BY MAVERICK RUSSEL FLORES “Christmas is cold. But I’m okay,” Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. told reporters inside the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Dec. 22. Arrested for alleged plunder, Revilla, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile spent their Christmas behind bars. But as… Read More Pork in Sheep’s Clothing: Looking Back at DAP and PDAF Scandals

BY THOMAS BENJAMIN ROCA The Philippines has been spared a repeat of Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever to hit land, as this year’s Pacific storm season draws to a close. Despite the relative calm, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) – the government agency tasked to deal with natural and man-made calamities… Read More On a Learning Curve: PH still struggles with super storms, disaster resilience

BY JHESSET THRINA ENANO As the year comes to a close, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States sits quiet over issues on its constitutionality. On Dec. 1, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations, held a public hearing to discuss whether the agreement is… Read More All-American Trap: EDCA Under Scrutiny