The American lunch meat has a special place on dining tables halfway across the world, from the Philippines to Japan to South Korea – and now, on the tables of Asian communities in NZ. How did this happen? Jihee Junn investigates. Believe it or not, but Spam and Seolnal (or Lunar New Year as it’s … Read more
He’s an industrial designer, a social justice campaigner, a former national softball player, and an activist member of the Filipino rainbow community. Now based in Wellington, Julian Tanaka talks to Tessa Guest. Five years ago, Julian Tanaka stood on a TEDx stage in Manila, the Philippines, and shared an excruciatingly personal part of his life … Read more
Thousands of Filipinos have been killed in Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘bloody war’ on drugs. As he approaches a year in office, extrajudicial and vigilante killings remain a daily reality, and countries such as NZ need to speak up, says Amnesty International’s Wilnor Papa in an interview with the Spinoff. Since he came to power in June last year … Read more
Those who rush to condemn the Auckland visit of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte display their ignorance of the nation’s complicated history and nuanced current situation, says Cameron Walker. December 2017: The author has added a postscript to this article. Scroll to end to read Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in May, … Read more
Since he swept to power in June, President Rodrigo Duterte has ruthlessly pursued his promised violent crackdown, lashed out at foreign leaders and emboldened vigilantes. In a Manila slum, Iris Gonzales meets his supporter and his critics. Jomalene Mabag has seen it all – the rapists, the robbers, the killers. They’re all drug users and … Read more
In just a few months, the new Philippines president has sparked outrage around the world with a vicious crackdown on the drug trade, targeting everyone from dealers to judges. But the approach is carefully crafted for a domestic audience, writes Rebecca Townsend “If this continues and you try to stop me, then all hell breaks … Read more