Why The Open Forum exists

In late March 2022, me and a group of like-minded friends decided to form a new group dedicated to the discussion of political issues facing the Philippines, as well as tackle international events with a Filipino perspective. We have also decided not to structure ourselves into a formal movement given the burden of formalizing things,

Proposals for a federal government

(image courtesy of CNN Philippines) With the Duterte administration yet to fulfill its promises of shifting to a federal system, and the never-ending debates on whether we should initiate such a shift, please let us lay out own proposals for reform. A ceremonial presidency with some reserve powers The president will remain the nominal head

The Singaporean model and its applicability in the Filipino setting

(Apologies for the quite low-quality capture of the iconic Merlion.) In most political forums (most especially those advocating for a shift to a parliamentary form of government), you’ll see how the Philippines is being compared to Singapore, from internet speeds, implementation of laws, how disciplined the people are, how modern the infrastructure is (road, rail,