Ninotchka Rosca
Bio:
Ninotchka Rosca is a Philippine-born writer. Imprisoned by the Marcos Dictator, she went into exile in the US when threatened with a second arrest. She has authored six books, two of which, the novels State of War and Twice Blessed are considered classics of Philippine literature. She has helped established two women’s organizations, more recently AF3IRM (Association of Fierce Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Refeudalization and Marginalization). She has received numerous awards for both journalism and literary writing, including the American Book Award.
The competition for the presidency, between the only son of a “strongman” and a widow, resonates with the enduring friction between a woman-centered native culture and the infrastructure of patriarchal political dynasties bred by colonialism in the Philippines.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's pardon of US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton in the killing of Jennifer Laude, a transPinay, in a hotel room in Olongapo reflects the country's historic subservience to US military interests.