[Rappler’s Best] ‘Nanlaban’ — US edition

2026-01-26 - 10:05

Videos showed and eyewitnesses said he was holding a phone, not a gun, when he was shot dead by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, January 24. But the Trump administration is insisting that 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, fought back, thus the killing. In short, nanlaban. We, too, have heard this line before, declared like a mantra by the police in defense of the blood that spilled on Philippine streets during the brutal drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte. “Nanlaban” (resisting arrest) was the refuge of Duterte’s gunmen who raided shanties, gagged and dragged hapless men and boys, and shot them dead in dark alleys or before their wailing mothers and children. “Nanlaban” was the cops’ shield, their armor of impunity. Confronted about this by lawmakers at a congressional probe after he stepped down, the unrepentant Duterte said it’s been his style since he was mayor of Davao. He said he would tell the police to provoke suspects to fight so they would have every reason to kill. “’Yan ang instruction ko, encourage them — lumaban, pagka lumaban, patayin ninyo para matapos na ang problema ko sa siyudad ko.” In his first two years as president, the cops killed at least 33 people a day in that brutal war over which Duterte is now being tried at The Hague for crimes against humanity. In Pretti’s case, he was not even suspected of any crime, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time under a wrong president. It’s the second killing in Minneapolis in less than three weeks as the crackdown on immigrants in America reached an intensity as harsh as the biting winter now sweeping across many states in the US. America’s winter of discontent prompted at least 50,000 protesters to brave subzero temperatures in Minneapolis just a day before the Pretti shooting, to demand an end to President Donald Trump’s crackdown and the pullout of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. What’s a common thread between what we went through and what’s happening on America’s streets? The show-off, sensational texture of this anti-immigration crackdown that’s meant to instill fear, paralyze resistance to it, and incentivize the armed apparatus implementing it — an authoritarian playbook mastered by Duterte, the ripple effect of which continues to be felt to this day. In a research on the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 that was released to the public last week, The Nerve documents the “systematic importation of the authoritarian playbook and how the ‘deconstruction model’ turned narrative warfare into kinetic reality.” The research tackles “a three-stage funnel: narrative warfare fragments shared reality, enabling institutional dismantling, which clears the path of kleptocracy.” This model, The Nerve says, “does not require majority support; it only needs a fragmented opposition and a governing coalition that powers ahead.” In a preface written by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, she said that the first 100 days of Trump formed the blueprint for the deconstruction model. “Venezuela is the proof. Minneapolis is the warning. Greenland is the pattern. This report is the evidence of how narrative warfare laid the groundwork — and what becomes possible when the battle for information integrity is lost.” Visit The Nerve to download the report. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a speech at Davos that earned him a standing ovation, the rules-based global order is over and middle powers must come together “because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.” Trump shot back, threatening to slap Canada with a 100% tariff if it pushed through with a trade deal with China. Trump wrote on Truth Social: “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it...” Well, in this case, not a few Filipinos would probably agree with Trump. The turbulent relationship between Manila and Beijing took another turn last week. On Sunday, January 25, the Philippines’ National Security Council took potshots at China for the “undiplomatic and uncalled for” remarks of Chinese officials against a Philippine Coast Guard official. This came after China summoned Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime Florcruz on Thursday, January 22, over statements made by Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard’s spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea. What’s China’s beef against Tarriela? Read all about it here. China, by the way, has a new envoy in Manila, who’s more outspoken than his predecessor. Bea Cupin provides perspective in this piece. Here are some of Rappler’s bests that you shouldn’t miss: Lian Buan deconstructs the verdict that convicted journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights worker Marielle Domequil. Also last week, police arrested Rappler contributor Ambo Delilan over a complaint he was not aware of. James Patrick Cruz reports that Filipinos got stuck in rush-hour traffic more in 2025 than the previous year. Guess which two mega capitals bore the traffic brunt? Jodesz Gavilan and Lian Buan discover yet another property, this time in Forbes Park Manila, that’s linked to former House speaker Martin Romualdez and which fits the pattern of corporate layering. At the Senate, two witnesses said they saw controversial contractor Curlee Discaya, who’s facing various complaints, supervising the renovation of the property. Lian Buan, in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, uncovers the links of Chinese national Lin Weixiong — already involved in illegal drugs and scam farms in the Philippines — to an Asia Pacific crime web. Part 2 of the series focuses on a Taiwan drug convict, posing as a Filipino, who also has links to Lin. How talents won landmark labor case vs GMA Network after 11 years The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the talents who had worked with media company GMA. Why House’s ‘refusal’ to receive new Marcos impeach raps raises suspicion Two groups attempted to file impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week, but the House did not formally receive them. Digital independence: Europe wants to end its reliance on US internet technology The EU seeks to build its own platforms, chat apps, and even software. At 71, Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes intends to stay in beloved pool game Efren “Bata” Reyes took part in the WNT Legends exhibition tourney as the oldest in the bunch. Who is Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the Fil-Am cinematographer behind ‘Sinners’? The Filipino-American cinematographer wins another feat as the first woman of color to be nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars for Sinners. Rappler’s Best is a weekly newsletter of our top picks delivered straight to your inbox every Monday. Visit rappler.com/newsletters to subscribe. The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Rappler.