Bangsa Moro, current events, Media Studies, PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS, Social Media, socio-cultural

Philippine Elections and the Mindanao Vote in the Age of Social Media

This is a mini lecture delivered on March 4, 2022 on the webinar titled Digital Journalism and the Mindanao Vote. Organized by Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Journalism Studies Association of the Philippines, Inc. (JSAP, Inc.) supported by Hanns Seidel Foundation in cooperation with Internews in collaboration with USAID. I prepared for a one-hour lecture,… Continue reading Philippine Elections and the Mindanao Vote in the Age of Social Media

Bangsa Moro, current events, History

Federalism for All: Chance for lasting Peace

The Mindanao problem is ultimately a POWER problem – the power of one group over another. It is a problem of colonization. The fact that there was a law called the Legislative Act 4197 or Quirino-Recto Colonization of Mindanao Act, which was enacted on 12 February 1935 is very telling. The Commonwealth considered the Act… Continue reading Federalism for All: Chance for lasting Peace

Bangsa Moro, Mr. and Ms Magazine, Newspaper article

Ramadhan – A Time for Fasting and Praying

A few days ago, while I was browsing the web,  I found a tumblr blog that re-published my magazine article on Ramadhan. I had uploaded that article in one of my blogs. I tried looking for my blog that had that article but I couldn't find it. It was from my blogsome.com blog. Blogsome had… Continue reading Ramadhan – A Time for Fasting and Praying

Film, Film Review, Media Studies

Bagong Buwan, a Marilou Diaz-Abaya film

With the demise of film director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, I am re-posting this film critique I did in Jan. 2002. The film is Bagong Buwan (New Moon). This is a once-in-a blue moon film and as I  wrote then, it would take some time before Filipinos could see another one like it. Ms. Diaz-Abaya dreamed of a peaceful Mindanao… Continue reading Bagong Buwan, a Marilou Diaz-Abaya film

Bangsa Moro, personal

My Mother and The First “Modern” Moro Women

April 4 is the birthday of my late mother, Hadja Sitti Rahma Yahya - Abbas. Sometime ago, one of the news talk shows of ANC (ABSCBN News Channel) featured young Moros and labeled them as “Modern Muslims.” For some people, modern means young. Yet the young could be very old-fashioned, dogmatic and narrow-minded. There are… Continue reading My Mother and The First “Modern” Moro Women

Newspaper article, socio-cultural

Growing Up In A Multilingual Household

This is one of my articles published in the now defunct The Philippine Post newspaper.  I posted this on my websites. But since the advent of Web 2.0 and the popularity of blogs, I have abandoned my websites. I am posting this in this blog, for posterity's sake. I added a list of the languages,… Continue reading Growing Up In A Multilingual Household