Rappler's latest stories on Thought Leaders
[ANALYSIS] Making sense of the surprisingly good jobs, poverty stats
Moving forward, government must make sure growth lifts all boats, and no region is left behind. Inclusivity is key.

[ANALYSIS] PISA results: Using this to set an Olympic goal for PH education
This cannot be a quick fix. What is required is a sustained undertaking spanning multiple presidential administrations.

[ANALYSIS] Aetas and New Clark City: Trampling on human rights of our first peoples
As we commemorate International Human Rights Day on December 10, let us remember that recognition begins at home and with our first peoples, the Aetas

Build, Build, Build? Evict, Evict, Evict!
Is the public aware of the thousands of urban poor families facing demolition, eviction, and relocation to make way for tons of cement and steel?

[OPINION | NEWSPOINT] The timid press
A susceptibility to intimidation should be correctable by a proper steeping in the values imposed on the profession

On my bookshelf, China and dictators steal the spotlight
Three books on the changing world

[OPINION] The Leni Robredo Chapter
In such a short period of time and for such negligible exertion of potential, Robredo was able to remind Filipinos of what a true leader looked like and what real leadership meant

[ANALYSIS] Dismal PISA rankings: A wake-up call for Filipinos
At least we now have baseline data that we can use to compare our country’s PISA performance with other countries. It’s better than groping in the dark.

[OPINION] The lawless Duterte presidency
The Philippines has been transformed into a wilderness soaked in blood

Kalamidad at social media
Kailangan lang mai-channel ang ating pagkahumaling sa social media for the greater good, lalo na para sa mga nasalanta at naapektuhan ng bagyo. Puwedeng mag-fundraising, puwedeng makibalita sa relief operations.

[ANALYSIS | Point of Law] The OSG and POGOs
Does the Office of Solicitor General have the power to give advisory opinions to other government agencies like Pagcor?

Ang kuwento ng dalawang Antonio
Magkapatid sa sining, at kapwa isinilang nang Nobyembre, si Lamberto Antonio ay iniluklok kamakailan sa Hall of Fame ng Palanca, habang si Teo Antonio ang paksa ng librong nanalo ng National Book Award

[ANALYSIS] Following the money trail of the 30th SEA Games
So many mishaps and anomalies have marred the start of the 30th SEA Games, and the opening ceremony hasn’t even happened yet

[OPINYON] ‘Mano po, Ninong!’
Iyong sa SEA Games, simula pa lang nang ilabas ang bilog-bilog na logo at sago-sagong mascot, alam ko nang magkakaganito. Icing on the cake na lang ang kaldero sa New Clark.

[OPINION] The voters of Hong Kong have spoken
The protest must now be seen not as a young people’s movement, but as a grassroots rejection of Beijing’s rule

[OPINION | NEWSPOINT] Blowback
So, why would Duterte, a can-do-no-wrong case, yield the running of his centerpiece campaign to Robredo, thus implying that he could not hack it himself?

[ANALYSIS] Duterte’s ban on rice imports: Enough of these capricious policies
Was rice tariffication a miscalculation by Duterte? Did he not anticipate that rice prices would plummet? Was he ill-advised by the economic team?

[ANALYSIS] Will Vietnam take China to court?
Hanoi looks closely at Manila’s arbitration case

[OPINION] Lawfare: The silent pandemic afflicting the world
Despite the law being weaponized against me, I am one of the lucky ones in this Age of 'Lawfare' – which has been used for everything from political assassination to the orchestration of civilian deaths

[OPINYON] Tapaojo: Pagmuni-muni pagkatapos mag-unfriend sa Facebook
Tapaojo. Ang inilalagay na takip sa mata ng kabayo para maging limitado ang makikita. Ganito ang karamihan sa atin. Bakit nga naman magpapa-stress sa kasalungat ng katuwiran, puwede namang i-customize ang mababasa?

[ANALYSIS | Point of Law] A correct move for our stock market?
The proposed Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act appears unsound, and Congress may want to rethink it before it's too late

[OPINION] Circumnavigating the circumnavigators
Magellan and Elcano's voyage were part and parcel of an ongoing Spanish imperial project to dominate the world

[OPINION] Leni's improbable journey
VP Leni’s recent acceptance to take on the task of co-heading the country’s controverted 'war on drugs' can perhaps best be seen in this game-changing context: an opportune time

[ANALYSIS] The moving goalposts of Duterte’s Build, Build, Build
Moving goalposts is ill-advised. Not only does it render BBB practically impossible to evaluate, it also serves as a convenient excuse for the economic managers’ sloppy conception and implementation of the program.

[ANALYSIS] Drug wars, mass incarceration, and the rise of organized crime
The rise of organized crime is one of the unintended consequences of a drug war. What can the Philippines learn from Latin America?

[ANALYSIS] Scarborough Shoal and its threat to Philippine centers of gravity
It is our economic assets, our commerce, and way of life that can now be threatened by the Chinese. Green Aura is a harbinger of things to come.

