The Marcos's Make A Comeback In The Philippines

 After the fall of Ferdinand Marcos in the mid 80's after several decades of dictatorial rule and the lotting of the Philippine treasury by the family you might conclude that political redemption wouldn't be possible.   Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is on the verge of becoming the next president of the Philippines with the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte  as his vice president. The presidency of Rodrigo Duterte has been nothing short of a human rights and free speech disaster.   It's been estimated that Duterte's war on drugs has cost the lives of 30,000 Filipinos along with the destruction of a free press.   ABS-CBN the most widely watched news channel was forced to close after the government refused to issue a new broadcast license over its criticism of the Duterte  government.  Marcos Jr. has fully embraced the attacks on the media and the war on drugs. 

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, is set to become the Philippines’ next president after taking an unassailable lead in the election, signalling an extraordinary rehabilitation of one of the country’s most notorious political families.

With more than 70% of the votes tabulated, Marcos Jr had more than 23.5m, far ahead of his closest rival, the current vice-president, Leni Robredo, a former human rights lawyer, who had 11.1m. The size of his lead means a comeback by his opponents is not possible.

Supporters dressed in red shirts, his campaign colour, gathered outside his camp’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Monday night, waving the flag of the Philippines as passing cars sounded their horns.

Authoritarian rule makes a comeback in the Philippines.  

Is Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs a stain on his legacy?

 Marc Lamont Hill challenges the former spokesperson for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

As the Philippines kicks off its presidential campaign to replace outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte, many human rights groups say the president’s so-called war on drugs is a stain on his legacy. Thousands have been killed in the violent crackdown on alleged drug dealers and users that was one of Duterte’s main policies since taking office in 2016.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to exit politics

 

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he has dropped plans to run for vice president, and will retire from politics when his term ends next year. Opponents had questioned whether it would be legal for the controversial leader to run, as the constitution limits presidents to one term in office.

Street children in the Philippines | DW Documentary

 

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is waging a brutal war on drugs. Thousands of people have already died at the hands of the police, including children.

Philippines biggest TV network ABS-CBN loses franchise

Lawmakers in the Philippines have rejected the renewal of a license for the country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN. The media group employs 11-thousand people, and has an audience of tens of millions of Filipinos. Activists call the move a political vendetta by lawmakers on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte. The network has clashed with the president, and will now be off the air indefinitely.

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa found guilty of 'cyber libel'

A Philippines court has found the veteran journalist and staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte Maria Ressa guilty of cyber libel. Maria Ressa now faces up to six years in prison. Dubbed a "dangerous precedent," the verdict is seen as a blow to press freedom in the country. Ressa, veteran journalist, was named one of Time Magazine's Persons of the Year in 2018.

Amidst Lockdown, Philippines's Largest TV Network Goes Off Air

Amidst lockdown, Philippines's largest TV network goes off air

The consensus of presidents and prime ministers just about everywhere has been that getting accurate news and information out is vital since it can save lives.

So what have the authorities in the Philippines done? Duterte's government has ordered the country's biggest television broadcaster, ABS-CBN, off the airwaves. The government says the network's franchise had expired, and so had its right to broadcast.

That is nowhere near the full story. President Rodrigo Duterte has persistently attacked ABS-CBN for its critical journalism, including its coverage of his so-called war on drugs. He had long threatened to take the network down.

Now that he has got his wish, other media outlets in Duterte's crosshairs are wondering if and when he will be coming for them. 

Rodrigo Duterte Like His Mentor Hates A Free Press

Action against ABS-CBN denounced as worst attack yet on press by Rodrigo Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte shares a common bond with Donald Trump they despise the free press.  Their efforts to control the media have resulted in banning's, threats of violence and revocation of broadcast licenses.  Why?  Stating the obvious, they're both immature, embrace authoritarian rule and have fragile egos incapable of dealing with criticism.

Recently Donald Trump banned CNN from its annual anchors lunch help prior to the State of the Union Speech.  Duterte has accused The Rappler  a Philippine online news site of being foreign owned which violates the constitution.  Its editor a Philippine citizen Maria Ressa has faced long list of legal charges.  The Rappler had its licence revoked in 2018 thanks to its critical reporting of Duterte's administration.

A petition filed with the country’s top court alleges that ABS-CBN violated a restriction imposed by the constitution on foreign ownership of mass media by allowing overseas investors to join the company.

“We want to put an end to what we discovered to be highly abusive practices by ABS-CBN,” the solicitor general, Jose Calida, said in a statement. “A franchise is a special privilege granted by the state, and should be restricted only to entities which faithfully adhere to our constitution and laws.”

Other media outlets closed ranks and rallied in support of ABS-CBN on Monday. “We stand with our colleagues at ABS-CBN and share the hope that they will weather this and come out even stronger,” the news website Rappler said in a statement. “The Duterte administration, through Calida, is resorting to legal gymnastics to push their own agenda of silencing critical media.”

Maria Ressa: War on Truth

In an era of disinformation, the CEO of Rappler takes on forces that she believes are undermining world democracies.

Facebook and other social media giants are being manipulated by governments and corporations, weakening democracies.

No country epitomises the consequences of this battle more so than the Philippines.

And no individual personifies the struggle against it more so than Maria Ressa.

Maria is the editor of Rappler, a digital news outlet that flourished under Facebook, and she now says is being crushed by it as the government uses it to shut down its critics.

Maria Ressa: War on Truth

In an era of disinformation, the CEO of Rappler takes on forces that she believes are undermining world democracies.

It is the battle of our age.

