FIRING LINE

FIRING LINE: If only cops could be everywhere

adminMarch 26, 2026March 26, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: If only cops could be everywhere By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 26, 2026 Not six kilometers away from my neighborhood, a troubling incident had me thinking about the safety of young students. On March 23, 15-year-old Isabelle Sophia Tablate was found dead inside a factory in Barangay Santolan, Pasig City. Days…

FIRING LINE: High prices and low blows

adminMarch 24, 2026April 6, 2026010 mins

FIRING LINE: High prices and low blows By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 24, 2026 The war continues to rage in the Middle East, and halfway across the world, Filipinos are paying for it literally and deeply. But not just us. The whole world, actually. At the center of this disruption is the Strait…

PROFILE

FIRING LINE: The Maleficent 7

adminMarch 19, 2026March 19, 202607 mins

FIRING LINE: The Maleficent 7 By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 19, 2026 Sifting through the day’s news the other day, what triggered me more than the thought of higher gasoline prices amid the prolonged war in the Middle East was this: a warning that Filipino minors are being targeted for violent extremism. Brig. Gen….

FIRING LINE: The irritating cost of government seminars

adminMarch 17, 2026March 17, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: The irritating cost of government seminars By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 17, 2026 A few months ago, social media was abuzz over Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) delegates who reportedly went to Thailand for a “seminar,” accompanied by more telling photos of their “major, major” itinerary, including riding elephants. That alone raised eyebrows…

FIRING LINE: Oil shock! Look out for opportunism

adminMarch 12, 2026March 12, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: Oil shock! Look out for opportunism By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 12, 2026 The war in the Middle East may be out of Manila’s hands, but what happens at the gas stations here is not. Motorists woke up on Tuesday to a painful reality: local oil firms began imposing fuel price…

ASIA

FIRING LINE: Women behind political dynasties

Bing JabadanMarch 10, 2026March 10, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: Women behind political dynasties By Robert B. Roque, Jr. l March 10, 2025 When Filipinos think of political dynasties, we often picture a carousel of familiar surnames: the father who was once governor, the son who now sits in Congress, the nephew eyeing a mayoral seat. But beyond this overt choreography of male…

FIRING LINE: Jail the road-rager

adminMarch 5, 2026March 5, 202607 mins

FIRING LINE: Jail the road-rager By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 5, 2026 Road rage is not merely a traffic altercation. It is a living, breathing specimen of failure in governance. When House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos filed House Bill 8190, the proposed Anti-Road Rage Act, he framed it as drawing a firm legal…

FIRING LINE: Why the Iran war is a very Pinoy problem

adminMarch 3, 2026March 3, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: Why the Iran war is a very Pinoy problem By Robert B. Roque Jr. l March 3, 2026 While there is a sense of relief that the people of Iran may be driving toward freedom and change from the rigid Islamic regime, more so with the US-Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader,…

FIRING LINE: Much ado about Fernando

adminFebruary 26, 2026February 26, 202606 mins

FIRING LINE: Much ado about Fernando By Robert B. Roque Jr. l February 26, 2026 There’s been a whole list of much-ado-about-nothing stories lately — from the arrest of vlogger Norman Mangusin, alias “Francis Leo Marcos,” over cyber complaints, fake identities, and even unauthorized police-uniform use. A social-media quarrel dressed up as law enforcement triumph:…

FIRING LINE: The danger with landfills

adminFebruary 24, 2026February 24, 202605 mins

FIRING LINE: The danger with landfills By Robert B. Roque Jr. l February 24, 2026 The only reason last Friday’s massive trash-mound collapse at the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill (RPSL) in Rodriguez town feels like a no-big-deal story is simple: no one has been reported killed. At least, not yet. And hopefully, none. It was…

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FIRING LINE: Charging the middle

Iran and the Strait of Hormuz: A Volatile Standoff as Trump Weighs Latest Offer

UAE Quits OPEC Amid Geopolitical Turmoil, Rattling Global Energy Markets

FIRING LINE: If only cops could be everywhere

FIRING LINE: High prices and low blows

FIRING LINE: The Maleficent 7

FIRING LINE: The irritating cost of government seminars

FIRING LINE: Oil shock! Look out for opportunism

FIRING LINE: Women behind political dynasties

FIRING LINE: Jail the road-rager

FIRING LINE: Why the Iran war is a very Pinoy problem

FIRING LINE: Much ado about Fernando

FIRING LINE: The danger with landfills