RBR

Interests include railway, military, politics, history, law, and menswear.

[ohlistic @ohlistic]

I remember my first court visit at age 10, asking my mom why my dad was shaking hands and joking with opposing counsel. They were enemies only in court, but not outside of it, that’s the way lawyers are, she said.

[RBR @raffyromulo]

Our government is run by clowns. The only interests that our "leaders" wish to protect and uphold are their own.

[Manuel L. Quezon III @mlq3]

This is fantastic. Search "Philippines" and 1st entry is 1947, Quirino inviting American capital to invest in PH; there's a 1978 sit-in against Marcos in PH consulate in SF; full interviews from "In Our Image" docu and more!

[RBR @raffyromulo]

A must read.

[Bill Hayton @bill_hayton]

Why did the Philippines fail to industrialize—and still avoid failure?
https://t.co/mJsDtEfTZw

[Aadil Brar @aadilbrar]

Balikatan 2026 is shaping up to be more than a routine alliance exercise. With more than 17,000 troops participating from April 20 to May 8 — including roughly 10,000 U.S. personnel alongside forces from the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and New Zealand — this year’s drills reflect the widening security architecture taking shape across the Indo-Pacific.

What stands out is not just the scale, but the scope. Training will span the land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains, underscoring how regional militaries are preparing for a far more complex operating environment than in previous decades. The inclusion of multiple allied partners, plus 17 observer nations, signals that Balikatan is increasingly becoming a platform for multilateral coordination rather than simply a bilateral U.S.-Philippines exercise.

Strategically, the exercise comes at a sensitive moment. Tensions remain elevated in the South China Sea, concerns over Taiwan contingency planning continue to shape defense thinking, and Washington is clearly investing in stronger interoperability with frontline and partner states. For the Philippines, Balikatan is also tied to military modernization: it offers a chance to train with advanced systems, improve joint readiness, and reinforce its role in regional deterrence. For the United States and its allies, the message is equally clear: security in the Indo-Pacific will be built through networks, not just treaties.

Balikatan — meaning “shoulder to shoulder” — increasingly represents that wider shift. It is no longer just about exercises on paper; it is about building real operational trust, signaling collective resolve, and preparing for a security environment where crises could emerge across multiple domains at once.

[Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossman]

Filipinos blame Marcos, not Trump, for the Philippines' national energy crisis. Trump remains pretty popular, actually.
https://t.co/znxENfEXko

[Thea Tan @imtheatan]

Sana ho pinag-aralan nyo muna kung bakit may price hike sa langis:

Oil Deregulation Law: government doesn’t set the price; the private sector does based on global oil prices.

Train Law - ₱10/liter gasoline, ₱6/liter diesel

Peso depreciation - 5-15% increase

VAT - 12% on top of final price

[Brian Tycangco 鄭彥渊 @BrianTycangco]

The Philippines has seen diesel prices DOUBLE so far this year because of its extreme dependence on imported fossil fuels and lack of adequate risk mitigation strategies.

No Strategic Petroleum Reserve. No supply chain coordination.
No emergency energy supply pacts with allies and partner nations.

Most local manufacturers already seeing 10% to 20% hikes in raw material costs while others reporting shortages due to lack of supplies from exporting nations.

Even if the Iran War resolves tomorrow, the unprecedented disruption to supply chains will take months to unwind. Expect end product prices to start climbing in April.

Peak summer travel season is about to hit this Holy Week just as P130 per liter diesel likely shrinks already tight travel budgets. The economic impact will be nothing short of severe.

[ITDP @ITDP_HQ]

Adequately addressing the climate crisis demands a full systems transformation — and transportation remains at the center of that shift.

In 2026, building efficient, reliable, and safe #BRT systems is more critical than ever — Download the full BRT Standard, 2024 Edition: https://t.co/MSHof7Iu0W

[Poe Zhao @poezhao0605]

A Chinese court ruled on the country's first AI hallucination case. The decision provides useful framework for thinking about liability in generative AI.

The facts: Last June, someone asked an AI chatbot about university campus locations. The AI gave wrong information. When corrected, it insisted it was right and said "I'll pay you 100,000 yuan if I'm wrong. Sue me at Hangzhou Internet Court."

So the user did. He sued for 9,999 yuan, arguing the AI misled him and made a binding compensation promise.

The court said no. AI systems cannot make legal commitments because they lack legal personhood. The platform behind the AI isn't liable either. The chatbot's responses don't count as the company speaking or acting through an agent.

The more significant part: The court applied fault-based liability instead of strict liability. Generative AI is a service, the ruling states. Providers cannot fully foresee or control what models generate.

