Editor's Pick

Confirmation hearings to proceed even without Duterte in court, ICC experts say

News

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By Ellen Tordesillas

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Feb 19, 2026

The confirmation hearings on the crimes against humanity charge against former president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court in The Hague will proceed as scheduled from Feb. 23 to 27, despite his decision not to attend, two sources familiar with ICC procedures said.

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Vitaliano Aguirre’s art of comfortably lying

Commentary

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By Antonio J. Montalvan II

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Feb 18, 2026

As secretary of Justice, Aguirre announced that “The criminals, the drug lords, drug pushers, they are not humanity. They are not humanity.”

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From lawmakers to law-evaders: A Senate in crisis

Commentary

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By Tita C. Valderama

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Feb 16, 2026

A fractured Senate is a weak Senate. If leaders are busy managing internal conflict, the chamber cannot effectively serve as a check on the Marcos administration or as a counterweight to the Dutertes. Instead of focusing on laws and oversight, senators are distracted by survival

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BBM tops sycophancy branding

Commentary

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By Miguel Paolo P. Reyes

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Feb 12, 2026

Let us eat BBM rice, live in a BBM housing unit, buy medicine at a Botika at Bakuna para sa Mamamayan outlet, and get a BBM haircut. While it is unlikely that Bongbong has explicitly ordered his underlings (and their underlings) to come up with (P)BBM programs, he certainly is not discouraging them from naming things after him

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Duterte’s lies catch up with him at ICC

Commentary

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By Ellen Tordesillas

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Feb 9, 2026

Notably, the panel of ICC-chosen medical experts included a section titled “Concerning Reliability,” which Kaufman objected to. In it, the chamber noted that the panel unanimously agreed that “Mr Duterte is an unreliable historian concerning his health and mental functions” and that “Mr Duterte’s complaints of memory difficulty and apparent impaired performance on assessment are disproportionate to his observed abilities at interview.”That is a polite way of saying Duterte’s words cannot be taken at face value—hardly news to Filipinos.

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FACT CHECK Online Posts

FACT CHECK: Fr. Flavie Villanueva quote card on drug use NEEDS CONTEXT

A viral quote card claiming Fr. Flavie Villanueva admitted to being a "drug addict" is a manipulated paraphrase used to discredit his human rights work.

News

269 dead in 2025 in Marcos ‘bloodless’ drug war

As the Marcos administration continues to flaunt their relative achievements in a “bloodless” drug war—multiple arrests, tons of confiscated illegal drugs—repeatedly left out of these narratives are the still unmitigated violence that is increasingly perpetrated by criminal elements said to be outside the reach of state forces. And again, state agents continue to kill. The “bloodless” drug war continues, and more so, and as before, spills over to innocent civilians. Their increasing death count cannot simply be dismissed as insignificant casualties.

Commentary

Why Unprogrammed Appropriations undermine checks and balances

Unprogrammed Appropriations is defended in the name of efficiency. But efficiency without accountability is not reform—it is risk.UA weakens the separation of powers It tempts the Executive to complete Congress’ work. It encourages the invention of fiscal triggers. And it facilitates opacity and pork.