deadliest deadline

migration

2006-12-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

i am in the process of migrating to wordpress. my new blog can be found in alcuinpapa.wordpress.com thanks all

the crux of Cruz

2006-11-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

When Avelino Cruz was appointed to the defense portfolio, the office immediately ordered me to do a story on the new defense chief and what he had planned for the department. i no longer remember how i was able to contact him. but a few days later, i was able to sit down with him for the interview. i didn't find him particularly engaging, which should come as no surprise since we had only met, but he was quick with his answers (he is after all, a lawyer). he already had a clear idea of what he wanted to do at the department. most of what he told me that day was exactly what he had set out to do. insulate the military from politics, train and equip the men in the field, and to take a second look at the RSBS. later, during my frequent incursions into the defense beat as a pinch-hitter i ran into him and he asked me what i had been up to for the past few months. i told him i had just gotten married and joked about thinking of asking him to stand as a sponsor. "so why didn't you ask me?" he said. i muttered something like i was lacking time so i wasn't able to ask him. he gave me that half-smile that seemed half-congratulatory and half you-should-have-told-me. funny. i feel strongly for the issues involved in my beats but rarely for the people at the head of these departments. but i felt sorry to see Sec. Cruz go. obviously, he has done a lot and could have done more. i believe the stand he took against people's initiative was one borne out of his own convictions that it was a flawed way to amend the Constitution. the big mistake of some Cabinet members was to blame him for the failure of the people's initiative to get by the Supreme Court. Malacanang after all is a snake pit and the vipers can be unleashed against even one of their own, even one as industrious as Cruz. the situation must have looked untenable to him, so much so as to consider leaving. based on my interviews with people close to Cruz, the President herself was not so much sold on the people's initiative despite what people might think. i find that a little hard to believe but i am not closed to that possibility. he seems upset that Cabinet members are blaming him for the debacle that was the people's initiative. and he did what any cornered animal does, he came out swinging. the squabbling that occured after Cruz left has bells ringing in my mischevous mind. Raul Gonzales was obviously one of Cruz's critics and wanted the people's initiative so badly. just read his body language and in between the lines of his statements. Mike Defensor seems not so much as Cruz's friend as he is an adversary of Gonzales. if Cruz is really as close to GMA as some would want to believe, given Mike's blind loyalty to GMA, and given the theory that GMA was not really hot on the people's initiative, then somehow things are clearer to me. the squabbling had to come to the fore somehow. then there is the opposition's statements inviting Cruz to run under their ticket. i thought that was particuarly funny. Cruz still does not have any recall to win a national elections. i dont even think he is taking that invitation seriously. i am guessing he would return to the practice of law. and what of Cruz's replacement? names like norberto gonzalez, jun ebdane and larry mendoza have been bandied about. sadly, the last two are former generals and the first just isnt good enough to fit into Cruz's shoes. either of the three assuming the defense portfolio will bring the defense department to just about square one.

Retake the exam! Please!

2006-10-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

There must be something severly wrong with our society when the young start thinking of only themselves. Sadly, this seems to me the case in the ongoing controversy over the leakage in the last nursing board exam. Something must be said about the slapdash and incompetent way the Professional Regulation Commission has handled the situation. As early as right after the June board exams. There was already a call for the PRC to hold the results of the exam until the leakage issue is settled. Yet what did the PRC, in all its wisdom, do? It released the results anyway. I suspect this smart move has a two-fold purpos. First, to polarize the students who took the exam into those who want a retake and those who don't. And I must say, the move succeeded to do just that. Second, that the release was meant as a cover-up. Something must also be said about getting to the bottom of the whole mess. Even after the NBI came out with the results of its investigation into the matter, I have yet to see any of the personalities in the controversy hauled to court. Kudos should go to star witness Dennis Bautista and his legal team in their quest to jail the perpetrators of the leakage. Thumbs down to Renato Aquino and his rabid anti-retake group. I had the occassion to ask him if there was anything he and his group were doing to rack up a case against the perpetrators, like convincing students to come out as witnesses. He gave a long winded explanation, including the fact the anti-retake side already had witnesses (actually the only witness they have is Dennis Bautista), but in short, they were doing diddly-squat. Nothing. Finally, something has to be said for the refusal of the Aquino's group to retake the test. Simply put, its the only way to cleanse the test, nursing as a profession. Unfortunately, to say the least, I sense the incapacity of these people to see the forest from the trees. This only indicates to me the selfish depths they have sunk. Talking to them, I get the feeling that all they want is their licenses, to hell with everything else. Sad.

Dan da Man

2006-10-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

I can't say I was particularly close to Dan Campilan, the GMA TV news reporter who died in a vehicular accident last week. But I couldn't shake off the fact that this is the second reporter who wrote "30" in the span of around a month, the last being my good friend Hazel Recheta who perished in the line of duty while covering the eruption of Mt. Mayon. In fact, the last time I saw Dan was at Hazel's funeral. He was occupied with comforting another friend Cecille Lardizabal who was crying copious tears. Later outside the funeral parlor, I managed to bum a cigarette from Dan, sitting with Cecille and Mark Salazar in one corner looking forlorn with their eyes swelling from too much crying. I muttered my thanks and slunk away to smoke that much needed cig and assuage my own grief. I had seen Dan in other coverages and called him "Dan da Man" playfully. He would respond with a kind nod of the head and the killer smile. True, Dan cut a handsome figure. He also struck me as a little shy, like a school boy in a new playground. He was likeable and he took his job seriously. The profession truly needs young and dedicated reporters. Losing them so young while at the peak of their careers makes me worry a little for the profession. So Danny boy, don't worry. We'll see you later in the Great Newsroom in the sky. This time, I'll bring the smokes.

adjustments

2006-08-28T04:02:00.000-07:00

As my wife said in her own blog, it's been more than a week since we have been discharged from the hospital. Now is the real test, I think. No more nurses, no more nursery to take care of the little one. It's all up to us. I will be eternally grateful to my in-laws for taking us in for the meantime. There is nothing like an extra pair of hands and their rich experience in child-rearing. It's a longer drive to Antipolo, but the surroundings are quiet and soothing. It helps calm my oftentimes frantic mind. The superb cooking of my mother-in-law also soothes my hungry tummy. I have to say its been particularly difficult for M. All the sleepless nights compounded by the difficult but healthier decision to breastfeed. Almost overnight, the both of us have turned into "experts" in breastfeeding. Thankfully, little Anton seems to have gotten the hang of it. I must say that I am beginning to be somewhat proficient in putting him to sleep. But I rue the fact that most of the time, I feel a wee bit helpless and I have difficulty getting up early in the morning to try to put Anton to sleep when M. is too tired. I have never admired anyone more than I do my wife now with the difficult job she is undertaking. I cannot imagine other husbands who would leave the difficult job of child-rearing to their wives during the day, and abuse and physically beat them at night. There must be a corner of hell reserved for heartless ogres like them. Now the problem are the various ailments that usually hang around newborns. Nasal congestion, colic crying bouts, body temperatures, etc. Hoepfully, we can stay cool and above all of these. But truly, nothing makes me happier right now than staring at my little one while he is staring at me in return. Hopefully, this indicates to me that we are connecting somehow. For me, he is the repository of everything that is beautiful about this world (and to think there was a time when I didn't find much in this world I can call "beautiful"). And I have never loved M. more than I do now. There are the hardships, but there are the joys. Joys never felt before and that are just completely beyond words. And the good part is, there is more joy to come. What did I do to deserve all of this?

