Category Archives: nation

Why we should celebrate Edsa Dos

By admin | March 8, 2015

Written for Bulatlat Was Edsa Dos a coup, power grab, or an uprising? Was it a farce? It may be all of the above but it’s a political event worth celebrating. Why should we allow the Arroyos, Estradas, Aquinos, and the Catholic bishops to dominate the discussion about what Edsa Dos meant to our country’s […]

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Everything you wanted to know about Philippine politics but were afraid to ask the Left

By admin | February 12, 2015

Written for Bulatlat What did the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan had in common in the 1950s? They all allowed the United States to build military bases in their territories. But in 1991, the Philippines kicked out the bases even if it remained an unabashed admirer of American culture. The expulsion of American troops from […]

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6 Events That Will Shape Philippine Politics in 2015

By admin | February 8, 2015

Written for The Diplomat If 2014 was the year when the Philippines struggled to recover from the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), what might await Philippine politics in 2015? 1. The state visit and apostolic journey of Pope Francis was a much needed spiritual boost for many people in the Philippines, the largest Catholic-dominated […]

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A Disastrous New Year in Southeast Asia

By admin | January 31, 2015

Written for The Diplomat For several Southeast Asian countries, 2014 ended disastrously: the Air Asia QZ8501 crash, intense flooding in eastern Malaysia and south Thailand, and the destruction caused by Typhoon Jangmi (known locally as Seniang) in the Philippines. The devastating consequences of these tragedies are still being felt today in the region as governments […]

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Southeast Asia’s Top Stories in 2014

By admin | January 28, 2015

Written for The Diplomat As we welcome the new year, we look back and review the top news stories in the Southeast Asian region in the past 12 months. These news events were also widely reported and discussed in the international media: 1. Thailand coup. After months of intense street protests, the army of Thailand […]

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The real lessons from Hagupit

By admin | December 21, 2014

Written for the CNN “Seeing the first set of images from the typhoon zone in the Philippines is like experiencing a dreadful sense of déjà vu: Flooded roads, fallen huts, small buildings with the rooftops ripped off, and dead animals littering the streets. If this devastation appears eerily familiar, it is because we also saw […]

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Koreans Alarmed by Rising Crime in the Philippines

By admin | December 7, 2014

Written for The Diplomat The Korean embassy has issued a statement expressing alarm over the reported spike in crimes victimizing Korean tourists and businessmen residing in the Philippines. It cited the killing of a Korean businessman last July and the abduction and killing of a Korean college student in Manila last March as examples of […]

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What We Can Learn from the Music Videos of Lupang Hinirang

By admin | October 28, 2014

Published by Manila Today We grew up singing the Philippine national anthem; in fact we can only recite the beautiful prose of Lupang Hinirang if we quietly sing it. Today, when the use of LCD projectors is already common, we sing and watch the national anthem in schools, movie theaters, public halls, and government buildings. […]

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Charter Reforms in Southeast Asia: The Good, The Bad, and The Half-Serious

By admin | September 15, 2014

Published by The Diplomat The good: Five million people in Myanmar signed a petition asking Parliament to remove the undemocratic provisions in the 2008 Constitution. The bad: Thai military authorities enacted an interim constitution that gives sweeping powers to the army. The half-serious: Philippine President Benigno Aquino III hinted that he is open to the […]

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10 myths destroyed by the People’s Initiative campaign

By admin | September 12, 2014

Published by Bulatlat 1. President Noynoy Aquino is sincere in abolishing the pork barrel system. PDAF (legislative pork) was abolished but the funds were embedded in the national budget. DAP (presidential pork) was discontinued but the unconstitutional principles that sustained it were maliciously inserted in the 2015 General Appropriations Bill. Aquino adopted and expanded the […]

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