Mong Palatino

filipino activist, legislator, southeast asian blogger

About

Mong has been a blogger since 2004. He is a youth activist and Member of Philippine Parliament representing Kabataan Partylist.

Archive for the 'election' Category

Octogenarians and soldiers

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Albay province governor and presidential adviser Joey Salceda is happy to note that candidates in the 2010 elections are younger compared to those in previous elections. The average age of presidential aspirants in 2004 was 60.25. The candidates were Fernando Poe Jr., 65; Panfilo Lacson, 57; Raul S. Roco, 63; and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 56. The [...]

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Season of mudslinging

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Written in 2007…. Politics is addition. The longer you stay in public office, the more number of enemies you will attract. There are no permanent friends and enemies; only the desire for power and absolute power. A politician thinks this way: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. During elections, every candidate is a [...]

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Schooling in Siok

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Graduation rites are important but they should not be extravagant. Even education officials recognize the need to conduct simple graduation activities. But many schools still want a grand celebration and this necessitates the collection of graduation fees from students. Student are able to finish basic education without paying tuition but they can’t get their diplomas [...]

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Swine Flu, Twitter and elections

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Last year, the swine flu (AH1N1) pandemic created widespread panic around the world. In the Philippines, the swine flu scare prompted the government to install thermal scanners in airports and government buildings. Catholic church officials discouraged the holding of hands inside churches as a precautionary measure against the spread of the deadly virus, while many [...]

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Parachute politician in Palawan

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

If there are parachute journalists, there are also parachute politicians. During elections, national politicians become parachute candidates. I am a parachute candidate. I visit provinces and far-flung towns to campaign for Kabataan Partylist but I only stay for less than 24 hours. This prevents me from deepening my knowledge about the issues confronting our kababayans [...]

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Bicolandia

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

I arrived in Legazpi City on February 28, Sunday. After an eat-all-you-can breakfast at Quick n Hearty resto, we checked-in at Sampaguita Tourist Inn (free wifi at the lobby). Then we proceeded to the headquarters of Makabayan Coalition to prepare for our Sunday caravan. From Legazpi, we motored to Guinobatan where we conducted a handshaking [...]

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Wika ng halalan

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Para kay Rowie, manunulat at guro ng Filipino sa De La Salle. Salamat sa mungkahing magsulat ako hinggil sa paksang ito…. Sa Pilipinas may tatlong panahon: wet season, dry season, at election season. Pero para sa ibang pulitiko, dalawang panahon lang yan: eleksiyon at paghahanda sa eleksiyon. Hindi nakapagtataka, kung gayon, na umusbong sa bansa [...]

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Flock voting

Monday, March 15th, 2010

March 11: The Red Shirts are coming! March 13: Calm before the storm? March 15: “Reds” vow a bigger rally today An Insider’s Diary on the 2010 Philippine elections. My Yahoo Meme account. Religious groups are powerful political blocs in the Philippines as they can deliver solid votes to their anointed candidates. Because of this [...]

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Bomb politics in Davao

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

I was in Davao City last February 26. The hot news item was the two bombs found inside the City Hall and near the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The mayor was very angry as he resumed leadership in the Davao City Police office. This kind of news is not good for Davao tourism. In 2009 [...]

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Arthro politics in Cebu

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

I was in Cebu last week (February 23-24). To learn more about the local politics, I bought two Cebu-based newspapers: Sunstar and Cebu Daily News (affiliated with the Inquirer). What did I discover? 1. Mayor Tommy Osmena vows to go after manufacturers of herbal medicines and “dubious” drugs which give “false hopes” to sick people. [...]

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