activist and two-term member of the philippine house of representatives. blogging since 2004 at mongster's nest. joined global voices in 2006.
Latest posts by Mong Palatino
15 May 2019
Singapore parliament approves ‘anti-fake news’ law — will this curtail free speech?
The law gives broad, unchecked powers to government ministers to determine what online information is "false" and should thus be censored or corrected.
8 May 2019
Despite the release of detained Reuters reporters, free speech remains under threat in Myanmar
"...the case of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo is proof that journalists are in constant risk of political reprisal for keeping power in check."
24 April 2019
Malaysian activist under police probe after LGBT speech at the United Nations
"The police investigation into Numan’s statement merely serves to highlight the harassment, bullying and discrimination faced by LGBT persons in Malaysia."
4 April 2019
Animated film explains how Myanmar's Telecommunications Law undermines free speech
"The law is frequently used by the powerful to silence dissent, and with more than 100 cases filed, its chilling effect on free expression is widespread."
28 March 2019
Facebook comment about throwing an egg at Singapore minister triggers police probe
"To be honest, I don't feel much regret. I feel it's a matter of freedom of speech, and that we have a right to voice such opinions."
22 March 2019
Controversy at Malaysia’s Women’s Day march leads to its organizers being probed for sedition
"The government must not take the side of the bullies. Denying a group of marginalised groups their right to participate in democracy is truly an abuse of democracy."
12 March 2019
Groups denounce continuous cyberattacks against independent media in the Philippines
"The goal is to deny a public hungry for information the reports and stories it needs to understand what is happening in a country besieged by lies and disinformation."
6 March 2019
How sports groups rallied for the release of a Bahraini footballer detained in Thailand
"We think that this campaign showed what sport can be, and our job as former players or athletes is to ensure that all sport becomes the vanguard for human rights."
22 February 2019
Samoa arrested blogger ‘King Faipopo’ accused of defaming prime minister
"New legislation, based on old criminal libel laws from colonial times, forces Samoa leaders to look backwards, not forwards."
14 February 2019
Athan: A youth group promoting freedom of expression in Myanmar
"All lawsuits filed against journalists must be withdrawn. All journalists staying under detention including Reuters journalists must be released unconditionally. Defamation must be decriminalized in accordance with international standards."
7 February 2019
Is there political interference in the public television network of Timor-Leste?
"There have been several attempts at political interference on me and directly on journalists to try to influence editorial content."
22 January 2019
Is Fiji's Online Safety Act a ‘trojan horse’ for online censorship?
"The Act on the surface professes online ‘Safety’, while its vagueness on responsible free speech leaves the act open to being a Trojan horse for online ‘Regulation’ and censorship."
14 January 2019
Protests condemn another election delay in Thailand
Thai students turned to Twitter and activists organized protests after the military-backed government announced another delay in the holding of elections.
4 January 2019
How preserving folktales and legends help raise environment awareness in the Mekong
"By means of stories, the communities search for ways to accommodate and/or resist changes that are taking place in the Mekong river basin."
21 December 2018
PHOTOS: Drone delivers vaccines to a remote island in Vanuatu
Vanuatu, a Pacific archipelago nation of 83 islands spread along 12,189 square kilometers, became the first country in the world to use drones for transporting vaccines to its remote communities.
11 December 2018
Singapore government threatens critics and independent media with defamation claims
"How can a prime minister be offended by someone sharing a Facebook post?"
26 November 2018
Despite threats of arrest, rap song criticizing military rule goes viral in Thailand
As a response to the 40-million-view music video, the Thai government launched its own rap song celebrating innovation and progress (it flopped).
10 November 2018
Is Jair Bolsonaro another Rodrigo Duterte? It's more complicated than you think
As Brazilians prepare for a Bolsonaro presidency, they’d do well to look at the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte’s two and a half years in office.
8 November 2018
Life after Manus: Talking to Iranian cartoonist Eaten Fish about life in and out of Australia's detention camps
"I had to steal papers from workers and it took me more than two years to send my drawings out. It is the only reason why I am still alive."
25 October 2018
No more photos of sleeping MPs? New rules restrict what media can cover in Tasmania Parliament
"Who do these politicians think they are? They are elected by the public, and the public is absolutely entitled to see how they behave."
