Author Archives: admin

Philippine Midterm Elections: Is Duterte’s Win Democracy’s Loss?

By admin | July 13, 2019

Candidates belonging to the coalition endorsed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte won in the senate amid reports of widespread vote tampering and other irregularities documented on election day. Election monitoring groups said there were more cases of faulty vote counting machines this year compared to the 2016 election. Local poll officials solved the issue by […]

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IFEX Roundups: July, August, September 2018

By admin | July 1, 2019

Cheers and jeers: Tainted elections, Liu Xia’s release, and court rulings in the Asia-Pacific Pakistanis and Cambodians vote amid claims of irregularities; Chinese poet Liu Xia is free; Malaysia withdraws sedition cases against cartoonist Zunar; disappointing court rulings in Burma and Indonesia; and Singapore holds its 10th Pink Dot LGBTQI+ event. Read more Freedom and […]

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Are you biased against activists?

By admin | June 15, 2019

Published by Bulatlat When you see a rally, you assume it is a hakot crowd. Maybe you think rallies are similar to the assemblies organized by trapos during campaign sorties. But only politicians pay people to attend events and their own self-serving rallies. Unfortunately, too, there are educated people who insist that urban poor rallyists get […]

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Will Duterte Finish His Term in the Philippines?

By admin | May 28, 2019

Speculation is running rampant in the Philippines regarding Duterte’s health, not to mention political forces aiming to see him removed. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year single term is scheduled to end in 2022, but there has been speculation about his capability to finish his mandate. In the past 30 years, two of five Philippine presidents […]

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Lessons in Resistance: Defying repression and impunity in Cambodia

By admin | May 9, 2019

Civil society groups, the independent media, and grassroots activists have shown resilience in the past several months, struggling hard to push for reforms in governance, the protection of human rights, and the reversal of laws that are impeding the country’s transition to democracy. Whether Cambodians will vote or avoid going to the polling stations in […]

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Marker at Chicago Haymarket Square honors Kilusang Mayo Uno

By admin | May 4, 2019

Published by Kodao A plaque honoring Philippines’s Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) was installed at the Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois, USA last May 1 at the monument honoring workers whose deaths led to several labor reforms, including the implementation of an eight-hour work day. The installation of the plaque was organized by the Illinois Labor […]

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From Portland to the Philippines: A call to ‘stop the killings’

By admin | April 22, 2019

Published by Pinoy Weekly, 12 May 2018 The ‘Stop the Killings’ caravan organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – United States chapter conducted a rally in Portland on May 5, 2018. Speakers of the rally included community leaders, human rights, activist, a representative of Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and […]

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Solidarity as Resistance in the United States

By admin | March 28, 2019

Written for Bulatlat ‘Resistance is Our Right, Solidarity is Our Duty’ was the call to action printed on t-shirts, tote bags, and flyers distributed during our speaking tour across the United States about the human rights situation in the Philippines. It meaningfully captured the political orientation guiding Filipino activists in the US: The legitimacy of […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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