By Luke Lischin

“The peace table is now wide open for everybody,” declared Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza to mark the National Peace Consciousness Month in the Philippines.

“This table is not only for the Muslims, for the New People’s Army, for the indigenous peoples, but for all Filipinos,” he added.

While Dureza reserves their seat, the New People’s Army (NPA) shows no signs of returning to the table. Rejecting President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for localised talks, the NPA remains a growing threat to national security, especially in Mindanao.

Luke Lischin

Nine months since the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) retook the city of Marawi from a coalition of Islamic State (IS) affiliated groups, resulting in the deaths of at least 802 militants, 160 government forces, and 47 civilians, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

The Philippines’ poor track record in reconstructing cities affected by disaster and conflict is manifest in Marawi’s case, a year since the siege.

Dakila Kim P. Yee - 23 May, 2018

YVONNE SU, LADYLYN MANGADA & JESSA TURALBA - 27 APR, 2018

Tacloban City’s 'Home of the Happiest People' tourism campaign is a cover up of five years of devastation in a disaster-stricken city.

The Tacloban City Government has launched a marketing campaign branding the city as the “Home of the Happiest People in the World.”

Mount Agung’s rumbling may or may not portend a massive eruption on the scale of a century. Fortunately the probability this time is for great disruption to air traffic, tourism, and the local economy, rather than massive death and homelessness.