On Heckling, Howie and Hillary

When a Philippine Collegian Editor-in-Chief Marjo Tucay unfurled an Anti-VFA/Anti-MDT banner in Clinton's "Conversation in Manila", he was promptly shown the door and subsequently tagged a heckler. Post-Conversation, he was interviewed by Howie Severino of GMA7, incidentally, one of Conversation's moderators. Did I say interviewed? No, that wasn't the case. Mr. Tucay was BERATED by Howie Severino for not being "old-fashioned" and  for going beyond "covering" the event.

Facebook as been afire with discussion regarding this incident. Progressive teachers and students alike, of course defend Tucay's position, whilst Howie Severino himself engages in the debate. But, lo and behold, Mr. I-Think-Before-I-Click opts to delete his comments (see pic below with his comments on Alaysa's post before Severino deleted them) when the debate got hotter and hotter. This event prompted GMA7 to take down the interview from their site (Therefore, the link below Alaysa's Note now leads to blank video). 

Photo courtesy of The Carcosite. To view, Right click then Open in New Tab. Or  Download by right-clicking then Save as.

Reposted from Alaysa Escandor's Facebook Notes

Reflections on the heckling

That Hillary Clinton herself, the US Secretary of State, was heckled by a Filipino, and a young student journalist at that, triggered a debate of sorts on the role of journalists.  The heckling was done by Marjohara Tucay, incumbent editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian, the student publication of the University of the Philippines.

 A day after the heckling, he was interviewed by Mr. Howie Severino, whose insights include –

“Syempre, ang expectation sa isang mamamahayag ay hindi magprotesta kundi magtanong; Yung mga old-fashioned journalists katulad ko, yung training ay nagcocover; May choice ka dun, kung ano ang magiging action mo: mamahayag o protester.”

Okay, so there’s one huge, disturbing conjecture there – that journalists cannot participate in demonstrations. I wonder though where this conjecture has come from, because I don’t know of any code of ethics that bans journalists from protest actions. From receiving gifts and cash, certainly; from moonlighting, sure; from unfair means of information collection, yes. But never from heckling, demonstrations, rallies, strikes. These are, after all, based on the freedom of speech and expression – the very same rights upon which the entire of journalism is founded.

The freedoms that we have, the liberties that journalists like Mr. Severino enjoy, were won through wide and numerous protest actions. Martial law is a constant reminder of that.

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Blogwatch: beyond Campaign Promises

Blogwatch has really elevated blogging in the local scene. I am reminded of other international communities that also use their readership following to keep the public informed about politics. And to think that Blogwatch, according to this interview, just started as a voters education blog.

Watching this made me recall the year that was. The 2010 elections is foremost a statement election. Then “President” Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is sufferring from the lowest public approval a President has had since the Marcos Era, going as low as negative thirty-something. The most popular campaign line is of course Anti-GMA, and there were many takers. The handful brave men who ran under the administration ticket were doomed to lose. They received the Kiss of Death with open arms. Most presidential aspirants took the Anti-GMA stance. Any vote for the anti-GMA aspirants is a vote against GMA herself.

And so, P-Noy emerged victorious from the Anti-GMA pack, along the way, spouting numerous campaign promises, like supporting the RH Bill. I know P-Noy, next to his mother the late Corazon Aquino, is probably the most popular President post-Martial Law. But I don’t find myself as ecstatic of him as most people do. He has backtracked on a number of his promises already. I hate to think that he did all that just for rhetorics and rating.

Blogwatch was received warmly throughout the blogosphere and thus post-elections, shifted from being a voters education site to one that monitors the campaign promises of the victorious P-Noy. This I think is a very good move. Bloggers write about anything and everythings, from something as mundane as their pet rats, to food trips, from fashionable finds to the latest gadgets, among others. But political blogging is not as popular. Blogwatch bridged this gap and encouraged bloggers to be more socially and politically conscious. The advocacy for clean elections and post-elections monitoring has made Filipinos more involved and invested in the whole process. It is OUR future afterall that is at stake come election-time.

