Author Archives: admin

Too Many Doctors in Malaysia

By admin | January 3, 2011

Concerned about the oversupply of doctors and housemen (junior doctors) in the country, the Malaysian government has recently imposed a five-year moratorium on medical courses. According to the Malaysian Medical Council, Malaysia has 27,709 doctors (including 3,651 house officers). Malaysia is producing about 3,500-5000 medical graduates annually, a big figure for a country with a […]

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Young parliamentarians and RH advocacy

By admin | December 27, 2010

Speech delivered on December 10 during the Regional Consultation on “Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific – Dealing with Challenges” from 8th to 10th December, 2010 at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers Bangkok, Thailand organized by the UNFPA in collaboration with ICOMP (International Council of Management of Population Programmes) Your honors, ladies and […]

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Power of historians

By admin | December 21, 2010

Do not underestimate the power of historians (repeat, but this time mimic the voice of Darth Vader). And speaking of influential historians, the first name that comes to my mind is Teodoro Agoncillo. It was his fault why the ‘Cry’ of the Katipunan is called the ‘Cry of Pugadlawin’ and why it is celebrated on […]

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KKK for Revolution

By admin | December 20, 2010

The yellow ribbon/confetti was a powerful protest symbol during the last years of the Marcos dictatorship in the 1980s. Then, Filipinos used it to mourn the death of former President Cory Aquino. Unfortunately, the yellow mafia inside the Liberal Party usurped its power by transforming it into an election gimmick of Noynoy Aquino. It is […]

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Sex education in schools and cyberspace

By admin | December 18, 2010

Written for The Diplomat and Mulat Pinoy Sex education was first introduced in Philippine schools in 1972 as part of the government’s population education program. At the time, the Philippines’ birth rates were the highest in Asia. But when the education department tried to update the program module in 2006, the powerful Catholic Church opposed […]

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WikiLeaks’ Thai Revelations?

By admin | December 12, 2010

There are some interesting WikiLeaks revelations related to Thailand. Of the estimated 3000 cables sent by the United States Embassy in Bangkok to the US State Department, the most intriguing are those tied to the case of Russian businessman and alleged arms smuggler Viktor Bout, who faced trial in Thailand before being extradited to the […]

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Truth will take care of itself*

By admin | December 6, 2010

What are the ‘facts’ of the online tussle between Rep. Walden Bello and Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino? Bello delivered a privilege speech in the Lower House criticizing the expanded Conditional Cash Transfer Program of President Noynoy Aquino. A few days later, he sponsored a resolution praising the CCT as an innovative poverty containment program. […]

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On campus strikes

By admin | November 30, 2010

Thanks to @kabataancrew for helping me draft this speech. Delivered on November 30. My second privilege speech in the 15th Congress; my 5th as a legislator. Mr. Speaker, dear colleagues, a pleasant afternoon. I rise today to talk about the just demand of our public universities for a higher share in our national budget. I […]

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Slashing Scare in Singapore

By admin | November 27, 2010

Earlier this month, the Singaporean government released two National Education Surveys that showed more than 95 percent of young people are proud to be Singaporean. The authorities should be rejoicing—they can cite the survey results as proof that government programmes are successful in tapping into the support of young Singaporeans. But at the same time, […]

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Arroyo-Aquino infrastructure projects

By admin | November 21, 2010

1. The Public-Private-Partnership program of the Noynoy Aquino government is not an innovation since its framework is no different from the Build-Operate-Transfer model of previous governments. In fact, PNoy recently renamed the country’s BOT Center into PPP Center when he issued EO No.8 series of 2010. The name PPP is also misleading since many of […]

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