Author Archives: admin

Malaysia’s New National Security Law: A Step Toward Dictatorship?

By admin | December 22, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Malaysia’s parliament swiftly approved the proposed National Security Council Bill despite the appeal of the opposition to conduct more debates and consultations about the measure. The bill, which was just introduced on December 1, was immediately tabled for deliberation despite the admission of the ruling party that there was no internal […]

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Politics of Memory: What 1965 Means in Southeast Asia

By admin | December 15, 2015

Written for The Diplomat The year 1965 is politically significant in several Southeast Asian countries: Singapore became an independent nation, Ferdinand Marcos was elected president of the Philippines, and an anti-communist purge killed at least half a million people in Indonesia. Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation and subsequently, an independent government was established led […]

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Time For Southeast Asia to Address its Climate Problem

By admin | December 7, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Though transboundary haze pollution and the El Niño phenomenon are often reported these days across Southeast Asia, these issues deserve greater attention from regional leaders. These are no longer national problems that local politicians can easily address through rhetoric; the situation already demands a stronger action which can be effectively realized […]

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Huwag Maniwala sa Aldub: Ang Paglaban at Pag-ibig ay Laging Nasa Tamang Panahon

By admin | December 5, 2015

(Talumpating binigkas sa rehiyunal na kongreso ng College Editors Guild Cagayan Valley sa Isabela State University Cauayan noong Setyembre 10, 2015). Published by Bulatlat Una sa lahat, salamat at andito kayo kahit may Aldub ngayon. Huwag gawing obvious ang pagsilip sa Aldub hashtag. Pangalawa, salamat sa College Editors Guild para sa karangalan na maging keynote […]

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Is East Timor Now a Rich Country?

By admin | November 28, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Finance issued a press statement claiming that the small Southeast Asian nation is already among the richest countries in the world. It cited a report of the Global Finance magazine which ranked Timor-Leste’s GDP per capita on a purchasing power parity basis as the 87th highest in the […]

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A is for Anakbayan and other activist terms in the Philippines

By admin | November 22, 2015

Written for Bulatlat A – Anakbayan is a youth group established in 1998 which became prominent in Edsa Dos and during the campaign for the abolition of ROTC. Anakpawis is a partylist group which is at the forefront of the campaign to pass the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill. Ang Bayan is the official paper of […]

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Jurassic World as a Metaphor of Wall Street and the Global Financial Crisis

By admin | November 18, 2015

Written for Manila Today They were bigger, louder, and scarier – not the dinosaurs, but the product placements. Disturbingly, I didn’t feel cheated. Perhaps I have been desensitized already into accepting the incestuous partnership of mass art and the corporate sector. Besides, it’s a Hollywood franchise film which was produced to entertain and generate an […]

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What I think about rallies when I am marching in a rally

By admin | October 29, 2015

Written for Bulatlat The heat, of course. Is it going to be tolerable? Ah but the scorching summer temperature is like inferno on Earth. There’s also the humid air, succeeded by a brief but heavy rain, and then it’s sticky hot again. Rains are unpredictable but the heat is constant. Clouds deceive because behind them […]

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ASEAN’s Joint Communique: It’s Not Just About China or the South China Sea

By admin | October 11, 2015

Written for The Diplomat The 48th foreign ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia concluded by releasing a communique last week. As expected, most media reports focused on the position of ASEAN with regard the South China Sea dispute involving China. This is newsworthy because the issue has regional implications and […]

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Philippines Must Protect Internally Displaced Persons, Warns UN Expert

By admin | October 3, 2015

Written for The Diplomat A few days after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III enumerated the achievements of his government during his final state of the nation address, a UN expert issued a report which highlighted the deplorable conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various parts of the country. United Nations Special Rapporteur on the […]

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