politics + tech + advocacy
Commentary
Join the battle for the internet
I’m joining the battle for the internet today, Sept. 10, to protect net neutrality. You should too. We Filipinos know how slow internet looks and feels like. It will only get worse if we lose net neutrality in the U.S. and the Philippines. Many Philippine websites are hosted in the U.S. or use U.S.-based hosting services. […]
MoreDays after Yolanda, many questions beg to be answered
Five days since the world’s strongest typhoon first rammed through Guiuan and the the rest of a big area in central Philippines, we are all thankful for the nationwide and worldwide outpouring of sympathy and support for the Visayas. The nation and the world watched in horror the reports of widespread devastation and misery in […]
MoreDear PNoy (An open letter to the President about pork)
Dear PNoy, Nakakagulat naman na ang sikat at pinagkakatiwalaang presidente namin – ayon sa mga survey – ay magsasalita ngayong gabi. At sa sobrang napakaimportante pa yata, mukhang ipe-preempt ninyo ang mga paborito naming telenovela at iba pang palabas sa TV. Sana ay worth it itong gagawin niyo. Pakisugurado pong kapani-paniwala yung mga sasabihin niyo. […]
More‘You voted for them’
The title of this piece is one of the ultimate conversation spoilers when we talk politics, especially these times when we wish to hold the President, senators, congressmen and their fake NGOs accountable for the outrageous amount of pork barrel funds they abused or plundered. The mostly educated fall prey for this rather simplistic and […]
MoreSenate remarks: Time for gov’t to ‘like’ FOI, ‘share’ information
The Senate public information and mass media committee, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, today held a public hearing on the Freedom of Information bills. The Senate FOI bills are authored by: Senators Angara, A. Cayetano, Ejercito, Escudero, Guingona, Honasan, Legarda, Osmena, and Trillanes. I made and delivered the following remarks: Honorable Senator Grace Poe, other honorable Members of […]
MoreFight continues as #PNoink gives Napoles special treatment
That Janet Lim Napoles is now in custody is a direct result of strong public pressure and the Million People March in Luneta and across the country. Had we not marched and told #PNoink that we want heads and pig heads to roll, nothing would have happened. #PNoink treatment for Napoles The surrender of Napoles […]
More#MillionPeopleMarch, an awesome launch for #ScrapPork movement
Exactly a year after netizens fought President Aquino to eventually defeat the obnoxious Cybercrime Law, Filipino Internet users today waged another battle that showed the fight last year was not in vain. Individual citizens and organizations, powered by social media and traditional tools, today held a march at the Luneta involving hundreds of thousands of […]
MoreWhy we should march to #ScrapPork
For as long as we remember, every time we ask the government to do something that is good for the country, the standard answer has been “no way, magtiis tayo, walang pera ang gobyerno”. And so many or most of us would actually stop asking government for what it should really provide in the first […]
MoreChallenge is to solve poverty, not just to hide it
Few days ago, as debates raged on the question of the urban poor and how we should solve the issue, I wrote a Note on Facebook. Here it is, improved and extended a little bit. When I was growing up, my family moved from one apartment to another because the parents could only earn so […]
MoreTake 13 on the 2013 Elections: A Quick Post-Mortem
Even as the Comelec embarks on a slow canvassing of results of the senatorial and partylist contests and winning local candidates are being proclaimed one after another, many are trying to make sense of the outcome of the May 13, 2013 midterm elections. Here are my initial post-mortem notes on the polls, 13 in all
MoreI’m voting for Kabataan for partylist rep, Teddy Casino for senator
The elections are fast approaching and as we make our final choices, I wish to share two of mine. I hope you’ll join me in voting for them too. For partylist representative, I am mighty proud to declare that my vote goes to Kabataan Partylist, #17 on the ballot. And without fear and with boundless […]
More#eDemokrasya: ‘Digital in politics, politics in digital’
Here are my prepared remarks for the eDemokrasya Conference on the Use of Social Media and Technology for Democracy Promotion” on Feb. 21 at Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila, held with support from the USAID, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems: Filipinos want and long for a […]
MoreAquino’s Cybercrime Law destroys Internet freedom
Had lawmakers focused solely and exclusively on Identity Theft, Cybersex, Child Pornography, Computer-related Fraud and Forgery, Illegal Access and Interception, and Data and System Interference, there would have been no objections to the enactment of the Aquino Cybercrime Law. But they didn’t. Instead, Congress made a full-scale, omnibus legal attack on netizens of the world’s […]
MoreNoynoying 101: Fundamentals and Introduction to Noynoying
From Day One, Filipinos have looked for ways to catch President Aquino’s and his team’s attention whenever they f—k their jobs and whenever they needed to be reminded about their solemn duties and the promises they made during the campaign. Everytime the public would raise a howl over some grave mistake or omission, the routine […]
MoreSelf-fulfilling prophecy: Culture of impunity goes unchallenged under Aquino
Referring to extrajudicial killings and the killing of journalists in the Philippines in his July, 2010 State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III declared that his administration would “hold murderers accountable.” Despite that pledge, six journalists have been killed since then, or a total of ten since the Ampatuan Massacre of November 23, 2009 claimed the […]
MoreToday, Nov. 21, is Blog Action Day for justice, against impunity
Over 500 days have passed since Benigno Aquino III assumed the presidency on a pro-change platform – but families of victims of extrajudicial killings have been made to wait and to wait longer for presidential action needed to spur decisive action by government. The administration has not done anything meaningful to address the political killings […]
MoreHow is social media changing ASEAN?
Together with colleague Delwin Keasberry, a.k.a. @BruneiTweet and the man behind Projek Brunei, we led a master class with the same title at the ASEAN100 Leadership Forum on Sept. 29, 2011 at the Shangrila Hotel in Makati City, Philippines. Here is the presentation I shared at the master class:
MoreOn Social Media Day, President Aquino dumps CICT
The Office of the President announced the abolition of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) today — World Social Media Day and the second day of the National ICT Summit 2011. Today is also President Noynoy Aquino’s first year in office. Tech news portal Newsbytes reports that many in the ICT are shocked […]
MoreSocial media and conflict reporting
Friends from PECOJON invited me to speak at the forum and awarding of winners in the Red Cross Award for Humanitarian Reporting. The forum and contest revolved around humanitarian reporting, about journalism in the midst of conflict. I was asked to speak on social media, and below are the thoughts that I chose to share, […]
MoreWho’s afraid of a national bloggers association?
(Post updated. Changes in brackets. Thanks.) I have long wanted to do something: To help form a national bloggers association in the Philippines. The premises are simple: We are a growing community, with more younger Filipinos trying to start their own blogs. We have worked together in many instances. We have organized events. Some of […]
MoreNetizens rebuke NBI over plan to register laptops
A number of Filipino netizens went ballistic today after reading news about the National Bureau of Investigation’s proposal to have all laptops and other internet devices registered as part of government’s efforts to purportedly curb cybercrime. The laptop registry plan, first reported by GMA News and which follows a similar proposal covering mobile phone SIM […]
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