(For Lola Nanay)
I've been always fascinated with death and dying and the rituals, especially the crying, that come with it.
I keep an old photograph of family members standing (and posing) around the casket of an uncle. I was not supposed to be in the photo, but the town photographer forgot to ask me to move aside. So there I was (actually only my head, from neck up), on the right side of the frame, looking sideways straight at the camera, eyes wide, stunned by the electronic flash.
I keep another photograph (in sepia) of people posing outside our old church with an open casket where a dead man (supposedly my great, great grandfather) was lying as if he was sleeping (yes, it's a cliche, but he really looked like he was just having a siesta).
Back there in our old hometown, I've always wondered what the men who take the body of those who die do with it before putting it inside the casket. Some older cousins told me then that the men remove the blood and the intestines and replace it with cotton.
I've always refused to eat dinuguan during a wake.
I was in fourth or fifth grade when two of my brothers - Rhoel and Joel - died. I was there beside them when they had their last breath. My mother told me to kiss them goodbye. I did, and held their hands until they were cold. I did not cry.
I've always believe that my brothers did not leave me. Even until now, I continue to believe that they continue to be around. When the thought comes to mind, it's really embarrassing especially when one is in the middle of something intimate.
(A visit to the old hometown is never complete until I light a candle on my brothers' tomb.)
When I was a sacristan, I saw a number of people die. The priest would always ask me to bring the holy water and the crhism (the holy oil) when he administers the last rites, be it early in the morning, late afternoon, or in the middle of the night.
I also used to pass by the old morgue behind the hospital, on the foot of a hill, in the middle of the night when everything was dark and silent. I can still smell in my mind the aroma of formalin that wafts with the cold breeze as the church bells toll 8 p.m. while rush home from visiting a girlfriend, who later turned out to be a distant cousin.
During those days, I became an expert in tolling the bells when someone dies. For kids, the tolling goes like this: Ting (smallest bell), Tang (middle size), Dong. For adult males: Dong, Tang, Ting. For women: Tang, Ting, Dong.
As a "missionary-in-training" in the countryside, I had my share of baptizing children who were about to die of diarrhea, malaria, and the many diseases we failed to understand during that time. As a reporter later in my life, I witnessed death in so many forms: accidents, killings, suicides, wars, etc.
And I've always wondered what's in the mind of people who are left behind, those who cry out loud as if it's the end of the world, those who try to hold on their tears, those who just stand there in silence.
I have my own share of friends, comrades, relatives, family members who died. I've always wanted to shed a tear or two, but almost all the time I find it hard to cry. I understand the pain of losing someone, I understand the emptiness inside, the pain that starts somewhere in the throat that slowly dries, but I find it hard to cry.
Blessed are they who died ahead of us. At least they won't be here anymore to witness the suffering of those who lost their jobs, those who will lose their brains trying to find enough cash to pay the next bill, those who will keep on guessing what will happen next.
I have been always fascinated with death and dying and the rituals that come with it. I continue to decipher the source of this fascination as I undergo more rituals as another family member leaves for the unknown.
Now I know where the dead people's blood and entrails go, but I still don't eat dinuguan during wakes. I seldom eat during wakes.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tourism in the time of kidnappings
I happened to pass by the old Intramuros in Manila late last month. There, on the walls of the old city, was a huge banner inviting people to an exhibit of culture and beauty of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Early this week, Ilocos Rep. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, urged the government to invest in "tourism development" as part of its “list of priorities” in line with the proposed P300 billion peso economic stimulus package.
On the same day Marcos delivered his speech, gunmen snatched two people in the province of Basilan, a place with pristine beaches and virgin forests, a place that could be ideal for tourism.
Spate of kidnappings
The kidnap victims are simple people trying to eke a living by working for a small organization that is engaged in "micro-finance" in the province.
The gunmen on a motorcycle took Leah Patris and Ahmad Ilang about 6 p.m. in the village of Upper Benengbengan in Sumisip town in Basilan this week.
Last week, gunmen also took a nine-year old boy and a midwife in Lamitan, also in Basilan. Earlier, a bakeshop owner and three teachers were taken in nearby Zamboanga City. They were also taken to Basilan.
At least more than a dozen people, including three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross, are in the hands of bandits in the provinces of Sulu and Basilan.
