Mong Palatino

Written for The Diplomat

The Philippine participation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland has become the most controversial foreign trip that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken. It was the eighth trip abroad that Marcos has made since becoming president seven months ago. Marcos himself was at first undecided about the necessity of attending the event when he was invited in November, but he obviously changed his mind and even brought a sizeable delegation with him.

Marcos is scheduled to visit Japan in February. His subordinates and supporters believe his foreign trips are essential for strengthening the economy. But the opposition is suspicious about the frequency of the president’s travels. Perhaps Marcos is keen to reintroduce his family name on the global stage after their unceremonial ouster from power in 1986. Whatever the reason or motive, Marcos and his government should do more to convince the public that his global engagements are not a waste of taxpayer money.

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Marcos Allies Set to Approve Charter Change in Philippine Congress

Written for The Diplomat

The Philippine House of Representatives is on track to pass a resolution this month calling for a constitutional convention to amend the 1987 Constitution.

At least 11 bills and resolutions relating to charter change were filed since July of last year, the same month when Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency. These measures were consolidated and a consensus was reached among the proponents that the mode of changing the constitution will be through a constitutional convention.

It is not enough that charter change proponents have the numbers in Congress, because a divisive measure like this can quickly galvanize popular opposition. Previous administrations have also the support of the majority in Congress, but they failed to amend the constitution because of strong public resistance. Perhaps legislators today are encouraged by the high trust ratings of Marcos, but can the government risk losing support if people will start protesting against politicians prioritizing charter change instead of curbing hunger and joblessness?

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Published by Bayan Metro Manila

The pandemic and typhoon disasters tested the resilience of many Filipinos. But even the most resilient won’t survive if the government is slow to respond, refuses to be held accountable which prevents it from learning where it failed, and prefers to be indifferent even if the poorest in society are unjustly suffering more from natural and man-made calamities.

Thus, we reiterate our urgent demands: relief and rehabilitation, accountability, and climate justice.

Legislators should ensure that the 2021 national budget will earmark enough funds for extending aid to flooded communities. Resources should be reallocated to provide cash assistance, livelihood opportunities, and rehabilitation of damaged houses and public infrastructures. Legislators can easily slash the bloated budget of the government’s anti-communist task force and realign it to social services and public works that are needed today in several regions of Luzon.

Aside from relief, the people are also clamoring for accountability. What happened to the calamity funds which should have been used to enhance the country’s disaster preparedness? What caused the massive flooding? Are dams to blame? What about the quarrying, mining, and logging operations? Who should we assign the bigger responsibility: the companies in charge of these extractive activities or the politicians who supported them? We hope President Rodrigo Duterte who often speaks about aggressively confronting those who destroy the nation will not be caught sleeping on the job.

Our long-term demand is climate justice which requires political will since it means a rethinking of current economic and environmental policies that could have exacerbated the harsh impact of global warming. Decades of plundering our national patrimony have not only impoverished many communities but also made them more vulnerable to environmental disasters. Farmers and indigenous peoples are the rural frontliners who take care of our food supply and ancestral lands yet they are also the first to suffer from mudslides, landslides, and extreme flooding tragedies. Meanwhile, those who profit from destroying our watersheds and polluting our waters are allowed to escape accountability.

We address these calls to the national government since it has the mandate to mobilize the bureaucracy in distributing relief, probing the role of agencies and officials in their disaster response, and enforcing laws and programs aimed at empowering communities as climate change continues to bring more difficult challenges today.

At the same time, we believe President Rodrigo Duterte is the worst disaster to hit the nation this year because of his militarist approach in dealing with the pandemic, the bungled response to the economic crisis, the roll-out of an ill-prepared online distance learning, and the slow coordination of relief and rescue operations during the successive flooding in Luzon. He is a reminder that a reckless and inept leadership will only drown the people in suffering.

Therefore, our efforts should not only be limited to gathering and handing out relief goods, but an equally if not more important expression of solidarity is our collective action against Duterte’s criminal negligence.

