elderly divide – lumbera vs. salonga & bernas

it wasn’t a face-off, just three of our elders one-on-one with korina sanchez: first former senate president jovito salonga, then the jesuit constitutional commissioner father joaquin bernas, and finally national artist for literature bienvenido lumbera.

no doubt natuwa ang palasyo kina salonga at bernas who together took up 45 minutes of the hour-long show. di bilib sa people power ang dalawa. salonga is against “mob rule.” bernas is against a quick fix. both recommend that the gloria-resign forces expend their energy on rallying for electoral reform instead so the 2010 elections will be clean and credible. shades of the bishops and christian monsod. status quo. go by the rules. don’t rock the boat.

mas interesante si lumbera, who recently endorsed the u.p. council statement calling for the resignation of gma. clearly unequivocally against the status quo and not beyond breaking rules, breaking out of patterns, for the common good, lumbera speaks also for a group of political analysts, public policy experts and academic scholars whose attitude is, “Arroyo was installed to the presidency by people power, people power may also unseat her.” and since neither a noli succession nor a military junta is desirable, a citizens’ transition council might be just the thing.

lumbera soundbites:

I belong to the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, or CenPEG . . . [in our analysis] what could possibly be done is to set up a commission headed by the Chief Justice, and the task is to prepare for 2010, making sure that everything has been cleared up and every move has been taken to ensure real elections. How to get more people to support such a proposal, that’s the task of the movement right now.”

People should keep on demonstrating and expressing their will to get her out of power, and if she doesn’t resign, at least people learn how it is to participate in a group movement towards making her resign.”

Noli is part of the Gloria regime and therefore one can expect that his moves will be in line with what he got from associating with Gloria and her cabinet.”

It is possible that people right now behind Gloria’s decision to cling to power might begin to advice her to take cognizance of the demand of the people. Perhaps as the movement gathers more power, more support from people, then even provincial and local governments will begin to concede.”

This is the fruit of EDSA One and Two. We’re moving forward in the sense that now people are no longer personality oriented… People have a greater consciousness of the need for genuine change.”

I would not hazard a fearless prediction. All i can express is hope that there is going to take place certain realigments prior to 2010 which might involve people who will be give us hope for real change.”

Our political education has been moving in waves. First we were all convinced that the leaders we need are those America approved, then that our leaders should be those who are nationalist to a certain extent. When Cory took over, for a while there was real hope that the Philippines would find a new social order, but it was very disappointing; Cory proved to be a daughter, a child of her class. Then there was Fidel Ramos and we got to a point where the country was being dragged by the President to globalize. And then Erap; there was much hope that Erap, reputedly of the masses, would institute a government thats really for the masses. And then Gloria by accident was the one constitutionally installed; we were also bitterly disappointed that she did not live up to hopes of the people.”

I think the masses [are looking to] the politically educated to come up with moves that would bring about change. Our system of education has really distorted the minds/mentalities of our people. The colonial orientation of the educational system has made people think that only if we follow the Americans, then our country will be all right. There is a great hesitance to take a step that would depart from that mentality.”

I am full of hope that our country in a future time will achieve the kind of government that would give freedom and deomocracy to a greater number of people. How long is it going to take? It depends on the persistence and determination of those who are in the forefront of the Resign movement to get our population to realize that what needs to change is not simply the personalities in government but the system altogether.”

hmm, a two-year transition government to be headed by the chief justice. and who exactly would people the commission? excerpts from CenPEG’s issue analysis no. 5:

The trailblazing transition council will be composed of – and staffed by – representatives of people’s organizations, NGOs, and sectors that are struggling for the resignation or removal of Arroyo and are united by a concrete program of genuine social, economic, and political reform. These are the groups and sectors generally left out in Edsa 1 and Edsa 2 where the victories of people’s struggles were hijacked by members of the elite and ruled the country in the old tyrannical and corrupt ways that people power had precisely struggled to demolish.

“The citizens’ transition council will address the public clamor for a non-traditional, pro-people political leadership that may likely draw support from other key players such as influential members of the interfaith, business, and the military. For this option to become feasible, however, the pressure that will force Arroyo to resign should be strong and insurmountable in a supreme act of sovereign power by the people allowing them – extra-constitutionally – to entrust powers to this caretaker body.

“The short-term and minimum agenda of the proposed citizens’ council is to initiate immediate reforms starting with the electoral system to ensure a clean and democratic election in 2010. So long as this is made clear – alongside with the fact that the council will exist only for a specific duration – then it will likely draw the support not only from the disparate political forces arrayed against the regime but also significant segments of the broad public. Elite and traditional politicians should admit that they have already lost their self-proclaimed right to dominate leadership while the people have begun to realize they should assert their sovereign power if comprehensive reform in governance is to be instituted. . . .

