QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino (Talumpating binigkas sa rehiyunal na kongreso ng College Editors Guild Cagayan Valley sa Isabela State University Cauayan noong Setyembre 10, 2015) Una sa lahat, salamat at andito kayo kahit may Aldub ngayon. Huwag gawing obvious ang pagsilip sa Aldub hashtag. Pangalawa, salamat sa College Editors Guild para sa karangalan na maging…
Mong Palatino
The conscience of a radical or how the Left can join parliament and reject opportunism at the same time
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino 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 party. In particular, the legislator said he already disagrees with the stand of his party to remain a coalition partner of the president whom he…
In defense of negativity and rah-rah activism
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino If you think activists are too negative, then would you rather prefer the silent optimism of the apathetic? If unimpressed by the political value of streetnoise activism, would you follow the uncritical collaborationism as exemplified by the politics of former activists in the yellow regime? It is doubtful if people are…
Dear kids, you are free to choose your life, but will you please try activism?
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino These are precarious times. We live in a world plagued by mass poverty, chronic hunger, wealth inequality, and racism but we seem to lack the will to overcome these preventable miseries. The world order is already ripe for an overhaul yet many are reluctant to admit it. Worse, some of us…
Why I am not offended when somebody calls me a communist
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino I keep silent every time I am tagged a communist. It’s not embarrassment but more of disbelief that in this day and age, a red baiter still thinks that this kind of witch hunt is politically legitimate or even persuasive. How dangerous it is to live in a society where people…
How to write against the Left
QUESTION EVERYTHING By Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com Start by insinuating that it’s evil to be associated with the Left, for example ‘Beware of Left-leaning groups’. There’s no need to elaborate; simply insert the term ‘Left’ in a sentence to warn innocent minds about the threat posed by Leftist individuals, groups, institutions, and ideologies. To make it…
Why we should reject the sentimental activism of reactionary bureaucrats
QUESTION EVERYTHING By Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com Some reactionaries in the bureaucracy erroneously assume that their activism in the past makes them intellectually and even morally superior over the present generation of change advocates. Some probably misjudged their bohemian lifestyle as activism or they could have lied about their political record. But there are really existing…
Why we should celebrate Edsa Dos
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Was Edsa Dos a coup, power grab, or an uprising? Was it a farce? It may be all of the above but it’s a political event worth celebrating. Why should we allow the Arroyos, Estradas, Aquinos, and the Catholic bishops to dominate the discussion about what Edsa Dos meant to our…
How to surrender a United States Green Card in 3 easy steps
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino 1. You grew up fantasizing about life in the United States, the land of milk and honey. You were bombarded with seductive images of first world living courtesy of Hollywood. You and your childhood friends wanted a glimpse and taste of real America. Then you learned that you and your family…
Everything you wanted to know about Philippine politics but were afraid to ask the Left
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino What did the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan had in common in the 1950s? They all allowed the United States to build military bases in their territories. But in 1991, the Philippines kicked out the bases even if it remained an unabashed admirer of American culture. The expulsion of American troops…
From Abra to Sarangani: The revolution in four deaths
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Tatay Francis Morales. Arnold Borja ‘AJ’ Jaramillo. Recca Noelle Monte. Rendell Ryan ‘Perper’ Cagula. AJ, Recca, and Perper were martyred NPA revolutionaries while Tatay Francis was an environmental activist who succumbed to leukemia. Their untimely deaths meant so many things to many people especially to loved ones who already shared moving…