https://www.scmp.com/rss/523048/feed The latest news and top stories on Gino Trinidad, an instructor and Associate Chair in the Political Science Department at Ateneo de Manila University, where he has been a faculty member since 2009. He holds an M.A. in Political Science with a focus on Global Politics. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran An arrest warrant is being prepared for Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya, the businesswoman once dubbed the Philippines’ “queen of flood control”, after prosecutors accused her of pocketing millions from a government project that was paid for but never built. Discaya’s impending arrest – expected within days, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr – would mark one of the most high-profile developments in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal that has roiled Manila’s political... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335727/philippines-flood-control-queen-faces-arrest-over-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335727/philippines-flood-control-queen-faces-arrest-over-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Thousands of Filipinos returned to the streets over the weekend to protest against the country’s flood control corruption scandal, but the smaller turnouts compared with earlier demonstrations have stirred concern that the movement may be losing steam. Political analysts said Sunday’s modest crowds reflected a combination of fatigue and disillusionment among activists in the Philippines. They warned that dwindling public mobilisation could ease pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334979/fatigue-derailing-philippines-fight-against-flood-control-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334979/fatigue-derailing-philippines-fight-against-flood-control-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:30:16 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ deepening flood-control corruption scandal has now drawn in one of the country’s most influential religious groups, with a mass mobilisation by members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church offering a revealing glimpse into the political fault lines reshaping Manila’s crisis. The two-day gathering, which began on Sunday and drew more than half a million INC members to the capital, was officially framed as a demand for transparency and accountability over billions of pesos... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333613/how-influential-philippine-church-flexing-its-political-muscle-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333613/how-influential-philippine-church-flexing-its-political-muscle-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 02:00:53 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Public anger over corruption has boiled over in the Philippines, sending President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s approval ratings tumbling and potentially tilting the balance of power with his political rivals. The latest survey by Pulse Asia Research shows that Filipinos are increasingly blaming the government’s recent corruption scandals – from flood control “ghost projects” to lavish spending by politically connected contractors – for their daily struggles, such as inflation and inadequate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329811/will-corruption-backlash-against-marcos-reshape-philippine-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329811/will-corruption-backlash-against-marcos-reshape-philippine-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 09:55:29 +0000 Maria Monica Wihardja,Dennis Trinidad Maria Monica Wihardja,Dennis Trinidad The use of economic tools to serve national interests is hardly new. But in the 21st century, such instruments – ranging from unlawful economic coercion to lawful but harmful trade remedies – have become central to the strategic competition between the United States and China. Because the two countries are highly economically interdependent, the weaponisation of this interdependence is both essential and convenient, unlike during the Cold War rivalry between America and the Soviet Union. In some... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3329453/how-asean-can-survive-us-china-economic-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3329453/how-asean-can-survive-us-china-economic-cold-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Half of Filipinos believe that former president Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the deaths related to his bloody drug war, with observers pointing out the findings of a new survey could further “lend legitimacy and support” to an international court’s investigation into the ex-leader. The results come amid the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) rejection of the plea by Duterte’s defence counsel to allow his interim release from detention in The Hague. The poll was conducted by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329264/accountability-looming-philippines-duterte-survey-shows-growing-demand-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329264/accountability-looming-philippines-duterte-survey-shows-growing-demand-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:50:32 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The collapse of two bridges in the northern Philippines just months apart has cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s ageing infrastructure and stirred renewed scrutiny of corruption in public works projects. While officials have pinned the latest incident on overloaded trucks, critics and engineering experts warn that poor maintenance and cost-cutting in construction may be to blame, potentially undermining President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s push to clean up the country’s infrastructure... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328671/philippines-crumbling-bridges-hinder-marcos-infrastructure-clean-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328671/philippines-crumbling-bridges-hinder-marcos-infrastructure-clean-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 05:30:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Alice Guo, the controversial former mayor linked to a raided scam hub and accused of faking her Philippine citizenship, is facing 70 new criminal complaints along with her relatives, including document fraud and violations of laws barring foreigners from owning property or running businesses. Analysts say the case highlights how foreign syndicates have exploited gaps in the country’s legal and political systems to gain a foothold in sensitive sectors – from local government to online gambling –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328034/how-alice-guo-saga-exposed-gaps-philippine-institutional-safeguards-prone-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328034/how-alice-guo-saga-exposed-gaps-philippine-institutional-safeguards-prone-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:53:43 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the strongest storm of the year hits the Philippines, all eyes are on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whose government is facing a torrent of public scrutiny on disaster risk management in the wake of corruption-linked flood control projects. Super Typhoon Ragasa, known locally as Nando, made landfall on Monday, just a day after the country witnessed protests across cities in which thousands marched to voice outrage at trillions of pesos spent on “ghost” flood control projects and widespread... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326477/super-typhoon-ragasas-fury-adds-philippine-president-marcos-flood-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326477/super-typhoon-ragasas-fury-adds-philippine-president-marcos-flood-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 04:05:31 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As public furore mounts over the revelation of widespread corruption in flood control projects in the Philippines, few names have captured public attention more than Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya. The couple, once virtually unknown, emerged in the spotlight after Sarah Discaya ran against popular Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in the May midterm elections – only to lose by a landslide. Her biography has since become a lightning rod for scrutiny. Born in London in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324352/meet-free-spending-filipino-couple-dubbed-king-and-queen-flood-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324352/meet-free-spending-filipino-couple-dubbed-king-and-queen-flood-control?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:34:29 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has ordered lifestyle checks on government officials as part of a sweeping review of flood control projects mired in allegations of corruption, but analysts warn the move risks being more symbolic than systemic. Presidential press officer Claire Castro confirmed the directive at a briefing on Wednesday, saying the checks would cover the entire executive branch, starting with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which oversees... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323536/philippines-marcos-orders-lifestyle-checks-stem-flood-corruption-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323536/philippines-marcos-orders-lifestyle-checks-stem-flood-corruption-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 12:35:28 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The United States has formally asked the Philippines to extradite controversial televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, reigniting scrutiny over the detained preacher’s alleged trafficking and abuse network, as well as sparking questions over whether Manila will hand him over. Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed the request on Wednesday, telling local media the documents had been sent to the Department of Justice in June. Quiboloy, 74, is the founder of the influential... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322774/us-extradition-request-quiboloy-puts-philippines-tough-spot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322774/us-extradition-request-quiboloy-puts-philippines-tough-spot?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 06:43:35 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Should adult children face prison for failing to care for their elderly parents? That’s the contentious question dividing the Philippines after a senator revived a bill to make filial neglect a criminal offence. Senator Panfilo Lacson first pushed his Parents Welfare Act in 2019 but it failed to gain much traction. The bill, which he refiled earlier this month, recognises care for the elderly as a shared duty of children and the government, but if enacted it would empower courts to penalise... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319640/philippines-debates-jailing-adult-children-parental-neglect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319640/philippines-debates-jailing-adult-children-parental-neglect?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jul 2025 04:00:19 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The stranglehold of political dynasties on Philippine democracy risks deepening public disillusionment and limiting political pluralism, the European Union’s election mission has warned, as it called for sweeping reforms to the country’s “outdated” election code and party-list system. In its final report released on Thursday, the EU Election Observation Mission said political power in the Philippines remained concentrated within a small circle of elite families, even in institutions meant to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316958/philippine-political-dynasties-under-fire-eu-watchers-amid-calls-electoral-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316958/philippine-political-dynasties-under-fire-eu-watchers-amid-calls-electoral-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 02:00:09 +0000