“The search for a political alternative is a communal work in progress. Its shape and configuration will evolve in the process of widening and increasing the momentum for replacing a widely-perceived corrupt and most despicable regime. But the answer for an alternative leadership must soon be cobbled together by all democratic and patriotic forces as it will serve as the bridge toward building the “critical mass” needed to put an end to a regime of greed and fear. The arduous and contentious process of political reconstruction should begin with the first step.”

interesting. possibly because i’m not sure about noli anymore. caught him being ugly, scolding media for being makulit. how unpresidential.

wazzup, sassy?

quick break muna from the political drama unfolding. can’t let pass without comment megablogger connie veneracion’s sweeping swipe at pinoy political bloggers, even if she can’t possibly be referring to me.

check out her march 4 column sa manila standard today, Citizen journalism and the new media (which, curiously, is not posted in any of her blogs) and wonder, what’s up?

by civilian journalism she means “participatory journalism,” defined in We Media: How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and Information, as citizen journalists “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information” and the intention is to “provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires.”

first she complains that the term is

“too often associated only with a particular niche – news and politics”

instead of including

“anything and everything reported by citizens from first-hand experiences, including food bloggers especially when they talk about the rise in prices of meat or fish or the unavailability of good-quality prawns and mangos because we only what is left after the best ones have been exported”.

she follows up with:

“You won’t find celebrity, food and fashion bloggers giving a hoot about having their sites labeled as forms of citizen journalism; only political bloggers care and they care a lot. Why?

“Simple, really, and the phenomemon can be explained in two words: advocacy and activism. They have agenda and the term ‘citizen journalism’ sort of elevates the status of an online publisher. It’s glamorizing something that would otherwise be plain and unexciting. To illustrate it even better, which sounds more impressive, ‘account executive’ or ‘ salesman’?”

i think the operative clause is: “to provide wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires.” make that “a damaged democracy,” like ours. so, yes, merong agenda, merong advocacy, merong activism ang pinoy internet journalism, which makes these news and op-ed blogs more important, more valuable than food and mommy blogs.

sure a food blog that keeps track of fish and meat prices or notes how the best mangoes and prawns are exported leaving us with the rejects is relevant, but only to a tiny sector of the population that can afford to eat well. to become more deeply and widely relevant, a food blog would have to get into the economic policies that bring about this state of affairs, i.e, get political, which sassylawyer has not been doing much of lately. can it be that she’s just tired of politics (lawyers have a problem, i find, with advocacy, how ironic) and just wants to cook and be a mom but still be relevant? wants to have her cake and eat it, too, but she can’t?

yeah, maybe one side of her doesn’t really give a hoot, but clearly an other side of her is quite upset, imbierna si motherblogger, at a particular group of pinoy bloggers:

“… in the Philippine context, there is a high-profile (meaning they are always visible in social events) group of bloggers intent on pushing the status of their Web publications as the embodiment of citizen journalism. They call themselves the New Media. The irony is that they consider Web publishers as handmaidens of mainstream media as though we are here simply to provide support. Secondly, these people are proponents of paid writing; meaning, they are amenable to receiving fees and/or freebies from business entities to write reviews about their products and services. . . . “To make matters even worse, some bloggers are now in the payroll of politicians.

“Truth be told, citizen journalism is fast becoming a lot like mainstream journalism -often biased and mostly about profits. I find writings about commuting blues, work-related stories, family picnics and non-sponsored trips and vacations more credible and deserving of the label citizen journalism.”

ang tindi, di ba. nagulumihanan na ako dahil siya rin naman ay tumatanggap ng bayad from advertisers, etc. as a professional blogger siya rin naman ay merong agenda at advocacy, at activist din siya about food and mommy stuff. what makes her different from the bloggers she disparages? what makes her so yabang? biglang, hmm, am i missing something here?

i needed a second opinion but the blogosphere is surprisingly silent, so i sent the link to my son joel all the way in holland – he’s why and how i got into blogging, my geek sounding board for all things techie. it was his first encounter with sassylawyer and his geeky take on it all is quite crisp and biting:

I’ve always associated ‘sassy’ with ‘slick and stylish’ and more along the lines of witty/ironic sarcasm rather than impertinent rudeness — this from observed contextual usage and onomatopoetically rather than knowledge of the actual definition (and there’s my grasp of the English language in a nutshell).

“And however disagreeable her writing, and even with ‘sass’ limited in definition to impudence and insolence (and none of the cool stuff I think it to be), her opinions and style simply don’t have the edge to be labeled as such. Like a teenager wanting to be labeled ‘bad-ass’ when she’s really just annoying. This kind of cutesy self-deprecating-but-actually-aggrandizing really pisses me off. Especially in someone of age.

