Author Archives: admin

Should we celebrate adulting?

By admin | March 21, 2019

Written for Bulatlat Adulting is commonly understood as an act of taking a new and bigger responsibility in life. It also refers to a millennial who defied expectations by suddenly performing an important task in the household or community. In many ways, it is being self-aware and responsible at the same time with 21st-century characteristics. […]

Posted in youth | Tagged | Leave a comment

Singapore’s Intolerance of Dissent in the Spotlight as Police Take on a ‘Recalcitrant’ Activist

By admin | March 11, 2019

Written for The Diplomat Singapore’s intolerance of dissent was put into the spotlight this month when authorities briefly detained a prominent activist for organizing “illegal assemblies.” According to the police, activist Jolovan Wham committed seven offenses for participating in a candle lighting vigil outside a prison complex, organizing a silent protest inside a train, and […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

IFEX Roundups: April, May, June 2018

By admin | February 17, 2019

Fake news laws, letters to Facebook, and a decline in press freedom rankings: Asia-Pacific in April. Governments have begun issuing anti-‘fake news’ regulations, groups engaged Facebook about propagating hate speech, decline of press freedom rankings of Asia-Pacific countries, and Pakistan women reclaim public spaces. Malaysia’s election, Afghan attacks, defiant newspapers: Asia-Pacific in May  Malaysia’s ruling […]

Posted in east asia, media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

On becoming a full-time activist

By admin | February 1, 2019

Published by Bulatlat Beyond the instagrammable image of a fierce-looking activist with a clenched fist is someone rationalizing and constantly reaffirming his fidelity to radical politics. Activists are stereotyped as dogmatic simpletons who derive a perverse pleasure in organizing rallies. While it is true that public participation in a collective exercise is indeed a thrilling […]

Posted in reds, youth | Tagged | 1 Comment

Tokhang, trolls and Arroyo generals

By admin | January 22, 2019

Published by Bulatlat The UP Third World Studies Center organized a research workshop on ‘Violence, Human Rights and Democracy in the Philippines.’ I submitted a short essay in response to the workshop question: “Based on your knowledge of and experience in your locality, do you think that the Duterte administration is violent?” President Rodrigo Duterte […]

Posted in nation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Self-care and social transformation in these neoliberal times

By admin | January 14, 2019

Published by Manila Today Sports and wellness centers are booming in many places. It’s already hip to hit the gym after work, invest in commodities affirming metrosexuality, and allot more time to boost self-confidence and inner peace. From Manila to Mumbai and Montreal to Madrid, urban centers are seeing the rise of a visible segment […]

Posted in media, youth | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

IFEX Roundups: January, February, March 2018

By admin | December 31, 2018

Asia-Pacific welcomes the new year – with declining freedom. A disturbing regional trend in 2017 is still evident in the first month of the new year, which featured a threat to close down Rappler news website in the Philippines, the revival of criminal libel law in Samoa, and the filing of a draconian espionage bill […]

Posted in east asia, gender, media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Improving the Philippine Internet Landscape

By admin | December 27, 2018

Written for The Diplomat magazine Internet in the Philippines is bemoaned as one of the slowest and most inefficient in the region. Despite the absence of censorship, Internet freedom in the country is only categorized as partly-free because of the unabated media killings, government intimidation of critics, the existence of state-backed online trolls, and the […]

Posted in health, media | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

#StandWithRappler: Philippines revokes license of news group critical of Duterte

By admin | December 11, 2018

Written for IFEX Amid the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines, an online news group has been ordered by a government agency to stop operating — a move which many denounce as an attack on press freedom. Rappler assured its readers that it will not back down in the fight for truth and democracy.  “We intend […]

Posted in media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Politics of ‘Independence’ in the Philippines

By admin | December 8, 2018

Written for The Diplomat Magazine June 12 will be known in history as the day when United States President Donald Trump met North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. But for Filipinos, June 12 is significant because it is the day when revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898. June 12 is an official holiday […]

Posted in nation | Tagged , | Leave a comment