Teleserye Politics
/Filipinos love drama.
From the radio serials of the '50s and '60s (Eddie Ilarde's "Kahapon Lamang" and Dely Magpayo's "Mga Liham kay Tiya Dely" dramatizations come to mind), to the telenovelas of the recent decades, and the current rage over K-dramas and the daily "Batang Quiapo," ours is a homeland enchanted by high emotions, fairy tales and voyeurism.
This year, the biggest drama that befell our nation was the arrest and continuing detention at the International Court of Justice (ICC) prison at The Hague of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The riveting elements are all there: an 80-year-old lead character known to fake his demeanors, his immediate family of colorful (some say unsavory) characters that include the vice president of the country; a big army of trolls that hound social media spreading lies and fake news; and loyal supporters physically present outside the detention center that shatter the peace and equanimity of the usually staid The Hague. Add to the mix the Caucasian lawyer of the accused, obscenely paid a humongous amount of money to file legal petitions that he knows are dead in the ICC water even before the last paperwork is submitted.
On November 28, the ICC judges rendered Duterte's petition for interim release unacceptable, ironically using the convoluted and noisy arguments of his supporters as reasons for saying NO. PF's France-based correspondent Criselda Yabes travelled to The Hague to witness the drama of denial and disappointment at the actual courtroom. "High Drama in a Low Country: Duterte Watch in The Hague" would have been more distressful had saner minds not prevailed.
And so we shift back to the unresolved dramas in Manila, which are plentiful. And we're not even talking about the very public and disgraceful mental breakdown of a former high government official, yet.
As the radio scriptwriters of yore would say: Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
This Week’s Stories
High Drama in a Low Country: Duterte Watch in The Hague by Criselda Yabes
Crime and Comfort Food by Claire Mercado-Obias
‘Holesome’ Low-Carb Treats Selling Like Hotcakes by Anthony Maddela
[Read It Again]
On the Arrest of an Autocrat by Sheila Coronel
My Soldier Dad and the 1989 Coup Attempt Against President Cory Aquino by Buddy Cunanan
Tocino del Cielo: A Sweet Reward for Human Kindness by Elizabeth Ann Quirino
The Happy Home Cook: Tocino del Cielo by Elizabeth Ann Quirino
[Video of the Week] Best Coffee in the Philippines
In The Know
New US immigration policy
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2025/12/07/2492418/new-us-immigration-policy
‘My legacy is not Charlie Kirk’: the university president building a culture of peace after violence
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/dec/06/utah-valley-university-president-charlie-kirk?
10 Hidden Cafés in Makati You Might Miss—But Shouldn't
https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/10-hidden-cafes-in-makati-you-might-miss-but-shouldnt-
[Vantage Point] The P500 Noche Buena: Rewriting math, economics, and the laws of physics
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/vantage-point-noche-buena-budget-controversy-2025/
Filipino facing deportation from US pulled off flight to PH after protests
https://usa.inquirer.net/185201/filipino-facing-deportation-from-us-pulled-off-flight-to-ph-after-protests