Challenge
I agree with Marcos when he said that government's stimulus package "is welcome and sensible...but it will only work if the plan is sound and the priorities are right.”
Marcos may be right when he proposed that "aggressive promotion and the development of the country’s tourism industry" can help the country weather the global financial crisis.
Before thinking of aggressive promotion and tourism, the government must, however, first address the problem of kidnappings in the south. It is not easy to talk about the beauty of Zamboanga's sunset, the sweetness of Sulu's durian and the idyllic beaches of Basilan as people cower in fear.
Early this week, Ilocos Rep. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, urged the government to invest in "tourism development" as part of its “list of priorities” in line with the proposed P300 billion peso economic stimulus package.
On the same day Marcos delivered his speech, gunmen snatched two people in the province of Basilan, a place with pristine beaches and virgin forests, a place that could be ideal for tourism.
Spate of kidnappings
The kidnap victims are simple people trying to eke a living by working for a small organization that is engaged in "micro-finance" in the province.
The gunmen on a motorcycle took Leah Patris and Ahmad Ilang about 6 p.m. in the village of Upper Benengbengan in Sumisip town in Basilan this week.
Last week, gunmen also took a nine-year old boy and a midwife in Lamitan, also in Basilan. Earlier, a bakeshop owner and three teachers were taken in nearby Zamboanga City. They were also taken to Basilan.
At least more than a dozen people, including three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross, are in the hands of bandits in the provinces of Sulu and Basilan.
Challenge
I agree with Marcos when he said that government's stimulus package "is welcome and sensible...but it will only work if the plan is sound and the priorities are right.”
Marcos may be right when he proposed that "aggressive promotion and the development of the country’s tourism industry" can help the country weather the global financial crisis.
Before thinking of aggressive promotion and tourism, the government must, however, first address the problem of kidnappings in the south. It is not easy to talk about the beauty of Zamboanga's sunset, the sweetness of Sulu's durian and the idyllic beaches of Basilan as people cower in fear.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The 'Diary'
Reading Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary" makes one crave for a drink in the middle of the night or even in the early hours of the morning. (I have to ransack the kitchen for a bottle of something at past 12 midnight while I was reading the last four chapters.)
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For people, journalists especially, who haven't had the pleasure of losing a job, going freelance and getting drunk and scared as shit in some backward town (with a name like Josefina, Sapang Dalaga or Sumisip), the book is a must read.
The "Diary" also reminds me of those sleepless nights (and days) along Timog Avenue in the late Eighties when I drink with freelance photographers and would-be poets until seven o'clock in the morning in a hole-in-the-wall place beside an animal clinic that sells chicken innards and barbecue.
Thompson's novel, his first, is as timely as when it was first published in the middle of the last century in a country like the Philippines and at a time of this so-called economic recession, when hope is rare and bullshit is all over.
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Thanks to Karl for the book, a gift during the holidays and a pleasant reminder that life can change for the better or for the worst and is as swift as a swig of cheap rum after midnight when one just wants to rush home to take advantage of the high of alcohol while dreaming.
The "Diary" is a must read for a people that needs reminding that living, through the ups and downs, the short-cuts and the long-cuts included, can be enjoyed with or without a bottle of rum, or beer for that matter in this country.
Kemp, Sala, Yeamon, Segarra, Lotterman, and the rest of the gang remind us of the good, the bad and the assholes of this world, especially in the media industry. Those in media who can still read will find themselves and their colleagues in this "crackling, twisted, searing" book.
When Karl gave me this book last December he asked me to blog about it after reading. Here it is my friend. I am taking up the challenge with all gratitude for the friendship and for your silent assurance that Chenault will be waiting for me in New York with her love and "few surprises."
Thanks for the support.
I am writing this for you Karl at two o'clock in the morning as the sounds of the city drift "through layers of humid air; sounds of life and movement, people getting ready and giving up, the sound of hope and the sound of hanging on, and behind them all, the quiet, deadly ticking of a thousand hungry clocks, the lonely sound of time passing...."
.jpg)
For people, journalists especially, who haven't had the pleasure of losing a job, going freelance and getting drunk and scared as shit in some backward town (with a name like Josefina, Sapang Dalaga or Sumisip), the book is a must read.
