Author Archives: admin

Rallies and timezones

By admin | August 25, 2013

Written for Bulatlat Because of varying time zones, it is almost impossible to organize synchronized global protests. Realtime uprisings in the global village are actually done in a continuum. Let us assume for example that today is the Global Day of Action Against Evil. It is 12 noon in Manila and 1pm in Tokyo but […]

Posted in places | Tagged , | Leave a comment

LGBT Politics in Southeast Asia

By admin | August 23, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Is Southeast Asia becoming more tolerant towards its LGBT community? Consider these recent developments in the region: A Singaporean politician admitted on Facebook that he is gay. A Malaysian transgendered person was appointed political secretary in Penang State. Two government ministries in Vietnam and some legislators in Thailand have publicly endorsed […]

Posted in gender | Tagged | Leave a comment

Are Myanmar and the Philippines Guilty of Genocide?

By admin | August 20, 2013

Written for The Diplomat It is common for unpopular governments to be accused by their enemies of committing serious human rights violations such as murder and kidnapping, but it is not often that genocide is included in the charge sheet. Even notorious dictators who are assumed to be guilty of committing the most heinous crimes […]

Posted in east asia, nation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Beyond Internet Activism

By admin | August 17, 2013

My first column for Bulatlat The opposite of internet activism is not street activism but no-activism. Online petitions and political hashtags are indispensable in the campaign for change while non-action is a convenient option that only serves the interest of status quo. Internet activism is sometimes equated with impotence but at least it exists. There […]

Posted in media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Will ASEAN Countries Move Their Capitals?

By admin | August 15, 2013

Written for The Diplomat If things fall apart and the center cannot hold, will anarchy be unleashed upon the world, as the poet William Butler Yeats famously wrote? Maybe. But there is a less chaotic alternative: Move the center. Several Southeast Asian governments have seriously contemplated the idea of relocating their respective political centers for […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bad Neighbors and Evil Foreigners in Southeast Asia

By admin | August 8, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Some say a specter is haunting Southeast Asia today: bad neighbors and evil foreigners. For many people in the region, it was the non-locals who caused the biggest tragedies of the year – deadly haze, communal riots, even the problem of rising unemployment. This fear or hatred of the unknown, real […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Congress Lobbying

By admin | August 2, 2013

Based on my presentation during the Emerging Youth Leaders training at the Asian Institute of Management, July 20, 2013 1. There are lobbyists and there are registered lobbyists. But in the Philippines, there are only lobbyists. Unknown to many, a law was signed in 1957 which was supposed to regulate lobbying in Congress and in […]

Posted in congress | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Youth Empowerment

By admin | July 27, 2013

Talumpating binigkas sa regional student leaders assembly ng University of Assumption, San Fernando, Pampanga World Youth Day. Nagtitipon ang maraming kabataan ngayon sa Brazil para sa World Youth Day (Bahagi ako ng WYD 1995). Isa itong selebrasyon na pinangungunahan ng simbahang Katoliko subalit ang kabuluhan nito ay hindi lamang para sa mga Romano Katoliko tulad […]

Posted in speeches | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Southeast Asia Scales Down on Subsidies

By admin | July 26, 2013

Written for The Diplomat Several Southeast Asian countries have begun scaling down the subsidies they are providing to key sectors of their economies. Last month, the Thai government confirmed that it will soon decrease the rice price subsidy it gives to farmers. In Indonesia, the parliament approved a revised budget that lowered the fuel subsidy. […]

Posted in economy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Does Indonesia’s SBY Deserve the World Statesman Award?

By admin | July 22, 2013

Written for The Diplomat The first surprise came when the U.S.-based Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF) decided to give Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (aka SBY) the World Statesman Award for promoting religious freedom in his country. The second surprise was when SBY accepted it two weeks ago. For a group guided by the belief […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment