Mong Palatino.

Mong Palatino is from Manila, Philippines. Mong has been an activist since his college days and served as president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines, before going on to represent the Kabataan (Youth) party for two terms in the Philippine House of Representatives. Mong is GV's South East Asia editor and has been with Global Voices since June 2006.

All candidates in the 2020 board elections have been asked to answer the set of questions listed below. Feel free to ask Mong additional questions in the comments area below this post!

What appeals to you most about the prospect of serving on the GV board?

I’ve assumed many roles in our organization from being a volunteer author in 2006, editor in 2008, a member of the local hosting committee of the 2015 Cebu summit, and a collaborator in various GV-related projects and so the prospect of serving in the board inspires me to welcome this unique opportunity to share my ‘veteran’ insight in helping steer the future of our community.

What talents, skills, connections, and expertise can you offer Global Voices in your role as board representative?

Aside from my familiarity with the history and newsroom dynamics of GV, I am actively involved in monitoring free speech threats in the Asia-Pacific and I’ve been working with various groups and networks in responding to these challenges.

As you look ahead to the next three years, what, in your opinion, should be GV’s overarching priorities as an organization?

Strengthening the newsroom components of its various projects such as Advox and Rising Voices, and this entails more active participation from community members, and seeking partnerships.

What aspect of GV’s work interests you the most?

Story production because it involves collaboration with community members. It reflects the GV mission of amplifying voices, bridging perspectives, and building a community of writers and translators.

What would you like to get out of this board service experience, both professionally and personally?

I’m not really sure, but I’ll definitely bring with me my experience as a GV member for almost 14 years. And I plan to serve on the board, if that wonderful opportunity is given to me, as a way of improving my work in the newsroom, and inspire others to devote more commitment to GV projects.

How will you fit board service into your personal and other professional work commitments?

My work with GV has taught me how to balance priorities, and it has guided me on how to pursue similar advocacies and projects. In many ways, my other professional and personal commitments also espouse what GV has been advocating as a community news group. What is common is the shared goal of defending free speech and making sure the civic space remains open for everybody, especially for the marginalized members of society.

What methods would you use to engage and listen to the community in order to represent them effectively at board level?

 The process initiated by the Community Council is very useful, effective, and its lessons can be further distilled in reaching out and hearing the perspectives of community members. Also, since I will be the representative of other editors on the board, I can reach out to them personally to hear their views on organizational matters.