Having Blogwatch, like a watchdog, would keep P-Noy on his toes. One shouldn’t make promises they couldn’t keep. And Blogwatch makes it clear that the PEOPLE DO CARE and are NOT DUMB. They heard the campaign promises and wanted those promises fulfilled, that’s why he got their votes. And that they won’t just sit back and watch those promises turn to dust.

Blogwatch is indeed a very empowering tool for the masses. How many times have you have someone, anyone, utter a word of disgust for the government’s action, or lack of it, regarding the nation’s problems? How many times have you heard someone, anyone, say “Ganyan naman talaga ang mga pulitiko!” Or, see someone, anyone, shrug their shoulders while saying, “Wala nang pag-asa ang mga pinoy.” Blogwatch serves and will still serve as a venue for these people to rant all they want, but which is properly channeled. The opinions of every Juan and Maria gets arhived and sorted out in the various discussions. And the more they see that they are not alone in feeling duped my false promises, the more they will strive for those promises to be fulfilled. Yay!

Pinoys are said to have very short memories. Imagine this, a dictator that ruled for 20 years and broke so many lives and dreams, is now being seriously considered to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, not counting of course his immediate family that has made a remarking political comeback! Many atrocious and scandalous events in the political history of our country has been buried and forgotten. So too will the campaign promises be if there is no one to keep it alive, to remind the one who made them his responsibility of seeing them through and fought for, if not fully realized.

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Pilipinas Kay Ganda Slogan, Not So Pretty After All

The new Philippine tourism slogan Pilipinas Kay ganda (So beautiful, the Philippines), is not beautiful at all, according to most people.

The recent unveiling of this new slogan was met by a lukewarm response, to say the least. It is replacing the more familiar Wow Philippines tourism slogan by the past administration.There are two important points that were raised by its detractors. One is that the logo is a rip-off from another logo. And for another, the slogan should be in an international language, one widely used and understood by all, like English.

I have included here the much maligned logo and the "original" from which it was copied. Now, Dept of Tourism Sec. Alberto Lim said that, indeed, they looked for inspiration in other country's tourism campaigns and yes, they used the same font as the Poland logo. But no, this is not plagiarism. iIt might not be plagiarism in the strictest and legal sense of the word but I sure can't deny the unmistakable resemblance. They actually look like twins, fraternal ones!

As for the language, I thought that the Filipino, being the national language was a nice quaint touch. But I have to admit that using the national language to address an international audience for a tourism campaign is not the way to go. How will the regular tourist with no or little knowledge of the Filipino language understand it? Number one rule for any marketing campaign should be effectively addressing your consumer or audience, and this is one golden rule that the masters behind this Pilipinas Kay Ganda! slogan forgot.

I can only view this from a political standpoint. The Aquino administration is in such a hurry to distance itself from the past infamous Arroyo administration, thus making this international blunder. P-Noy, as President Noynoy Aquino prefers to be called, desperately wants to portray himself as the exact opposite of his predecessor who was known to be a vicious bitch that the masses hate. Thus the unconventional "P-Noy" and the Pilipinas Kay Ganda slogan which can be perceived as non-elitist.

But will these be enough to markedly differentiate the Aquino administration from the Arroyo administration? Or will they remain superficial and cosmetic changes that crumbles upon closer inspection?

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The Bang-Bang versus The WangWang

These past two weeks, I have it up to my eyeballs about news of wang-wangs confiscated, who was late and who was not, who stopped for the red traffic light and who did not. And it was Noynoy who started it all.

In a bid to clearly differentiate himself from the previous unpopular administration, he sought to endear himself to the public by connecting with them on a more realistic level, traffic pet peeves.
Who hasn't experienced being pushed aside by those self-proclaimed VIPs who put in wang-wangs in their car to provide the public a sense of importance and urgency whenever they pass by?

