plagiarism and, uh, karen davila? is that you?!

while it was great that upon cory’s death pinoy tv was swamped with docus that revisited her exalted place in philippine history, one docu, Laban ni Cory,  produced and aired many times by ABS-CBN 2 from august 2 onward, raised my ire and my eyebrows.

my ire because some of karen davila’s narrative spiels covering the period of the snap elections through to EDSA sounded oh so familiar, so very close to, if not my very own words in, Himagsikan sa EDSA — Walang Himala! and yet there was no attribution, as though karen davila herself researched and wrote the stuff (wow ang galing), something that took me all of twelve years, lol.

I
KAREN DAVILA:

(010) Sa paniniwalang sila ang tunay na nanalo sa eleksiyon, isang victory rally ang inilunsad sa Luneta nina Cory at Doy, na dinumog naman ng mahigit isang milyong tao.

(013) At bilang tugon sa malawakang dayaan sa eleksiyon, inilunsd nina Cory Aquino at Doy Laurel ang civil disobedience campaign, Himinok ang taong bayan na huwag magbayad ng koryente, tubig, at iboykot ang media, bangko at iba pang kompanyang pagaari ng mga tuta ni Marcos. Marami ang sumangayon at sumunod sa panawagang ito. Wala pang isang linggo mula nang unang manawagan ng boycott si Cory nameligro ang ekonomiya ng bansa at nataranta ang mga negosyante.

HIMAGSIKAN SA EDSA–Walang Himala! page 40 last paragraph

Ika-16 ng Pebrero, sa isang “victory rally” sa Luneta na dinumog ng mahigit isang milyong tao, inilunsad nina Cory Aquino at Doy Laurel ang kanilang civil disobedience campaign. Nagpilit si Cory na siya ang nagwagi sa eleksiyon at nangakong pupuwersahin niya si Marcos na magbitiw, sabay hinimok ang taong-bayan na sabayan siya sa pagsuway sa mga utos ng diktador — huwag magbayad ng koryente at tubig, iboykot ang crony media at crony banks, gayon din ang Rustan’s Department Store, San Miguel Corporation, at iba pang kompanyang pag-aari ng mga tuta at katoto ni Marcos.

page 42 paragraph 2

Wala pang isang linggo mula nang unang manawagan ng boykot si Cory…

page 41 paragraph 1

Nataranta ang malalaking negosyante, gayon din ang multinationals …

II

DAVILA:

(022) Kakaiba na noon ang ihip ng hangin. Palaban na ang taong bayan, sabik sa pagbabago at may natatanaw nang pagasa, salamat sa biyuda ng isang tao …

HIMAGSIKAN page 42 last paragraph

Salamat sa biyuda ni Ninoy, kakaiba na noon ang ihip ng hangin. Mapanghimagsik na ang timpla ng taong-bayan, punong-puno bigla ng pag-asa, sabik sa mga naamoy na pagbabago, noong bisperas ng EDSA.

III

DAVILA

(063) Naghudyat si Ver ng all out attack sa riot police, sa marine artillery, sa mga helicopter gunship, at mga jet bomber.

(067) Naririnig din si Marcos sa radyo. Isinusumpang lilipulin ang mga rebelde.

HIMAGSIKAN page 135 paragraph 2

Sa Fort Bonifacio, naghudyat sina Ver at Ramas ng all-out attack sa riot police, sa Marine artillery, sa mga helicopter gunship, at sa mga jet bomber. Naririnig si Marcos sa radyo, isinusumpang lilipulin ang mga rebelde.

IV

DAVILA

(070) Pumosisyon ang mga sundalo at nagkasahan ng mga baril. Subalit walang atakeng nangyari. Lumapag ang mga chopper sa Crame. Isa-isang lumabas ang mga pilot, may hawak na mga puting bandila at naglalaban sign.

HIMAGSIKAN page 138 paragraph 4

Napakagat ng labi ang mga sundalo, nagkasahan ng mga baril, pumosisyon.

page 139 from last paragraph page 138

Isa-isang lumalabas ang mga piloto, may hawak na mga puting bandila at nagla-Laban sign.

V

DAVILA

(076) Ala singko ng hapon, sa kabila ng banta sa kanyang seguridad sumaglit sa EDSA si Cory …

(081) Sa main entrance ng Philippine Overseas Amployment agency o POEA building nagbigay siya ng maikling talumpati sa mga taong nagtipon sa kantong iyon ng Ortigas at EDSA. Pinuri ni Cory ang mapayapang pagkilos ng mga tao…

HIMAGSIKAN page 165 paragraph 1

Bandang 5:00 ng hapon, nagpakita sa wakas sa EDSA/Ortigas si Cory Aquino, na Sabado pa ay hinahanap na ng mga Coryista. Sa main entrance ng Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) building, sa kanto ng EDSA at Ortigas, siya dumaan kasama ang kanyang pamilya at mga tagapagtaguyod.

paragraph 5

Sa kanyang talumpati sa mga taong nagtipon sa kantong iyon ng Ortigas at EDSA, pinuri ni Cory ang mapayapang pagkilos ng mga tao …

the docu’s closing credits list the writers and researchers.   i expect the researchers cited their sources of info, it’s part of the job, and  if so, who decided not to mention na lang these sources, the writers or the hosts?   na okay lang naman as long as magaling sila and they can write the material in their own words.   but even then, dapat ay mayroon pa ring acknowledgement sa dulo ang sources of information na hindi pa common knowledge.

kung hindi pala sila ganoong kagaling, dapat ay inamin nila by writing-in “ayon kay…  sa librong so-and-so….”    or maybe it was karen davila who couldn’t be bothered with “ayon sa’s”, akala niya ay makakalusot?   whatever, whoever, wittingly or un-, she committed plagiarism by lifting and appropriating my words for her own use without a by-your-leave or a thank-you,  how unprofessional, how dishonest, how disgraceful.

nakakataas ng kilay kasi it doesn’t take much time and effort to cite and acknowledge sources.   unless of course the idea is to give the impression that hosts and writers of ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs productions are all-knowing and sufficient unto themselves?

so, okay, now that i’ve vented, what next?    what do i expect?   well.   iniisip ko nga.   an apology?   too easy to shed crocodile tears.   credits on the docu?   rather too late, unless of course they have plans of selling dvds, in which case, okay, credits, and a share in the profits?

suggests a writer friend:  like a lawyer can be disbarred, a beauty queen forced to abdicate, ask for the head of the plagiarist in the form of dismissal or suspension.   or how about punishing the culprit by having her write a million times in longhand a very long mea culpa — the equivalent of 20 years of keyboarding chores or tendonitis.   oscar lopez could also buy the next edition of your book to give away to all libraries nationwide.

sounds good, all of the above ;)

Comments

  1. Sabi ko na nga ba etong mga TV hurnalist este journalist eh a little on the lazy kurakot side, lol. I say sue them, maybe it will improve their reporting and I will not have a grief watching their agonizing shallow TV programs.

  2. scout finch

    I do not know how to react to this. