Political Analysis

The war on Iran was originally a project of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would be backed later by US President Donald Trump. While Iran suffered severe military and economic losses during the armed conflict, the Tehran government achieved a major geopolitical victory.

Philippines Socio-Economic and Political Situationer In May 2026, Philippine politics were widely described as entering a period of heightened tension, reflecting deepening fractures within the country’s governing coalition. The once-strategic alignment between the Marcos and Duterte political blocs has increasingly given way to open rivalry as the 2028 national elections draw closer. Both factions have been actively consolidating influence, strengthening political networks

Just look at the Senate. Gone are the "glory days" of the Philippine Senate - the post-WWII era from 1950s-1990s, a period renowned for producing intellectual giants, intense patriotic debates, and statesmen of the highest caliber, among them, Claro M. Recto, Jose W. Diokno, Jovito Salonga, Joker Arroyo, the Tanadas, and author Renato “Ka Tato” Constantino.

The April 20 – May 8 Balikatan armed exercises between the Philippines and the United States marked a dangerous turning point in the country’s strategic and security landscape. More disturbing was the live firing of a US Tomahawk cruise missile from Tacloban City to a target site in Laur, Nueva Ecija using the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system.

Foreign policy is torn between maritime tensions with China and close defense ties with the US APRIL 2026 MONTHLY POLITICAL ANALYSIS April 2026 marked the deepening of political rifts between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and his former electoral teammate, Vice President Sara Duterte. While political power gravitated toward the current president, such power is not enough to grapple with bitter economic woes as poverty levels deepened. Maritime tensions between t

Center for People’s Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) Monthly Political Briefer March 2026 Introduction March 2026 saw an intensifying political polarization in the Philippines in the wake of various corruption scandals and a rapidly deteriorating global security environment after the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran. Domestically, rival elite factions, principally aligned with the Marcos and Duterte camps, continued to consolidate their respective bases in anticipation o

Center for People Empowerment and Governance (CenPEG)Comprehensive Analysis, February 2026 Synthesis This paper aims to analyze the Philippines' precarious position in early 2026 as it navigates a domestic political crisis and a high-risk alignment with U.S.’ "aggressive unilateralism." While the Marcos administration faces a "governance-induced paralysis" fueled by a ₱805-billion corruption scandal and a "popularity flip" favoring the resurgent Duterte bloc, the nation h

Widening power rifts in Philippine politics as the 2028 elections are in the horizon; corruption deepens; tensions grow in East Asia while Donald Trump attacks Venezuela in a bid to reinstall America’s sphere of influence in the western hemisphere I. PHILIPPINE POLITICS Corruption, Accountability, and the Marcos-Duterte Rift Breakdown of the Marcos Jr.-Sara Duterte dynastic alliance The Marcos-Duterte entente has collapsed, one-and-a half years since the unravelin

PHILIPPINE POLITICS November 2025 saw the government corruption scandal escalating even more dramatically. These have included arrests of officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, travel bans on dozens of lawmakers and contractors, the filing of cases before the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court), and declaration by investigators that up to 1,200 individuals may face charges. State efforts at investigation expanded through unit