Hazel and Boyet

2006-08-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

Good friends are really hard to find even in a profession like journalism where being personable really counts. I thank my lucky stars I came across such great people like Hazel Recheta and Boyet Aravilla.

The first time I met Hazel, I instantly liked her. I was then covering the PNP in Crame for my old Manila Times paper. I remember I had a quick lunch in Galleria with her and ABS-CBN reporter Gigi Grande. We all instantly bonded, moreso the two gals. We were all from UP, young and eager to make our mark in the journalism world.

I would meet Hazel later in certain coverages. I later found out she got married and had a child. The last time I saw her was a presscon in PCGG last month where with pride, she showed me a picture of her baby girl. She loved her family so much it was infectious.

She was a sweet, friendly, and charming gal and never said a terrible thing about anyone. I’ve always admired people like that. She was full of life and loved to banter about anything. Chika ever, is what I remember calling her once.

And she was dead serious about her job, fleshing out each and every detail of her report. She was a true professional who worked hard and had more substance than some reporters I know.

Words escape me at the moment. I can only wonder how she could ever leave this world at this time. But what God gives, He can also take away.

The blue funk resulting from news of Hazel’s death made me recall the death another friend, Boyet Aravilla of the Star.

Covering the Manila police beat, I also bonded with Boyet since we were the only young men covering the beat at that time. He was a playful bloke, always ready with a witty but piercing retort to the jocular teasing going around all the time in the press room. And he had a quiet, serious side, concerned about his future which certainly included his then girlfriend Karen.

When he and Karen split up, Boyet was never the same. I could literally feel the emptiness inside of him that was carved out when Karen was finally out of his life.

During his wake, I shed no tear, but it was so painful to say goodbye to him. He was about to join our paper, a new beginning that I thought could have been something good for him, something to make him forget and to dull the pain and to forge on. Now I would never know if this would be true. At his side, I told him silently that he could have hung on a little more because things might have turned out good. That he could have stayed awhile longer, because me and our friends needed him. We needed him to remind us that somehow life goes on despite the slings and arrows of our misfortunes. We needed him so we can forget the drudgery of our jobs and the ugliness we saw in this world.

But he went anyway. Maybe the emptiness might have weighed too heavy on him, or maybe it was really his time because he was good and true.

I would give anything to be able to share one more bottle of beer, one more word, one more laugh with Hazel and Boyet. So I can learn from them how to live, and how to love.

clash of the titans

2006-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

i love watching public affairs programs. shows like Imbestigador, XXX, and every show of the Tulfo brothers, where they expose various shades of wrongdoings by government officials through hidden cameras and confront them outright, never fail to get me worked up, and i like getting worked up. they never failt to give me a rise. unfortunately, these shows are an essential part of my couch potato existence. on the other hand, i think it was The Elements of Journalism that said that in the US, hidden cameras are no longer considered ethical. its easy to figure out why. part of the ethics of the profession is to identify yourself as media in getting a story. but i think this should be the subject of another blog entry. anyway, the topic of public affairs program occured to me as i await the next chapter in this town's latest big ticket political bout: the Tulfos vs. Mike Arroyo. like i said, i love public affairs programs. but i believe that media's job is not to straighten out everything that 's crooked about the system. we just write about it. so even if i really dig these kinds of programs, i object to them on a professional level. the sight of any of the Tulfos bulldozing their way into a public official's office for a confrontation, or Raffy letting off a mouthful of expletives to an erring official over the phone, is exhilirating. imagine the powers that be finally getting their comeuppance. but another part of me cringes too. that part is screaming "its not our job to do stuff like that!!" i am also afraid shows like these will only reinforce the image of the journalist as a crusader who will do anything to get his way, damn the rest of the world. alright, maybe hosts of these programs just want to help people. but there's the rub. if the Filipino would cherish more his civic rights and stand up to the powers that be when he is pushed to the wall why would they even need to approach journalists to do the fighting for them? its probably all rooted in our history (indio vs. peninsulares blah blah, but dont take my effin word for it. i didnt get good grades in history hehehe) anyway, being a true child of television, i'll keep watching these shows to get my weekly fix. PS: Mon used to defend FG. what gives is anybody's guess.

12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country

2006-07-31T02:51:00.000-07:00

A spirited discussion in one of the automotive forums i am a member of spurred me to Google Alex Lacson's list. I had actually met the guy when i was in college and he struck me as a nice, easy-going guy. Shy and quiet, he is the type who never says anything bad about anyone. for more details, readers can Google his name and find out the inspiring story of how his book "12 Things You Can Do to Help Our Country" came about.

Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
Don’t buy smuggled goods. Buy Local. Buy Filipino.
When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country.
Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
Support your church.
During elections, do your solemn duty.
Pay your employees well.
Pay your taxes.
Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.

oh and if you can, please pass the list on to your friends. To Alex, may your tribe increase my friend.

SONA and the state of education

2006-07-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

Much has been said by columnists and bloggers about the last SONA and how impossible the President's goal is to fight corruption, set up the "super regions," and build infrastructure. I noted with some frustration, tinged with just about the right hint of righteous indignation, that she said barely anything about education. Only that ladderized education must be continued. But what about basic education? Sadly, the President again has failed (as usual) to see or is glossing over the fact that the education system in the country is in crisis and that to save it, focus must be given to basic education. Let us look at some basic facts. Resource gaps are unfortunately represented by the shortages in classrooms. At daily single shifts with one teacher per 50 students, there is a gap of around 10,000 classrooms. At double shifts, that's still 4000 to 6000 classrooms. There is a lack of teachers, or to qualify, a lack of really good teachers who can teach the subjects they majored in. Teachers are paid only basic wages and have to make do to survive in light of rising consumer prices. Yet the output expected of them, when they have to teach something like 50 to 100 students in a class in the worse conditions, is so high. On the average, students’ mastery levels of even the most basic subjects like English, Math and Science is wanting. They average near the 50 percent level when mastery level is at 75 percent.

The education budget, which the Constitution mandates should be the biggest, is only at P119 billion in the last national budget that has yet to be passed. Around 80 percent of this amount is already spent to pay the salaries of around half a million teachers. While an improvement over the last amount given to the education department (P112 billion), this amount is not enough to turn things around. Just to cope with the increase in population, the system needs more than P120 billion. To achieve any real significant improvement, the budget has to be so much more.

It was also frustrating to note that even if she had already had her cabal of local executives inside the Batasan during her SONA, she said nothing to push them to invest and focus on education. Nothing for them to eschew the usual PR picture-taking of dear Mr. Mayor giving out school supplies to school children and instead to put their thinking caps on (if they have one) to figure out how to improve the performance of their schools.

Infrastructure and fighting corruption is all and good. But for the country to move forward, there must be a serious and focused program to close the resource gaps in education and improve the performance of the students or the problems plaguing the sector will never ever go away.

More than building infrastructure (and spreading the largesse around in the process), the country must first develop its most valuable asset, human resources, or else this country will never budge an inch. It’s ironic that the President, who once taught in college, failed to see what is literally in front of her perky little nose. Or is it she isn’t tall enough?

fake idealism?