The "Diary" also reminds me of those sleepless nights (and days) along Timog Avenue in the late Eighties when I drink with freelance photographers and would-be poets until seven o'clock in the morning in a hole-in-the-wall place beside an animal clinic that sells chicken innards and barbecue.
Thompson's novel, his first, is as timely as when it was first published in the middle of the last century in a country like the Philippines and at a time of this so-called economic recession, when hope is rare and bullshit is all over.
.jpg)
Thanks to Karl for the book, a gift during the holidays and a pleasant reminder that life can change for the better or for the worst and is as swift as a swig of cheap rum after midnight when one just wants to rush home to take advantage of the high of alcohol while dreaming.
The "Diary" is a must read for a people that needs reminding that living, through the ups and downs, the short-cuts and the long-cuts included, can be enjoyed with or without a bottle of rum, or beer for that matter in this country.
Kemp, Sala, Yeamon, Segarra, Lotterman, and the rest of the gang remind us of the good, the bad and the assholes of this world, especially in the media industry. Those in media who can still read will find themselves and their colleagues in this "crackling, twisted, searing" book.
When Karl gave me this book last December he asked me to blog about it after reading. Here it is my friend. I am taking up the challenge with all gratitude for the friendship and for your silent assurance that Chenault will be waiting for me in New York with her love and "few surprises."
Thanks for the support.
I am writing this for you Karl at two o'clock in the morning as the sounds of the city drift "through layers of humid air; sounds of life and movement, people getting ready and giving up, the sound of hope and the sound of hanging on, and behind them all, the quiet, deadly ticking of a thousand hungry clocks, the lonely sound of time passing...."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Recession
"You should not be choosy with food," the father said to his daughter. "People are losing their jobs."
"Including you?" the daughter asked.
"Yes."
"So, what will you do?"
"I will drive a cab."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Why?" the father asked.
"You can do better than that," she said.
"Including you?" the daughter asked.
"Yes."
"So, what will you do?"
"I will drive a cab."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Why?" the father asked.
"You can do better than that," she said.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Broken arm
Early the next morning.
"Hello? Why are you not answering the phone?"
"I'm here in the hospital."
"With our brother?"
"No. With the woman she crashed into."
"What?"
"She has a broken arm and a lump on her head. The doctor said she needs a CT scan too."
"Where's brother?"
"I don't know. I think he will be rushed to Cebu. There are no instruments in our hospitals here."
"How about the woman?"
"She said she drank Tanduay earlier in the day and felt lightheaded when she crossed the street to wait for a tricycle. Then she saw a motorcycle coming. That's the last thing she could remember."
"Text me when they die!"
"OK."
"Hello? Why are you not answering the phone?"
"I'm here in the hospital."
"With our brother?"
"No. With the woman she crashed into."
"What?"
"She has a broken arm and a lump on her head. The doctor said she needs a CT scan too."
"Where's brother?"
"I don't know. I think he will be rushed to Cebu. There are no instruments in our hospitals here."
"How about the woman?"
"She said she drank Tanduay earlier in the day and felt lightheaded when she crossed the street to wait for a tricycle. Then she saw a motorcycle coming. That's the last thing she could remember."
"Text me when they die!"
"OK."
Broken head
It was in the middle of the night when my sister called.
"Our brother broke his head," my sister said.
"Is he still alive?" I asked.
"I think so. I talked to him just now while he was wheeled into the emergency room," sister said.
"Will he survive?"
"I don't know. I saw a crack on his head."
"Shit," I said. "Why are you calling?"
"We have no money," she said.
Shit!
"Our brother broke his head," my sister said.
"Is he still alive?" I asked.
"I think so. I talked to him just now while he was wheeled into the emergency room," sister said.
"Will he survive?"
"I don't know. I saw a crack on his head."
"Shit," I said. "Why are you calling?"
"We have no money," she said.
Shit!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The hunger we face
It was surreal.
While an aid agency representative talked about hunger and poverty, a uniformed waiter asked journalists attending a press conference what they prefer for breakfast – bangus belly or chicken-pork adobo.
The woman aid worker narrated how a poor wife somewhere in Africa had to boil water for dinner so that her children could go to sleep. As she talked, forks and spoons clashed over steaming white rice topped with soft egg and achara at the restaurant.
