https://www.scmp.com/rss/514843/feed Mark Townsend is an award-winning journalist covering Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He has reported from the Philippines for the Financial Times and major broadcasters/publications. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A week in politics used to be considered a long time. In the Philippines, much has happened over just one weekend, with all the condensed melodrama of one of the country’s hugely popular telenovelas. The gloves are off between President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, their oft-rumoured rift seemingly laid bare. The vaunted Uniteam alliance that swept Marcos Jnr into power lies in tatters, as both factions vie to shore up support ahead of elections. In the run-up to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250477/what-marcos-duterte-feud-means-philippines-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250477/what-marcos-duterte-feud-means-philippines-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Feb 2024 01:30:15 +0000 There’s an idiom in the English language that says “you can’t have your cake and eat it, too” – in other words, you can’t have it both ways. But the Philippine government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is in danger of trying to do just that. On one hand it seeks protection under international law, while on the other it is simultaneously abnegating those aspects it disagrees with. The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) latest ruling dismissing the Philippines’ attempt to block the ICC’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228704/both-south-china-sea-and-drug-war-probe-philippines-should-stick-right-side-international-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3228704/both-south-china-sea-and-drug-war-probe-philippines-should-stick-right-side-international-law?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:15:10 +0000 When the history books are written, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr’s impending decision on whether to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be seen as a defining moment for his political legacy as well as for the Philippines and wider international community. Last month’s ICC ruling reopening the investigation into the Philippines’ war on drugs during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s time in power is a major test of Marcos’ resolve and the political... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209274/iccs-reopened-probe-dutertes-drug-war-puts-marcos-jnr-and-philippines-tight-spot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209274/iccs-reopened-probe-dutertes-drug-war-puts-marcos-jnr-and-philippines-tight-spot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:30:10 +0000