But, my goodness, the novelty of this news has worn off for me! With only two weeks into the Aquino administration and already with 5 activists and a journalist killed, this is not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

"In the past two weeks, five activists have already been killed. Fernando Baldomero, 61, a municipal councilor in Lezo, Aklan and Bayan Muna provincial chairperson, was shot dead in front of his son July 5. Pascual Guevarra, 78, was killed by a lone gunman inside his house in Bgy. San Isidro, Laur, Nueva Ecija. His grandson was also wounded. Three days after, on July 9, public school teachers in Masbate, Mark Francisco, 27 and Edgar Fernandez, 44, were gunned down in separate incidents.

After the elections, the killings never stopped. On May 19, Jim Galez, a member of Bayan Muna in Panabo City in Davao was shot dead. On June 2, union leader Edward Panganiban was killed on his way to work in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. On June 14, Karapatan member Benjamin Bayles was also killed in Himaymalayan City, Negros Occidental. On June 22, human rights lawyer Ernesto Salunat was slain." (From Bulatlat)

And what has Noynoy said about this, a simple and, quite honestly, a naive statement that the AFP should observe human rights while investigating these matters. Hah!

Oplan Bantay Laya II, the very same operations condemned by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston in his report on the human rights situation in the Philippines, has not been scrapped by this newly installed "pro-people" administration. OBL II has been one of the deadliest campaigns against perceived enemies of the state as it DOES NOT distinguish between an armed combatant and a non-combatant, which will explain why most victims have been unarmed activists.

Noynoy's sincerity to put an end to these extrajudicial killings have further been doubted when Etta Rosales announced that she is waiting for official word from the Malacanang to give her the CHR post. Acckk! Notwithstanding the gall of Etta to announce this herself, as if making insinuations that Noynoy has been remiss in his "promise", the very thought that Noynoy made this proposal to her makes me cringe.

For a very thorough discussion on this, please visit my this blog.


And so now, please, please join me in shaking some sense into the administration and news reporters as well to stop making such a mountain out of a molehill of wang-wangs when more pressing things, like extrajudicial killings, have to be addressed.

And also, no Etta in CHR please.

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Good Riddance, "Mrs. President"

I hate Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and I am

more than gald to see her vacate the

Palace that she has usurped since last

2004. BUt her exit is not without a final

act of grandiose show of self-worth -- and

treachery for the people. Just when we

thought we've heard the last of her self-

serving SONAs (State of the Nation

Address), here comes news that the

upcoming Independence DAy

celebrations will most likely be turned

into one of her SONAs, one last hurrah.

This de facto president who introduced

"holiday economics" supposedly to boost

local tourism, but which also, in effect,

diminished the sense of patriotism among

Filipinos. How? When a holiday, except

very major and traditional ones like

Semana Santa, Christmas Season, etc, falls

on any other day save for Monday, the

holiday day-off or "celebration" is moved

to the nearest MOnday to facilitate a long

weekend conducive for lakwatsa.

Nothing wrong, right? Wrong!

On the day of the holiday itself, when the

nation should be commemorating the acts

of heroism that helped pave the way for

our nascent nationhood, only a token

wreath-laying attended by a handful,

GMA and her phalanx of soldiers, both by

profession and by political affliation, is

the order of the day.

Let me cite the previous Independence

Day celebrations as examples. Last 2008,

GMA decided to forego a a big national

celebration and just instructed the local

governments to make celebrate on their

own. Last year, 2009, a mega jobs fair was

held in lieu of the June 12 celebrations.

Nothing wrong with a jobs fair per se, but

in this case, it should not have replaced a

very important national holiday. This just

goes to show that GMA is first and

foremost an economist before a country-

loving patriot.