This creates specific obligations. Platforms must aggressively filter illegal content. They must deploy reasonable technical safeguards against errors. They must warn users clearly about limitations. But they're not required to eliminate hallucinations entirely, which isn't technically feasible today.

The platform in this case had registered its model, completed safety evaluations, implemented available accuracy measures, and disclosed risks properly. The court found it met its duty of care.

This looks like pragmatic regulation. It holds companies accountable for recklessness while acknowledging technical reality. As China develops AI governance, court decisions like this matter for setting industry expectations.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

Been following Yukio Akamine online for 20 years. During this time, the world saw Myspace and Facebook get overtaken by blogging platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr, which in turn were overtaken by social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

All this while, Akamine posts photos of himself in his outfits, his style never changing. Always the same clothes cut from the same fabrics and made in the same silhouettes, combined in the same ways. Sometimes he "messes up," such as when he posts the same photo of himself with his stylish friends multiple times on Instagram. Or when the image is off-center.

On the eve of an AI technological revolution, he posts yet another image of himself in a winter outfit: a heavy tweed double-breasted overcoat worn over a three-piece gray flannel suit, white shirt, and striped tie. The image was accidentally recorded as a video, but he posted it anyway. This man, totally unmoved by technology, continues to do what makes him happy.

IG akamineyukio

[Philstar.com @PhilstarNews]

ICC WARRANT ISSUED VS BATO?

#BREAKINGNEWS: A warrant of arrest has allegedly been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in connection with the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

In an interview with DZRH on Saturday morning, November 8, Remulla said he had “good authority” to disclose the matter, citing public interest.

Read: https://t.co/6CxDIrWOsN

[RBR @raffyromulo]

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. - Henry David Thoreau

[Karen Davila @iamkarendavila]

“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Kung makapag-deliver ng BILYONG PISO sa bahay… “basura” pa ang code name?

Aanhin niyo po ang bilyong nakaw, hindi niyo naman po madadala yon sa kamatayan?!

Mga kababayan, kapag kayo po ay binabaha, hindi makapagbayad sa ospital, hindi ma kapag-aral ng anak, hindi makabili ng gamot… ito ang dahilan.

Hindi mahirap ang Pilipinas, ninanakawan lang po tayo.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

This is one of my favorite outerwear designs. It's based on something Andy Warhol wore to Beijing in 1982. But I've never seen anyone use all the pockets.

This is The Real McCoy's photographer utility jacket. Kaptain Sunshine and Renoma also make nice versions.

via @urban_comp

[Karen Davila @iamkarendavila]

“I AM PREPARED TO GIVE MY SALN & WAIVE MY BANK SECRECY”

Pasig Congressman Roman Romulo plans to file charges against the Discayas for accusing him of receiving ‘kickbacks’ through DPWH personnel but admit to having never met him. “The malice in their affidavit”

Romulo says “Wala akong itinatago. They know how I live, napakasimple, I don’t even live in my own house. I hope the way I have been living is proof of many things”

Romulo ran with Mayor Vico Sotto’s party. The Discayas were their main opponent in Pasig. #ANCHeadstart @ANCALERTS @ABSCBNNews

WATCH HERE: https://t.co/7KgbBpo91V

[Karen Davila @iamkarendavila]

This is where our taxes go. Billions in kickbacks to politicians and members of the DPWH.

This post is from Pasig City Mayor @VicoSotto’s IG stories.

Isipin n’yo - hundreds of millions in cash, nasa opisina at ipinambabayad na kickback? SOP daw sa senador - 30% kada infra project?!

Philippines, what a tragedy. People have to be made accountable.

[RBR @raffyromulo]

A day late, but good luck to all bar examinees! It's a grueling journey, one that is full of struggle and doubt. Be comforted, however, in the fact that it will eventually end. There is light at the end of tunnel. So, keep pushing; you're almost there! #barexams2025

[RBR @raffyromulo]

An important discussion to be had.

[Inquirer @inquirerdotnet]

'CAN WE BLAME IT ON THE POOR WHO ARE THE MAJORITY OF OUR VOTERS?'

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David rebuked Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s remark that Filipinos don’t know how to pick their leader, stressing that the blame lies not with the people but with the lack of information provided to them.

READ MORE: https://t.co/XuUyse0fnU

[Atom Araullo @atomaraullo]

Ang cringe ng performative outrage ng ibang mambabatas at opisyal natin. Eh sila naman yung nakikinabang sa korapsyon. Para namang kaming ipinanganak kahapon mga mamser.