ANOTHER STATE TO THIS UNION?

The Philippines and the ‘middle-powers’ option

THE seeds of a new international economic alliance have been sown, and the United States is not part of it. The US, in fact, is the reason such an alliance is taking shape. Last week, European Commission President…

Marcos has weaponized impeachment and criminal law

THE impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte has nothing to do with accountability. It is the weaponization of impeachment, one of the democracy’s crucial constitutional institutions, into a vile means of preventing a…

Judicial restraint

IS it inevitable that the Supreme Court should rule on the voting threshold issue in the impeachment trial of the vice president? I venture an answer in the negative — knowing that it shall once more be asked by those…

Global AI, existential risks: The need for multipolar cooperation

The global AI race has entered a new, existential stage. Anthropic CEO’s idea for international cooperation is the step in the right direction. But it is vulnerable to potential weaponization. What’s urgently needed is…

Visayas grit

ON Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) announced that the Visayas and Mindanao grids are again “operating normally.” With the full restoration of GN Power Kauswagan in Lanao del…

Impeachment court treading on dangerous, volatile ground

IT appears that the impeachment court, or at least one intellectually challenged member of it, is hell-bent on maneuvering other unsuspecting colleagues in the majority to being pulled by the nose to the precipice. The…

US visa applicants in the red not likely to get green cards

“THE end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end” is a central, recurring motto in the Netflix sci-fi series “Dark.” It refers to a bootstrap paradox and the closed time loops that trap the characters of Winden…

Making public schools safe: A tall order from the president

ANOTHER tragic school shooting incident was reported on Sept. 18, 2026, leaving three students dead, including the gunman, and six others wounded. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of…

Ramming in WPS: Who are our friends, who are our foes?

THE incident off Palawan on Sept. 18, 2026, is not new to us. The China Coast Guard vessel struck Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Datu Magat Salamat while the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was…