2006-07-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

While clearing my office email inbox, i stumbled across this email from the young Magdalo soldiers. Three of the undersigned have already been captured from a safehouse in Fairview while San Juan had already apologized and "returned to the fold." In fulfillment of our sworn duty January 19, 2006 We have bolted from the repression of a bogus regime. We will no longer go along with the repression that this regime has to impose in order to continue its illegitimate rule. It is a repression that continues to prevent the members of the armed forces from, and even punishes them for, carrying out their sworn duty: to defend the Filipino people. Our oath is clear: Our place is with our people; the people's will is sovereign. All our actions in the performance of our duties must demonstrate this bias in all instances. Those who insist on the neutrality of the military, and who now occupy the positions of power, are those who would rather that we stay silent, betray our oath, and in effect even help them perpetuate their own selfish interests. They are the enemies of the people. We refuse to be their pawns. The people's mandate is clear: Corruption, illegitimacy and neglect must end. Therefore, we do not merely seek a change in personalities. We seek the change of a system that installs the people's enemies in power and perpetuates the exclusion of the majority. We seek the change of a system that reduces the people to being mere spectators, and a change in the kind of politics that lulls the masses into inaction and acquiescence with noise; petty quarrels, distracting issues and cosmetic reforms. We are not alone in this struggle. Most of the armed forces are still loyal to their oath and are one with us in our vision. We make up the New AFP. And we join our fellow Filipinos who now refuse to be cowed. We are a force that grows stronger by the day, working in solidarity to usher a new nation where the people's interests are truly supreme. The imperative is on all of us. The time to act is now. Capt. Nathaniel Rabonza 1st Lt. Lawrence San Juan 1st Lt. Patricio Bumidang 1st Lt. Sonny Sarmiento

armed journalism

2006-06-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

I am neither averse nor intimated by guns. The fact is, I once owned a firearm. It was a gift from my father. Well sort of. Actually, he wanted to buy a new gun, so he gave me his old one, a 9mm pistol. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was a “gun” kind of a person. With my quick temper, I was afraid that one day, I would do some real harm if I continued to keep my firearm. So I sold it to a policeman (my father never got wind of this). The only good thing that came out of that experience is that it trained me to use a firearm in the event that the need arises, which I think is actually a very remote possibility right now. At least I learned something, no matter how insignificant. I'm being defensive here (harhar). By the way, I bought a motorcycle from the proceeds of the gun. My friends tell me I merely exchanged one dangerous thing for another. At least riding a big bike has less to do with machismo (okay okay, I hear howls of protests here) than with plainly indulging my need for speed. Frankly, I am not amused at all by pronouncements by journalists that they should be allowed to arm themselves. And I am shocked that the government would even suggest that arming journalists is one way for the killings of mediamen to stop. The fact of the matter is that most journalists are already armed. Also, nothing, not even the fact that you do have a firearm with you, will discourage any assassin intent on finishing you off. In my dealings with people who carry and brandish firearms, I also realized that the gun is nothing more than a symbol of machismo to the extreme, a throw back to the Wild Wild West where men lived and died by the gun. But is this the type of society we are living in now? Wild west? Nope. Machismo abounding, yes. Case closed, sell the gun. It’s a role-playing fantasy world shaped for us by Hollywood, where good guys (like us) battle away at our perceived attackers by diving on the ground under a hale of bullets and dirt. Time to wake up. It might be part of an age-old male phallic fascination with the firearm. You know, something long and shiny that spits out…well, something. (hehe) Better to have a gun when you need don’t need it than have no gun when you need it? Balderdash, if you ask me. Looking back now, I don’t think I have heard anything more stupid than that. But anyway, I think the best armor and the best deterrent for a journalist from an attack on his or her life is the ethical and professional practice of the profession. Obviously, once a journalist oversteps the thin line of good journalism and a personal and malicious attack on a person, then there is a possibility that there will be threats. Yes, a journalist is always faced with the possibility of doing a story that will tick someone off. But truthfully, its just a matter of getting the other guy's side on the matter. If that's the case, what is there to fear? In my view, absolutely nothing. Maybe the question is best answered by journalists who advocate arming themselves. I don't think I have heard any of them say "we just want to learn to use guns." Its really all "because there is a threat." Oh please. I remembered I was giving a career talk to a private school once and one of the students ask me if I carried a gun. It came to me that this was a common question that people ask me. Its sad that people have this image of the Filipino journalist as a pistol-packing hombre. Its just not right. Okay, I learned to use a gun. But do I have to hone my so-called "skills" any further with visits to the firing range? No thanks and no more. There are more productive ways to while away your time and money. Like riding my big bike, or reading good books, or learning to cook nilagang baka...or something like that.

to my son

2006-06-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

To my beautiful Anton, When I first learned you were coming into my life, I was so happy. I cried and prayed to God to thank Him for giving you to me. I was afraid a little that I would not be able to provide for you adequately. But please understand that this is normal for men who are expecting the birth of their children. Please be reassured that Daddy will give you everything you need and will try his best to give you everything you want. Daddy and Mommy had a hard life growing up. I made a promise to myself to give you a better life for you Anton, better than my own. Sometimes, I fear for you, my dearest child. I fear I am bringing you into a world full of evil, greed, and hate. When you come out, I know you will see a lot of ugly things. But fear not, Daddy will do his best to keep you from these things so you can grow up to be a very good boy. Daddy wants you to be strong emotionally, yet still sensitive. I hope I can teach you to be independent, but still close to family. I want you to appreciate what you have and not focus on what you don’t or can’t have. I want to teach you that hard work and a good education will take you somewhere. I want to teach you about the consequences of your actions, and let you make you own choices. Everyday, Daddy and Mommy try to make a world a better place to live in for you, even in our own small little way. It’s been tough, I don’t even know if we make any difference at all. But I don’t mind. I hope that when you grow older, you too will try to make the world a better place, for yourself or your love ones. I assure you, it makes for a life really worth living. Everyday, I say a quiet prayer for your safety and health. I promised God that if He delivers you to me safely, I will do my best to raise you the way He would have wanted to and to always thank Him for all our blessings. One day, you will probably fly away from your Mommy and Daddy. If this happens, I want you to know that Daddy and Mommy will always be there for you if you need us. One day, I know you will be old enough to read this. Do you know that as I write this, you are still inside Mommy’s tummy? This early, I want you to know that Mommy and Daddy love you very very much. Alcuin