But, lo and behold! This year, we'll be

having a very grand celebration complete

with floats and all. But sadly, instead of a

rare chance to mull over ang appreciate

our hard-earned independence from 333

years of Spanish domination, we will be

treated to a showcase of GMA's 10-point

agenda which includes:

-creation of six million jobs
-the construction of new buildings and

classrooms, plus giving away scholarships
-the decentralization of progress around

the nation through transport networks
-provision of electricity and water supply

nationwide
-decongestion of Manila
-development of Subic and Clark as the

best international service and logistics

center,
-automation of election
-just end to the peace process
-healing of EDSA wounds.

Why, oh, why, would anyone teach the

little children such lies? This seems

nothing but empty rhetoric, again, to me.

Ervyone knows the truth is quite the

opposite from the picture this GMA is

trying to paint.

This year's frivolous celebration meant to

pay homage to GMA's indecency and

moral bancruptcy is the perfect anti-thesis

to the true nationalism that June 12 stands

for.

And then again just the last night, a live

forecast of her Farewell Address, where

she once again ticked off all her

accomplishments unashamedly.

Economic and political analysts have

given her a pasang-awa mark despite

GMA's self-rating of 10 out of 10. They

pointedly mentiones that GMA left out

some details in this last report such as the

numerous scandals (fortunately for us,

not the sex scandal-types, because that

would just be too much for my delicate

senses already worn to bits) that has

rocked her nine-year presidency.


The true measure of the economic and

political growth should and could only be

confirmed by the poorest of the poor who

continue to languish in the bottom of the

pits.

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The Tale of the Koala Bear

Mr. Koala Bear has captured our attention these past few days. Anyone who gives a damn about the recent elections has Mr. Koala Bear’s attention. I hate to say, “I told you so” but I think that this is what this blog’s gist will be.
After the drunken stupor brought about by a very strong dose of automated elections comes the sick hangover when all you want to do is belch out the nasty stuff and regain your senses. In our country’s case, out comes the nasty stuff but with no regaining of senses in sight. People who immediately after the automated elections and a few hours into the canvassing voluntarily began eating their humble pie might now as well be choking on that. And there are those, like Prospero Pichay and PPCRV chair Henrietta De Villa, who despite glaring accoutns of cheating or “machine malfunctions”, continue to beat the broken gong of “credible and successful”elections.
True, machines can’t be cheated, De Villa said, but it can be programmed to cheat. It is still programmed by a human, after all, to do its bidding. A machine doesn’t have a mind of its own but a paid programmer does.
And here is Prospero Pichay saying that cheating was not rampant because the results were consistent with the surveys. Since when are surveys the basis of the correctness and validity of elections results, may I ask? Pichay is issuing this statement, unwittingly confirmed that cheating indeed happen, with only a slight disclaimer, that it’s not that “rampant.” Are we supposed to be assured by that?
If I remember correctly, one reason that proponents of the AES pushed for it despite the clear lack of sufficient time to prepare, is to “combat” the all too well known secret of dagdag-bawas. But in the aftermath of the highly celebrated, over-hyped automated elections, Mr. Koala Bear stepped out of the woodworks to expose the evil that is “electronic garci”.
Some quarters dismiss him as nothing but an uncomfortable bump on the road. He has, after all, chosen to come out of the television via a personal video, wearing a mask, thus the koala bear resemblance. But I cannot blame him. Knowing how hotly contested elections are in this country, it would be ill-advised to expose oneself completely to the force majeure in politics without a clear backing of a person or group that is equally powerful and persuasive.
Of course, the “mother-of-all-tapes” whistleblower, whatever was his name, died quietly just recently. The scandal that followed his exposure only slightly denting the political train run by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. What about Jun Lozada, the NBN-ZTE whistleblower? If not for the unwavering support of a religious congregation, where would he be know? Probably in self-exile abroad just to escape from the deathly talons of FG Mike Arroyo himself.
Whistleblowers, like Mr. Koala Bear, especially in politics, should always be given the benefit of the doubt. Assume that their statements are true, unless proven otherwise. It should be up to an investigating body, whether the Senate or the Lower House, or whomever given the task, to determine the truthfulness of their accounts. Considering historically, our country is a country run generally by pack of public thieves.