“I’m not exposed to nearly enough of the Philippine blogging scene to counter her arguments. But surely she’s speaking of a rung far below yours — and the blogs you’re en-linked — on the blogging social/intellectual class/order. Given the relative ease with which you can publish on the web these days, you can expect the hacks to far out number those with opinion or perspective of any real value. And driven as most are by social pressure, economic opportunities, and fame for the claiming, what’s so surprising about so many turning into shills for government, products, and self promotion?

“Happens everywhere. And it’s the beauty of the blogging system that people like such are so easily called on it and exposed for the corporate or political puppets they are. Also, the gargantuan number of alternative reading available makes for a more discriminating audience which can usually spot a hard sell a mile away and look for good reading elsewhere.

“I think ‘citizen journalism’ is misused here — by those she describes as seeking to claim the title and maybe by her. The concept of ‘citizen journalism’ doesn’t — or at least, shouldn’t — allow any space for misuse as a propaganda machine. At its core, journalism isn’t about heart-felt writing (ridiculous!) but factual, accurate reporting with absolutely no spin. The citizen element comes from the contributory methods used in the gathering and production of the news report.

“A legitimate political news blog (if such a thing exists) is well within its rights to claim the citizen journalist title. One that has no agenda other than to report on politics and seeks neither to advocate nor promote activism. But a political op ed blogger would be the last to want that label — both because of such wide misuse and what it actually means in proper usage. Such a blog of any real value uses the medium as a publishing platform for expression of personal political ideology at the very least, or, acting as informed intermediary, as an instrument for educating readers in what’s good, bad, ugly, etc.

“But no way do writings about commuting blues, work-related stories, family picnics, etc. equal citizen journalism. Those are personal journals. Just because there isn’t enough legitimate citizen journalism doesn’t mean you dilute it’s meaning by associating it with something less deserving.

[aside] A lot of the technology news blogs I enjoy manage to report facts and figures with accuracy far beyond what traditional media is capable of because of the open forum that surrounds each news item/post where inaccuracies are caught quickly and the nature of web publishing which allows for easy updating. But they don’t strictly adhere to the tenets of straight journalism in that they’re not shy about skewing reports with personal distaste for something, let’s say, Microsoft-related, or great affection for, say, something that comes out of Apple’s ass.

This has actually proven to work very well for the publishers who can define their audience and the readers who can identify who they like to read — much as Negroponte described in the book cited in the report she mentioned. [end of aside]

“So anong tawag sa’yo? You’re a pundit, engaged in a form of civic journalism through your political/entertainment op ed blog with unmoderated commenting. Quite apart from that, you’re also a professional writer. You DO NOT want to be called a ‘citizen journalist’.

“There is a distinction between those who are paid to blog/write, and those who simply earn from blogging through advertising. The former are answerable to editorial standards and other traditional media underpinnings (let’s not piss off the political party of our allegiance, advertisers, bosses, etc.). The latter can write about whatever they want and say whatever they like about it and, when employing the most common type of blog advertising, will have ads tailored for relevance to their content — basically free from being answerable to anyone. It’s the same distinction as when you’re hired to write something specific for someone and when you’re free-styling on your blog.

“The “We Media” paper actually makes for interesting reading. I’ve attached a copy. But a quick read makes me wonder how much of it she herself actually read, or if she just took the quote and the gist from the wikipedia definition of citizen journalism.

“And wow, really, who still uses the term ‘cyberspace’? That’s so… 90’s. And, come on, the 90’s wasn’t just last decade anymore, it’s practically a decade ago already. Of age, I tell you.”

question is, what motivated that op ed piece lashing out at a specific group of “high-profile” bloggers. the only high-profile political bloggers i know of are manolo quezon and dean jorge bocobo and they are certainly the least likely to sell out to self-serving politicians. correct me if i’m wrong, please.

the gma-monsod-lopez connect

priceless this reply of manolo quezon to a comment on his blog that the lopezes of abs-cbn, which network put out the news that “noli is set to assume presidency,” seem to have a score to settle with the macapagals.

i actually think the lopezes are being extra prudent, because gma has them by the balls over meralco. ever wonder why christian monsod is so ardently pushing the keep her until 2010 movement?”

it’s like asking, ever wonder why solita a.k.a. mareng winnie monsod is so ardently saying no to gma’s ouster?

googled “christian monsod and meralco” and, yes, he’s been board director since december 1998. and i found this tribune column by herman tiu laurel “National calamity: GMA & Meralco” dated august 2007, posted in magdalo sa pagbabago.

