Author Archives: admin

Southeast Asia: Internet freedoms and unfreedoms

By admin | August 6, 2011

I was inspired to write this piece after speaking in the 6th International Vietnamese Youth Conference held in Manila, Philippines. I’ve been reading Southeast Asian blogs since 2008. My other sources of alternative information include twitter, facebook, and other social media sites. They provide not only interesting news stories but also incisive commentaries on various […]

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Utak Wang-Wang, Utak Haciendero

By admin | July 26, 2011

Mentioning the term wang-wang 28 times in the State of the Nation Address is understandable and expected since the banning of that loud and annoying siren in the streets is one of the few visible and concrete achievements of President Noynoy Aquino. But Pnoy surprised many people when he expanded wang-wang’s meaning by using it […]

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State of the Nation Address 1946-1953

By admin | July 24, 2011

President Roxas justified the granting of privileges to American citizens in 1946, the Philippines had a Bureau of Aeronautics in 1947, President Quirino claimed that the school crisis was already solved in 1949, a railway in Mindanao and Cagayan Valley was proposed in 1952, and we were still technically at war with Japan in 1953. […]

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Football Nationalism in Southeast Asia

By admin | July 16, 2011

The landslide victory of the opposition Puea Thai Party in Thailand’s general election may have been last Sunday’s top political story in Southeast Asia. But it certainly wasn’t the most talked about topic in the rest of the region. For most TV viewers and internet surfers in Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Burma, it […]

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On being a blogger-politician

By admin | July 13, 2011

The complete title of this post is On Being A Blogger-Politician Or Musings Of A Blogger Who Became A Politician. This is a continuation of my earlier piece about how I balance my work in Batasan and my online activities. When Rep. Edcel Lagman confessed in a televised plenary debate that he isn’t a Catholic […]

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From Malacanang to Batasan

By admin | July 1, 2011

June 30, 2010 was the day when Noy became President Noy or Pnoy and PGMA became Congresswoman GMA or CGMA. Today, everybody had something to say about Pnoy’s performance as president in the past 12 months but only few people had taken an interest in reviewing Gloria’s legislative work. So how did she perform in […]

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Thailand: Yingluck and Gender Politics

By admin | June 29, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra could become Thailand’s first female prime minister if her Pheu Thai Party performs well in next month’s general election. And her chances certainly seem strong, despite her inexperience, because so many voters are disillusioned with male-dominated Thai politics. Sensing this growing frustration, Yingluck’s handlers have been emphasizing her natural ‘feminine qualities’ to attract […]

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House Bills and Resolutions Reloaded!

By admin | June 22, 2011

The current categorization of Congress bills and resolutions is dull and uninformative. If we want the public to know more about the legislative process, we should review our practice of merely classifying the bills into first reading, second reading, and third reading. Bills filed on first reading are worthy to mention only if they would […]

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Southeast Asia’s Last Strongman

By admin | June 14, 2011

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father and architect of modern Singapore, resigned from the Cabinet a week after the ruling People’s Action Party suffered its worst performance in the polls since 1965. Lee was Prime Minister for 31 years from 1959 to 1990, and continued to lead Singapore as Senior Minister for 14 years and […]

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Mono Towns

By admin | June 12, 2011

Polomolok in South Cotabato is a mono town: Its main economic activity is the agricultural production inside the vast Dole plantation. Its present and future are dictated by the rise and decline of Dole’s fortunes. The residents there and nearby rural communities like Tupi have become dependent on Dole either by working in the fields […]

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