Author Archives: admin

Time to Rethink the Reasons Our Parents and Everybody Else Told Us about Why We Go to School

By admin | September 29, 2015

Written for Manila Today We are familiar with the economics and mechanics of education because these are often fiercely debated but the idea of schooling can still be improved if we initiate more conversations about the philosophy or philosophies that sustain it. Simply put, we should endeavor to give better answers to the question ‘Why […]

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Malay Pride Rally Stokes Race Politics in Malaysia

By admin | September 24, 2015

Written for The Diplomat More than 250 licensed non-government organizations in Malaysia are planning to mobilize 30,000 people on September 16 to protect and promote Maruah Melayu (Malay dignity). The event also aims to show support for the beleaguered leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is being implicated in a corruption scandal. The event […]

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Crowds and Champions: What An Inauthentic Fan Saw During the Golden State Warriors Victory Rally

By admin | September 20, 2015

Written for Manila Today How I wish I could hold the placard which reads ‘Authentic Fan’, take a selfie with it, and share on my social media networks. But I simply couldn’t do it because I am not an ‘authentic fan’ of the 2015 National Basketball Association champion Golden State Warriors. I do not even […]

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Prison Notes of a Singaporean Teenager

By admin | September 13, 2015

Written for The Diplomat “There is barely any sense of time in prison, there are no clocks in cells. Our only indications of time is the little light that seeps out from the vent. And everyday my cellmates would eagerly wait for that light to dissipate, knowing that another day has passed, and they’re one […]

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The conscience of a radical or how the Left can join parliament and reject opportunism at the same time

By admin | August 31, 2015

Written for Bulatlat Some academics lauded a partylist legislator who resigned from Congress because of the latter’s inability to faithfully represent and defend the majority position of his political party. In particular, the legislator said he already disagrees with the stand of his party to remain a coalition partner of the president whom he described […]

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In defense of negativity and rah-rah activism

By admin | August 21, 2015

Written for Bulatlat If you think activists are too negative, then would you rather prefer the silent optimism of the apathetic? If unimpressed by the political value of streetnoise activism, would you follow the uncritical collaborationism as exemplified by the politics of former activists in the yellow regime? It is doubtful if people are exposed […]

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Thailand: Prayut’s TV Speeches Give Hints on Transition

By admin | August 13, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Since 2014, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been addressing the public through his weekly speeches, which are broadcast live on all television channels. This is government propaganda but democracy advocates can also invoke some of the statements made by the former army general to push for the early restoration of […]

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Besides the West Valley Fault, Show Us the Maps of Poverty and Injustice which are Already Killing our People Today

By admin | August 3, 2015

Written for Manila Today We are told to prepare for the next big one, the great disaster that will destroy the metropolis. After Fukushima and Nepal, we paid greater attention to the unusual inactivity of the West Valley Fault. Rather than wait helplessly, we are rightly reviewing our capacities and vulnerabilities to increase our chances […]

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A Tough Year for Southeast Asia’s Opposition Parties

By admin | July 31, 2015

Written for The Diplomat If protests and minor election setbacks hounded the ruling parties across Southeast Asia in the past two years, their situation this year has already improved somewhat as opposition leaders in the region run into varying difficulties. In Myanmar, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi still cannot run for the presidency because […]

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These are what the Communists will do if they win in the Philippines

By admin | July 29, 2015

Written for Manila Today Beware of communists, they will confiscate your properties after forcing your family to live in a labor camp. Is this true? Perhaps yes, but only if you belong to the .01 percent of the 1 percent of the ruling elite, and only if your family’s political record is scandalously brutal. Otherwise, […]

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