@mongster is a Manila-based activist, former Philippine legislator, and blogger/analyst of Asia-Pacific affairs.
This post is based on a keynote presentation delivered by the author at the first Global Voices Asia-Pacific Citizen Media Summit June 2, 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan. The rise to power of someone like Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who gained global notoriety for launching a bloody campaign against illegal drugs, is linked to the manipulation of online […]
This is part of a series IFEX is producing on regional experiences with the global problem of information disorder, and what people are doing to counter it. From blackouts to legislation, from fact-checking to education, Mong Palatino scrutinises some of the most popular responses to the problem of disinformation in his region. Disinformation may be […]
Written for The Diplomat When the Philippine government’s solicitor general filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to forfeit the franchise of ABS-CBN, the country’s leading broadcaster, the development attracted international headlines. As it should: While Duterte’s efforts to undermine press freedom are longstanding, this is the most serious threat to press freedom since he […]
August 2019: News blackout and rising repression in Kashmir and West Papua. Read more September 2019: September strikes: Climate actions, student protests, and landmark court rulings. Read more October 2019: Protests condemn communications blackout, police violence, and government secrecy laws. Read more.
Published by Bayan Metro Manila Bayan Metro Manila deplores the passage of Republic Act 11469 which gives additional special powers to President Rodrigo Duterte in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. We reiterate that granting more powers to the president is unnecessary. What we urgently need today is a comprehensive emergency action by the government and not […]
Cambodia is among the 41 states whose human rights records are under scrutiny at the ongoing 32nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s UPR Working Group. Cambodia’s report was delivered on 30 January. Cambodia is among the 41 states whose human rights records are under scrutiny at the ongoing 32nd session of the […]
Published by Bulatlat Wireless communication. What this concept hides is the use of massive manual labor in building the infrastructures that make wireless technologies possible. Workers are the unsung and underpaid heroes of the digital age because of their crucial role in laying the undersea cables that connect the ‘webs’, installing fiber optics, and setting […]
Journalists face growing persecution, an impunity win in Indonesia, and much more…February in Asia: A roundup of key free expression news, based on IFEX member reports. Read more Women’s Day marchers attacked, Thai media restricted, and report on media killings in Afghanistan. March in Asia: A roundup of key free expression news, based on IFEX […]
The 10th anniversary of the single most deadly assault on journalists ever takes place on 23 November. IFEX’s Asia & Pacific Regional Editor Mong Palatino writes about a decade of activism on behalf of the 58 Ampatuan Massacre victims, among them 32 journalists, in this Spark multimedia feature article. Written for IFEX Global solidarity for […]
If the aim of the media attacks is to distract and mute the opposition, so far it is not succeeding. But it sends a dangerous message about how far this government is capable of doing to stretch the limits of the law to run after its critics. Written for The Diplomat Magazine Why Philippine Politics […]
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