I understand what hunger and poverty is. I understand the dilemma aid workers and nongovernment groups face when they try to put across their message to the public via the media. I understand why only few journalists attended the press con. (It was embarrassing to touch the bangus belly breakfast laid in front of me by the uniformed waiter.)
The world marks World Food Day this week amid the hunger and food insecurity. Hunger and poverty, Lan Mercado of Oxfam, said are here to stay unless the government implements policies to address these threats to our survival.
Mercado’s organization released this week a study that calls on everyone to learn “lessons” from the food price crisis that became more apparent in the Philippines early this year after the price of rice jumped more than a hundred percent.
“Double Edged Prices,” Oxfam’s study, found out that small farmers in developing countries have not benefited from higher food prices partly because of flawed trade and agricultural policies.
Kalayaan Pulido-Constantino, also of Oxfam-Philippines, agreed that the government has indeed a responsibility to address the problem. The Arroyo administration might have exerted efforts to mitigate the situation, but these efforts are not enough.
The reality on the ground consists of structural problems, corruption and even governance, which should be more transparent. Civil society groups must continue to play an active role in monitoring, for instance, money allocated for agriculture.
‘Double Edged Prices’
Oxfam’s study noted that while the world’s attention is currently focused on the global financial crisis, “a large part of the world is also immersed in a dramatic increase in food prices and an equally sharp rise in the price of fuel.”
Prices of staple foods have increased from 30 per cent to 150 per cent in 2007 and 2008. At least 290 million people in countries most vulnerable to the crisis are at risk of falling into poverty.
But while poor farmers and communities in countries like the Philippines face the brunt of the economic crisis, many in the food business appear to be cashing in on the situation. For instance, Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods, a major player in Asia, is forecasting revenue growth of 237 percent this year; Nestlé's global sales grew 8.9 percent in the first half of 2008; Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, reported a 26 percent increase in revenues from March to May 2008. UK supermarket Tesco has reported a record 10 percent jump in profits from last year.
The impact of the crisis could have been prevented, Oxfam stated in its report. “If rich countries, donors, and developing country governments had invested in smallholder agriculture over the past two decades, poor countries and communities would now be far less vulnerable.”
The group observed that the global response to the food prices crisis has been inadequate, in contrast with the response to the current financial crisis, where huge financial resources have been mobilized by the international community in a matter of days.
Countries suffering from the food crisis received promises of just $12.3 billion at the Rome FAO conference in June 2008, short of UN estimates of the $25b-$40b needed (and five months on, little more than $1bn has been disbursed).
Unfortunate.
While an aid agency representative talked about hunger and poverty, a uniformed waiter asked journalists attending a press conference what they prefer for breakfast – bangus belly or chicken-pork adobo.
The woman aid worker narrated how a poor wife somewhere in Africa had to boil water for dinner so that her children could go to sleep. As she talked, forks and spoons clashed over steaming white rice topped with soft egg and achara at the restaurant.
I understand what hunger and poverty is. I understand the dilemma aid workers and nongovernment groups face when they try to put across their message to the public via the media. I understand why only few journalists attended the press con. (It was embarrassing to touch the bangus belly breakfast laid in front of me by the uniformed waiter.)
The world marks World Food Day this week amid the hunger and food insecurity. Hunger and poverty, Lan Mercado of Oxfam, said are here to stay unless the government implements policies to address these threats to our survival.
Mercado’s organization released this week a study that calls on everyone to learn “lessons” from the food price crisis that became more apparent in the Philippines early this year after the price of rice jumped more than a hundred percent.
“Double Edged Prices,” Oxfam’s study, found out that small farmers in developing countries have not benefited from higher food prices partly because of flawed trade and agricultural policies.
Kalayaan Pulido-Constantino, also of Oxfam-Philippines, agreed that the government has indeed a responsibility to address the problem. The Arroyo administration might have exerted efforts to mitigate the situation, but these efforts are not enough.
The reality on the ground consists of structural problems, corruption and even governance, which should be more transparent. Civil society groups must continue to play an active role in monitoring, for instance, money allocated for agriculture.
