Blue Pencil Chronicles

For all it’s worth it’s practically useless to still babble about an issue that has already dissipated. In the tradition of the Malu Fernandez and Desperate Housewives issue, an act of such nature can only be dubbed as “fanning the flames that had already died.”

But as a discerning journalism student and, hopefully, a future media practitioner, I can’t help but reflect and assess the situation which has been devoted much media attention. I tried not to talk about it extensively when the issue was at its peak because the apparent bias will be, well, very apparent on me. In fact, I burst out in anger and frustration the moment I learned about it and made a blog entry that can possibly be labeled seditious if anyone attempts to file a case against me.

And so now that somehow the anger isn’t there anymore (or at least has decreased in intensity), I can now clearly give my two cents’ worth about the issue devoid of any bias and prejudices. But then again, as a disclaimer, I’m a Journalism student and, hopefully, a future media practitioner so that pretty much speaks for itself on where I stand on this issue.

Okay, let’s proceed with dissecting this one bit by bit.

(more…)

Last Saturday I attended iBlog Mini: Blogging and the 2010 elections where it was discussed how the blogging community can effectively help in the reportage of the next Presidential election.

The next election (if it is to take place) is a pivotal point in Philippine history as it marks the end of the road for the tyranny of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. That is to say, however, if an election takes place. The threat of Charter Change still looms beneath the shadows of Mickey Mouse and his rodent allies, so be prepared for a No-El scenario.

Reading through the pages of the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Wednesday, I chanced upon a two-page full-spread ad of the Nacionalista Party, sporting images of its viable elected officials juxtaposed with the images of Laurel, Quezon, Marcos and other members of the party who became President of this country. The message is a no-brainer as the ad even sported Manny Villiar’s ever-popular adage which has been used and abused since he ran for the Senate in 2001.

Weeks before, a new President to the Liberal Party was sworn in. With Drilon’s wing recognized as the legitimate party, GMA’s cohorts in LP lost their bid in landing a Presidential candidate. Mar Roxas takes the place of Drilon as Party President and erstwhile official Presidential candidate of LP in 2010.

(more…)

…it is also stupid, STUPID STUPID!!!

What’s the business of the government arresting members of the media for allegedly abetting rebellion during the Manila Peninsula standoff this afternoon?! The government has no RIGHT arresting members of the press for DOING THEIR JOBS.

A GMA News team, including reporter Sandra Aguinaldo and the network’s systems engineer Allan Gutierrez, were seized by police and loaded onto a police bus. Aside from the GMA News team, police also arrested Malaya columnist Ellen Tordesillas.

It was not clear why the Aguinaldo, her crewmen and Tordesillas were being held by police.

Aguinaldo is among reporters who covered the unfolding crisis that began in the morning when Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim walked out of their coup hearing at a Makati regional trial court.

Police did not bind the hands of the reporters unlike those who have earlier arrested.

Authorities earlier loaded some reporters and photojournalists onto a separate police bus after they failed to convince police they are members of media organizations, radio DZBB reported.

From GMANews.TV

Alright, provided some media people went overboard with their coverage (some even went to the point of disobeying orders of the military), it is just inappropriate to go about arresting any random reporter or crew just because our government is paranoid that they could be carrying guns or helping out the personalities involved. Do these people even have a clue how the press operates?! It’s their FREAKING JOB to cover the stand-off! You cannot blame them for being in the middle of the action because THAT’S WHAT THEY’RE HERE FOR, YOU FOOLS!

This is, as many have said, a clear violation of the Freedom of the Press. Provided there was no direct attack on the media, this incident clearly sends a chilling effect and serves as a warning shot for media people who would cover future events such as these. They would begin to ask themselves now if they’re crossing any boundaries even if they’re not. The paranoia has been planted.

I won’t begin talking about the stand-off today because I’m just so freaking frustrated. Not just with the government, but with Trillanes’ camp as well. They shouldn’t have made bold proclamations they couldn’t stand for ’til the end. ‘Nuff said.

[UPDATED to ADD] The curfew isn’t and can never be justified. What is this, an onslaught of Martial Law?! No matter how the government tries to sugarcoat the imposition of a curfew as a means of protecting the public, it will always be interpreted as a means to impose authoritarian rule. What next? Yet another Proclamation? PP1017 and the February 2005 Fort Bonifacio stand-off easily comes to mind. Let’s see what hideous measure this government will come up next.

