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Continue reading →: The Photographer Who Made the World Look Twice: Gab Mejia’s Journey to TOYM 2024By Louis ‘Barok‘ C Biraogo — December 19, 2024 THE suffocating smoke over Agusan Marsh was more than just a tragic symptom of burning peatlands—it was a wake-up call. For a young Gab Mejia, standing helpless in its toxic grasp, it marked the beginning of a journey from witness to…
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Continue reading →: UP’s Digital Misstep: Will the eUP Project Be a Lesson in Accountability or an Exercise in Evasion?By Louis ‘Barok‘ C Biraogo — December 19, 2024 THE P134.6-million eUP Project was meant to modernize the University of the Philippines (UP), but instead, it has become the epicenter of a brewing scandal. In its scathing 2023 report, the Commission on Audit (COA) exposes troubling lapses in UP’s governance,…
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Continue reading →: Secrecy vs. Scrutiny: Who Holds the Vice President Accountable?By Louis “Barok” C. Biraogo — December 18, 2024 BENEATH the legal and procedural debate surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s use of confidential funds lies a deeper, more troubling dilemma: when public trust is on trial, can accountability afford to hide behind closed doors? At the heart of this debate…
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Continue reading →: Davao: The Sweet Promise and the Bitter Realities of Cacao DominanceBy Louis ‘Barok’ C. Biraogo — December 17, 2024 BENEATH the fertile soil of Davao’s vast chocolate plantations lies a bitter truth. While the Department of Agriculture-Davao Region (DA-Davao) proudly proclaims that Davao churns out 80% of the Philippines’ cacao, this sweet success masks a less palatable reality: economic instability,…
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Continue reading →: From Savior to Suspect: The Fall of Duterte’s Anti-Drug CrusadeBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 16, 2024 RODRIGO Duterte’s iron-fisted legacy is cracking under the weight of new revelations. A House Quad-Committee alleges his war on drugs—a campaign once hailed as a triumph of law and order—was a smokescreen for a criminal enterprise enriching Duterte and his allies.…
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Continue reading →: Accountability vs. Accessibility: The Battle Over PhilHealth’s 2025 BudgetBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 15, 2024 HAS the government just dealt a fatal blow to universal health care? By slashing the 2025 subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to zero, Congress has ignited a debate that cuts to the heart of the nation’s values. Is…
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Continue reading →: Justice Served: Araullo’s Triumph Over Badoy and Celiz’s Defamatory Red-TaggingBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C Biraogo — December 14, 2024 WHEN a broadcast journalist takes on red-taggers in court and wins, it sends shockwaves through the fragile boundaries of free speech and accountability. Atom Araullo’s civil suit victory over Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz is more than just a legal triumph—it’s…
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Continue reading →: Confidential or Controversial? Unpacking VP Duterte’s Defense on P612M in Secret FundsBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C Biraogo — December 13, 2024 CONFIDENTIAL funds were meant to safeguard the nation, but do they now shield something else? Vice President Sara Duterte’s refusal to publicly disclose how she utilized P612.5 million in confidential funds (CFs) allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP)…
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Continue reading →: Beyond the Audit: Why the President’s CIFs Demand Legislative ScrutinyBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 13, 2024 ARE confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) the ultimate blank check for power? Representative Joel Chua’s claim that a lack of Commission on Audit (COA) flags means no need for legislative oversight sparks a debate that cuts to the heart of constitutional…
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Continue reading →: Above the Law? VP Sara Duterte’s NBI Snub Sparks Legal and Political DebateBy Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — December 12, 2024 WHY would Vice President Sara Duterte skip a second NBI hearing about alleged threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.? Her absence, explained through a lawyer’s letter citing threats to her own life, has ignited a firestorm of questions: Is this a…






