Author Archives: admin

My father in America

Published by Bulatlat My father Reynaldo spent 43 years of his life in the Philippines and the last 29 years in the United States. Did he achieve the great American dream? He thrived as a family man while his heart and mind continued to yearn for the homeland. He maintained and strengthened old ties even […]

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Maharlika Investment Fund Bill Draws Criticism

Written for The Diplomat Late last month, the two houses of the Philippine Congress approved the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill amid persistent criticisms from opposition leaders, lawyers, economists, and civil society groups. It took the House of Representatives only 17 days to pass the MIF bill in December. Responding to the concern of […]

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Why Filipino activists are opposed to NATO and US militarism

Greetings of solidarity from the Philippines, a former colony of the United States. But more importantly, a nation that resisted colonizers and ousted dictators through revolution and people power uprisings. Today, 14 farmers were killed in a joint police-military operation in Negros, an island province in the Philippines Martial law is still enforced in the […]

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IFEX 2022: A year of pushing back against misogyny, censorship, and tyranny in Asia

The continuing pandemic exacerbated the suffering of many in 2022, but we also witnessed how resistance emerged in a context of intensified political crisis and government repression across the region. Protesters demanding the ouster of corrupt regimes, journalists exposing abuse, women resisting tyranny, and civil society groups promoting solidarity – below, we share examples of […]

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Who Promised to Remove the Grounded Philippine Ship on Second Thomas Shoal?

Written for The Diplomat Philippine officials are denying the claim of the Chinese Foreign Ministry that there was a previous pledge to tow away its ship in the Second Thomas Shoal, known to Manila as Ayungin Shoal and to Beijing as Ren’ai Jiao. China did not identify the Filipino official who promised to remove the […]

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A year of surviving the pandemic and Duterte’s misgovernance

Published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer This week marks the first year since the Duterte administration imposed harsh lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The failure of the militarist approach is reflected in the surging COVID-19 cases, livelihood losses caused by unnecessary restrictions, and worsening human rights abuses. The remorseless incompetence of the […]

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Why the peace talks ended

Review of ‘The Quest for Peace: The GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations’ by Raymund B. Villanueva. Published by Bulatlat Rodrigo Duterte promised peace and federalism but he ended his term without achieving both. He unilaterally scuttled the peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and abandoned the idea of turning the Philippines into a […]

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Internet governance should be a concern of all

Published by Newsbytes.ph As the Internet becomes more pervasive in society, we become less interested in knowing who manages this “network of networks”. We assume that it is a permanent feature of modern living like electricity or tap water as we take advantage of its seemingly limitless potential in improving our lives. Information about its […]

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Solidarity, action, and remembering: The fight against impunity in Asia

Impunity persists across Asia, as states fail to provide adequate protection to journalists. This was the common message of Asia-based civil society groups that marked the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) for Crimes Against Journalists on 2 November by highlighting the efforts of so many stakeholders to counter attacks against the media and hold […]

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Marcos Adopts New Philippine Government Branding

Written for The Diplomat Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ended his second State of the Nation address on Monday by declaring that the country’s situation is “sound and improving” as he heralds the rise of “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Philippines). This was a reference to the new branding adopted by the Marcos government as part […]

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