missed education

2006-06-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

I haven’t been able to blog because of all the work that came my way. So my entry on the education problem in the country is actually a couple of weeks late. Better late than never. It is sad that media focuses on the problems of education only when school starts. But such is the nature of news and news organizations, they will only go with what is hot at any particular point in time. I for one would love see a constant coverage of education by media, in the same way that politics which actually has a smaller effect on the everyday life of Juan dela Cruz, has a stranglehold on headlines. Doing our special report on the problems of education and covering the education beat has opened my eyes to the various issues involved. These are some of the solutions I encountered that to my view makes a lot of sense. Increase spending – for the past few years, there has been a woeful underinvestment in education. The education budget for this year is a small increase, hardly 10 percent, from last year. If we want the budget to catch up with the shortages in resources, the budget should be at least twice that amount. Unfortunately, education does not seem to be a priority of this administration or those in the past. Increasing the spending for education will solve most of the problems of the system like lack of classrooms, teachers, etc. Rationalize the bureaucracy and decentralize – the Deped has the largest chunk of the bureaucracy. So the budget it gets is swallowed up just for salaries of around half a million teachers. But division superintendents and principals must be allowed some leeway to run their areas of jurisdiction without any encumbrance from the central office. There are a lot of creative people on these levels that have great ideas on how to run schools, especially with limited resources. We must allow them to do just that. Officials who cannot cope shouldn’t even be at their positions and must be replaced. Insulate the system from politics - there is already a roadmap for reforms in education. but there is a need for continuity. we cannot expect anything from a department secretary that stays for less than two years. Deped higher echelon must function as a team, as it did before. the secretary must be allowed to choose his team. i think its also a good way to keep corruption at bay. Involve local governments – from my point of view, local governments are involved but only up to distribution of freebies, like school supplies, uniforms, etc. After all, its makes for great photo opportunities. But what most officials do not realize is that it is not just a matter of throwing resources at their local school systems. They must also make their teachers accountable for the performance of their students. Continue lending support to their public schools with free school supplies, etc but tell the teachers that they must improved the performance scores of their students, or the freebies stop. Throw in a reduction of the teachers salaries (they get allowances after all) and things might happen. Involve the community – a teacher in Makati told me that most parents don’t care how well their children do in school. How a parent thinks this way is completely beyond me. Maybe they do not see that education is the path for a better life for their children at least. There should be a campaign to keep the children in school. Once the children stay in school, the system will also have to make sure the child studies in a comfortable environment conducive to learning. Focus on the teacher – the teacher is the key to it all. They are worth tons of reading materials. They are paid so low yet the output expected of them is so high. Closing the resource gaps will reduce class sizes so that they become more manageable. Teachers must be given more training and more incentive. Support initiatives from the private sector – this should also include the GASTPE program that buys seats in private schools for public school students. The recent outbursts at the president directed at Fe Hidalgo will do little to help the education sector directly. On the other hand, it has made the public more aware of the problem, if only for now. Government must get its priorities right in education. Otherwise, its all matter of making shortages disappear as if by magic. A few slight-of-hand tricks will never make the problem go away.

forever Everest

2006-04-03T02:53:00.000-07:00

If all goes well, this would be a good year for Filipino mountaineers. Romy Garduce is at the Mt. Everest Base Camp and is just about to launch his attempt to conquer the highest mountain in the world. Hot on his trail are members of the first-ever Philippine Everest team. and unfortunately, watching over them are GMA-7 and ABS-CBN, who have taken their network war to the Tibetan mountains in support of the two groups. unfortunately too, i feel myself torn between cheering for the two groups. Garduch was ahead of me by one batch at the UP Mountaineers. He struck me as an amiable guy, very friendly. and that counted a lot when we were up there trekking in the forests and peaks during my mountaineering days. on the other hand, Choy Aquino and my batchmate Levy are part of the Phil Everest team. Choy was a loud but funny guy who never failed to make the people in the UPM tambayan roll over with his antics. Levi was quiet, soft spoken but ready with his wide smile. i would have thought i should be happy that a Filipino, or a Filipino team, and members of UPM no less!!!, would scale Everest and bring some glory to our country. but the thought of these guys up there but on different teams is, i find, a little unsettling. why in the world didn't they just combine their efforts? but such are mountaineers, i guess. they never back down from a challenge, not even from Everest. if it's there, they (we?) just have to climb it. they will go at it, whether solo or in a group. they just have to be up there. admittedly, my cheer will go to Garduce. after all, this guy has conquered most of the peaks considered as test climbs before Everest, including Aconcagua and Cho-oyu. The Philippine team unfortunately has some ground to cover. but whoever is first, i hope a Philippine flag on Everest's summit will unite us all. of course, i expect politicians will jump all over this when the summit is conquered by a Filipino. such is life. but whatever happens, the local mountaineering community and mountaineers past (like me) and present will celebrate. to hell with these politicians!! I hope and pray that the networks don't jump all over this too much. to goad the two groups as if in a race is dangerous and could risk the lives of the climbers. thankfully, these are some of the smartest climbers i know. and i can think of only a couple of things that will prevent their date with the rooftop of the world: bad weather and lack of preparation and training. PS: maybe its time for me to get into shape for the UPM anniv :)

GMA Kapuso

2006-03-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to view news reports on GMA's interview with Mike Enriquez over DZBB and i found myself agreeing with her thoughts on responsible journalism. But when the talk ventured into the difference between responsible and "seditious" journalism, my mind put on its "BS" brakes (whatthefeff!) i wont go anymore into a diatribe on the supposed difference between responsible and "seditious" journalism because there really is no conflict there. its more like comparing apples and orranges. responsible journalism is just that, its neither seditious or "unseditious," much like the fact that there is no "good" news or "bad" news. its all how we take the news. and of course, who is the President, or anybody in government for that matter, to judge what is responsible and what is seditious? its the public who will be the judge of that. media is the public's watchdog of government. for government to start complaining, railing and ranting about how supposedly "unfair" media is and actually start doing something about it like harrassing and muzzling media, is dangerous to press freedom. sure, media has its own problems like ethics, etc. but that is for media to resolve, and its being resolved. if a media entity is unable to do just this, it will have to be answerable to the market. if government has problems with how media conducts itself, then it should take a long hard look at the policies it is implementing, rather than shoot the messenger. if government thinks media is beginning to buck too much like a wild horse, it should realize that media is also searching for answers to the more essential problems plaguing our country today. two words here: Hello Garci! media is bucking because the government is being fudgy. anyway, the topic of the DZBB-GMA thing came up during a recent meeting with Carlos Conde and Vergel Santos, whose book I am enjoying immensely at present, at a recent forum. We agreed that Enriquez should have been more circumspect about how to respond to GMA's diatribe against GMA-7's rival ABS-CBN. I posited that Mikey-baby should have answered "Ma'am, di lang po kami ang responsible. ABS din naman ha, pati na rin Inquirer, ABC-5, PCIJ, etc." Mr. Santos said Mike E. could have come up smelling like roses then to the whole of media. i understand if it was difficult to slip anything in, knowing how GMA or any agressive source for that matter, can bulldooze you into a corner with her arguments to the point of submission. but i felt Mike could have slipped one in, like a Pacquiao punch coming out of nowhere. broadcasters can be so good at that. it was also classic Sun Tzu, divide and conquer. and i agree with Ma'am Chuchay, pitting one network over the other demeans the office of the presidency. of course, i didn't expect GMA would carry herself in the highest standards that the office demands, as we have all already seen. my point is, it was an occassion for Mike to defend the whole of Philippine media now that it is under attack from the Palace. And to show her that media is standing united, that its now no longer about rivalries, ratings and circulation. its about press freedom and the media's role. right there are then, Mike got muzzled by the President sitting right in front of him. she didn't even have to touch him. talagang naloko na!

