President Bongbong Marcos summed up his foreign policy with this phrase, “friend to all, enemy to none”. Very catchy, but it is not immediately discernable how this actually stacks up to the constitutional prescription of pursuing an “independent foreign policy”. (Article II, Section 7) More critically, it is not straightaway
February 21, 2024
The closure of CNN Philippines hit the industry hard. But unlike the shutdown of ABS-CBN, which was due to the refusal of Congress to renew its franchise, the demise of this media stalwart was down to economics. The local franchise of this global media brand just could not crack the
February 7, 2024
By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M The Charter Change (Cha-Cha) discourse always seems to accept three presumptions. First, that proponents know what they are talking about. This really boggles the mind because almost always, the proponents show the opposite. Keep in mind as well that close to 80% of the population know very little about the
January 24, 2024
Time to be technical here. Please, bear with me. Article XVII, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution provides: “Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by: (1) The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members; or (2) A constitutional convention.” Section 2 then
January 10, 2024
Speaker Martin Romualdez announced a few days ago that in 2024 the House of Representatives will seriously pursue the amendment of the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. There have been numerous attempts at changing our constitution, but all have failed. Pertinently, the Speaker promises to limit the amendment
December 29, 2023
Yes, lawmaking is a job. Voters did not technically hire members of Congress, but every single lawmaker elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate is expected to perform a specific task. One that demands of them to devote every waking time of their term of office. And that
December 12, 2023
By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established pursuant to the Rome Statute. But the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019. Hence, this question of whether we should rejoin or not. The decision to withdraw was unilaterally made by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte. According to a report from
November 29, 2023
A couple of truths about confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to start this piece. First, the legal framework regulating CIF is presently Joint Circular No. 2015-01 dated January 8, 2015 and collectively issued by the Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National
October 14, 2023
Two facts to know about the office of the Vice-President (VP). First, the 1987 Constitution does not prescribe specific duties and responsibilities for the VP, apart from being the first in line to succeed the President. It must be emphasized though that the constitution provides that the VP shall have
September 27, 2023
The Senate is now urging the administration of President Bongbong Marcos to use the United Nations General Assembly to consolidate global pressure on China to cease and desist with its harassment of Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea. Surprisingly, this move was initially opposed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano
September 14, 2023
“Drag” is art, certainly. Thus, any self-respecting drag artist would know that not everyone will appreciate this form of artistic expression. A true artist embraces the fact that there will always be negative reactions to his/her/their art. A genuine creative will not whinge like a spoiled child when faced by
August 30, 2023
If you are happy with the current state of affairs in our legislature, then do not bother to read on. For voters who want to make changes, this piece is for you. Critical issues inundate the public space right now. Thus, this is truly not the time for us to
August 16, 2023