Back to the streets Sunday, September 21, 2025. At the Trillion Peso March, at (or approaching) the People Power Monument.

The 2025 World Justice Forum convenes next week in Warsaw, dedicated to an urgent theme: Standing up for the rule of law. Tonight, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, we restream the interview w/ World Justice Project exec director Alex Ponce: Why is the rule of law under attack? www.youtube.com/live/TF-8-or...

Impeachment in limbo: WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Impeachment expert Atty Paolo Tamase, the lawyer who wrote the law journal feature below, joins us IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, on @rappler.bsky.social, at 8 tonight! philippinelawjournal.org/wp-content/u...

From the brink of delisting 3 years ago to winning 3 seats and 2.77M votes: How did the @AkbayanParty do it? What was their secret sauce? Party president Rafaela David and Akbayan Youth chair Justine Balane talk ingredients. Join us for a truly engaging conversation IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, tonite at 8

Are the surveys broken? Tonight, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, we drill deep into the surveys and the election results, with the “Stats Guy” Dr. Peter Cayton and political scientist Prof. Arjan Aguirre. Starts at 8! @rappler.bsky.social

Leo XIV, and the first pope from the United States

White smoke!

Journalists Kim Quitasol in Baguio, Francis Angelo in Iloilo, and Herbie Gomez in CDO talk local politics in fascinating detail—tonight at 8, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE! @rappler.bsky.social

In Nov 2021, Pope Francis gave a short speech on the mission of journalism that changed the way I understand my own profession. Ascoltare, approfondire, raccontare are the 3 principles that "characterize good journalism," he said. Be present. Go deep. Give witness. www.rappler.com/voices/thoug...

Why have rule of law indicators declined seven years in a row? Dr. Alejandro Ponce, exec. director of the World Justice Project, w/c produces the Rule of Law Index, explains how, and why, the rule of law is under attack around the world. Tonight at 8, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE! @rappler.bsky.social

Pope Frank In late 2014, the redoubtable Anna Sobrepeña, the editor in chief of Lifestyle Asia at that time, asked me to write the cover story for the magazine's January 2015 issue, to mark Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines. I focused on the phenomenon of a pope who spoke plainly. I am…

Back from Bluesky purgatory. What did I miss? 😛

How do we elect candidates with competence and integrity, who will place country before family? Prof Cielo Magno of UP and @opengovpartnership.org on a revolution at the polls, tonight at 8 IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/in-the-public-square-episode-electoral-revolt-2025/

To borrow @jcpunongbayan.bsky.social's powerful concept, beware of false nostalgia about how Duterte's war on drugs supposedly made the public feel safe. As I argue in today's column, NOT TRUE. https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-misremembering-rodrigo-duterte-drug-war/

6-2, 7-5! Alex Eala, on to the semis! 🇵🇭

An absorbing conversation with Kaya Natin’s Jess Lorenzo: What should we look for in candidates for local office? How would we know a newbie would be effective? Tonight, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, at 8. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/in-the-public-square-episode-elect-good-local-goverment-leaders/

Tonight at 8, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, public opinion pioneer Dr. Mahar Mangahas of sws.org.ph on the direct link between strong, consistent PH public support for the ICC and real public sentiment over Duterte’s war on drugs. (We actually disapproved of it.) @rappler.bsky.social

My SocSc 180i students are hosting another Media and Politics Forum—this time with the extraordinary photojournalist Raffy Lerma, who documented, and continues to give witness to, the tragedy of Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called war on drugs. Please join us on March 28.