Written for The Diplomat

The inflation crisis in the Philippines is reflected in the unprecedentedly high cost of onions, which forced the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to launch rolling stores, release smuggled goods, and import from nearby countries.

Marcos is at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week promoting the sovereign wealth fund, even if this has yet to be tackled by the Senate. It’s his eighth foreign trip despite being in power for only under seven months. His critics will certainly highlight his frequent trips abroad and the failure of his government to reduce food and agricultural prices. He can’t pass the blame to his subordinates because he appointed himself secretary of agriculture to prioritize food security and other key issues affecting local farmers.

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The Philippines’ New Year Airport Meltdown

Written for The Diplomat

The big news at the start of 2023 should have been the release of the new Philippine Development Plan and the state visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. to China. But these were both eclipsed by the air navigation glitch on New Year’s Day that forced the closure of almost all of the country’s airports.

Marcos is expected to enumerate the achievements of his official trip to China, but it is uncertain if this will be enough to make people forget the recent airport meltdown and the surging cost of living. The arrival speech is in NAIA, the ground zero of the airport meltdown, which could make it easier for the public to remember about how the country’s economy has failed to take off despite the confident projections and assertions of the president.

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July 2022: “Lethal force behind a veil of legality”: Executions, repressive media laws, and protests across Asia. Attacks against the media did not stop even after a change in government in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the junta in Myanmar has resorted to executing anti-coup activists.

August 2022: Women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan, love triumphs over fear in Singapore, and more. The Taliban’s extreme policies over the past year have severely undermined the rights of women in Afghanistan, the military continues to attack journalists in Pakistan, and a “significant milestone” in Singapore after the government announces it will repeal an archaic law criminalizing gay sex.

September 2022: Crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, Martial Law commemoration in the Philippines, and flooding crisis in Pakistan. Widespread atrocities in Xinjiang confirmed in UN report, Hong Kong’s press freedom index continues to slide, Martial Law’s negative impact on media freedom and democracy in the Philippines endures, and the devastating floods that displaced millions in Pakistan underscore the need for global climate action and the protection of public access to life-saving information.

Written for The Diplomat

Lawyers, judges, law schools, and even the Supreme Court of the Philippines have issued separate statements expressing support for a Manila judge who was vilified and threatened online for dismissing a government petition seeking to proscribe the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army, and National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as terrorists.

Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar junked the petition by relying on the evidence submitted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2018. The ruling pointed out that based on the definition of terrorism under the Human Security Act, the CPP-NPA-NDF cannot be proscribed as terrorists. Their activities can be considered rebellion but none have caused “widespread and extraordinary fear and panic” among the general population.

This dealt a huge setback to the government’s anti-terrorism campaign, which aims to end one of the world’s longest communist insurgencies.

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Alarming Pattern of Killings Continues in the Philippines

Written for The Diplomat

Gun attacks over the past month have killed several local officials in various provinces of the Philippines.

From February 17 to 26, four ambushes were carried out by unidentified assailants in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Sur in Mindanao; and in the municipality of Aparri and a barangay (village) in Batangas province in Luzon. In Lanao del Sur, the governor survived but four of his companions were killed. In Aparri, six were killed, including the town’s vice mayor.

The police described the killings as isolated incidents.

Lastly, the quick action of the police in apprehending the suspects and building a case against the mastermind of the Negros Oriental killing showed that authorities can successfully coordinate to deliver justice for the victims and their families. The same political will should be applied as well to other cases, even if the victims do not belong to influential political parties.

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Speech during the Filipino American Visibility Day at University of California Berkeley on October 25, 2018

Last night I was watching the Warriors game held at the Oracle. How big is the Oracle? Maybe it has a capacity of 18 to 20,000. Imagine the Oracle full of dead bodies. This is the estimated number of drug-related extrajudicial killings in the Philippines under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Perhaps you already learned from the news about the notorious anti-drug war, the mad president and his frequent outbursts against the church, women, and his critics. But what is not clearly explained is that in the past two years, Duterte has been waging three wars: the war on drugs, the war on terror in Mindanao, and the all-out war against communist groups.

