Or how tainted officials leverage scandals for a comeback in the lucrative game of power and rent extraction Why do public officials tainted or implicated in corruption scandals see the need to keep running again and again or at least be reappointed to public office? Why, for instance, have 15 politicians indicted or even convicted in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) pork barrel scam taken this path, with 14 of them, at some point, running again for public office, some even (…)

The spotlight is on the investigation of implicated officials and contractors, raising concerns about the potential for another cycle of corruption where the 'big fish' escape accountability. The current focus of attention in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control projects scandal is the investigation and filing of charges against government officials (including legislators) and contractors implicated in the case. Thorough investigation and judicious prosecution (…)

In the third week of January 2026, the Philippines resembles a jigsaw puzzle of tragedies, where the jagged edges of domestic instability—maritime disasters, indigenous displacement, and dynastic corruption—are being forced into the cold, rigid frame of global power competition. The convergence of these events suggests that the nation is not merely a developing country struggling with internal reform, but a localized theater for a much larger, global “game of powers.” War Ships vs. (…)