In today’s column, I argue that, at 3 decision points in the last 7 years, Rodrigo Duterte made the exact wrong choice—and those wrong choices were what brought him to The Hague. https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-mistakes-trapped-rodrigo-duterte-icc-interpol-arrest-warrant/

A most informative conversation with Kantar Media’s Jay Bautista IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE: the costliest election, the dominant ad platform, the fastest-growing digital ad space, and so on. Crunching the data on campaign adspend: fascinating! https://www.youtube.com/live/97KpVne5cPE?si=w4Ciapp8Pj0NyQA4

Did we read too much into the meaning of Edsa? That’s the provocative POV of dev studies prof Dr Leland Dela Cruz, president of the Ph Sociological Society, who argues that a reframing, a narrowing, of the Edsa legacy is necessary. More, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, tonight at 8! @rappler.bsky.social

This week's column argues that a late July start for the VP Duterte impeachment trial was the least bad of available options. The argument can be summed up in six points, as follows: https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-opinion-yes-try-vice-president-sara-duterte-20th-congress/.

1) Column: SP Escudero is right re impeach trial sched: https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-opinion-yes-try-vice-president-sara-duterte-20th-congress/ 2) In the Public Square: Eminent lawyers @tedte.bsky.social & Lulu G Reyes talk impeachment issues. Tonight on Rappler at 8!

Instructive interviews IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE with the heads of polling firms Pulse Asia & Octa led me to dig into more election data. Yup, we’ve seen this film before. Column: https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-survey-says-history-will-repeat-itself-senatorial-surveys-2025/

(Yesterday was a long day. But it was also a good day in the classroom. A really good day. The things that keep us going!)

Sat down with the president of Pulse Asia AND the president of Octa to drill into their latest surveys, just released. Dr Holmes: As many as 9 Senate seats may be up for grabs. Prof Rye: Revillame might be the Robin Padilla of 2025. More, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, tonight at 8! @rappler.bsky.social

With transitional justice expert Ruben Carranza, a sobering discussion of how the United States under Trump 2.0 is turning Nazi: racist, fascist, supremacist, expansionist, authoritarian. Tonight, In the Public Square, at 8!

Just how bad will it get in the U.S. under Trump 2.0? Longtime Fil-Am civic leader Rodel Rodis tells it straight. He has a message for the PH ambassador/consuls in the U.S. too: Do more to support “TNT” Filipinos; under Trump, they are even more at risk. IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, tonight at 8!

Last month’s PINASURVEY found Filipino voters closely divided on whether VP Sara Duterte is a victim of politics or not. Will the Iglesia’s show of force change public opinion? Insightspedia managing director Rolland Ramirez believes the battle of narratives has a clear winner. Tonight at 8!

Politics will get even dirtier this year: open warfare bet Marcoses & Dutertes, socmed targeting of Tulfos & Sottos, “cluster pack” of major candidates fighting for last 4 Senate seats. IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, with seasoned journalists Manny Mogato & Francis Angelo, tonight at 8! @rappler.bsky.social

Remembering Jose Rizal on his 128th death anniversary, with a look at some of his sculptures: a desperate St. Paul the Hermit, a gift for his teacher Pablo Pastells SJ; a regal bust of Ricardo Carcinero, the Spanish governor in Dapitan, Rizal's place of exile; and the allegorical Mother's Revenge.

To mark the 100th episode of @rappler.bsky.social’s IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, we sat down with opposition leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros to discuss the after-life of POGOs, how to grow the opposition’s 7.5% share of self-ID partisanship, and a “reckoning” for the Dutertes and the Marcoses. Tonight, at 8!

Shocking news from South Korea. Have been following the useful and up-to-date posts of the analyst @kfriedhoff.bsky.social and the (Korean) author @antonhur.com

Kill President Marcos Jr.? What was VP Sara Duterte thinking—and what do the people in bailiwick Davao City think? Davao civil society’s Atty Anj Razo and Mags Maglana describe victimhood, disbelief, confusion, anger. Tonight, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, at 8! @rappler.bsky.social

What was ex-President Duterte doing before the Senate and the Quad Comm? To rally his base. Rappler’s Herbie Gomez: “Kasi laos na.” Human rights lawyer Dana Batnag: “[But] without his presidential powers, [Duterte] is just a child.” Tonight, at 8pm, IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, on @rappler.bsky.social!