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Our 1987 Constitution, born from the struggles and lessons of history, begins its chapter on accountability with a simple yet powerful declaration: “Public office is a public trust.” This is not just a line of legal poetry.

A Message on the Fifth State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., 27 July 2026 Prof. Emmanuel A. Leyco President and Chief Economist, Credit Rating and Investors Services Philippines, Inc. • Senior Fellow, Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) • ealeyco@crisp.com.ph On the fourth Monday of July, as the Constitution commands, the President will stand before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa to deliver his fifth and p

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) will hold its annual State of the Presidency (SoP) Forum 2026 on 21 July 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, at the CMC Auditorium, College of Media and Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman. Carrying the theme "The Presidency and the People's Trust: Governance, Accountability, and National Sovereignty," this year's forum comes at a critical point in Philippine politics as the Marcos Jr. administration enters

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) joins the Filipino people in commemorating the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award, a historic legal victory that affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights and maritime entitlements within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ruling remains a powerful affirmation that international law—not the use of force or unilateral assertions—sho

The think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) said the opening day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte marks a critical test of the country's democratic institutions and the constitutional principle that no public official is above the law. CenPEG Chairperson Prof. Roland G. Simbulan stressed that the proceedings should not be viewed merely as a political contest but as an opportunity to uphold public accountability at a time when mil

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

Quezon City, Philippines — A leading political analyst and mathematician has called for sweeping reforms to what he describes as the country's increasingly "mangled" and distorted party-list system, warning that judicial interventions and legislative weaknesses have undermined the original constitutional intent of giving marginalized sectors meaningful representation in Congress. Dr. Felix P. Muga II, Fellow of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) and Asso

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) expresses grave concern over the increasingly confrontational posture adopted by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. toward China and his apparent alignment with the strategic objectives of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. The 1987 Philippine Constitution clearly mandates that the State "shall pursue an independent foreign policy." This constitutional principle was established to ensure that the Philippi