Editor's Pick

VERA Files denounces attempted arrest of photojournalists Bullit Marquez and Rene Dilan

Editor's Pick

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By VERA Files

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Jul 22, 2026

Photojournalists serve the public by documenting events on the ground. Their images provide vital information that strengthens a functioning democracy. They must be protected so they can perform their work without intimidation or interference.

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Beyond the sound bites: The impeachment court faces its first real test

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By Tita C. Valderama

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Jul 17, 2026

National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc emerged as the prosecution's most consequential witness so far, not because he presented a proverbial smoking gun, but because he became the vehicle through which prosecutors sought to transform Duterte's controversial public statements into evidence of an impeachable offense.

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Batanes: A decisive point in an avoidable conflict

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By Rommel Jude G Ong*

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Jul 15, 2026

COMMENTARY: The public should not be too alarmed of the Chinese claims over the northern part of the country. Unlike the government’s incoherent posture in the West Philippine Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has a more structured and disciplined approach to countering Chinese moves in the Batanes Group of Islands and with elements of a viable “denial strategy” in play.

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Manila’s push for a new rulebook in the South China Sea peters out

Commentary

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By Derek Grossman

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Jul 11, 2026

COMMENTARY:The Philippines has long sought a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, with the aim of averting conflict in these waters. But as tensions with China rise, it looks unlikely to succeed. Manila is shifting toward other means of defending its maritime interests.

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Competing legal claims fuel disinformation as Sara trial opens

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By Tita C. Valderama

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Jul 8, 2026

Even before House prosecutors presented their first witness, the opening day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial on Monday became a battle over competing interpretations of the Constitution and other laws, with rival political camps offering conflicting claims that quickly spread on social media.

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FACT CHECK Online Posts

FACT CHECK: Bato NOT arrested by police, graphic came from impostor account

Several posts circulating online claim that Sen. Bato Dela Rosa has been arrested by the police. This is false.

Bullit's Eye Photos

Protest rally against U.S. President Trump and State Secretary Rubio

Surveys show that Filipinos trust highly the United States. But to members of the militant group, Bayan, that positive feeling does not extend to President Donald Trump and State Secretary Marco Rubio who was here in Manila for the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers and their dialogue partners July 20 to 24.

Commentary

Baste’s Romanov: obsession and ignorance

Baste Duterte, all bluster and boastfulness like his father and siblings, knows next to nothing about the Romanov murders recognized as Russian Orthodox martyrdom.