[OPINION | Dash of SAS] Rape, incest and inequality – the other reasons for teen pregnancies
Sex education isn’t only about what body part goes where. It is about teaching boundaries and protecting those boundaries by distinguishing between a good touch and a bad touch.

[OPINION] Duterte's sense of history
President Rodrigo Duterte's version of historical time is one of unending trauma, where experience outstrips expression

[OPINION] How do you solve a problem like EDSA?
Traffic congestion reveals a deeper malady: lack of a well-defined land use plan for the National Capital Region

[OPINION | Newspoint] A never-ending cleanup
President Duterte may have been prodigious at making a mess, and far from done with it, but his is only the latest in a rarely broken run of messy Philippine leaderships

[ANALYSIS] Is the Philippine economy in the pink again? Not exactly
Latest data betray troubling trends in the economy that soon need to be addressed

[ANALYSIS] 75 years after MacArthur's return, WW2 combatants face common threat
Why were the US and Japan forces in the Philippines for joint 'warrior' exercises? Because China desires regional and global domination, and the Philippines is standing in its way.

[OPINION] Apollo Quiboloy, stop!
There’s nothing funny about Pastor Quiboloy. Nothing is funny when religious work perpetuates people’s ignorance.

[OPINION] About that election question in the bar exams
This question – ‘Did X’s proclamation divest the Comelec of its jurisdiction to decide the case and vest the HRET jurisdiction? Explain.’ – is unnecessarily complicated

Rappler’s Marites Vitug, Joselito de los Reyes win 38th National Book Awards
Marites Dañguilan Vitug’s ‘Rock Solid: How the Philippines Won Its Maritime Case against China’ is Best Book in Journalism and Joselito D. de los Reyes’s ‘Finding Teo: Tula/Talambuhay’ is Best Book of Nonfiction Prose in Filipino

[OPINION] Duterte is vulnerable
But if the opposition comes across as mainly defending liberal democracy, this is not going to make a dent in Duterte’s popularity

[OPINION] The illegal and immoral Kaliwa Dam ECC
The Kaliwa Dam ECC is illegal and immoral. It violates the Filipino people’s right to a sound environment and disregards the rights of affected indigenous peoples and local communities.

[ANALYSIS] Duterte to take over water distribution? That spells disaster
Prior to privatization in 1997, water was distributed, not by private corporations, but by a government agency called the MWSS. It did a crappy job.

[ANALYSIS] ASEAN tourism message for China: Welcome, but diversify!
The Philippines must prepare for the double-edged sword of Chinese spending. This potential for China 'weaponizing' tourism has a history.

[OPINYON] Bisayang dako? Mas angay pa'ng talawang dako!
Labaw pa niani, saksi na sab sila sa imong kahadlok sa mga kusganong babaye...Pastilan, maski ang mga Barretto di nimo kayang ipag-uli, inay gasagpaay sa imong atubangan ug way kay nabuhat?

[ANALYSIS] Is Canada really immune to populism?
The populist People’s Party of Canada may have failed to gain a single seat in the country’s recent election, but its far-right platform is here to stay

[OPINYON] Hindi mo kailangang maniwala sa paramdam
Hindi mo kailangang hanapin. Kung magpaparamdam at magpapakita ang mga multo at espiritu, wala ka nang magagawa. Gaya ng madalas mangyari sa akin.

[OPINION | NEWSPOINT] The evil that men do
He was elected as the one-trick pony the nation needed – only to prove himself not even slightly worthy of the trick on which he sold himself

[OPINION | Dash of SAS] NEDA official accused of sexual harassment still in office
It has been nearly 9 months since the report was submitted to the Office of the President for a resolution. The silence from Malacañang is deafening.

[OPINYON] Isinulat habang nakahiga sa banig ng karamdaman at natauhan
Hindi masama ang matauhan. Katunayan, dapat ngang paminsan-minsan ay matauhan tayo mula sa, halimbawa, lubos nating sinasambang pulitiko. Lumayo sa ideyang tagapagligtas ang pinuno.

[ANALYSIS] Duterte the Defeatist
It’s one thing for presidents – or any leader for that matter – to make mistakes. But it’s a different thing altogether for them to give up as a matter of habit.

[OPINION] Radical change stops sexual violence
The ground has shifted everywhere on due process – the main objective of anti-sexual harassment and anti sexual abuse mechanisms is no longer punishment or liability, but protection and safeguarding of vulnerable persons

[OPINION] Divorce, death penalty, and the dangers of religious fundamentalism
Violence exists in households around the country. The death penalty is ineffective in deterring crime.

[ANALYSIS | Point of Law] Competition Commission: Hitting the ground running
Though we are far from the promised land, the commission's significant and aggressive efforts towards achieving its mission are both valiant and promising

[OPINION] Celebrating 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
Marking Christianity's 5th centenary in the Philippines is not just an ecclesial celebration, but also a celebration of who we are as a people and nation