‘Double Edged Prices’
Oxfam’s study noted that while the world’s attention is currently focused on the global financial crisis, “a large part of the world is also immersed in a dramatic increase in food prices and an equally sharp rise in the price of fuel.”
Prices of staple foods have increased from 30 per cent to 150 per cent in 2007 and 2008. At least 290 million people in countries most vulnerable to the crisis are at risk of falling into poverty.
But while poor farmers and communities in countries like the Philippines face the brunt of the economic crisis, many in the food business appear to be cashing in on the situation. For instance, Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods, a major player in Asia, is forecasting revenue growth of 237 percent this year; Nestlé's global sales grew 8.9 percent in the first half of 2008; Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, reported a 26 percent increase in revenues from March to May 2008. UK supermarket Tesco has reported a record 10 percent jump in profits from last year.
The impact of the crisis could have been prevented, Oxfam stated in its report. “If rich countries, donors, and developing country governments had invested in smallholder agriculture over the past two decades, poor countries and communities would now be far less vulnerable.”
The group observed that the global response to the food prices crisis has been inadequate, in contrast with the response to the current financial crisis, where huge financial resources have been mobilized by the international community in a matter of days.
Countries suffering from the food crisis received promises of just $12.3 billion at the Rome FAO conference in June 2008, short of UN estimates of the $25b-$40b needed (and five months on, little more than $1bn has been disbursed).
Unfortunate.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Readings
I've been reading these days three books, and all of these are about conflict.
First on the list is Paul McGeough's "In Baghdad," his journal of his coverage of the invasion of Iraq.
McGeough, an Australian journalist, wrote about the death of innocent people, the spins made by the regime of Saddam Hussein and the propaganda war waged by the American government.
Part of the book's back cover reads: "His personal diaries are a unique insight into life for reporters behind enemy lines - from the stress of colleagues dying around them to daily battles with a regime that saw them virtually become human shields and always potential hostages."
Then there's Kevin Sites' "In the Hot Zone" that reads like an adventure novel on how one journalist travels from one conflict area to another.
A friend gave me Ishmael Beah's "A long way gone," a true story of a child soldier from Sierra Leone.
First on the list is Paul McGeough's "In Baghdad," his journal of his coverage of the invasion of Iraq.
McGeough, an Australian journalist, wrote about the death of innocent people, the spins made by the regime of Saddam Hussein and the propaganda war waged by the American government.
Part of the book's back cover reads: "His personal diaries are a unique insight into life for reporters behind enemy lines - from the stress of colleagues dying around them to daily battles with a regime that saw them virtually become human shields and always potential hostages."
Then there's Kevin Sites' "In the Hot Zone" that reads like an adventure novel on how one journalist travels from one conflict area to another.
A friend gave me Ishmael Beah's "A long way gone," a true story of a child soldier from Sierra Leone.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Must write whatever
There's a lot of catching up these days - the file of books on the table is growing like the pile of dirt on some streets of the city, the ideas for articles that must be written for some publication have already evaporated into thin air like the smoke that comes out of one's lungs, the deadlines, the plans, the dreams, the rain.
There seems to be no end to the wandering mind, no end to grappling the meaning of things around while trying to put one's feet on the ground and one's head above the crowd.
Mixing metaphors and convoluted sentences seem to be the norm. It's not supposed to happen except when one lets oneself float into the midst of experimentation, which I am good at that's why my stories never won an award at the Ustetika when it was revived in the mid-80s.
Do people these days have to write like that to express themselves, to sound stupid and be "in" in whatever "new trend?"
Whatever!
There seems to be no end to the wandering mind, no end to grappling the meaning of things around while trying to put one's feet on the ground and one's head above the crowd.
Mixing metaphors and convoluted sentences seem to be the norm. It's not supposed to happen except when one lets oneself float into the midst of experimentation, which I am good at that's why my stories never won an award at the Ustetika when it was revived in the mid-80s.
Do people these days have to write like that to express themselves, to sound stupid and be "in" in whatever "new trend?"
Whatever!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Bookfair 2008
After a night of music Friday evening, I went to the MOA-SMX for the annual Philippine International Bookfair.
