Author Archives: admin

The books I read in 2015

By admin | April 23, 2016

Written for Bulatlat 1. In Defence of Politics, Bernard Crick. I disagree with the author’s conservative views and his rejection of communist societies as totalitarian regimes but his treatise on politics, elections, and behavior of political actors allowed me to better understand the worldview of mainstream politicians. 2. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold. A sad […]

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Remembering ‘People Power’ in ASEAN

By admin | April 20, 2016

In recent years, the “Occupy” movements and “Arab Spring” came to symbolize popular actions for social change across the world. In Southeast Asia, the massive gathering of citizens against an unjust political order is more widely known as an expression and legacy of “People Power.” The idea of People Power became a potent political force […]

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Presidential hopefuls in the Philippines

By admin | April 5, 2016

Written for New Mandala On 9 May, an estimated 54 million Filipinos will vote for a new president. Campaigning starts today, with the new president taking office on 30 June. There are five major contenders in the race — Mar Roxas, Jojo Binay, Grace Poe, Miriam Santiago, and Rodrigo Duterte. With the eventual winner serving […]

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Politics and internet in the age of self-representation

By admin | March 28, 2016

Written for Bulatlat The selfie is both derided and hailed as a popular form of self-expression; but politically-speaking, what does it really signify? The ‘butterfly effect’ reminds us that a flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. Applied to the taking of selfies, perhaps it is […]

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What Millennials Should Know About the Kabataang Makabayan

By admin | March 19, 2016

Written for Manila Today Aside from Joma Sison and the surviving participants of the First Quarter Storm era, no one has come forward to publicly admit that he or she is the leader of the Kabataang Makabayan or KM. There is no roster of KM officers, there are no KM chapters recognized by schools, there […]

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Cambodia’s Hun Sen Wants a South China Sea Apology

By admin | March 10, 2016

Written for The Diplomat Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is seeking apology from those who criticized him in 2012 when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in the organization’s history during Cambodia’s chairmanship. In 2012, some analysts accused Cambodia, then the ASEAN chair, of […]

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Politics, tourism and the struggle for social transformation in the Philippines

By admin | March 2, 2016

Written for Bulatlat Our country is on fire yet we continue to rank our islands based on what tourists want. Should we rejoice when travel magazines list some of our islands as among the must-see places in the world? Yes, of course. But it doesn’t mean we should adopt their standards to measure the relevance […]

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A ‘Prayut Effect’ in Southeast Asia?

By admin | February 28, 2016

Written for The Diplomat Three new leaders have risen to power in Southeast Asia since 2014: Thailand’s Prayut Chan-o-cha, Indonesia’s Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi. In some ways, the three could not be more different. Prayut was the army chief who led a coup and established a new government in Thailand. […]

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Metro Manila’s Earthquake Drill as Rehearsal of the Coming Revolution

By admin | February 25, 2016

Published by Manila Today Something significant took place on July 30. Metro Manilans crowded the streets as part of a coordinated earthquake drill. Thousands marched toward barangay and city evacuation centers. Various institutions trained their constituents to follow some procedures as directed by the state. Everybody moved to safety. This was a disaster preparation activity, […]

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7 Things to Know About the 2016 Philippine Elections

By admin | February 13, 2016

Written for The Diplomat 1. The Contest: The Philippine elections are scheduled for May 9, 2016. Filipinos will vote for a new president, vice president, 12 senators, one district representative, one party list representative, and provincial/city/municipal officials. The winning president has six years to lead the country but he/she cannot run again for reelection since […]

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