…Meralco rates should be reduced by up to 50% to bring it in line with the average in Asian power rates. One issue is the “incremental cost of capital” Meralco uses to massively cheat 4.2-M captive consumers – constantly escalating equipment costs to inflate its capital investment that never increased at all.

“To perpetualize this fraud Meralco induces top legislators, regulators and court judges to justify its system and jack up allowable profit from 5% decades ago to the present 15.4% … A previous Meralco sequestration was due to Meralco’s accounting practice that swindles government and the public. The Lopezescontaminate everything, even religion: “donating” land to the Jesuits’ Ateneo (brainwash its students) paid for by Meralco consumers – the Ateneo, Rockwell law school and new Ateneo medical school land beside Medical City on Ortigas Ave.

“The media too: ask Meralco director Christian Monsod’s wife at the Inquirer who’s so pro-Edsa Dos, that event that brought the IPP-PPA bonanza to the Lopezes. Ask 90% of radio and print commentarists who defend or keeping silent about Meralco abuses. On the courts, see the Philippine First Holdings Corporation website: “Former SC Chief Justice Panganiban as new director Mr. Angel Ong has resigned.” Readers may ask what’s wrong with this? I suggest – go to the December 2006 newspaper items about a certain “midnight decision” at the Supreme Court.

“Every discussion on electricity rates threatens to drown the layman in a sea of confusing figures, rule and regulation. The public must ask Gloria, her legislators, regulators and business cohorts the simplest question: “Why is the Philippines’ power rates the highest in Asia since afer Edsa Dos until today, and getting worse. What are you doing to bring the Philippines’ power rates to the reasonable and average rate prevalent in Asia – to keep our industries and our standard of living competitive and comparable to the rest?”

“It is not the Filipino people’s obligation, nor electricity consumers, to suffer for the benefit of Gloria and the power companies. Gloria’s SONA obviously recognizes the electric power rates problem as a major one, thus she spoke of “amending” the EPIRA’s on “open access”- but treating it as a legislative issue is intended to exhaust the last two minutes with a long dribble. It will just allow continuation of Meralco and its stockholders 4,000% earnings in fifteen years using only its consumers’ monthly payments – blood, sweat and tears – for exorbitant power rates.

“In 2001 the Lopezes, with other oligarchs, launched Gloria’s coup against an elected president. Seven years of socio-economic-political calamity followed as privatization concentrated political power in the profit-seeking elite. Gloria, the Lopezes and Meralco are emblematic of the sources of our nation’s seven years of calamity since Edsa Dos: systematic abuse of our people for unappeasable, insatiable, ravenous, criminal profit at the people’s expense. Our solution? Emergency “people power” through a consumers’ cooperative, returning control of Meralco to the people.”

so really gma and the lopezes are oligarchs-in-cahoots. gma owes the lopezes bigtime for anc’s part in edsa dos. the lopezes owe gma bigtime for privatizing and deregulating the energy industry. but manolo’s “gma has them by the balls over meralco” tells us that gma has the upper hand, she has the power to compel meralco, for the good of the whole, to bring down electricity rates or else.

but now that gma’s in trouble over nbn-zte-fg, the lopezes must be in a tizzy. what to do? in case she manages to hold on till 2010, it would be wise of the lopezes to hold off on joining the oust-gma bandwagon. but in case she doesn’t manage to hold on, it would be wise of them to be lobbying for noli de castro behind the scenes (as maybe they are), di ba, since he, too, owes abs-cbn bigtime.

no wonder anc is so clearly neither here nor there. or should i say, no wonder anc is so clearly here, and there.

the bishops back off, what a drag

hay naku, these holy men in skirts, they’re as messed up as romulo neri, ha! they say/know that the corruption goes all the way up to the president, yet they balk at removing her, and would rather that we trust HER to herself fix the problem instead of people resorting to another EDSA. as if!

as if she or her people would be stupid enough to ever tell the truth on the hello-garci tapes, or on the jocojoc bolante fertilizerscam, or on the grossly overpriced nbn-zte-fg deal. sure, she might give in to pressure and give up on e.o.464, but not on executive privilege, no way.

clearly the bishops are divided, we don’t know lang how divided, they won’t say. but bishop deogracias iniguez warned us feb 17 in diyos at bayan with brother eddie villanueva. the bishop was not optimistic at all that the 120 bishops would agree to ask for gma’s resignation.

medyo mahirap marating ang pagkakaisa . . . magkakaiba ang priorities  . . . kanya-kanyang ugnayan sa gobyerno . . . merong mga obispong tumatanaw ng utang na loob sa government officials.”

hmm. ano kayang klaseng utang na loob? at bakit SILA ang nasusunod? the bishops should be setting the example, rising above self-centered, or should we say, vested, interests for the good of the whole. instead they’re behaving just like the lower house of congress. how saklap.