Author Archives: admin

The Budget is still not enough

By admin | September 11, 2012

Manifestation delivered in the plenary of the House of Representatives on September 11, 2012. Thanks to Marjo and @kabataanpl In the past two years, the Aquino administration has imposed drastic cuts in the budget of state universities and colleges. It didn’t even allot capital outlay funds to SUCs which are needed to upgrade and modernize […]

Posted in speeches | Tagged | Leave a comment

Crimes Against Rohingya

By admin | August 30, 2012

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once described the atrocities committed against the Russian people by German soldiers during the Second World War as a “crime without a name.” But would Churchill use the same words if he lived long enough to witness the numerous “killing fields” of the second half of the 20th century? True, […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

You do not self-demolish yourself. Please.

By admin | August 20, 2012

You do not self-demolish yourself. You do not self-exile yourself. Urban poor communities are not depressed. There are no undocumented human beings. Low skilled workers don’t exist. Self-demolish. To self-demolish is to voluntarily destroy a house or home and relocate to a safer place. But there seems to be no other usage for self-demolish other […]

Posted in nation | Tagged | 2 Comments

From Bad to Worse

By admin | August 15, 2012

Written for The Diplomat The high global demand for mineral resources in the past decade has led to a rapid expansion of mining exploration in the Philippines. Suddenly, mining became a major economic priority for the government because of its huge potential in generating jobs and tax revenues. But public opinion towards mining turned negative […]

Posted in greens | Tagged | Leave a comment

Beyond Legislation: Ending Torture in the Philippines

By admin | August 4, 2012

Speech delivered in Hong Kong last July 21 during the Meeting of Parliamentarians of the Asian Alliance against Torture and ill-treatment organized by the Asian Human Rights Commission. Good afternoon dear friends and fellow human rights advocates. Mabuhay! On May 19, 2009 Filipino-American Melissa Roxas was abducted by suspected members of the military in a […]

Posted in speeches | Tagged , | Leave a comment

K-12: TESDA in High School

By admin | July 30, 2012

Part 1: K-12: Education reform for whom? Part 2: K-12: Miseducation in the 21st century Under K-12, Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) courses will be introduced in the junior and senior high school levels. Students are required to learn exploratory concepts of TESDA courses in Grades 7 and 8. More details below: “…the Grade 7and […]

Posted in education | Tagged | 11 Comments

Geopolitics of Southeast Asia

By admin | July 29, 2012

Written for The Diplomat The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the largest, and the official, political organization in Southeast Asia. But given where it sits—south of China and Japan, east of India, and north of Australia—the political landscape in this part of the world is not exclusively dictated by ASEAN dynamics. The Indochina […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Arrogant Obscurantist

By admin | July 24, 2012

SONA 2010: Notes from the Plenary SONA 2011: Utak Haciendero I gave my strongest applause when President Noynoy Aquino mentioned in his state of the nation address that he will step down in 2016. Better if the ‘noynoying’ years will be cut short but at least we are assured that Pnoy has no plan (yet) […]

Posted in nation | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Southeast Asia: Half-Year of Protests

By admin | July 23, 2012

Malaysia’s electoral reform movement, known as Bersih (clean), succeeded in mobilizing tens of thousands of people in the streets last April. According to organizers, this year’s Bersih was the biggest political rally in the modern history of Malaysia. The government has disputed this claim, but the political impact of Bersih in terms of reinvigorating the […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged | Leave a comment

State of the Nation Address 1954-1961

By admin | July 21, 2012

Part 1: SONA 1946 – 1953 This was the time when the number of carabaos and labor unions in the country were still being reported in the president’s state of the nation address. Magsaysay announced in 1956 the malaria will be eradicated in three years. He proposed the creation of a Department of Interior in […]

Posted in nation | Tagged | Leave a comment