The Top 100 Journalism Works

2006-03-12T23:49:00.000-08:00

in case i lose the list. i forgot who came up with it. 1. John Hersey -- "Hiroshima" Publisher -- New Yorker 2. Rachel Carson -- "Silent Spring" Publisher -- Book 3. Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein Title or subject -- Investigation of the Watergate break in Publisher -- Washington Post 4. Edward R. Murrow Title or subject -- Battle of Britain Publisher -- CBS radio 5. Ida Tarbell Title or subject -- "The History of the Standard Oil Company" Publisher -- McClure's magazine 6. Lincoln Steffens Title or subject -- "The Shame of the Cities" Publisher -- McClure's 7. John Reed Title or subject -- "Ten Days That Shook the World" Publisher -- Book 8. H. L. Mencken Title or subject -- Scopes "monkey" trial Publisher -- Baltimore Sun 9. Ernie Pyle Title or subject -- Reports from Europe and the Pacific during World War II Publisher -- Scripps-Howard newspapers 10. Edward R. Murrow, Fred Friendly Title or subject -- Investigation of Sen. Joseph McCarthy Publisher -- CBS (pg. C1) 11. Edward R. Murrow, David Lowe and Fred Friendly. CBS Reports television documentary "Harvest of Shame." 1960 12. Seymour Hersh. Investigation of massacre committed by American soldiers at My Lai in Vietnam. For Dispatch News Service. 1969 13. The New York Times. Publication of the Pentagon Papers. 1971 14. James Agee and Walker Evans. "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." Book. 1941 15. W. E. B. DuBois. "The Souls of Black Folk." Collected articles. 1903 16. I. F. Stone. I.F. Stone's Weekly. 1953-67 17. Henry Hampton. "Eyes on the Prize." Documentary. 1987 18. Tom Wolfe. "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." Book. 1968 19. Norman Mailer. "The Armies of the Night." Book. 1968 20. Hannah Arendt. "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil." Collected articles. 1963 21. William Shirer. "Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1939-1941." Collected articles. 1941 22. Truman Capote. "In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences." Book. 1965 23. Joan Didion. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem." Collected articles. 1968 24. Tom Wolfe. "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." Collected articles. 1965 25. Michael Herr. "Dispatches." Book. 1977 26. Theodore White. "The Making of the President: 1960." Book. 1961 27. Robert Capa. Ten photographs from D-Day. 1944 28. J. Anthony Lukas. "Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families." Book. 1985 29. Richard Harding Davis. Coverage of German march into Belgium. For the Wheeler Syndicate and magazines. 1914 30. Dorothy Thompson. Reports on the rise of Hitler in Cosmopolitan and Saturday Evening Post. 1931-34 31. John Steinbeck. Reports on Okie migrant camp life for The San Francisco News. 1936 32. A. J. Liebling. "The Road Back to Paris." Collected articles. 1944 33. Ernest Hemingway. Reports on the Spanish Civil War in The New Republic. 1937-38 34. Martha Gellhorn. "The Face of War." Collected articles. 1959 35. James Baldwin. "The Fire Next Time." Book. 1963 36. Joseph Mitchell. "Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories." Collection of much older articles. 1992 37. Betty Friedan. "The Feminine Mystique." Book. 1963 38. Ralph Nader. "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile." Book. 1965 39. Herblock (Herbert Block). Cartoons on "McCarthyism." In The Washington Post. 1950 40. James Baldwin. "Letter from the South: Nobody Knows My Name." In The Partisan Review. 1959 41. Huynh Cong Ut. Photograph of a burning girl running from a napalm attack. For The Associated Press. 1972 42. Pauline Kael. "Trash, Art, and the Movies." In Harper's. 1969 43. Gay Talese. "Fame and Obscurity: Portraits by Gay Talese." Collected articles. 1970 44. Randy Shilts. Reports on AIDS for The San Francisco Chronicle. 1981-85 45. Janet Flanner (Genet). "Paris Journals" chronicling Paris's emergence from the Occupation. In The New Yorker. 1944-45 46. Neil Sheehan. "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam." Book. 1988 47. A. J. Liebling. "The Wayward Pressman." Collected articles. 1947 48. Tom Wolfe. "The Right Stuff." Book. 1979 49. Murray Kempton. "America Comes of Middle Age: Columns 1950-1962." Collected articles. 1963 50. Murray Kempton. "Part of Our Time: Some Ruins and Monuments of the Thirties." Book. 1955 51. Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. "America: What Went Wrong?" Series in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1991 52. Taylor Branch. "Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63." Book. 1988 53. Harrison Salisbury. Reporting from the Soviet Union for The New York Times. 1949- 54. John McPhee. "The John McPhee Reader." Collected articles. 1976 55. ABC. Live television broadcast of Army-McCarthy hearings. 1954 56. Frederick Wiseman. "Titicut Follies." Documentary. 1967 57. David Remnick. "Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire." Book. 1993 58. Richard Ben Cramer. "What It Takes: The Way to the White House." Book. 1992 59. Jonathan Schell. "The Fate of the Earth." Book. 1982 60. Russell Baker. "Francs and Beans." In The New York Times. 1975 61. Homer Bigart. Account of being over Japan in a bomber when World War II came to an end. In The New York Herald-Tribune. 1945 62. Ben Hecht. "1,001 Afternoons in Chicago." Collected articles. 1922 63. Walter Cronkite. CBS television documentary on Vietnam. 1968 64. Walter Lippmann. Early essays for The New Republic. 1914 65. Margaret Bourke-White. Photographs following the defeat of Germany. For Life magazine. 1945 66. Lillian Ross. "Reporting." Collected articles. 1964 67. Nicholas Lemann. "The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America." Book. 1991 68. Joe Rosenthal. Photograph of Marines raising an American flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. For The Associated Press. 1945 69. Hodding Carter Jr. "Go for Broke." Editorial in Carter's Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, Miss.). 1945 70. The New Yorker. "The New Yorker Book of War Pieces." Collected articles. 1947 71. Meyer Berger. Report on the murderer Howard Unruh. In The New York Times. 1949 72. Norman Mailer. "The Executioner's Song." Book. 1979 73. Robert Capa. Spanish Civil War photos for Life. 1936 74. Susan Sontag. Notes on 'Camp. In The Partisan Review. 1964 75. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. "All the President's Men." Book. 1974 76. John Hersey. "Here To Stay." Collected articles. 1963 77. A. J. Liebling. "The Earl of Louisiana." Book. 1961 78. Mike Davis. "City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles." Book. 1990 79. Melissa Fay Greene. "Praying for Sheetrock." Book. 1991 80. J. Anthony Lukas. "The Two Worlds of Linda Fitzpatrick." In The New York Times. 1967 81. Herbert Bayard Swope. "Klan Exposed." In The New York World. 1921 82. William Allen White. "To an Anxious Friend." In The Emporia (Kan.) Gazette. 1922 83. Edward R. Murrow. Report of the liberation of Buchenwald for CBS radio. 1945 84. Joseph Mitchell. "McSorley's Wonderful Saloon." Collected articles. 1943 85. Lillian Ross. "Picture." Book. 1952 86. Earl Brown. Series of articles on race for Harper's and Life magazines. 1942-44 87. Greil Marcus. "Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music." Book. 1975 88. Morley Safer. Report for CBS television on atrocities committed by American soldiers on the hamlet of Cam Ne in Vietnam. 1965 89. Ted Poston. Coverage of the "Little Scottsboro" trial. In The New York Post. 1949 90. Leon Dash. "Rosa Lee's Story." Series in The Washington Post. 1994 91. Jane Kramer. "Europeans." Collected articles. 1988 92. Eddie Adams and Vo Suu. Associated Press photograph and NBC television footage of a Saigon execution. 1968 93. Grantland Rice. "Notre Dame's 'Four Horsemen'." In The New York Herald-Tribune. 1924 94. Jane Kramer. "The Politics of Memory: Looking for Germany in the New Germany." Collected articles. 1996 95. Frank McCourt. "Angela's Ashes." Book. 1996 96. Vincent Sheean. "Personal History." Book. 1935 97. W. E. B. DuBois. Columns on race during his tenure as editor of The Crisis. 1910-34 98. Damon Runyon. Crime reporting in The New York American. 1926 99. Joe McGinniss. "The Selling of the President 1968." Book. 1969 100. Hunter S. Thompson. "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." Book. 1973