Who are the casualties of these wars? The farmers, the Lumad and other indigenous peoples, plantation workers, activists, students.

A few minutes ago, we observed a moment of silence for the nine farmers who were killed in Sagay, Negros Occidental. They were massacred while resting during a bungkalan (collective farming) campaign in a hacienda. Hacienda? Indeed, we continue to use the word hacienda, a word first used in the 17th century, because oppressive feudal relations continue to exist in our homeland.

Starving farmers killed for trying to survive and for demanding land reform. Farmers accused of sympathizing with communist forces are the principal victims of Duterte’s all-out war.

To escape blame, authorities resort to lies and red-baiting instead of pursuing justice.

Facebook recently deleted 95 accounts, mostly pro-Duterte pages, for violating the platform’s standards. Most of these deleted accounts spew out fake news and outright lies meant to stir public opinion in favor of Duterte’s controversial policies. But the Sagay cover-up by authorities is a reminder that even if Facebook is removing rabid DDS pages, the machinery of disinformation is still running and its command center is inside Malacanang Palace led by Duterte, the country’s troll-in-chief.

But I am not here to bombard you with depressing updates from our country.

There are also inspiring stories to share. For example, the renewed enthusiasm among young people in resisting the return of tyranny. The brave defiance of many youth groups in rejecting the misogynist remarks of Duterte, his anti-poor statements, and incoherent rants. The online and offline organizing to defend rights and civil liberties. The campaign for free education, the agitation versus corruption, student support for labor demands.

How can we in the United States participate in the people’s protest? Help expose websites and social media pages promoting fake news. Inform our families and friends about the state-backed campaign of disinformation. Turn the 2019 midterm polls into an opportunity to discuss urgent people’s concerns. Draft a migrant agenda, an alternative agenda that should be highlighted during the campaign period. Put forward a people’s criteria in choosing the country’s next leaders. Be part of the struggle for real freedom, peace, justice, and democracy.

More than just beautiful islands and our sparkling seas, more than adobo and sinigang, be proud of the Filipino heritage and our tradition of dissent. We waged Asia’s first anti-colonial revolt led by the Katipunan. We became Asia’s first independent republic after the World War II. Our titos and titas fought Matial Law and dictatorship.

From Berkeley to Binondo and Diliman, there is solidarity among students, workers, and migrants. We support the ongoing strike by UC workers in their demand for equity and better conditions. Wherever and whenever there is injustice, there is resistance.

Makibaka, huwag matakot! Mabuhay ang paglaban ng mamamayan!

Published by Bayan Metro Manila

Cancel the budget of redtaggers and instead allocate it to social services. In the wake of the destructive impact of typhoon Rolly in Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions, a portion of the funds should be immediately realigned to boost relief efforts, rehabilitate damaged infrastructures, and revive local livelihoods.

Giving P19 billion to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is unwise given its penchant for using public resources for unnecessary expenditures like the printing of anti-communist tarpaulins. Its P16 billion budget for the so-called Barangay Development Program has been rightly criticized as a pork-barrel scheme that can be used to curry political favors and patronage ahead of the 2022 elections.

Instead of enabling the work of redtaggers, lawmakers should divert government resources to programs that will uplift the conditions of the poor. What is urgent today is to extend aid to residents displaced by typhoon Rolly. The recovery efforts are expected to last for months that will require massive financial support. It is more rational to spend money on projects that will directly benefit the people than bankroll the anti-communist crusade of the NTF-ELCAC, which only creates more division in society aside from undermining the rights of many citizens.

Our people need a government that will work hard to eliminate poverty, injustice, and environment disasters and not a costly bloated agency that pursues a brutal witch hunt in barangays.

We maintain that addressing the roots of the armed conflict is the right way to ending the communist rebellion.

