FIRING LINE

FIRING LINE: ‘Unwelcome here!’  By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 16, 2026 There is perhaps no harsher indictment of a public utility than hearing an entire city say, “You’re no longer welcome here.” That is exactly what happened in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, where the city council passed a resolution declaring PrimeWater Infrastructure…

FIRING LINE: Now that the calm is gone By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 9, 2026 Just as we saw petroleum prices easing the last few weeks, buoyed by a calming situation in the Strait of Hormuz, comes another rude awakening: Washington and Tehran’s cease-fire has collapsed, and the region is once again primed…

FIRING LINE: Robed as judges after Senate shooting By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 9, 2026 If you missed it while everyone was glued to the Senate impeachment trial, the Office of the Ombudsman has already settled the question of who was responsible for the May 13 shootout at the Senate. Its findings were…

FIRING LINE: When no lives matter By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 7, 2026 As schools and law enforcement move on from the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, efforts are underway to tighten campus security and rebuild trust for our children. It’s good to see counseling being offered…

FIRING LINE: The 2 antecedents By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 2, 2026 Let me be clear from the outset: I have no intention of rushing to EDSA in defense of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta or his legal battle over what he insists was merely a campaign donation. I am not a member of Iglesia…

FIRING LINE: Black plastics and CKD By Robert B. Roque Jr. | June 30, 2026 As health tips grow ever more visible in my social media feeds, I’m certain many of my age experience the same shock and insecurity about chronic kidney disease and food safety risks we never thought twice about. The deeper you…

FIRING LINE: The only right Beijing has By Robert B. Roque Jr. | June 25, 2026 China has banned our Defense Secretary, the well-versed Gilberto Teodoro, from setting foot on its mainland. Nothing really surprising there. Beijing’s sanctions on the tough and truth-telling Gibo extend to barring his wife and child from entering mainland China,…

FIRING LINE: Classrooms of fear By Robert B. Roque Jr. | June 23, 2026 I can’t stop thinking about it: two incidents, three days apart, both in Cavite. On June 16, a 14-year-old Grade 8 student walked into a Grade 5 classroom in General Trias — teachers were away at a meeting — and stabbed seven…

FIRING LINE: Distraction and shifting alliances By Robert B. Roque Jr. | June 18, 2026 The events of last Tuesday at an event venue on EDSA in Mandaluyong were an absolute circus — shameful! What exactly was Mike Defensor doing? Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian killed that stunt with a simple statement saying Defensor is…

FIRING LINE: PhilHealth: A heartless failure  By Robert B. Roque Jr. | June 16, 2026 There are tragedies that no amount of commentary can improve upon. This one hits hard. Over the years, Firing Line has repeatedly taken the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and even the Department of Health to task over corruption, misplaced…