Rappler's latest stories on people
What you need to know about people's initiative
People's initiative is an exercise of 'power of the people' to enact laws, but it entails a long and expensive process
[EXPLAINER] Forget about people’s initiative for ABS-CBN
It will cost the Comelec at least P4 billion, and it will overlap with its preparation for the 2022 elections. Let’s set the exercise aside for when we truly need it.
In Pasig, fighting corruption yields COVID-19 cash aid for the people
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto began his term by cleaning up the local government’s procurement process and auditing its assets. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the city had money to help every household, and then some.
[OPINION] The Ifugao, cowboys, and assimilation through education
'[T]here are no initiatives yet to properly train teachers in indigenous history and heritage'
‘Common sense’ and speed shield Marikina City from the coronavirus
Marikina, a city of 450,000 residents, has one of the fastest reduction rates in cases. Mayor Marcy Teodoro says the city government simply did what public health experts advised: test, contain, and treat with speed.
1 soldier killed, another wounded in NPA ambush in Samar
One of the soldiers was allegedly hacked to death and burned
Anti-terror law's next battleground: Crafting of IRR, Supreme Court
'Labag ito sa karapatang nakasaad sa Saligang Batas, kung kaya't dapat ito ibasura ng Korte Suprema,' says Akbayan
SC urged: Compel Duterte gov’t to conduct ‘mass testing’
Petitioners led by former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo also ask the High Court to compel the government to ramp up contact tracing efforts and release timely, accurate, and complete information on the pandemic
How Iloilo City became ‘Wakanda’ of the Philippines
Iloilo City’s successful coronavirus response was not devised in a day. Neither can it be credited to only one person.
People vs Pandemic: How these mayors’ priorities protected their communities
Rappler features local governments that have been ahead in responding to the coronavirus pandemic
Legazpi City prepares a table for the quarantined
‘The local government should be felt. ’Pag nag-lockdown ka, ’tapos pinabayaan mo ang mga tao, ’wag ka na,’ says Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal
Valenzuela City’s pandemic response: ‘Everything has to happen now’
Mayor Rex Gatchalian says, ‘If we can do it ourselves, do it on our own, it’s the most helpful thing we can do for the national government’
In the fight vs COVID-19, these women mayors didn't take chances
Mayors Trina Firmalo-Fabic of Odiongan, Romblon, and Krisel Lagman-Luistro of Tabaco, Albay, consult their constituents and get creative in their response to the health crisis
Military vows more offensives as Duterte insists NPA top terror threat in PH
'We will strike while the iron is hot,' says the Armed Forces of the Philippines after Duterte steps up his rhetoric against communist rebels
Coronavirus decimating indigenous Latin American communities
Indigenous people in Latin America are being decimated by the coronavirus pandemic due to weak immune systems and centuries of state neglect
[OPINION] An anthropologist on rethinking history to inspire the future
'There are no human races, there is only one human race. The concept of race reinforces the colonial structures that favors Eurocentric views.'
At least 5 NPA rebels killed in Negros Oriental clash
A suspect in the killing of 4 police officers in a 2019 ambush is killed in the encounter
Critics ready to petition vs anti-terror bill – and Carpio is one of them
'If we do not want to experience a contraction of our civil liberties we must all work to have the objectionable provisions in the anti-terrorism act invalidated by the Supreme Court or repealed by Congress'
Danding Cojuangco, tycoon and political kingpin, dies at 85
(UPDATED) The businessman built food and beverage giant San Miguel Corporation and was a key ally of Ferdinand Marcos
Law experts: 12-year prescription period for cyber libel unconstitutional
'The overriding issue in the Rappler case is prescription,' says retired supreme court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, who agrees that cyber libel must prescribe in 1 year, not 12 years
Indigenous youth find ways to help communities hit by pandemic
Several indigenous youth in South and Southeast Asia take the challenge of responding to the needs of their communities
PTV apologizes after mistaking Emilio Aguinaldo for Andres Bonifacio
The state-run TV network airs a clip featuring a quick background on the Philippine Revolution led by Andres Bonifacio, but the screen instead shows a photo of Emilio Aguinaldo
Christopher Columbus statue beheaded in Boston
Pressure builds in the United States to rid the country of monuments associated with racism
[OPINION] The Philippine military and its hypocrisy
Who is the biggest recruiter for the communist movement? Surely the generals know?
