Despite the Odds Filipino Graduates from Harvard Law

Jose Angelo David

Jose Angelo David, or “Anjo” to his friends never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever study abroad, let alone at Harvard University, which he said was just so beyond his reach he “could only ever consider it fictional (See Esquiremag.ph for story).

Filipino Students Stand Out in US Universities

Samantha Abello, Rocio Lopez Puno, Rocco Lopez Puno

Filipino students have proven once again to be standout graduates in the world's leading universities. Siblings Rocio Lopez Puno and Rocco Lopez Puno pursued widely different academic paths but both obtained a degree at New York University (See Philstar.com for story).

U.P. Moves Up Among World's Top Universities

The University of the Philippines climbed 30 points in the newly released 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, placing 65th this year out of 489 universities ranked. This represents a significant rise from last year’s 95th ranking (See UP.edu for story).

China Sea Issues Push PH U-Turn on Junking Pact with US

Security issues in the disputed South China Sea helped convince the Philippines to delay quitting a key US military pact, the nation's envoy to Washington said Wednesday (See Yahoo News for story).

PH Diplomat Who Questioned Marcos Family Spending Dies

Ruben Varias Reyes

Ruben Varias Reyes, a Philippine diplomat who left the foreign service after questioning extravagant purchases by the family of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, died on March 25 at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. He was 79. The cause was the coronavirus, said his daughter, Rachel A.G. Reyes (See New York Times for Story).

Ilonggo Movie 'Azucar' Named Best Feature Film in Turkey Festival

“Azucar”

The Ilonggo film “Azucar” successfully raised the Philippine flag on Turkish soil after winning the Best Feature Film award at the 2020 Anatolia International Film Festival (See Good News Pilipinas for story).

Duterte Pushing for 'Draconian' Anti-Terror Bill

Lawyers and human rights activists in the Philippines have raised the alarm over a new anti-terrorism bill pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte, warning of draconian and arbitrary provisions that could be abused to target his detractors (See Yahoo News for story).

Duterte Walks Back Scrapping of US Troop Deal

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has suspended his decision to scrap a two-decade-old troop deployment agreement with the United States due to political and other developments in the region, his foreign secretary said on Tuesday (See Yahoo News for story).