restiveness in the ranks

2006-03-11T00:27:00.000-08:00

our exclusive story today on what really happened to the "coup" last Feb. 23 seems to me the closest narration of what really happened. it was actually a plan to withdraw support for the GMA government. but whether or not it was just simply that, it is still unclear. for example, i am convinced that Gen. Lim and Col. Querubin went to see Gen. Senga and managed to convince him to withdraw support for the government. i am not convinced though that service commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force knew about the plan. It is said Gen. Esperon was supposed to have changed his mind, which later led to the whole plan being aborted. Note here that Esperon was one of the four generals mentioned by Garci. If the plan did push through, i dont know what i would feel when i see him actually withdrawing support for GMA. I also know that Esperon himself is entertaining thoughts of becoming Chief of Staff. for all i know, he was just choosing the horse he would be betting on carefully. Speaking about Esperon, he seems to be conspicuously active in appearing before media in the past few days. He broke the story of the supposed alliance between the Reds and other soldiers. He also broke the story on other soldiers under investigation. The question begs: where is Senga and why has he been a little more quiet for comfort? Also, I am not buying the whole spin on the alliance between the Reds and Magdalo. as a reporter covering the defense beat for awhile, i would think idealistic soldiers would never enter an agreement with their enemy no matter how desperate the situation has become. I heard Commodore Robles today say as long as there is corruption in the military, the soldiers in the barracks will always be restive. I agree, the issue is not merely the involvement of generals in election fraud. that is just the start of it all, a drop in the bucket. the military leadership must address this, but also corruption in the military. or else, the military will forever be afraid of its own shadow.

middle class blah

2006-03-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

i just finished going over the site of this guy who wrote one of the open letters expressing disgust for Cory, the opposition, media, etc...and i was just about to ready to throw up! i hope the middle class has not made it a habit to blame the messenger, rather than focusing on the message, so to speak. Why blame them when it should be the Palace we should be blaming? beats me. is that how mindless the middle class has become? they don't agree with Cory, et al.? then its time for them to stand up and be counted! rather than cower in their comfortable shadows. and no, i dont think the rest of the public will forget the sins of Cory, et al. however, i respect the right of this guy (as well as those who think just like him) to say what he said.

middle class angst, democracy and clean elections

2006-03-07T00:46:00.000-08:00

Internet forums, blogs and email have been flooded recently with a host of various statements/emails purportedly from unidentified members of the middle class who claim they don’t like GMA but that the opposition offers no viable alternative. They conclude with that we should live and let live and move on (barf!) It seems that these emails are striking some chord in the otherwise dormant middle class as many observe they find some grain of truth in them. Now that is sad, really sad. I consider myself a member of the lower middleclass, slaving a way at a job, struggling to make ends meet, etc. but I find nothing true in the statements. Everyone has a say on what they think is good for the country, no one has a monopoly there. On the other hand, I agree with some of the points. The prospects don’t look too good if we were to consider who will replace GMA. But does that mean we should just let GMA be and let her sit in Malacanang with the questions about her legitimacy, the fertilizer fund, the Hello Garci tapes still hanging? I don’t think so. I think we have to kick out any President who has these questions over his or her head and bring in the Vice President, no matter how inept we think he is because that what the Constitution says. If the replacement also screws up, replace again, and so on. I think we have to keep at it, keep doing this until we get the whole thing right!! Because I believe we are not going to mature as a democracy if we keep letting crooks sit in the Palace. The statement writers said we have already gone through an impeachment process as part of due process. Agreed, but let’s not forget the process was quashed by the President’s allies in the House. So how now the search for truth? It was a battle of numbers? Fine, but what about the search for the truth of what really happened in the last elections? Sadly, the truth has become a casualty in politics, as usual. And who can we blame here, the congressmen? Maybe us the voters who put these imbeciles there. Nothing has been presented to prove BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT that GMA cheated in the last elections, one forum member observed. But to prove someone committed a crime beyond reasonable doubt is something for the courts to decide. And that's only applicable in a criminal case. Otherwise, I will insist that everyone can have their own assumptions and opinions on the matter. If it was proven that Gloria DID NOT cheat in the last elections, I would have accepted that. But they did not even embark in the first step to go about ferreting out the truth. The more truth the does not come out, the more chaotic our country will be. A bishop said today that it would seem the government has neglected the call of the CBCP to get to the truth of the Garci scandal. Sad. Some have argued that media is to blame for the controversies surrounding the President. Balderdash, if you ask me. We all have the logic, reason and faculties to distinguish fact and fiction, no matter what the biased media presents us. If we don’t like what we hear, see or read, we can just put down that newspaper and shut our TV and radio sets. Media only reflects our reality whether good or bad. The government and the people must give media a better reality, or else, it will just be "bad" news all the time. (I hesitate to use "good" or "bad" labels, but this is another argument). We keep blaming media, GMA, the opposition, etc. when really, we should be blaming OURSELVES, each and every single one of us who does or does not pay taxes correctly. We deserve the government we get because we can be so darned APATHETIC about things. Like I said, I’d like to think I am like most members of the middle class who are salaried workers working and struggling to make an honest living. But does that mean we should be silent about the things going on around us? I don’t think so. Definitely, we should demand more from our leaders. Then and only then will the quality of our leaders get better over time and no matter how long this will take. That's the essence of democracy, participation of the people. Democracy is about power to the people. It’s about the people giving this power freely to a leader who will represent their best interests and when this leader stops representing the people's interest anymore, then the people can demand for her resignation. Privately, I have said that one solid way the Philippines can grow as a democracy is to institute clean elections. It’s time to say goodbye to decades of cheating in our polls. I remember the lecture of a Ramon Magsaysay awardee on how he and his group managed to clean elections in Pakistan (or was that India?). They bought counting machines the size of a fax machine which shortened the election period to just a few days. Now why can’t we do the same? We can’t expect government anymore to institute clean elections because it uses it to propagate the rule of the elite. But I think this is where we should all start.

the death of neutrality

2006-03-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

No, this is not going to be a philosophical treatise on the subject. I’m a little too tired right now to go into that, maybe later. This is just in reaction to a short interview I saw on TV of one of the senior reporters-turned-deskman of the competition. She was reacting to the media crackdown after the declaration of a state of national emergency. She actually said media should just do their job (sounds good here) and be neutral (bleh! Barf!) and objective (triple bleh! Barf!). My first thought was “omigod that is soooooo old school!” Second thought: what kind of values is she and her comment going to impart on the students of journalism, if there are any (I heard most students in UP journalism don’t even want to be in news!). Third, I’m sure glad she’s with the competition and not in my paper. I have always told the trainees (practicum people from journalism schools incl. UP) that to be a reporter, you must first be firm with your beliefs of the world. If you have no concept of the world, then how can you write about it? Also, that you must have an advocacy somehow, that your writing must have a purpose. It must strive to uplift the lives of the majority, make this country a better place, punish wrongdoing, whatever, as long as there is a mission there somehow. Because if you writing from a neutral perspective, if while you are writing you try to be “objective” more than anything else, THEN WHY WRITE? You are just wasting your time, wasting ink and paper, and wasting a chance to make a difference. Take a position, for crying out loud! How can one be objective if at all? Does it mean we have to detach ourselves from what we see around us even if this means detachment from poverty, corruption and just plain bad government? That is totally idiotic, not to mention unattainable. So our writing must blaze with some degree or form of righteous indignation of the wrongs around us. But it must also adhere to standards of fairness, accuracy and balance, not to mention good grammar. Nonetheless, get it out there for the entire world, or at least your editors first, to see. Or else, we should just pick another profession.

