Classrooms in the Philippines were silent on Monday as millions of school children hunkered down at home for the second year of remote lessons that experts fear will worsen an educational "crisis".While nearly every country in the world has partially or fully reopened schools to in-person classes, the Philippines has kept them closed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations (UN) says.President Rodrigo Duterte has so far rejected proposals for a pilot reopening

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter and heir apparent has declared that she will not run for the presidency in May 2022 but many remain sceptical after the months of meetings she has held with the country’s major political blocs over the past few months.Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is currently mayor of Davao, said on Thursday that with her father’s decision to run for vice president, she would not run for the top job.“I am not running for a national position as we both agreed only on

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will run for vice president in next year's elections, his party said Tuesday, after months of speculation about whether he would seek to stay in power.Duterte, who was elected to the top job in 2016 and is barred under the constitution from seeking another term, has previously flagged the possibility of contesting the country's second-highest office. "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamour of

Philippine politics has been predominantly characterised as an “elite democracy” dominated by elite political parties, personalities, and political clans who are not only “gurus” of political “clientelism,” but are more often than not co-opted and under the tutelage of oligarchs, in which power brokers deliver votes to politicians in exchange for the granting of favours and “special privileges.” Philippine politics is also very much dictated by personality-based politics and is large

Philippine tricycle driver Jesus Gomez struggled to make a living even before the capital Manila went back into a coronavirus lockdown last week that forced most of his customers to stay home and halved his meagre income. Six months behind in rent and unable to afford cooking gas, the 77-year-old joined hundreds of others on Wednesday at a covered basketball court to receive PHP1,000 (US$20) government handout. About 80 percent of the more than 13

The South China Sea (SCS) dispute is one of the many inter-state issues that challenge the resolve of the Philippines’ foreign policy of upholding peaceful coexistence and mutual respect with other claimant-states, especially China. This is in line with a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the dispute based on the Philippines’ commitment to international law, regional stability, and peaceful co-existence with its neighbours, without compromising the integrity of its national terri

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte must end his “policy of subservience” towards Beijing, lawmakers and foreign policy experts have said, warning that the Filipino leader’s silence is sending the wrong signal as hundreds of Chinese “maritime militia” vessels continue to congregate within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.While several Filipino officials, including the country’s top diplomat and the defence chief, have openly demanded that the Ch

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will "waive" his chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine, arguing elderly people like him should not be prioritised.Just over one million people in the Philippines have received their first shot since the beginning of March - a fraction of the number needed to reach herd immunity in the country of 110 million.The slow rollout and limited supply have fuelled criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic as a record surge in infectio

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (12 April) made his first public appearance in two weeks, quashing wild rumours about his purported failing health and even untimely death.He squarely addressed questions about his health."If you want me to die early, you must pray harder," he said, needling those spreading rumours that he had died in Singapore, where he was purportedly taken after a health scare.He said he deliberately avoided appearing in public for two weeks to make

President Rodrigo Duterte has not made any public appearance for close to two weeks now, fuelling speculation that his health is declining, with some even claiming that he has died.His aides and sources have dismissed the rumours – one was that he had suffered a mild stroke and was taken to Singapore where he purportedly died, another was that plans were being drawn up for a military junta to run the Philippines.Adding to the fog was a disclosure that his daughter, Davao Mayor Sara D