The whole country is abuzz with news lately, especially that of the recent bombing at the House of Representatives. Again, lives have been claimed and national security has been threatened. The culprits have yet to be identified and the motive behind the bombing remains to be seen.

What’s quite ironic is that we haven’t much recovered from the recent tragedy that has befallen us and yet here’s another one that we didn’t see coming. Of all places, how come the House of Representatives became the target of such a terroristic act? Suddenly nobody feels so safe anywhere, anymore. (more…)

Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 has got to be one of the most exciting seasons yet. A twisted set of housemates, twisted set of rules and a whole lot of twisted set of twists, if you know what I mean.

This is the first season ever that a surprise house guest has been introduced into the Pinoy Big Brother prison house. We all loved how Mariel looked when she got the shock of her life that she was to become one of the housemates. How she knew it all along. How she hyperventilated. How her manager Boy Abunda consoled her. In the end, she accepted the fact and blended with the housemates.

(more…)

Several months ago, the National Press Club commissioned the Neo-Angono Artists Collective to do an 8-foot mural on the topic of Press Freedom. Here’s is their final product:

Click Thumbnail to enlarge

It is a very compelling representation of the past and current state of Press Freedom here in the Philippines, what with freedom fighters Chino Roces, Marcelo del Pilar, Ninoy Aquino, Eugenia Duran-Apostol, Letty Jimenez Magsanoc and several others depicted in the painting.

A unique feature of the mural is the fact that the faces of the people in this man-on-the-street scene are media figures, press freedom icons and presidents of the National Press Club seen mingling with common and unnamed people. They are depicted or cast, not in their usual fighting stance, or projected stereotypically, but in a light and casual manner to suggest that journalists are like everybody else in the streets; that despite the threats to their lives for telling and reporting the truth, the journalists’ passion redounds to the same dream of ordinary citizens who want nothing more than to reap the benefits of transparency, public accountability and good governance, a society free from the clutch of poverty and corruption, and advancing press freedom – ideals which journalists fight for.

A similar distinct feature of the mural is that writers and journalists in various moments of historical juncture are (re)contextualized and reconfigured.

For this reason, it might initially escape belief and comprehension – and even solicit fun – that Joaquin “Chino” Roces is preventing a child (symbol for an emerging imperialist America) from shooting a bird resting on the street signage titled “Kalayaan”;Marcelo del Pilar rummaging through a garbage can for a cigarette stub and being furtively handed a letter by Mariano Ponce under a street sign labeled “La Solidaridad”; Eugenia Apostol smirking on the declaration of Martial Law; Epifanio de los Santos and Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc debating on the hot issues of the day; Antonio Luna, also an NPC hall of famer, being interviewed by journalists covering a rally of protesting journalists; or Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino listening pensively to Dr. Jose Rizal’s point on the issue of abduction and the “desaparecidos.”

From the Neo-Angono Artists Collective Website

(more…)

The country was ablaze with news of an alleged bomb going off at Glorietta 2 in Makati last Friday.

Once again Twitter proves its worth as people started delivering updates real-time. I was in school at that time and so I had no other means of getting updated with what’s happening besides my trust cellphone which receives Twitter updates real-time.

At first they said it was an LPG Tank leak that caused the explosion, then other speculations started rising minutes after.

People said the blast was so huge that it rocked the three floors of Glorietta and shattered the roof. At first I thought that was minor. I thought the roof just cracked or something until I saw these pictures (courtesy of this site):

If you’re guessing that’s a huge gaping hole at the activity center where the roof’s supposed to be, then you’re guessing right. The freaking roof FELL!

I dare say it: If an LPG tank can do that much damage, then we might as well classify these tanks under highly-dangerous materials!

(more…)

The last thing the UP Community needs right now is a thoughtless, hasty generalization. And today, it comes in the form of an editorial cartoon:

Photo taken from Inquirer.net
(The New Oblation: UP’s Culture of Violence)

Sure, some of you will say we deserve it. Some of you will even say it’s true. And fine, I agree with you. Our culture of violence has really defined our university. The endless hazing, frat wars and deaths in UP has risen in gigantic proportions.

(more…)

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s been a video circulating around the web alleging noontime show host Willie Revillame of supposed rigging of a new segment of his show.

Here’s the clip of the video for all of you to see:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTwPvG_x5lE]

The first time I saw the video, I immediately concluded that, yes, there was some form of cheating that happened here. Judging by what happened, it looks like something went wrong and a cover-up took place.

(more…)