Emma 🌺🌸💙

Jusko pabagsak ng pabagsak ang piso laban sa dolyar! Anong ginagawa ng gobyerno? Dramarama pa rin sa hapon???

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!! WHAT?!!!

[ the trident ]

This is pretty insane: the U.S. just tried to literally re-colonize part of the Philippines. They did so under the so-called "Pax Silica" initiative, the brainchild of - surprise, surprise - an ex-Palantir guy named Jacob Helberg who now runs U.S. economic "diplomacy" from the State Department. It's causing a big outcry in the Philippines, which is quite a feat given this is by far the most US-friendly country in Southeast Asia. If you're the US and you're getting the Marcos administration - of all governments - to push back on sovereignty, you've really overplayed your hand. What is the "Pax Silica" initiative? In a nutshell it's about the US getting other countries to commit to restructuring their AI tech infrastructure around a US-led stack. It's basically vendor lock-in: you hand over your critical minerals, align your export controls with Washington's, regulate AI the way America wants, and in return you get to be a US "trusted partner," whatever that means these days. In essence, let's not kid ourselves, it's all about China: this is the US's initiative to "win the AI race" by getting other countries to contractually commit to keeping China out of their tech supply chains. When you can't preserve your lead through innovation, you seek to lock countries in contractually. For instance as a country, this would mean telling Huawei they can't sell you AI chips, and telling Chinese firms they can't invest in your data centers - even if they're better and cheaper. It's not about choosing the best technology, it's about choosing the right flag. But in this instance, the US went much further still: they literally tried to carve out 4,000 acres of Philippine territory (in New Clark City, 60 miles north of Manila) to be governed under US common law with diplomatic immunity - the first arrangement of its kind anywhere in the modern world. This is according to the WSJ who ran the story last month (wsj.com/world/asia/u-s…) as if it was a done deal (it wasn't). Heard about the "French concession" or "British concession" in China during the century of humiliation? Same thing: the US basically asked for an "American concession" in the Philippines. Unsurprisingly, there was quite a bit of backlash in the country with for instance the Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP) calling it a “massive sellout” of the country’s land, minerals, and sovereignty (punto.com.ph/us-led-pax-sil…). So much so that the Philippines' government - namely Joshua Bingcang, president and chief executive of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) - issued a statement saying that the Philippines had rejected US proposals that would place the project beyond local jurisdiction (asianews.network/philippines-re…). Note, by the way, this delicious irony: the BCDA is the government agency that was created in 1992 specifically to convert former US military bases at Clark and Subic Bay after the Philippines spent decades negotiating their closure. New Clark City - where the Pax Silica's hub would go - is built on the old Clark Air Base. So the agency whose entire reason for existing is to turn former American colonial territory (i.e. US military bases) into sovereign Philippine land is the one now being asked to hand part of that very same land back under US jurisdiction (and, apparently, declined). Of course though, blocking this specific jurisdiction grab doesn't change the bigger picture. The Philippines is still a Pax Silica signatory, and Pax Silica itself is structurally neocolonial: you supply the cheap labor and raw materials, align your export controls and regulations with Washington's, cut yourself off from the world's rising technological powerhouse - and in exchange you get assembly jobs and the privilege of getting a pat on the head and being called a "trusted partner." They dropped the most cartoonishly colonial demand - governing Philippine soil under US law - but the underlying architecture is the same: you serve America's supply chain, on America's terms, and you relinquish your sovereign right to trade with whoever offers the best deal.

@interaksyon Deport na sila.

BACKLASH IN SIARGAO An Israeli content creator apologized after drawing backlash for crumpling a sticker bearing the Philippine flag in Siargao, but said she does not regret removing the pro-Palestine message from a post. The viral reel reignited conversations on respect for Philippine symbols, tourist behavior and tensions on the island. Read: interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlig…

‘ANG SENADO AY HINDI DAPAT MAGING KANLUNGAN NG ABSENTEEISM AT PAGTATAKIPAN’ READ: Mayors Vico Sotto, Joy Belmonte, and Benjamin Magalong, along with other local chief executives of the group Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG), issued a statement on the recent developments in the Senate involving Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. “Hindi dapat pinoprotektahan ang isang halal na opisyal na umiiwas sa kanyang mga responsibilidad habang patuloy na tumatanggap ng sahod mula sa taumbayan,” it reads. | 📸: M4GG/Facebook

@CarlZha A lot of our politicians in the Philippines go to Singapore because of "health".

People ask why is Singapore on the list? Where do you think all the corrupt money in Southeast Asia go?

Honey Bees make our food, A.I. doesn't. Save the Honey Bees, not data centers

Bakit traffic ang concern ng DENR? Dapat ang concern nila ay environment!

I don’t think people understand the gravity of what we are looking at in this photo. This should infuriate every single one of us.

i saw this video, yung jeep ni tatay nabangga, he looks so frantic and panicking. it breaks my heart, pumapasada sila just to survive the day, yung slippers nga ni tatay hindi match. eto ba kinakamusta ng gobyerno? puro "kinamusta niyo ba kami" eh pano naman sila?

@vitaminwon_ May solar po ba kayo?

totoo ba to Hzhahhahahaha baka nang eeme lang to ah

im sorry pero wala pa ngang data center dito sa negros pero ganyan na kulay ng tubig namin dahil sa prime water, ano pa kaya pag meron na

@kyewsi Sa Rizal, parang medyo malamig. Medyo lang 😅

stop generating crap you look stupid!

And this is also why Ramon Ang with all his will and might, do his best to never see this lady in Malacañang.

#SciFeature 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗦? As Southeast Asia’s capital cities continue to experience rapid urbanization and population growth, how much lush greenery still remains within these expanding urban landscapes? Here’s a visualization showing how much of the capital cities are still covered with forests, grasslands, or with considerable vegetation as of 2025, based on the latest update from the Esri Sentinel-2 10m Land Use/Land Cover data. Greenery coverage across the 10 ASEAN capital cities varies greatly. Naypyidaw and Vientiane remain among the greenest, while densely populated capitals such as Jakarta and #Manila are already heavily built up with buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. Urban forests and vegetation play a crucial role in reducing heat, improving air quality, and protecting water resources, helping make cities more livable and resilient. Long-term efforts, such as in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, to restore and expand green spaces are already delivering benefits to residents, from cooler surroundings to healthier urban environments. #urban #environment #ASEAN

I agree

Every freedom you have as a woman was earned through the sacrifice of women who came before you. You didn’t inherit these rights by luck. Someone marched, protested, and paid a price for them.

What mathematical calculation to use to see how low we can sink further? The level of corruption will be ASTRONOMICAL