Opinion

On Sunday, September 21, tens of thousands of Filipinos flooded Manila’s most iconic protest sites—Luneta, Liwasang Bonifacio, and the EDSA People Power Monument—with a singular demand: accountability for systemic corruption in government.

The Philippine gaming industry finds itself in a curious bind—riding the wave of digital innovation with one hand, while trying to put out moral fires with the other.

It was a sight to behold: billions of pesos worth of seized drugs, sealed in plastic, and under heavy security fed into a roaring industrial incinerator. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood by, face mask on, watching calmly, almost dispassionately.

For years, the Philippines has looked ahead with optimism, banking on its so-called “demographic sweet spot.” With around two-thirds of the population between the ages of 15 and 65, the country seemed poised for rapid economic growth—a young, able-bodied workforce ready to fuel productivity and progress.

You can feel it in the air, even if no one says it out loud. The world is tilting, and tension is building between countries that no longer trust each other. The US and China—two giants locked in a stare-down—are turning tariffs into weapons. Everyone knows what comes next: slower global growth, just when the world is finally getting back on its feet after the pandemic.