An unreliable ally
Rodrigo Duterte has a symbiotic relationship with the military establishment. He has been showering them with non-military benefits, paying attention to their needs from equipment and personal welfare, to vaccines for coronavirus disease (Covid-19).He has placed...
A breach of military discipline
The military’s integrity faces a tough litmus test as it imposes rigid rules to discipline an elite unit tasked to ensure the security and safety of the president and his family. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, chief of staff of the 150,000-member armed forces, has ordered a...
A red face is better than domestic instability
At the 31st special session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic early this month, Rodrigo Duterte supported the secretary general’s global call for a halt to all fighting at the end of the year.
Nuclear power: Matching rhetoric with actions
Rodrigo Duterte has called on developed countries to take “deep and drastic cuts” in carbon emissions to avoid global warming, blaming wealthier states for the series of natural disasters that left a trail of death and destruction in the Philippines.