This year's buys include:
Regret the Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech (Craig Silverman)
Turning Back the Clock by Umberto Eco
Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass (Biography)
Rumi's Spiritual Verses
Visnu Sarma's The Pancatantra
Don Marquis'The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel
Infotopia by Cass Sunstein
Essential Whitman
Jason and the Golden Fleece (Apollonius)
Burmese Days by George Orwell
People before Profit by Charles Derber
This year's buys include:
Regret the Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech (Craig Silverman)
Turning Back the Clock by Umberto Eco
Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass (Biography)
Rumi's Spiritual Verses
Visnu Sarma's The Pancatantra
Don Marquis'The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel
Infotopia by Cass Sunstein
Essential Whitman
Jason and the Golden Fleece (Apollonius)
Burmese Days by George Orwell
People before Profit by Charles Derber
Friday, September 12, 2008
US elections
US Embassy officials here in Manila did a great job holding a briefing on the US elections for media practitioners. (Despite our being a former colony of the US, it's amazing to know that many of us don't even understand the politics of our colonizers!)
One reason may be why we also don't understand our own politics or how politicians play with us.
Although I was an hour late for the presentation, I enjoyed the question-and-answer portion of the briefing. I realized that indeed Filipinos still have to read a lot to understand a lot - not only US elections. (Some questions were just wacky!)
On another note, I was reading about Palin's candidacy in the Wall Street Journal and was impressed by how she readily answered the issues raised against her. I still have to read the latest issue of Time where she is the cover girl.
By the way, I was glad to meet old friends this week. First, my dear friend Mujiv celebrated his birthday yesterday with a lot of food. (I only ate the shrimps and crabs, with no rice!)
I had another dinner last night with Fr. Bong Dilag to discuss possible projects that could help the Claretian congregation's mission in the Philippines. Arnie, another former seminarian is also in Manila for a ten-day visit, hopefully to share his blessings with our brothers still in formation.
Well, I'm excited to visit the annual book fair this weekend.
One reason may be why we also don't understand our own politics or how politicians play with us.
Although I was an hour late for the presentation, I enjoyed the question-and-answer portion of the briefing. I realized that indeed Filipinos still have to read a lot to understand a lot - not only US elections. (Some questions were just wacky!)
On another note, I was reading about Palin's candidacy in the Wall Street Journal and was impressed by how she readily answered the issues raised against her. I still have to read the latest issue of Time where she is the cover girl.
By the way, I was glad to meet old friends this week. First, my dear friend Mujiv celebrated his birthday yesterday with a lot of food. (I only ate the shrimps and crabs, with no rice!)
I had another dinner last night with Fr. Bong Dilag to discuss possible projects that could help the Claretian congregation's mission in the Philippines. Arnie, another former seminarian is also in Manila for a ten-day visit, hopefully to share his blessings with our brothers still in formation.
Well, I'm excited to visit the annual book fair this weekend.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
On the libel case vs staff of the defunct Chronicle
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility released the following news article that summarizes the details of a Court of Appeals decision on the libel case filed by a businessman against the staff of the defunct Manila Chronicle.
Saying it would have "a devastating and catastrophic effect on the freedom of speech and of the press," on 28 August 2008 the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed its 18 March decision which upheld a guilty verdict for libel on the staff members of a defunct newspaper.
In its 10-page decision, the CA's Special Former 15th Division granted the petition filed by the staff members of the defunct newspaper "Manila Chronicle". The newspaper staff had asked the appellate court to reconsider its 18 March decision which upheld a 2002 Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling ordering them to pay businessman Alfonso Yuchengco P101 million (approx. US$1.9 million in 2002) worth of damages and legal fees.
The appellants-respondents included The Manila Chronicle Publishing Corp., owner Robert Cuyuito Jr., and editors and reporters Neal Cruz, Ernesto Tolentino, Noel Cabrera, Thelma San Juan, Gerry Zaragosa, Donna Gatdula, Raul Valino, and Rodney Diola.
The "Manila Chronicle" filed a motion for reconsideration before the Court of Appeals questioning the 8 November 2002 decision of Makati RTC Branch 136 finding them guilty of libel. The libel case stemmed from a series of articles published in November and December 1994 in the paper, calling Yuchengco a "Marcos crony" and a "'corporate raider' who engaged in dubious financial transactions," the "Philippine Journalism Review" reported in its December 2002 issue.
