Philippine Democracy Online

By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  Today, October 13, 2025, two years and six days after Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and kidnapping more than 250, resulting to the War on Gaza that killed 67,120 Palestinians, the remaining 20 hostages were released by Hamas after a ceasefire was in place a day before. Israel, in turn, will also release more than 1,719 Palestinians in detention since the war erupted. The State of Israel and Hamas agreed to the truce largely based on the 20-point plan laid down by US President Donald Trump, who is in Israel today to speak before the Israeli Parliament and the families of the freed hostages. He was welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning at the Ben Gurion International Airport. The effect of the Gaza war and subsequent genocide is beyond imagination. With the cessation of the Israeli bombardment, relief operations will start, with 600 trucks of food, fuel, and medical supplies entering Gaza according to aid agencies. The war...

  By Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  Resilience is the image of a bamboo, highly flexible but firmly rooted on the ground (principles, values). It is about the ability to bounce back. Our institutions are meant to be like that. But moral accountability is not a matter of words. It must be about what our public officials actually do.  Filipinos are resilient. But it might just be a facade, one that is rooted in the "Bahala na" attitude. People accept their fate. It is a type of resignation that things happen despite what you do. We learn how to adapt but fail to make sure that certain bad things won't happen again.  But perhaps our resilience is in the weak sense. I call it negative resilience. Negative resilience means surviving but not doing anything to change bad situations to make sure that things won't happen again. You can't blame the people, however. They are victims of unfair structures and practices.  In contrast, resilience in the strong sense is what pr...

  The Senate passed a resolution urging the International Criminal Court to put President Rodrigo Duterte under house arrest in a country that would agree to the conditions set by its Pre-trial Chamber. Was the basis of the senators who voted in favor of the senate resolution simply asking for compassion? It goes beyond that. The request is rooted on a fundamental legal principle. It is a violation of the right to due process of the accused if the same is tried when in fact one is no longer fit to fully understand the legal proceedings.  The above is a matter that the ICC will determine through its experts who will look into the health condition of the former President before the ICC decides whether there's merit to the granting of the prayer for the interim release of the former leader due to poor health. It's up to the ICC whether it will grant the petition, not the critics of the former President. But there's something more than what meets the eye. The issue runs deep in...

  By Francis Jeus Ibañez  Just recently, the earth groaned beneath the Visayas region as a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Bogo City, Cebu. It was sudden, violent, and unforgiving—toppling buildings, cracking roads, and sending families scrambling for safety. The tremors didn’t just shake the ground; they rattled the very foundations of public trust and institutional preparedness. In the aftermath, questions started to surface—not just about the damage, but about the systems that were supposed to prevent or mitigate it. For years, disaster risk reduction had been discussed in government halls and academic forums, yet the reality on the ground told a different story. Communities were caught off guard, emergency protocols were unclear, and infrastructure failed to withstand the quake’s force. It was as if the nation had seen this coming but chose not to look. This is where Republic Act No. 6713 enters the picture. Known as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Off...

  By Francis Jeus Ibañez  Into the heart of the Philippine archipelago, where resilience is etched into the soul of every citizen, a quiet erosion threatens the nation- not of infrastructure or economy, but of principle. As the country grapples with economic instability and political disillusionment, a quote from C.S. Lewis echoes with haunting relevance: “Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it; right is right even if no one is doing it.” This is not just a philosophical musing. It is a call to arms- a moral imperative in a time when truth is often traded for convenience, and integrity drowned out by the noise of populism and patronage. Rule of Law: A Broken Compass? The rule of law in the Philippines has long been a contested terrain. From selective justice to impunity for the powerful, the legal system often appears more ornamental than operational. When laws are bent to serve political ends, the very foundation of democracy trembles. Lewis’s words remind us that legali...

by Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD  The Nepalese Government banned social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram in the country, causing anger among GenZs who are considered as digital natives. The youth have used social media to express their sentiments against the state. The government wants to silence online dissent. However, social media is also part of the daily life of the youth since many use these platforms to communicate to each other, do business, or maintain contact with their relatives abroad.  Banning the use of social media platforms made the youth feel that they have been deprived of their rights. The violent protests started on September 4, 2025. Some youth protesters have stormed and burned the Parliament and the homes of some government officials despite the presence of government security forces. Twenty-two people died on the first day of protest, including a 12 year old. The protests have forced the prime minister to step down. But what was really the ro...