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Yellow Fever

A week after the first “fully automated” election in the country, there is a great chance that Noynoy would be the President. But why am I not at peace at that? Raul

Pangalangan, in his May 14 column in the Inquirer, reminded me why. He cited seven reasons why we should be cautious instead of catharthic. Pangalangan concentrated on the technical side of things which involve a “vindicated” COMELEC and Smartmatic-TIM. However, my reasons go beyond that.

I am an EDSA DOS baby. An activist whose political consiousness was awakened by Erap’s not-so subtle travesty of the presidency. Clearly, I would not want a deposed president, convicted of plunder charges, pardoned by a fake president to return to power. It just doesn’t make sense.

But Noynoy’s presidency would make littler sense, because clearly, the man is run by many advisers. Ergo, his presidency will be the presidency of his advisers. Which, by the way, he could not even unite.

The Noy-Mar tandem has been effectively counter-acted, as of the lastest poll counts, by the Noy-Bi tandem. Notice the difference? These two groups are united for Noynoy, but have a different choice for his vice-president. Personal (personal is also political) gains at stake must be behind this discrepancy. Why, even the angelic-faced Mikee C. Jaworski is involved in this devious plan.

But one thing is sure. Noynoy’s presidency will not be a presidency for the people and of the people. For how can a big landlord supported by big businesses embody an electorate composed mainly of farmers and the urban poor.

His integrity has already been put into question when he allegedly lobby for the Subic-Clark Express to pass through Hacienda Luisita, thus the Subic-Clark-TARLAC Express (SCTEX). They, Noynoy and his clan, gained millions of pesos from taxpayers money used to construct this passage.

I could also never forget the 2004 (or was it 2005?) Hacienda Luisita Massacre. He has downplayed this event and even hinted that “outside elements” were to blame why the bloody dispersal happened. He simply could not understand then and now why their own farmhands would revolt againts them. “Isn’t P9 a day enough for them?” he probably thought. And when he promised to distribute Hacienda Luisita’s land to the farmers after he is elected president is a lot of bull. That is a plain electoral promise uttered only to diffuse the heat and gain “pogi” points. Add to this the fact that the Cojuanco head of the corporation has denied ANY intent to distribute the hacienda any time soon, in a recent interview with an intenational publication. How’s that for honesty?

Noynoy does not represent the genuine change the people are looking for. Rather he is proof that the bourgeiosie is still taking the reins in this country. All this is making me rather feverish.

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15 minute Critique

Fame usually is a twin association of fortune. If one is famous, one would also be, inevitably, as if a natural consequent, rich. This would explain the proliferation of variously themed reality shows which would provide a “normal Juan or Maria” is 15 minutes of fame, which SHOULD be followed by fortune. I remember Direk Jose Reyes in a Pinoy Dream Academy scolding a PDA scholar, “Akala mo paglabas mo dito, pagkakaguluhan ka na ng tao,sikat ka na?” Well, he as a point there, afterall a short uneventful stint on TV is hardly any guarantee that showbiz will come knocking on your door, presenting you with limitless raket opportunities.

However, an unusual achievement or life-long passion with a flair for the dramatic might catch the eye of the media. The weirder, the better. Or worse, the gorier, the better. Remember a cinematic history which had an era of dramatizing the chop-chop ladies and rape victims. But worse, is the “demand” for the life stories of convicted killers, like Baby Ama, Crisologo and the like. The films which only serve to glorify these anti-social beings cannot but send a mixed message. Is it bad to kill people, burn down houses and rape women, or is it cool to be able to do such things in defiance of social norms?

As John Herzfeld’s 15 minutes sought to explore, the media is a very powerful tool. In a time when almost everything is judged according to one’s projected image, the media, indeed, is crucial.