April 2022: Political crises, anti-Muslim violence, and Maria Ressa’s pushback. South Asia’s civic space is on fire: Massive protests in Sri Lanka, rising anti-Muslim violence in India, continuing crackdown in Kashmir, and intensifying political conflict in Pakistan. In the Philippines, Nobel laureate Maria Ressa countered the latest government harassment with a legal pushback.

May 2022: Impressive pushbacks, ‘a very expensive puppet show’, and a UN High Commissioner visits China. Protesters attacked by pro-government supporters in Sri Lanka, women push back in Afghanistan and Nepal, a viral anti-lockdown video in Shanghai, proposed reform agenda for the election winners in the Philippines and Australia, India’s Supreme Court suspends the enforcement of sedition law, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet makes a historic visit to China.

June 2022. Hong Kong’s beleaguered media, journalists caught in anti-Muslim violence, and Duterte’s parting “gifts”. Out-going Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s parting gift to media: blocking of independent news websites and the shutdown order against Rappler. Journalists increasingly censored and arrested as anti-Muslim violence intensifies in India. Hong Kong welcomes its new leader selected by Beijing as it imposes more restrictions on media and pro-democracy groups.

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer

National Capital Region Police Office chief Debold Sinas is a pasaway general who has yet to face accountability for his crimes against the people. At the very least, he should be penalized for clear violation of ECQ rules when he allowed a “spontaneous” mañanita to celebrate his 55th birthday.Under Sinas’ watch, Metro Manila became a hotspot for human rights abuses. Lockdown restrictions led to draconian control of the population, the overkill deployment of troops in communities, and the imposition of harsh penalties on so-called pasaway or quarantine violators. Tens of thousands of desperate individuals seeking food, aid, and jobs were slapped with fines and even spurious charges for alleged ECQ violations. Sinas’ approach not only failed to flatten the COVID-19 curve, but also exacerbated the living conditions of Metro Manila residents.

Sinas is President Duterte’s brutal enforcer who is remorseless in undermining civil liberties and subverting due process. He is accused of masterminding the relentless attacks on peasant communities in Negros.

When he was deployed in Metro Manila, he quickly gained notoriety for the raids he conducted targeting leaders and community organizers of Bayan Metro Manila. Trumped-up charges based on fabricated evidence were used to detain five of our comrades from Gabriela, Kilusang Mayo Uno, and Kadamay. One of those arrested in the crackdown was Reina Mae Nasino.

He continued to use terror tactics in demonizing people’s organizations that are campaigning against the Manila Bay reclamation.

Sinas must answer for the ECQ violation, but we must also not forget his key role in militarizing the government’s COVID-19 response, and the human rights abuses conducted by troops under his command.

His promotion as PNP chief is an insult to the thousands who were victimized by police aggression and state terror during the pandemic. It is another proof that the people’s clamor for justice and accountability cannot be realized under the Duterte administration.

Written for The Diplomat

Asked about his achievements during his first 100 days as president of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos said he was able to put up a “functional government.”

But a resolution passed by his party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), hinted at several irregularities inside the presidential palace.

Throughout the campaign period and after becoming president, Marcos has consistently called for unity to move the country forward. Ironically, his subordinates and fellow party members are pursuing this by purging their rivals in public service.

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Philippine Congress Approves Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill

Written for The Diplomat

The Philippine House of Representatives approved a bill creating a sovereign wealth fund despite the concerns raised by some economists and political analysts that it is unnecessary and will be prone to mismanagement.

It took only 17 days for legislators to pass the bill after it was tabled for deliberations because of the priority certification issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Senate is expected to tackle the bill in January or February.

Marcos said in a media interview that the bill, which will create the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), was his idea, and is intended as an innovative approach to raising capital for his infrastructure projects.

The passage of the bill in the House of Representatives does not mark the end of the campaign against it. The opposition can still lobby for more amendments or the complete withdrawal of the measure in the Senate. Marcos proved how his allies in Congress will support his priority bills, but the spontaneous protests that erupted against the MIF showed the potential wider backlash that this proposal may generate next year.

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