In its 18 March decision penned by Associate Justice Agustin Dizon, the online news site GMANews.TV reported, the appellate court denied the "Manila Chronicle"'s motion for reconsideration, saying there was a "preponderance of evidence" to prove there was actual malice in the publication of the articles. It also said the newspaper failed to get Yuchengco's side, and that Cuyuito abused his power as chair and owner of the newspaper to publish defamatory reports against Yuchengco. Cuyuito and Yuchengco are both in the insurance business and were allegedly battling over the ownership of Oriental Petroleum and Mineral Resources Corp. at that time, GMANews.TV noted.
However, on 28 August, the CA's Special Former 15th Division said it found no actual malice in the articles. "The records are bereft of proof of actual malice on the part of the defendants-appellants for the imputations made in the subject articles," said the decision penned by Associate Justice Amelita Tolentino, as quoted by the newspaper "The Manila Times".
It also recognized that the previous decision put aside the appellants' arguments that the articles fell under privileged communication as stated in the Constitution and that its subjects are of public interest, the "Manila Times" reported. The "Manila Chronicle" reports involved publicly listed companies like the Benguet Corp., the Oriental Petroleum and Mineral Resources Corp., and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., which are of great interest to the general public especially small investors, the "Manila Times" reported.
It further noted that the 18 March ruling neglected to note that Yuchengco is a public figure who has served in various government posts, the "Malaya" newspaper said. Yuchengco has been the presidential adviser on foreign affairs since January 2004.
The CA explained that this makes "good intention and justifiable motive" and truth acceptable defense, "Malaya" reported. "The interest of society and maintenance of good government demand a full discussion of public affairs. Complete liberty to comment on the conduct of public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech. Men in the public eye may suffer under the hostile and unjust accusation (but) the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience," the decision pointed out. - CMFR
Election season
The election season has started in the Philippines.
In the middle of the storm right now is the most vocal presidential contender Manny Villar.
Villar has been accused of having a hand in the "road-to-nowhere" controversy that Senator Panfilo Lacson wanted to investigate.
In fairness to Lacson, also a presidential contender, he only called on Villar to look into the possible anomalous allocation of funds in the road project.
Ironically, Villar issued a statement Monday that he wanted the proposed 2009 General Appropriation Act to pass closer scrutiny in both houses of Congress.
And while all these political storm brew in Manila, people in Mindanao, especially in the autonomous region, are leaving their homes for fear that they might be caught in the middle of armed clashes between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters.
In the middle of the storm right now is the most vocal presidential contender Manny Villar.
Villar has been accused of having a hand in the "road-to-nowhere" controversy that Senator Panfilo Lacson wanted to investigate.
In fairness to Lacson, also a presidential contender, he only called on Villar to look into the possible anomalous allocation of funds in the road project.
Ironically, Villar issued a statement Monday that he wanted the proposed 2009 General Appropriation Act to pass closer scrutiny in both houses of Congress.
And while all these political storm brew in Manila, people in Mindanao, especially in the autonomous region, are leaving their homes for fear that they might be caught in the middle of armed clashes between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
SpinSpotter
There’s this new computer software dubbed SpinSpotter, which I tried but failed to make it work this evening.
The idea behind the new software is to spot biased news stories on the Net.
If it will just work properly it would be a great help for journalists, editors especially, to spot errors in stories. It will also help readers “read between the lies” in media.
A story in the Wall Street Journal today said the software is supposed to flag and comment on questionable content using a guide to potential inaccuracies and biases created by a panel of journalists.
I installed the program on my desktop (Note: It only works on Firefox 3.1) and tried to flag stories on GMANews.TV. I thought that it would automatically lock into errors (for instance a sentence that is in the passive form), but it is the user who has to highlight the error and identify it.
I haven’t fully studied the program, but the idea is interesting.
The idea behind the new software is to spot biased news stories on the Net.
If it will just work properly it would be a great help for journalists, editors especially, to spot errors in stories. It will also help readers “read between the lies” in media.
A story in the Wall Street Journal today said the software is supposed to flag and comment on questionable content using a guide to potential inaccuracies and biases created by a panel of journalists.
I installed the program on my desktop (Note: It only works on Firefox 3.1) and tried to flag stories on GMANews.TV. I thought that it would automatically lock into errors (for instance a sentence that is in the passive form), but it is the user who has to highlight the error and identify it.