15 minutes opens in a long queue for people entering the United States. It shows two men, Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov) , talking to a US officer. Oleg explains that he is “here for movies.” True enough, he ended up robbing a video equipment store in broad daylight just to get himself a nice video camera that can “document their trip.”

Things start to fall apart for the two when they found out that their share in a bank stick-up they got busted for has already been spent by another partner in crime. Oleg ended up documenting how Emil lost his temper and ended up killing their third partner and his wife.

Enter our main protagonists, Eddie Fleming (Robert de Niro) and Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns), a famed detective and a fire marshall respectively. Eddie is a seasoned detective who is well-loved by the community and the media, while Jordy is an experienced fire marshall who seems adverse to media. They develop a close relationship while solving a case they share, third partner and wife were killed then set on fire.

Meanwhile, Oleg and Emil, imbibing American culture, have thought of a new way to raise money anew and be famous too. They have decided to “document” Emil killing a famous person, and selling its rights to the media. But not until they have tied up some lose ends, such as the witness (very beautiful Vera Farmiga playing Daphne Handlova)totheir previous crime.

15 minutes is far from the usual detective story. It injects humor in it via Oleg’s character, a film buff , slightly dull criminal with a soft spot for women (they got caught in the bank job because he was hitting on a teller). Until his very last breath, he never forgot to capture it on video.

Such is the convoluted plot of 15 minutes based on a very simple premise, the power of media. Despite its tongue-in-cheek humor, 15 minutes is a sharp critique on how the media can be tool for deceiving people rather than a speaker of truths. And this, all for the glory of scoops, exclusivity, high ratings and profit.

This, incidentally, reminds me of philippine politics. How everyone seems to joust for a 15 minute TV spot or something. How people play-up their images as packaged by “image consultants”. A covert mudslinging right hand while the left hand remains clean for the public to see.

Barely 2 weeks until the final say-so, the circus has indeed come into town.

Let 15 minutes remind us that nothing is ever what it seems. The truth can be as elusive as the river eel for the untrained and dispassionate about it.

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PAGKAMATAY: salin ng Dying ni Alice Walker

I have been vocal of my fascination with Alice Walker. This is a Pilipino translation of her poem Dying which she wrote for “those who with our taxes die from torture.” I, in turn, dedicate this to the Morong 43 who continue to be detained by the AFP despite glaring evidences of lapses in procedure and sheer inconsistencies of the bases of arrest.

Pagkamatay

Para sa mga namamatay sa tortyur gamit ang ating mga buwis

Paano nga ba

Ang mamatay?

Tulad ba ito ng

Paglubog sa

Isang batya

Ng mainit na gatas?

Tulad ba ito

Ng hubo’t hubad

Na pagbibilad

Sa Araw

Sa mga unang

Nakakapasong

Araw

Ng Tag-init

Matapos ang

Isang Taglamig

Sa nagpangatal

Sa iyong

Mga ngipin?

Ang mamatay

Sa tingin ko

Ay maaring

Tulad niyon.

Higit sa lahat,

Sa iyo

Ito.

Isang

Ligtas

Na lugar.

Maaaring

Kinokuryente

Nila ang

Iyong

Mga daliri

Sa paa

Sa panahong iyon

O

Binubunot

Ang

Mga kuko mo

O

Pinahihinto

Ang

Tibok ng

Nahihintakutan

Mong puso

Sa iba pang

Mapanlikhang

Paraan.

Ngunit

Sa pagkamatay

Matatakasan

Mo

Sila

Patungo

Sa

Kapayapaan.

Hinding-hindi

Nila

Malalaman

Ang

Bagay

Na

Tanging iyo

Lamang.

Sa iyo

Lamang

Ang pagkamatay.

Katangi-tanging

Nilalang;

Anuman

Ang iyong nagawa.

Lihim mo

Ang pagkamatay.

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