Author Archives: admin

Enablers of Terror Law

By admin | March 5, 2022

Published by Bayan Metro Manila We are not surprised that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Terror Bill into law.He is the same leader who brutalized communities with Tokhang, Martial Law in Mindanao, and all-out-war against the communist movement. He is remorseless for the widespread human rights abuses under his watch. He is intolerant of […]

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IFEX Asia brief: April, May, June 2021

By admin | March 1, 2022

April 2021: COVID-19 surges, obstructions to information, coup violence, media convictions, and satire. Addressing India’s COVID-19 surge is made more difficult by authorities censoring information. Myanmar’s junta has resorted to publishing wanted lists, targeting journalists. A satirical playlist led to the brief incarceration of an artist in Malaysia. And Hong Kong’s first conviction around a […]

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How ‘ako chamber’ diminishes us all, including our activism

By admin | February 27, 2022

Published by Bulatlat The fun of being in an echo chamber ends the moment we realize it distorts our knowledge of the world. It could take some time and a lot of reflection before we recognize how our online experience is filtered by biases which could prevent us from making good use of the power […]

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Why the Fight for the Philippines Vice Presidency Matters

By admin | February 20, 2022

Written for The Diplomat All eyes are on the presidential candidates who will compete in the 2022 Philippine elections, one of whom will succeed President Rodrigo Duterte and lead a government battered by pandemic and economic woes. Also important is the battle for the vice presidency, a position elected separately from the president: the winner […]

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Ina Nasino: A victim of Sinas’s ‘mañanita’ as Metro Manila police chief

By admin | January 28, 2022

Published by Bayan Metro Manila On 8 May 2020, Major General Debold Sinas celebrated his birthday with a ‘mañanita’ organized by his subordinates at the National Capital Region Police Office. Sinas claimed that a ‘mañanita’ is a police tradition involving an early morning serenade for the chief who is celebrating his birthday. Sinas’ ‘mañanita’ was […]

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Can a United Opposition Defeat Duterte at the 2022 Philippine Elections?

By admin | January 4, 2022

Written for The Diplomat Opposition groups in the Philippines have joined forces in a bid to defeat the party or anointed successor of President Rodrigo Duterte. The country’s presidential election is scheduled for May 9, 2022. Duterte is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, but some of his supporters are urging him to run […]

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The books I read in 2020

By admin | December 31, 2021

Published by Bulatlat 1. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers by Kwame Anthony Appiah. Thoughtful exposition on universality, differences, cultural patrimony, saving children, changing of perception through affinity with others. 2. Snows of Yesteryear: A Family in War and a Sentimental Education by Elmer A. Ordóñez. Life of an academic, activist, a scholar recollecting […]

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A message to Metro Manila LGU leaders: Reject the Terror Bill

By admin | December 29, 2021

Published by Bayan Metro Manila A message to Metro Manila LGU leaders: Reject the Terror Bill, stand up for people’s rights We ask our Metro Manila LGU leaders to make a stand on the Anti-Terror Bill legislation amid reports that a list of local officials in favor of the bill has been submitted to President […]

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IFEX Asia brief: January, February, March 2021

By admin | December 26, 2021

New year in Asia-Pacific: Crackdown, state of emergency, and harsh prison convictions. Positive developments in the region such as prison releases and the outlawing of the “virginity test” were overshadowed by mass arrests in Hong Kong, an absurdly long prison term handed out to a Thai elderly woman for “insulting” the king, the silencing of […]

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The Nobel Peace Prize and Free Speech in the Philippines

By admin | December 19, 2021

Written for The Diplomat The awarding of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov highlighted the role of independent media outlets in challenging authoritarian governments around the world. In the case of the Philippines, it put a spotlight on how truth-seekers like Ressa have stood their ground in the face […]

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