Michael Henry Yusingco, Author at Asian Studies Association of Australia

Rethinking Filipinos’ social media use in the electoral process

7th June 2019 / Michael Henry Yusingco / Southeast Asia, Technology, The Philippines

The Asia-Pacific recently saw several countries in the region hold elections just days apart. Last month Australia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines, all displayed their respective versions of electoral democracy. There were clear differences, but one commonality is social media having a big role in the entire election process, from campaigning to the casting of […]

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Martial law in the southern Philippines: understanding the fine print

21st June 2017 / Michael Henry Yusingco / The Philippines

Understanding the introduction of martial law on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines is a matter of understanding the fine print. Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco explains Filipinos were caught off-guard by President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law over Mindanao on May 23 this year, however their reaction was one of measured acceptance. In

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Filipino youth show their democratic colours

1st December 2016 / Michael Henry Yusingco / The Philippines

Young people in the Philippines are reawakening to their historical role of initiating social and political change, Michael Henry Yusingco believes. Returning home recently to the Philippines to give a lecture on constitutional rights to a political science class at Ateneo de Manila University, I found myself, two days after the lecture, again with students

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Filipinos remain wary of constitutional change

31st July 2016 / Michael Henry Yusingco / The Philippines

Can Rodrigo Duterte achieve constitutional reform where three previous presidents have failed? Having won the recent election on a platform that included giving serious consideration to federalising the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte again declared his support for this huge political transformation in his inaugural State of the Nation Address. Many Filipinos, however, remain wary of

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Atoning for the sins of the father

13th April 2016 / Michael Henry Yusingco / The Philippines

Bongbong Marcos’s bid for the vice-presidency could be a test for the maturity of Philippine democracy Around the period that the Philippines was under the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos (1965–86), South Korea was under the military dictatorship of Park Chung-hee (1963–79). The restoration of democracy in both countries was finally accomplished by popular revolt,

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New chance to end Mindanao’s religious divisions

16th February 2016 / Michael Henry Yusingco / The Philippines

The Philippine government has an opportunity to rethink its approach before general elections in May to ending long-standing divisions on the southern island of Mindanao Aboriginality on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao is distinguished between Lumad, a local dialect term meaning native or indigenous, and Moro, derived from the English word Moor and used

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