telling it to the Marines

2006-03-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night, GMA Reporter Raffy Tima showed me a text joke circulating. It said it took four hours for the Marines to define the word “relieve.” I didn’t find that the least bit funny. I’ve had the occasion to interview Col. Querubin and I found him to be a straight-up Marine who obviously cares about the Corps and his country. I agree, the guy is virtually a legend. Winning a Medal of Valor is nothing to sneeze at, as there are only a total of 19 given so far. He commands the respect of the battle-hardened Marines, and not only those under him. He almost died in the 1989 coup, so I get the feeling this is his second life. People who feel that way tend to have firmer principles and are bound stick out for them in any given situation. They are more likely to lay it all down and go all in, as poker players would say. Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda is no less different. He speaks his mind and doesn’t seem to care what people will say. Like Querubin, he loves the Corps and has the toughness to rally his men around him. I have no doubt in my mind both men are soldiers of the highest degree and are probably two of the most principled soldiers I have met so far. Add Gen. Gudani to this list. All these thoughts are running through my head as I still try to figure out what happened last Sunday inside the Marines headquarters. I remember what a lawyer-friend told me, it seemed the Marines didn’t have it in them to finally launch a fatal blow to the government and unseat The Short One from Malacanang. As I have intimated to friends, I was sure last Sunday was the beginning of the end somehow. So what happened? Was it just a matter of the Marines just sticking together and deciding to stay in their barracks rather than start shooting in the streets? Was this a tactical withdrawal? Could be a little of all. I am convinced Miranda was sacked and he didn’t feel very happy about it. But why was Miranda sacked? Does it have anything to do with the planned march on Feb. 23 or is it just a result of the internal wrangling and politics inside the armed forces? He said he was making a sacrifice for the Corps, but for what and why? Could all of this the result of one faction in the AFP prevailing over the other not to move? What’s the status, dynamics and alignments of these factions? I could be that the Filipino soldier is misreading the situation. In Edsa 1, citizens came out to protect the mutineers. That succeeded. In the 1989 coup, a full-blown military encounter is quashed. So now, they are probably thinking let’s go back to the strategy of Edsa 1. But events of recent days revealed that they can fail with that now. If they are thinking they should revert back to the old-fashioned coup strategy, the thought of shooting in the streets gives me the chills mainly because, they might now have the numbers already to win. So where does that leave the armed forces now? Obviously, rancor in the ranks exists. There’s corruption, there’s the involvement of four generals in election fraud. For the government to deny this would be foolish on their part. The military leadership must move swiftly show the public, and specifically the lowly private, that it is serious in weeding out wrongdoers in uniform. They can start with coming out with the results of a credible investigation in the involvement of four generals in election fraud. Incidentally, two of these generals have been promoted to important positions. Biazon has already revealed that Gen. Lim and Querubin approached him and asked that the four generals be investigated. The Senate has done that, but when will it be the turn of the military leadership? If they cannot do this, or are stifled by their commander-in-chief, then the military leadership must finally decide which side they are on. Or they can stay in their barracks and wait and watch as the country, and their very own armed forces, sink deeper into the quagmire. The last is obviously the easier choice. But who said change was supposed to be easy?

contingencies

2006-02-27T01:29:00.000-08:00

we had an emergency meeting last Saturday on what to do in case the government gets really serious on its crackdown on media. i have to admit i came into the meeting thinking the government would not go as far as closing down our paper. but i soon realized that, as one of the bosses said, it would be foolish to underestimate and overestimate the situation. for as long as the state of national emergency is still in effect, the possibility is always there. i was more concerned whether 1017 would have a chilling effect on our coverage. thank God I was wrong, silly me. but it helps to keep our guard up regarding this because after all, the reality is that the owners do have interests that need to be protected. i also brought up the point that even on our level, in our beats, we should initiate and engage our colleagues, especially the "misinformed" or the "uninformed," on the issues at hand. as reporters of the biggest newspaper in the country, it behooves upon us to take the lead and explain why this is an issue that goes beyond the Tribune. that it goes against the very grain of the freedom our profession upholds. Caloy was right, there is an attempt to destroy our journalistic way of life. so we must rise to defend it.

marooned in the Marines

2006-02-27T00:50:00.000-08:00

i am still a little groggy from the coverage of the Marine standoff inside Fort Bonifacio. as it is, i have yet to figure out what really happened. To a certain degree, i was sure this was "Plan B" of the "coup" that didn't happen last Friday. but as usual, i was wrong hahaha. i think something or someone prevailed upon the Marines not to move, thereby saving us from another shooting spree. what or who this was i have yet to find out. unfortunately, the Palace was in spin mode again as Defensor called on media not to cover the standoff. but by that time, we were already inside the Marines compound! media, faults and all, will cover the event whether the Palace or anyone like it or not. what was the hell was he thinking? its the context silly. fortunately, there are some journalists who didn't lap up the palace spin hook, line and sinker. someone commented that it looked like the Marines were actually more relaxed than media, who were scurrying around. i thought there was a lot of scurrying around because we didn't know half of what was going on. media does get a little frisky when it doesn't have the complete picture. add to that, the bosses screaming on the phone and asking us the same question: what the hell is going on? hahaha on a personal note, i thought we wrote the better story as compared to the competition. of course, reading the printed story now, i couldn't help feeling i could have done better. but i know under the circumstances, that was the best. it always helps to think you could have done better, keeps you sharp for the next main event. thought for the day on journalism: thinking you didn't do as good as you did today, keeps you sharp for the coverage tomorrow.

diamonds are a reporter's best friend

2005-09-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I think no other reporter was more excited to see the Marcos jewels than me, judging from the other reporters covering the event at the BSP. well except for some Japanese journalists. During the usual pre-presscon banter just before the event, none of us even talked about the Marcos jewels and how this would be the first time the public and media would get a look at them. I was half expecting the female members of media to be excited, jewelry being more up their alley. but i quickly dismissed that gross misconception. i was the more excited. looking at the others, it was just another rainy coverage, it seemed to me. Anyway, back to the main event. the jewels did not disappoint. that Burmese ruby was a real shocker. ive never seen a jewel that big up close and personal. seeing it was surrounded by other smaller diamonds almost took my breath away. (sorry for the exageration). Those tiaras were real sparklers. even under the pale flourescent lamps, they look magnificent. under the camera lights, they shone in all their glory, sparkling like nothing i have seen before. And the brands on these pieces was simply staggering. Gucci, Bvlgari, Piaget, Van Cleef and Arpels, Philippe Patek. Some of the world's greatest and most expensive jewelers. Media was roped off so we couldn't take a closer look at the jewels on a table where they were spread like some baratillo. some bsp or pcgg officials had to take some of the jewels and paraded them around for us. i was half expecting some woman to actually put them on and model for us. that would have taken the cake. The other jewels on the table looked just as fascinating as the ones we saw up close. green, blue, red jewels, lots of pearls and those watches. wow. I've never been fond of jewelry. i think they pose an obstruction to my preparing to go to work in the morning. even my watch is the reliable Timex brand. the only piece of jewelry i wear now is my wedding ring. and an earring which i hardly take off (don't worry, i give it a good scrub sometimes and i soap the area when i bathe). I think i was more excited because the jewels themselves merit that kind of fascination because of their sheer beauty. And the fact that they are symbols of the greed and the frivolity of a woman who, despite her pronouncements, does not have a bone in her body which cares for her impoversihed nation.

