After years of silence, the return of transparency offers a faint light of hope, however, its survival depends on whether those in power choose openness over control.
“The Death of Disclosure” reveals how the Ombudsman’s 2012 rules turned the once-powerful SALN into a tool of concealment, proving that transparency in the Philippines did not fade by accident but was buried by policy.
Once a moral safeguard, the SALN has become a ritual of illusion, proof that in Philippine politics, transparency without consequence is not accountability but performance.
Barzaga’s defiance reminds us that reform in the Philippines doesn’t die from corruption but from exhaustion, waiting for citizens who can turn disgust into direction.
In a Congress long dulled by obedience, the rise of “Congressmeow” Kiko Barzaga reveals both the fragility and faint hope of Philippine politics, showing that even within a broken machine, dissent can still make it purr with possibility.
The ICC’s rejection of Rodrigo Duterte’s release revealed not only his personal reckoning, it also exposed the enduring cycle of power, privilege, and impunity that continues to dominate Philippine governance.
The ICC’s rejection of Duterte’s plea was a moral awakening, reminding the nation that justice is earned through accountability, not emotion or influence.