Filipino blogger-turned-legislator on role of youth and New Media in politics

Jun 08 2009 Published by Joey Alarilla under Spotlight, Tech

Check out my latest CNET Asia blog post.

Here’s an excerpt:

It’s already a cliche to talk about the apathy of the youth, but blogger and Philippine House of Representatives congressman Raymond “Mong” Palatino would be the first to dispute this.

Not only did Kabataan Partylist, of which he is president and top nominee, make history as the country’s first elected youth group to win a seat in Congress under the partylist system, but Palatino is also the first blogger to become a national legislator in the Philippines.

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Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho sex video: Filipino officials, bloggers weigh in on scandal

May 21 2009 Published by Joey Alarilla under Uncategorized

What do you think of the Katrina Halili media circus in the Philippine Senate?

Blogged about this issue for CNET Asia. Here’s an excerpt:

As you might expect, the Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho sex video scandal is one of the hottest topics on the Philippine blogosphere. After all, this latest video that has been leaked online involves one of the most popular Filipina sexy actresses and the beauty doctor/model Kho, who has seen his own share of the limelight as the former beau of the country’s most well-known cosmetic and dermatologic surgeon, Vicki Belo, whose clients include showbiz personalities, politicians and members of high society.

Not surprisingly, this sex scandal has also attracted the attention of Philippine legislators and government officials, with the Palace itself declaring it wants to “go hard” on Kho, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who said the videos “affect the morals of society”. Earlier, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. (a former actor, by the way) demanded the revocation of Kho’s medical license in a privilege speech. The National Bureau of Investigation is now conducting a probe on Kho, who has been placed on the Bureau of Immigration watch list to prevent him from leaving the country. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has said Kho could be jailed for six years if found guilty. Amazing, isn’t it, how a “sexy issue” like this causes the Philippine Government to immediately spring into action? Unlike, say, issues such as the Philippine Book Blockade of 2009.

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Filipino Netizens rally vs government’s ‘book blockade’

May 15 2009 Published by Joey Alarilla under Uncategorized

Find out all about the Philippine government’s “book blockade” — and how you can help end it.

Here’s an excerpt from my CNET Asia blog post.

From blogs, to microblogging tools like Twitter and Plurk, to online petitions, Filipinos are taking the fight against the Philippine government’s “book blockade” to cyberspace.

The “book blockade” refers to the decision of Philippine Customs officials to impose a tax on books which are not “educational”, such as novels, thereby curtailing the entry of imported books into the country. Here is an article written about the issue by Robin Hemley, director of the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa, who is in the Philippines on a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an opinion piece from columnist and TV host Manuel L. Quezon III published in the leading Philippine newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer. On Facebook, Louie Aguinaldo also started the cause Filipinos against the Taxation of Books by Customs.

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