Philippines

Among social development workers and researchers, matrix and template are technical terms referring to a table showing data (matrix) and a guide or format for writing a report (template). Associated with former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, these two terms are taking on new, albeit eerie meanings that bring chills down our spine. […]…

Keep on reading: Of matrices and templates

MANILA, Philippines — Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez has clarified that while Police Col. Hector Grijaldo was really summoned to a meeting, the officer was not forced to sign any affidavit that would corroborate the testimonies from retired police colonel Royina Garma. In a statement on Monday, Fernandez said the active police officer was only called up because Garma—who made several bombshell claims at the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearings—said Grijaldo knew about the rewards system in the drug war. READ: Leonardo confirms ‘drug war’ rewards Garma previously said that former president Rodrigo Duterte called her in May […]…

Keep on reading: Fernandez: Cop was summoned but wasn’t forced to sign anything

NEW YORK — Actor Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, an event that drew hundreds of onlookers, a dispersal order from police and at least one arrest. Flanked by bodyguards, Chalamet briefly posed for photos with his high-cheeked, curly haired doppelgängers, some of whom had dressed as the actor’s characters in “Wonka” and the “Dune” movies. But just as the wannabe-Chalamats began strutting along a red carpet in Washington Square Park, police ordered the large group to disperse, slapping organizers with a $500 fine for an “un-permitted costume contest.” At […]…

Keep on reading: Timothée Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest

Days after giving birth to her first child with Derek Ramsay, Ellen Adarna stressed that she didn’t see the need to announce her pregnancy to the public, as she wanted it to be “quiet and peaceful.” Adarna clarified that her loved ones had been aware of her expecting a baby in response to one @scoobiedouviedo who claimed that she wanted her pregnancy to be a “surprise,” as seen in the comments section of Ramsay’s Instagram post on Sunday, October 28. “I didn’t want it to be a surprise. My friends and family knew I was pregnant. I didn’t hide it […]…

Keep on reading: Ellen Adarna on why she kept pregnancy private: ‘I want it to be peaceful’

MANILA, Philippines — A resource person of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probing the drug war on Monday told senators that she sold illegal drugs, but their supply came from police officers. During the panel’s hearing, Cristina Gonzales admitted that she and her husband, Joselito, felt emboldened to sell illegal drugs because policemen assured them that they would not be arrested. Gonzales said that despite this, Joselito was killed in July 2016, just after former president Rodrigo Duterte took office. “I am Cristina Gonzales, wife of Joselito Gonzales, who hails from Antipolo City. Just like what they said, everyone knows that we […]…

Keep on reading: Resource person tells Senate: We sold drugs from cops