Author Archives: admin

A Very Simple Guide to the People’s Struggles in Metro Manila Through the MRT-LRT Stations

By admin | July 17, 2015

Written for Manila Today. Check out the cool graphics North Avenue. The housing district and former resettlement area was rezoned into a commercial center which displaced urban poor villages in San Roque and Agham Road. The local community is resisting the demolition. Quezon Avenue. The Philippine Children Medical Center (PCMC) successfully opposed the planned modernization […]

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Myanmar’s Refugee Problem Is Worse Than You Thought

By admin | July 4, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Two months ago, the world was shocked to discover the persecution endured by the Rohingya ethnic group, which drove many of them to seek asylum in several Southeast Asian countries. The majority of the boat refugees came from Myanmar. But the refugee problem could be worse. Consider these statistics provided by […]

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5 Wildlife Habitats in Metro Manila That We Need To Visit and Protect

By admin | June 24, 2015

Written for Manila Today Wildlife preservation is often done outside Metro Manila. And this is not surprising since there’s almost nothing to preserve in the country’s premier urban jungle. Well, almost. Thanks to environment activism, community engagement, and geographical remoteness, there are still patches of precious green habitats in Metro Manila that we can visit, […]

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Dear kids, you are free to choose your life, but will you please try activism?

By admin | June 21, 2015

Written for Bulatlat These are precarious times. We live in a world plagued by mass poverty, chronic hunger, wealth inequality, and racism but we seem to lack the will to overcome these preventable miseries. The world order is already ripe for an overhaul yet many are reluctant to admit it. Worse, some of us have […]

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Who Will Benefit from the ASEAN Economic Community?

By admin | June 17, 2015

Written for The Diplomat One of the major projects of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the establishment of an ASEAN Economic Community, which aims to integrate Southeast Asia’s diverse economies, a region with 600 million people and a combined gross domestic product of $2.4 trillion. But several civil society organizations are moving to […]

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Laos’ Economic Agenda

By admin | June 10, 2015

Written for The Diplomat This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (formerly known as Lao People’s Party), which was founded together with the Indochina Communist Party to expel foreign invaders from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The struggle for independence finally succeeded in 1975, which led to the establishment of the […]

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Mahathir Versus Najib

By admin | June 4, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s fiercest critic today is not found in the ranks of the opposition. Rather, it is a former ally: Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir is Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, and served as mentor to Najib. Despite his retirement from government service, Mahathir has remained an influential political figure. At […]

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Why I am not offended when somebody calls me a communist

By admin | June 1, 2015

Written for Bulatlat I keep silent every time I am tagged a communist. It’s not embarrassment but more of disbelief that in this day and age, a red baiter still thinks that this kind of witch hunt is politically legitimate or even persuasive. How dangerous it is to live in a society where people are […]

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Maoism is the reason why the hills are alive in the Philippines

By admin | May 27, 2015

Written for Bulatlat How do you explain the presence of communist rebels in the country’s forest frontiers? Interestingly, the last remaining green spaces in the boondocks are strongholds of the New People’s Army. So who really should rejoice every time a province is declared NPA-free? The masses or the extractive industry? To preserve the richness […]

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Cambodia Defends Its Human Rights Record

By admin | May 17, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Cambodia presented its human rights report before the United Nations Office in Geneva amid growing allegations that abuses are being systematically committed by state forces. The UN committee acknowledged that Cambodia has introduced some reforms in recent years, in particular land reform and registration of indigenous communal lands. But it also […]

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