Activist and former 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 from August, 2012
Thai MP Advice for Women to Marry Foreigners Stirs Controversy
Get a German husband. Get a Swedish husband. Get a Norwegian husband…All you need is a farang husband and their government will pay you to study. This was the advice of a Thai politician to poor women in Thailand. But the controversial statement was taken out of context, according to...
Vietnam: Gay Marriage and Human Rights
The proposal should be cautiously welcomed as a progressive move which grants equality and official acceptance to members of society who have not felt the benefit of these statuses before Matthew Parsfield believes that the news that Vietnam could soon become the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage should...
Thailand: Petition to Stop Mae Wong Dam
Please stop this crazy dam project and help maintain valuable tiger habitat in Mae Wong National Park. The statement is from a petition urging the Thailand government to stop the Mae Wong dam project in order to protect a critical tiger habitat
Maritime Row with China Forces Philippines to Upgrade Defenses
The tension in the South China Sea has forced the Philippines to review its defense capabilities. In particular its maritime dispute with China boosted the demand to upgrade the country’s military forces. Is this good or bad for the stability of the region?
Philippines: List of National Roads
The Philippine government has uploaded a spreadsheet identifying the quality of the country's national roads. It's also a mechanism for citizens to report and monitor badly paved roads
Myanmar: Mizzima Website Hacked
“We regret to inform you that Mizzima’s websites have come under DDoS attack. Mizzima has received several threats in reference to our coverage of ongoing hostilities in Rakhine State.” Mizzima, a Myanmar independent media website, issued a statement about the DDoS attacks.
Philippines: Senator Accused of Plagiarism
A Philippine senator is accused of plagiarism when he delivered a speech without mentioning that he copied several parts of the speech from a blog. The senator, instead of apologizing, has denied that he committed plagiarism. He said his office doesn't quote from blogs. His chief of staff later added that 'copying' is normal in the Senate.
History of Cambodian Comics
John Weeks created a slideshow presentation about the history of Cambodian comics in the past half century.
Blogs Blocked in Vietnam
Aaron Joel Santos, a blogger in Vietnam, writes about the blocking of numerous blogs in the country: “A lot of blogs seem to be blocked in Vietnam at the moment. And mine is among them. Not for anything said or posted or alluded to or hinted at. Mine is simply...
Vietnam: Human Rights Lawyer Attacked
Le Quoc Quan, a human rights lawyer based in Hanoi, Vietnam, was beaten by a group of armed men. Quan believes the attackers could be plainclothes police who wanted to silence him for his activism.
Cambodia: Khmer Language Books Now Online
The Digital Library for International Research has made available more than 50 publications of Khmer books and educational materials from Cambodia.
Vietnam: Unpublished Letter of Hồ Chí Minh
Matthew Parsfield discusses the historical importance of the discovery of an unpublished letter of Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam's nationalist hero and statesman.
Malaysia: History of Islamic Education
Azmil Tayeb gives a brief overview of the history of Islamic schools in Malaysia. The author also discussed the role of the state in providing Islamic education in the country.
Cambodia: Promoting LGBT Rights
Nayheak Khun writes about the efforts of some groups in Cambodia to promote the rights of homosexuals.
Indonesian Street Art Database
The Indonesian Street Art Database is a project that documents street art and urban art culture in Indonesia. One of the themes in the past was to promote tolerance in response to religious violence in the country
Philippines: Floods Hit Metro Manila and Nearby Provinces
Strong rains caused huge floods in many parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Luzon Island of the Philippines. Manila-based Global Voices editor Mong Palatino gathers photos from social media platforms which show the extent of flooding in the country's capital
Thailand: Videos Promoting Healthy Lifestyle
A Thailand health agency has been using creative video ads to promote a healthy lifestyle among Thais. Its recent anti-smoking ad went viral online and was described by many health advocates as the most effective anti-smoking ad in the world
Brunei's First Female Olympian
Delwin Keasberry of Projek Brunei was able to interview Ms Maziah Mahusin, Brunei's first female olympian in the 2012 London Olympics.
Singapore: ‘Transient Workers Count Too’ Website
The ‘Transient Workers Count Too’ website provides research and direct assistance to low-wage migrant workers in Singapore. Their recent initiative was to raise funds for two Chinese workers who were killed in an accident.
Singapore: Crowd-sourced Lesson Plans for Educators
SchoolAsia.org is a newly established website featuring crowd-sourced lesson plans, opinion pieces and events for educators in Asia
