This former Philippine legislator combines law, journalism, and activism in his fight for human rights.
This is a series of short interviews with media professionals that we're doing in partnership with Asia Undercovered, a newsletter covering news and trends in Asia that aren’t getting enough attention in U.S. media.
These interviews will allow reporters to share their experiences directly, including what it’s like to cover stories that are often under-or misrepresented in the global media, and what their work means in the broader context of the issues and trends in Asia.
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Mong has a diverse background as a two-term legislator in the Philippine House of Representatives. Photo supplied by Mong.
In our second journalist Q&A (see our first here), we speak with Manila-based journalist Mong Palatino.
We’ve featured Mong’s reporting in the newsletter several times. What impressed me is how he goes beyond his home country of the Philippines to uncover similar stories of censorship, state repression, and human rights struggles across Southeast Asia.
Take, for example, his article on the arrest of Vietnamese activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang for ‘anti-state propaganda’, or his feature on the #FreeMuay movement in Laos, where netizens were calling for the release of an unjustly detained net idol and environmental activist. We’ve especially enjoyed his reports on creative tactics and protest culture, such as his profile of a digital artist depicting the lives of Thais and the struggles of democracy.
Mong has a diverse background, having been a former legislator, and considers himself an activist as well as a journalist. He’s been blogging since 2004.
Currently he is Regional Editor for Southeast Asia at Global Voices and writes for several regional and international publications including Bulatlat, IFEX, and The Diplomat.
How does your own background connect to your reporting? What value does your heritage or personal connections to the place/issues you are writing add to the journalism you do?
I have been an activist since 1997 and was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives for two terms from 2009 to 2013. My activism has inspired me to amplify voices that are either repressed or distorted.
My experience as a former legislator allowed me to have a better grasp of the dynamics in mainstream politics. Writing about Southeast Asia for many years has broadened my horizon and it helped me in finding the common themes that face citizens across the region.
The Philippines is often cited as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. How does that affect reporting in the country?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has publicly admitted that he hired a cyber army during the 2016 presidential campaign election. This army of keyboard trolls continues to pollute the cyberspace and they target not just opposition members and activists but also journalists who are critical of the Duterte government. They even use McCarthyist red-baiting tactics to attack the perceived “enemies of the state”.
I do not consider red-tagging as harmless propaganda since I have colleagues and friends who were first vilified by state-backed trolls before they were arrested based on trumped-up cases or worse, became victims of extrajudicial killings.
Mong at a protest against the anti-terror bill in the Philippines. Photo supplied by Mong.
What are your thoughts on how mainstream American/English language media covers the Philippines? What do you wish they would do better?
I appreciate their coverage of the many ways Filipinos are pushing back against the tyranny of Duterte.
Comparing Duterte to Trump and other mad populists is useful. But this framing can also simplify the narrative and prevent readers from understanding the context that allowed the rise of these digital authoritarians.
One way of doing better than the corporate-dominated local media is to dig deeper into what’s happening outside Manila.
For example, how are repression, economic crisis, and the pandemic affecting the lives of Filipinos in rural communities?
Any resolutions for 2021? What stories do you hope to report or work on this year?
I’d like to feature more stories of grassroots resistance. I want to highlight the struggle of indigenous peoples and environment defenders opposing the extractive industries.
Duterte maintains a strongman image, yet many Filipinos were unfazed by his terror tactics and their defiance was manifested in different ways. This theme has yet to be fully unpacked.
I believe and hope that the resilient protest movement in the Philippines can generate more attention in the same way the protests in Hong Kong and Thailand have attracted global interest.