Philippines

The road to presidency of the late dictator’s son is built on a campaign that embraces the influencer culture of good vibes and toxic positivity while evading demands for accountability. 

Almost two years since the Philippines implemented lockdown measures to curb COVID-19 infections, some schools in the country have resumed face-to-face classes. In the capital Manila, however, physical classes in school due to recommence in January was suspended because of surging cases in late 2021. Most are the Omicron variant, which now brings total cases to over three million and more than 50,000 deaths.   

The Philippines has seen increasing storms and typhoons cause havoc with more frequency, however, some groups of people are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than others. Though the climate crisis is a human rights issue, a whole-of-government approach is still needed to address ongoing problems left behind by limited relief packages, slow responses from authorities, and excessive waste.

Elections in the Philippines is a time of alliances, pundits, politicking within and across party lines. A range of candidates have put themselves forward for the upcoming 2022 elections, though their agendas and positions may still be too cloudy for voters to make a clear bet. Persistent problems around politics are present, although reform via the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is slowly taking place. There’s still plenty of time ahead for unpredictability, by prospective candidates and the voting population.

Women are among the hardest hit by the intersecting and overlapping impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through community mobilization and solidarity, women are also finding solutions.

Economists have called COVID-19 an economic SHE-cession because millions of women have exited the workforce to adopt the role of family caregiver. In the Philippines, the COVID-19 induced SHE-cession which is a compounded crisis of health, economy, and governance that has exposed the uneven vulnerabilities of women across different sectors.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent decision to overturn a nationwide moratorium on new mining projects, which had been in place since 2012, was lauded by mining and business entities and criticized by environmental and human rights groups. Aside from allowing new mines to open in the country, Executive Order No. 130 (EO 130), which was signed on 14 April 2021, calls for a number of reforms.

Rodrigo Duterte’s term as President of the Philippines ends on June 30, 2022. Many Filipinos and foreigners who have witnessed Duterte’s shocking antics, including presidents, pope, magistrates who have been the subject of Duterte’s abrasive talk and behavior over the past five years wonder how the Duterte presidency will end, and what is in store for the Philippines beyond?

Forced to follow a “no vaccine, no classes” policy, the Philippines has implemented distance-learning programs that exacerbate existing inequalities.