China approves plan to impose Hong Kong security law
(UPDATED) China makes the security law a top priority at its annual National People's Congress session, after huge pro-democracy protests rocked the financial hub for 7 months in 2019
China draws Western rebuke over move to tighten grip on Hong Kong
In separate statements, the European Union, Britain, Australia, Canada, and the US , urge China not to pass the proposed Hong Kong security law
Hong Kong to adopt security law 'as soon as possible'
Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam says she 'firmly' believes the law is aimed at 'effectively preventing and curbing actions that seriously endanger national security'
China moves to tighten grip on Hong Kong
(3rd UPDATE) The most controversial move at the National People's Congress in China is a measure that would impose security legislation in Hong Kong
China parliament eyes Hong Kong national security law after unrest
Beijing has made clear it wants new security legislation passed after the semi-autonomous city was rocked by 7 months of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019
Central Luzon police arrest No. 1 most wanted in Zambales
The suspect, whom police reports say operates as medic and supply officer of the rebel New People's Army, is also among the top 10 most wanted in Central Luzon
1st coronavirus case detected in Ecuador Amazon tribe
The first case reported in the Waorani tribe is a 'pregnant woman, 17 years old, who began to show symptoms on May 4,' the ministry says in a statement
4 NPA leaders, 11 fighters killed in Northern Mindanao
The Armed Forces of the Philippines says 186 communist rebels have been killed since January 2020
[OPINION] Stop the shooting war madness in this pandemic
Let there be talks, but honest and sincere talks, on just the 'small' agenda of cooperation on public health
Fitch Ratings enters China's credit market
The People's Bank of China says Fitch Bohua will be able to conduct ratings in China's interbank bond market, marking a further step in opening the industry
Duterte's final gambit to end insurgency: task force vs communists
If the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict sees the ABS-CBN shutdown as a counterinsurgency issue, that's because the task force is meant to sniff out 'rebel influence' from anywhere
Military and police kill 17 NPA rebels in weeklong attacks
As the country battles a pandemic, 19 guerrillas surrender, and two are arrested in military and police operations against the New People’s Army from May 4 to 11
Lorenzana defends buying attack helicopters: It's to fight NPA
'We would rather give [the money] to our people, kaya lang itigil niyo ang inyong armed struggle, ititigil din namin ang ganitong pagbili ng armas,' says Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
DA allocates P230 million to use ancestral lands for food production
The Department of Agriculture supports a project to develop some 20,000 hectares of idle ancestral lands for white corn production
Ecuador's Amazon communities sue over oil spill
'The families living on the river banks are lacking food and no longer know where to find water to drink, or with which to bathe,' says Marcia Andi, a Kichwa and leader of the Mushuk Llacta community
41 activists, lawyer in Iloilo freed after labor day arrest
Each had to post a P12,000 bail
CPP-NPA ends ceasefire, resumes offensives vs government forces
(UPDATED) The truce failed to stop clashes between government troops and communist rebels, both sides admit
Record 50 million people displaced internally – monitors
'Internally displaced people are often highly vulnerable people living in crowded camps, emergency shelters, and informal settlements with little or no access to health care,' IDMC director Alexandra Bilak says in a statement
Duterte rejects peace talks with CPP-NPA: 'No more talks to talk about'
President Rodrigo Duterte makes the remark after expressing his sadness over the deaths of soldiers who were allegedly killed by communist rebels while delivering medical aid
Supreme Court told: Non-release of vulnerable prisoners can cause riots
'Death, violence and riots can also break out if the pandemic is left unchecked in prisons,' petitioners warn, even as the public health system is overwhelmed
Duterte's martial law threat – and what he did not tell us
In his taped Friday morning public address on the coronavirus, President Duterte blasts the communist rebels again and brings up an old peace proposal they submitted long before the pandemic
Nationalist People's Coalition calls for 'effective, more inclusive' mass testing
The 54 politicians allied with the Nationalist People's Coalition ask the national government to be more transparent with COVID-19 data and to assist LGUs in creating their own testing labs
4 soldiers killed in clashes with NPA in Negros Occidental, Masbate
The military says 4 soldiers were also wounded in the Negros Occidental encounter on Sunday, April 19
Military resumes offensives vs NPA, denies violating lapsed ceasefire
The military has reported at least 3 armed clashes with communist guerrillas since the government’s unilateral ceasefire ended on April 15
CPP-NPA extends ceasefire until April 30
The truce has been fraught with accusations of violations from both sides, and the government has yet to say whether it will also extend its unilateral ceasefire that ended on April 15
Clashes reported as ceasefire with NPA ends
The military awaits orders from President Rodrigo Duterte on whether the truce will be extended as many areas remain on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic
