its case files on policemen involved in anti-drug operations where suspects were killed for allegedly resisting arrest — the so-called “nanlaban” cases. But only the Department of Justice will be given access to these records which cover only 61 cases out of thousands of killings recorded since President Duterte launched his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs in 2...
May 29, 2021•52 min
Internet speed, not to mention, cost, has always been seen as a weakness in the Philippines, a problem made even more pronounced as more people had to shift online - for school, work, and many other vital functions during the pandemic. Recently, the government’s plan to roll out free public Wi-Fi access came under scrutiny because of an alleged overpriced contract cornered by some companies. In this episode, Christian Esguerra together with Eliseo Rio Jr., former Officer-in-Charge of the ICT Dep...
May 29, 2021•34 min
In this episode, Christian Esguerra talks to Jaime Montoya Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and Dr. Gene Nisperos, Board Member of the Community Medicine Development Foundation on why some Filipinos are reluctant to get vaccinated and the importance of clinical trials for 'mix-and-match' vaccines.
May 28, 2021•49 min
In this episode President Duterte's Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo sought to justify Duterte’s questionable statements on the West Philippine sea, claiming there were no inconsistencies. Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal warned China could use these remarks against the Philippines later on.
May 26, 2021•43 min
In this episode, Christian Esguerra talks to Usec. Severo Catura of the NTF-ELCAC and Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate on the government's crackdown on communism. For Catura, concerns raised over Maginhawa Community Pantry's Patricia Non raising a clenched fist in some photos provide a good opportunity for dialogue. For Zarate, government cannot simply red-tag any individual as it is not just simple labeling, it is very dangerous.
May 24, 2021•47 min
After the fact, we get to see things more clearly. After the fact, we know who's telling the truth. This is the #ANCPodcast edition of #ANCAfterTheFact
May 21, 2021•22 sec
