There and Back Again
The House of Representatives honored its own members last June 5 by distributing medals, plaques, and other mementos to first, second, and third termers of the 15th Congress. It was the most disgusting...
View ArticleDear Neophyte
As I write this, there seems to be frantic race in Batasan to file the first set of bills in the 16th Congress. It’s a futile effort since the date of filing has no bearing in the calendaring of...
View ArticleCongress Lobbying
Based on my presentation during the Emerging Youth Leaders training at the Asian Institute of Management, July 20, 2013 1. There are lobbyists and there are registered lobbyists. But in the...
View ArticleAcross Rivers, Atop Mountains: A Constituency Unreachable via Internet
Written for Global Voices, The Bridge project What are the duties of a party list legislator? Draft laws, participate in plenary debates, and yes, even climb mountains. A lawmaker’s job is to...
View ArticleManny Pacquiao as Legislator
Written for The Diplomat For his fans around the world, he is the greatest boxing champion of our time. For fellow Filipinos, he is the humble hero of the masses and pride of the Philippines. But for...
View ArticleThe perils of being an ex-legislator in the age of pork
Published by Bulatlat I’m an ex-con or ex-congressman. I was a two-termer (not two-timer) who represented the country’s first elected youth party. I was the third poorest solon and believe it or not I...
View ArticleWhy college is better than congress
Written for The Diplomat I was a congressman for four years (2009-2013) which equaled the number of my undergraduate years at UP Diliman (1996-2000). When asked about my two-term stint in Congress, I...
View ArticleThe conscience of a radical or how the Left can join parliament and reject...
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...
View Article‘Groundhog Day’ in Congress
Written for Bulatlat Of all the films in all the cable channels in all the world, they had to show the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day inside the members’ lounge of the Philippine House of...
View Article#KuwentongBM: Campaigning for Bayan Muna in 2001
Published by Bulatlat Inspired by the success of the broad people’s movement that ousted the corrupt presidency of Joseph Estrada in January 2001, many activists became more determined to campaign for...
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