textbooks

2005-08-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Another story I was working on is the recent evaluation of the Deped of textbooks in social studies and English for public schools. The Deped recently issued a call for textbook manuscripts for evaluation prior to the actual bidding. The textbooks were subjected to a four-level evaluation from the previous one-level only. In short, none of the 130 textbooks were passed the Deped's evaluation. This is interesting because some of these textbooks were submitted by some of the country's top publishers. Deped usec Mike Luz gave the publishers a piece of his mind when he told them that they had produced garbage and that if the Deped were to choose among these books for purchase, the department would end up buying nothing. To me, it was indicative of the sorry state of the quality of the local textbook publishing industry. One publisher even revealed during an open forum that some of these books were already being used in private schools. If I had a child who was already studying and using these textbooks, the story and its implications will be more than enough to send shudders up my spine, or at the very least, leaf through these textbooks and check for myself their "quality." The story became the subject of an Inquirer editorial where they commended the moves of the Deped. The piece also pointed out that historically, the issue of the poor quality of our textbooks can be traced to "cozy" relationship between the publishers and the department. The industry must now wake up to smell the coffee and realize that the Deped now means business in the purchase of the textbooks. The old corrupt system is gone, for now. Let's hope the Deped continues with its crusade, otherwise this will just be another issue of ningas cogon.

another day at the hothouse

2005-08-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

It was just about another boring day at the hothouse when i managed to wrangle a story on the Pacific plan holders. They paid a visit to the SEC and asked the regulatory body to 1. issue a cease and desist order against Lifetime and Pacific Plans from selling anymore pre-need plans, 2. to change PPI's trustee bank from RCBC to, well, somebody else, 3. to create an oversight committee within the SEC to make sure the trust fund is not dissipated anymore. It sort of behooves me to plug an update at this point because I had neglected to write any more entries in this blog. Last month, PPI and the Coalition had actually agreed to sit down and come up with a solution to the whole brouhaha. The two sides initially agreed that the planholders will be paid the enrolment costs at present rates in exchange for their plans. I really thought that was the end of the whole thing. But recently, much to my dismay, the talks bogged down when the management held on to its demand that only the Napocor bonds worth P3 billion. The company needs at least P5 billion for the payoff. So the Coalition went back to the trenches. This time, it looks like a long-drawn out battle with the poor planholders picking up from where left off.

Pacific no plan

2005-05-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

A former boss in the Times once said that the job of the journalist is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

I have always believed in causes, somehow. As a reporter, I don’t think I agree with the idea that a reporter has to be “objective.” “Fairness” would be a more accurate term, rather than “objectivity.” But the journalistic as well as philosophical implications of this should be the subject of another blog entry.

For now, this is about the PPI tradplan holders.

From the looks of it, this group came together by sheer serendipity. They just happened to find themselves in the same predicament and believing there is strength in numbers, have decided to fight back. And rightly so!

I have been in close contact with the group and I find most of their stories heart-wrenching. I don’t suppose naman they are manufacturing these things. It becomes very hard to be “objective” in this case, or at the very least distant yourself from the story when its little kids involved. What really riles me is this simple thing: Pacific broke the contract, not the plan holders.

The plan holders went through so much just to continue payments of those plans. If you miss one payment, you risk default. So they had to have moved heaven and earth for the payments. And now the company just throws its arms in the air and says, “That’s it. We can’t pay you anymore.” I don’t think so.

Sure tuition shot up when it was deregulated. But the company should have seen that coming. That’s not good sound business if the didn’t. Nagsara na lang sana sila nuon.

I went to the supposed “Pacific Plan holders forum/meeting” today and I was more disturbed (seems like being disturbed, for the lack of any other term, is the norm when pursuing some stories, or is it perturbed?).

It turned out that it wasn’t for the Pacific Plan holders nor was it a forum. Take note: there was an announcement outside the venue welcoming “Pacific Plan holders” and a banner in the venue which said it was a “Plan Holders Forum.”

The event started an hour late. First up was a slide presentation on why the company had to apply for rehab before a Makati court. Tuition fee deregulation was cited, heard that already. The slide presentation also drummed up how the company supposedly tried to save the situation, heard that too already. Ho-hum.

Then I was informed that the program only consisted of slide presentations and no open forum. Not good, I thought, things are going to get dicey.

I wasn’t wrong. Things started to get heated after the first slide presentation when the plan holders began clamoring for answers. Can’t blame them. They didn’t drive all the way to PICC just to listen to propaganda.

And then, one bright boy from the company goes up to the mike and says, “Plan holders are not invited here.” The plan holders stood up and left.

Is that the way the company treats its clients? They are not just plain clients they are considered creditors. Like stockholders, they have a stake in the company the same way that Mr. PPI Bright Boy does. My heart goes out to them, all they wanted was answers and that is the treatment they get.

PPI Spokeswoman Bright Girl Atty. T. then has the gall to say that the plan holders were actually not invited? What a laugh! I felt so insulted and I was so close to throwing up my own arms in the air and leaving in a huff.

Of course, there were other plan holders who lambasted the so-called troublemakers and expressed their disgust at them and what happened.

“There will be a time for PPI to explain all of this.” When, for the love of God, when!? The plan holders were there so there was no better time.

“They should have been more civilized and calm.” When the future of your children is at stake, it’s very hard to stay calm.

I pity these fools, totally.

PPI officials say they would organize another forum for plan holders. All I can say is: IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN’ TIME! What the hell did it take them that long? I will never know.

So it all really boils down between the shenanigans of big business vs. the poor average joe, of how a company took its stakeholders money and left them with false hopes. It’s a story of bad PR covering up for greed, deception, and at the least, just plain lack of transparency.

Then again, haven’t we read this story before?

another coup? demmit!

2005-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

oh no, not another coup?! the standard rule: when a coup is being talked about in media, di yan matutuloy. but for cripesakes another round of coup rumors will not help the market any hehehe yeah yeah im a capitalist. im covering the Mendiola May 1 rally tomorrow. i'm assigned to cover the police side. i always have a sinking feeling something will go very wrong in cases like these. but that's just my "spider sense" tingling to prepare myself for the worst case scenario.

station ID

2005-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

let me start this blog with some "station ID" hehehe I am a mid-level journalist (whatever the hell that term means) of a major newspaper in Manila. i started this blog for my own personal consumption and nothing else. i have been a reporter for almost 7 years now. i love it! each day is different than the one before. so i started this blog to talk or rant or vent about the stuff I see or have seen on the beat. i just thought this would keep my sanity somehow. what the heck. today, i went with the pacific plan holders to the taping of Dong Puno Live. what a lively bunch, very passionate. about their cause. but mind you, their arguments were sharp and emotional, all directed to the officials of PPI. my heart goes out to underdogs like the plan holders who are up against big business. and why not? i've always loved and believed in causes. later, i rushed off to the PCGG to cover the announcement of the resignation of Haydee Yorac. She looked sprightly and bright today. i would think she is relishing the thought of leaving the PCGG. but rumors have been going around the Palace asked for her resignation. something she denies. hmmmm.