I haven’t fully studied the program, but the idea is interesting.
Friday, August 08, 2008
On second thought
I changed my mind. I think I'm not getting that Acer Aspire One. I might go for the full notebook instead of a sub-notebook.
* * *
The Beijing Olympics opened this evening. I've waited for some time for the Philippine delegation during the parade of participating countries. Unfortunately, when the Philippines' time to show up came, it only merited about three seconds on TV.
* * *
Another journalist has been killed. I had several interviews and most of the questions asked by colleagues is: What can we do to stop the attacks?
What should we do? If only I know.
What I know is that government must do something more to look for the perpetrators of crimes - all crimes, not only those committed against media practitioners.
Second, we should always be careful.
Third. I really don't know. How can one fight evil?
* * *
* * *
The Beijing Olympics opened this evening. I've waited for some time for the Philippine delegation during the parade of participating countries. Unfortunately, when the Philippines' time to show up came, it only merited about three seconds on TV.
* * *
Another journalist has been killed. I had several interviews and most of the questions asked by colleagues is: What can we do to stop the attacks?
What should we do? If only I know.
What I know is that government must do something more to look for the perpetrators of crimes - all crimes, not only those committed against media practitioners.
Second, we should always be careful.
Third. I really don't know. How can one fight evil?
* * *
888
What in the world am I doing at past two in the morning when people are asleep?
What in the world one must do when life is short and there's a lot to enjoy - books, the Internet, stories of people (the ordinary and not-so-ordinary), the silence of the night, the noise of the city, stringing up words that nobody read.
* * *
The Olympics will start later today. I will be there, albeit virtually.
* * *
Some people have been waiting for this day - 888 (August 8, 2008) - when luck is supposed to hit those who believe.
I will most likely sleep the whole morning, grant an interview for, all of publications, a real estate magazine, spend the evening monitoring the news from Beijing, and hoping to have that Acer Aspire One from Singapore by next week.
What in the world one must do when life is short and there's a lot to enjoy - books, the Internet, stories of people (the ordinary and not-so-ordinary), the silence of the night, the noise of the city, stringing up words that nobody read.
* * *
The Olympics will start later today. I will be there, albeit virtually.
* * *
Some people have been waiting for this day - 888 (August 8, 2008) - when luck is supposed to hit those who believe.
I will most likely sleep the whole morning, grant an interview for, all of publications, a real estate magazine, spend the evening monitoring the news from Beijing, and hoping to have that Acer Aspire One from Singapore by next week.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Back to the city
I'm back in Manila after spending a week under the sun. I'm back in front of my computer, back driving in the city, back to meeting people and talking about theories, concepts and plots.
It's simpler in the province. There, I wake up early in the morning, listen to the birds, look out the window into the wide expanse of fields and mountains, start the day with a breakfast of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafoods, give a talk to kids who dream of becoming nurses and caregivers abroad, take a swim in the sea, eat, drink, sleep.
Out there there's life. Here in the city, one has to find one.
It's simpler in the province. There, I wake up early in the morning, listen to the birds, look out the window into the wide expanse of fields and mountains, start the day with a breakfast of fresh fruits, vegetables and seafoods, give a talk to kids who dream of becoming nurses and caregivers abroad, take a swim in the sea, eat, drink, sleep.
Out there there's life. Here in the city, one has to find one.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Going on vacation
It has been a while since I went on a real vacation. It was a pleasure to have it last week, at least for three days.
I went swimming, walking, driving to the mountains, eating and chatting with dear old friends and former classmates.
As I've written in my other blog, the sea in my hometown is still salty, the trees green and the sunshine still stings - and I love it there.
And what's more important, there was no need for me to spend that much to enjoy life. Lying down on the sand while gazing at the wide expanse of sky is free.
I'm looking forward to that next vacation!
I went swimming, walking, driving to the mountains, eating and chatting with dear old friends and former classmates.
As I've written in my other blog, the sea in my hometown is still salty, the trees green and the sunshine still stings - and I love it there.
And what's more important, there was no need for me to spend that much to enjoy life. Lying down on the sand while gazing at the wide expanse of sky is free.
I'm looking forward to that next vacation!
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