When it comes to the colourful politics of the Philippines, there's never a dull moment. Crowded with powerful dynasties, passionate activists, and vocal voters, the political landscape is complex, messy, and vibrant.
It's been over 35 years since a yellow tsunami swept the Philippine capital Manila as People Power finally dethroned Ferdinand Marcos and his controversial wife Imelda. Marcos' two-decade rule as the 10th president of the Philippines was marked by rampant corruption, brutal treatment of political opponents, and human rights abuses. But it was the assassination of longtime political opponent Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. in 1983 - widely believed to have been ordered by Marcos, though never proven - which would provide the spark for the Yellow Revolution that would remove the dictator and sweep Aquino's widow Corazon to the presidency.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the yellow ribbons of the People Power Revolution were replaced by a sea of pink T-shirts bearing a relatively new name in Philippine politics: Leni Robredo. Having announced her bid for the presidency in early October 2021, Robredo later told her supporters in a video message: "We still have a long journey ahead. That is why I ask you: Show that pink is not just a colour, it's a way of life; it's not just a colour of clothing or ribbon, it's the colour of a personality that is open, listening, and loving... Pink is the colour of the future and love will bring us there." By the following February, Robredo's campaign had adopted the pink rose flower as its official symbol.
SOCIAL ACTIVISM TO POLITICS
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Denne historien er fra AG 160-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
