Tag Archives: activism

What Millennials Should Know About the Kabataang Makabayan

Written for Manila Today Aside from Joma Sison and the surviving participants of the First Quarter Storm era, no one has come forward to publicly admit that he or she is the leader of the Kabataang Makabayan or KM. There is no roster of KM officers, there are no KM chapters recognized by schools, there […]

Posted in reds, youth | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

A is for Anakbayan and other activist terms in the Philippines

Written for Bulatlat A – Anakbayan is a youth group established in 1998 which became prominent in Edsa Dos and during the campaign for the abolition of ROTC. Anakpawis is a partylist group which is at the forefront of the campaign to pass the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill. Ang Bayan is the official paper of […]

Posted in nation, reds | Also tagged | Leave a comment

What I think about rallies when I am marching in a rally

Written for Bulatlat The heat, of course. Is it going to be tolerable? Ah but the scorching summer temperature is like inferno on Earth. There’s also the humid air, succeeded by a brief but heavy rain, and then it’s sticky hot again. Rains are unpredictable but the heat is constant. Clouds deceive because behind them […]

Posted in reds | Also tagged | Leave a comment

The conscience of a radical or how the Left can join parliament and reject opportunism at the same time

Written for Bulatlat Some academics lauded a partylist legislator who resigned from Congress because of the latter’s inability to faithfully represent and defend the majority position of his political party. In particular, the legislator said he already disagrees with the stand of his party to remain a coalition partner of the president whom he described […]

Posted in congress, reds | Also tagged , | Leave a comment

In defense of negativity and rah-rah activism

Written for Bulatlat If you think activists are too negative, then would you rather prefer the silent optimism of the apathetic? If unimpressed by the political value of streetnoise activism, would you follow the uncritical collaborationism as exemplified by the politics of former activists in the yellow regime? It is doubtful if people are exposed […]

Posted in reds, youth | Tagged | Leave a comment

These are what the Communists will do if they win in the Philippines

Written for Manila Today Beware of communists, they will confiscate your properties after forcing your family to live in a labor camp. Is this true? Perhaps yes, but only if you belong to the .01 percent of the 1 percent of the ruling elite, and only if your family’s political record is scandalously brutal. Otherwise, […]

Posted in economy, nation, reds | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Dear kids, you are free to choose your life, but will you please try activism?

Written for Bulatlat These are precarious times. We live in a world plagued by mass poverty, chronic hunger, wealth inequality, and racism but we seem to lack the will to overcome these preventable miseries. The world order is already ripe for an overhaul yet many are reluctant to admit it. Worse, some of us have […]

Posted in youth | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why I am not offended when somebody calls me a communist

Written for Bulatlat I keep silent every time I am tagged a communist. It’s not embarrassment but more of disbelief that in this day and age, a red baiter still thinks that this kind of witch hunt is politically legitimate or even persuasive. How dangerous it is to live in a society where people are […]

Posted in reds | Also tagged | Leave a comment

Bakit Aktibista Ang Crush Ng Crush Mo?

Sinulat para sa Manila Today Dahil nagtitiwala siya sa masa; dahil kinakalinga siya ng masa Kaibigan ng mga inaapi, kaaway ng mga ilustradong kontrabida sa lipunan. Hindi umaastang bayani, sa halip ay nakasandig sa lakas ng mamamayang pumipiglas. Mayroon siyang barkada na ang tawag niya ay kolektib, mayroon siyang ugnay mula siyudad hanggang probinsiya na […]

Posted in reds, youth | Also tagged | Leave a comment

How to write against the Left

Written for Bulatlat Start by insinuating that it’s evil to be associated with the Left, for example ‘Beware of Left-leaning groups’. There’s no need to elaborate; simply insert the term ‘Left’ in a sentence to warn innocent minds about the threat posed by Leftist individuals, groups, institutions, and ideologies. To make it more convincing, tag […]

Posted in reds | Also tagged | Leave a comment