Articles by Emmanuel Doy Santos

October 29, 2017 0

The Five Pitfalls of Marcos that Duterte must avoid

Whether you are pro- or anti-Marocs, one thing can’t be denied. That is when Pres. Marcos fled the country in 1986, he did so because much of the military, the Catholic church, civil society and [read more]

May 31, 2017 0

Islamic State in the Philippines

The spread of IS in the Philippines will perhaps be the single, biggest challenge for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Regardless of what his priorities were when he strode into Malacanang, dealing with this [read more]

May 27, 2017 0

Martial Law in Mindanao: Creeping authoritarianism or defense mechanism? (updated)

In a week of terror attacks, Filipinos rail against the re-imposition of Martial Law in the south, even as Western democracies put more draconian measures in place. The week that was could be [read more]

April 21, 2017 0

Duterte’s drug war pales in comparison to the Americas’

So much has been said about the drug war, that is being waged in the Philippines by Pres. Rody Duterte. The Guardian called it “out of control” and “one of the world’s bloodiest anti-drug [read more]

April 5, 2017 0

Is Leni Robredo playing into Duterte’s hands?

The current game being played by the administration of Pres Duterte and opposition led by Leni Robredo can be likened to a complicated match of three dimensional chess, with battles being staged at [read more]

December 26, 2016 0

Budget priorities: from Aquino to Duterte

Duterte’s budget priorities, and a look back at the Aquino years If I were to sum up the Aquino years in one chart, I would use this: It depicts the growth of public spending in various [read more]

December 18, 2016 0

Rich kids to get free tuition courtesy of poor Muslim families

The re-distribution in the 2017 budget of Php8 billion worth of funds from poor Muslim communities to provide free tuition to state university students constitutes a perverse outcome. Youth [read more]

October 23, 2016 0

Why Trump would be more at home in the Philippines

As the saying goes in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Donald Trump does not seem to be faring well as the nominee of a major party for president of the US. That is [read more]

October 2, 2016 1

Policy 101 for PDU30 (and friends)

Nobody at first thought he’d become the leader of 100+ million Filipinos, but now that he is, he might benefit from a few lessons in public policy. Lesson 1: Define the Problem How we frame the [read more]

July 28, 2016 0

The Promdi President

Digong Duterte’s first state of the nation address should be noted for its style as well as its substance. Those who focus on the text of the SONA could be forgiven for thinking that it had no [read more]

May 28, 2016 0

Re-Imagining the Philippines

This year could mark a watershed in the life of the nation. The election of Rody Duterte to the presidency signifies so many firsts. The first Mindanaoan to hold the highest office. The first with [read more]

May 14, 2016 0

The Pseudo Presidency of #PDiggy

In a world where the one who shouts the loudest gets heard the most, Duterte’s endless supply of meme-able quotes gave him the advantage in our first social media election. Duterte dominated the [read more]

May 4, 2016 0

Rage Against the Regime

The rise of Digong Duterte is being fuelled by an anger from the ‘aspirational class’ against the establishment’s apathy, but is his brand of authoritarianism really the solution? With barely a [read more]

April 23, 2016 0

5 Transformations Needed in the Philippines

At election time, candidates like to talk of change. Sobra na, tama na, palitan na! Tunay na pagbabago! are frequently used slogans. But why is it that the more things change, the more they stay [read more]

April 19, 2016 0

Weighing up the Candidates on Food Security

Part of an #Election2016 series called “Public Choice” HUNGRY MOUTHS TO FEED The Philippines has a growing population of 102 million as of 2016, which is expected to rise to 148 million by 2050. [read more]

April 9, 2016 0

Screening the Candidates on Job Creation

Part of an #Election2016 series called “Public Choice” AIMING FOR THE MIDDLE The Philippines is now at a critical stage in its development. A majority of Filipinos now have the audacity to dream [read more]

April 3, 2016 0

Assessing the Candidates on Education

Part of an #Election2016 series called “Public Choice” WHY EDUCATION? A survey conducted by Pulse Asia back in December 2015 found that education was the second leading personal concern among [read more]

March 30, 2016 0

Why Health Should Be the Defining Election Issue of 2016

Part of an #Election2016 series called “Public Choice” A survey conducted by Pulse Asia back in December 2015 found that health was the leading personal concern among voters with 62% of [read more]

March 27, 2016 0

5 Challenges for the Next President

Part of an #Election2016 series called “What’s at stake?” The post-PNoy president will inherit an economy that is growing faster than the previous 40 years. Because of this and the fiscal [read more]

March 22, 2016 4

The Duterte-Marcos constituency

What is behind the rise of Duterte-Marcos? The latest Pulse Asia poll commissioned by ABS-CBN showed both Mayor Rody Duterte and Sen. Bongbong Marcos leading their respective races for president and [read more]

March 13, 2016 0

The Next President’s Budget

Part of an #Election2016 series called “What’s at Stake?” The next president will inherit a budget of 3 trillion pesos, double what the current president inherited in 2010. From 2011 to 2014, [read more]