Facebook and other social media giants are being manipulated by governments and corporations, weakening democracies.

No country epitomises the consequences of this battle more so than the Philippines.

And no individual personifies the struggle against it more so than Maria Ressa.

Maria is the editor of Rappler, a digital news outlet that flourished under Facebook, and she now says is being crushed by it as the government uses it to shut down its critics.

The Philippines: Locked Up

How the war on drugs is pushing Filipino jails to breaking point as they operate at 600 percent their capacity.

"The first time I set foot inside here, I felt like I was being choked," says Manila City Jail inmate, Guillermo Busano. "I thought, 'Where am I? Why am I here?' I was so scared."

Almost 160,000 people like Busano have been arrested in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed the 'war on drugs' in 2016.

Jails across the country are in crisis. Some are 600 percent over capacity, with the vast majority of prisoners jailed for years without conviction as over-burdened courts struggle to process their cases on time. 

Duterte vs Rappler: Media on notice in the Philippines

As Filipino news site Rappler battles with authorities, media feel the chill. Plus, climate sceptics and the news media.

Media on notice in the Philippines

Rappler, a popular online news site in the Philippines has long been a thorn in the side of President Rodrigo Duterte because of its critical reporting.

Duterte has repeatedly accused Rappler of being run by Americans, which is illegal under Filipino law. Now the site is facing a possible shut down over that allegation.

Duterte has made many thinly veiled threats against journalists since 2016, but does this official move against Rappler amount to the Duterte government issuing a formal declaration of war against the Filipino media?

Anti-Trump protests erupt on the streets of Manila

Hundreds of activists and protesters marched towards the US embassy in Manila to protest against US militarism. They were blocked by police with riot shields as they chanted and held signs reading 'Dump Trump' and 'Down with US Imperialism'. The protesters fear the US president wants more military bases in the Philippines and will drag their country into the North Korea conflict. The protests were mostly peaceful but violent scuffles broke out as police blocked demonstrators from getting to the embassy. Trump will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit on the last leg of his 12-day Asian trip

Duterte's war on drugs and those reporting it

What's behind the Philippine president's war on the media and NGOs? Plus, reporting on the working class in the US.

Duterte's war on drugs and those reporting it

Since coming to power last June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been on a mission to eradicate what he claims is the country's pandemic drug problem.

The brutal crackdown on the drug trade in the country is showing no signs of slowing down. Last week, 58 alleged drug dealers and users were killed in and around the capital, Manila. One of the victims, a 17-year-old, made headlines. Police say he was killed in a two-way firefight. Eyewitnesses, backed by CCTV footage, tell a different story.

President Rodrigo Duterte has dismissed the killings of children as "collateral damage" while labelling anyone who criticises his deadly approach as an "enemy of the state".

What's behind the latest crisis in the Philippines?

President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed martial law in Mindanao to eliminate the risk of 'contamination' by ISIL.

The Philippine government has declared martial law in the southern Mindanao region where its military has been battling fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

For millions of Filipinos the term 'martial law' often conjures up the military rule of former leader Ferdinand Marcos.

But President Rodrigo Duterte says it is necessary to end "contamination" by ISIL.

The city of Marawi has been under siege by armed groups since a military raid on Tuesday.

Songs In Praise Of Dictators

Donald Trump: Songs In The Praise Of Dictators
Keep On Rockin In Kim's World
First We Take America/Then We Take The EU
Six Shooter Gun

— Taro Aso (@Nishinasuno) May 6, 2017

Graphic images on the streets of Manila

Since coming to power last June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been on a mission to eradicate what he claims is the country's pandemic drug problem.

Police records show about 7,000 Filipinos have been killed since then. One-third of those deaths have occurred during police operations, but the rest have been attributed to unknown gunmen in a wave of vigilantism that has been unleashed by the rhetoric of the president himself, critics say.

This campaign, what Duterte calls a "war on drugs", has created a new beat for a group of photojournalists who have come to be known as the "nightcrawlers".

2016 in review: The best from Talk to Al Jazeera

We revisit some of the year's most interesting and impactful interviews.

As 2016 draws to an end, we review some of the year's most interesting interviews. Talk to Al Jazeera was fortunate enough to talk to many world leaders and the people influencing our times, but we also turned the mics and cameras to alternative voices, individuals who by accident or choice have found themselves in extraordinary events.

In this end of year special edition of Talk to Al Jazeera, we begin with an episode set in the Brazilian city of Recife, in the northeast of the country, which was at the centre of a global health crisis over the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that is suspected of causing birth defects in babies. 

Is it time to bury Marcos' past in the Philippines?

'Day of Rage' protests in the Philippines after former dictator is laid to rest in cemetery for heroes.

He ruled the Philippines with an iron fist for 20 years before being overthrown in a 'people power' uprising.

Ferdinand Marcos died in exile 27 years ago, but the former president and dictator is continuing to cause controversy.

Many Filipinos are outraged by the secret burial of his body last week at the National Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.

They say his last resting place is an insult to the thousands of Filipinos, who were tortured and killed during his corrupt dictatorship.

And they're furious at the current President Rodrigo Duterte for keeping his election promise to the Marcos family.

Rodrigo Duterte: The President's Report Card

The Philippine president has been accused of ordering extrajudicial killings, but who is the man behind the headlines?

He has promised to pay huge sums of money to anyone who kills drug dealers and has ordered police to arrest any child they find on the streets late at night.  

Uncompromising and ruthless, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is on a mission to rid his country of crime and corruption.

But the Philippine president is already courting controversy, with allegations that his iron-fisted rule is responsible for countless human rights abuses.