For three years now, the Constitution has been under relentless attack, and ironically it is the President, whose oath of office commits him to execute and defend it, who is leading the assault. Among others, the Bill of Rights has been disregarded in the conduct of the war against drugs, in the fight against insurgency, […]

  Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio says it is important to do the right thing, “even if you are alone against many.” File/Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News MANILA—Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Saturday told fresh graduates to protect their personal integrity in order to defend the country’s territories. Speaking at the University of the Philippines […]

  MANILA — Members of the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman community on Sunday joined a lightning rally urging graduates to champion Philippine sovereignty. Faculty, staff and students at the state-run university’s commencement exercises unfurled a bright red banner emblazoned with the phrase “Atin ang Pinas,” which translates to “The Philippines is ours”, as seen […]

  MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte is “going beyond” the constitutional provision pertaining to the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) “to serve and protect the people,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Monday morning. “He is precisely going beyond that provision using Article 2 Section 4 of the Constitution which says that the prime duty […]

  MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that the provision in the Constitution for the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is for the “senseless and thoughtless” and China won’t honor it. “That is a provision for the thoughtless and the senseless,” Duterte told reporters in Malacañang, referring to Section 2, Article XII of […]

MANILA, Philippines — Is Recto (Reed) Bank part of Philippine territory? Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio asked this question as he admitted this is a “justiciable issue” as domestic and international laws provide conflicting answers. He said, however, that the Constitution must prevail, and it provides that the EEZ is part of Philippine territory. Carpio […]

  MANILA, Philippines — China may end up occupying more areas in the West Philippine Sea if it would be allowed to unilaterally rehabilitate coral reefs in the disputed region, a maritime expert warned. Jay Batongbacal, director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said China’s announcement that it would […]

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is facing mounting pressure at home to be more robust in his response to Chinese aggression as tensions between the two countries surge. Beijing and Manila have found themselves locked in a bitter diplomatic row over the ownership of the South China Sea, with both countries claiming a right to the […]

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 27) — President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to jail those who will attempt to impeach him over the Chinese fishing in Philippine waters. “I-impeach ako? Kulungin ko silang lahat. Subukan ninyo [Impeach me? I will jail you all. Try me],” he said after Senator Bong Go’s oath-taking late Thursday. “Do that […]