Source context: The Department of Justice is beginning hearings on five ghost flood-control projects in Bulacan. At the same time, the editorial of Manila Standard flagged a recent defense partnership with Canada for visiting force status (SOVFA) as raising questions about national alignment.
This is an AI-generated cartoon with the prompt: A generically drawn Philippine ‘everyman’ (e.g., utility-worker or sari-sari store owner) standing on a shaky barge labelled ‘National Security’ floating in rough seas. On one side of the barge is a gangway with a large official labeled ‘New Visiting Forces Agreement’ unloading heavy crates marked ‘Arms & pacts’. On the other side is another gangway with a contractor-type figure dragging away a huge crate labeled ‘Flood-Control Projects Budget’ while the barge tilts. The caption: ‘Which side are we leaning on?’
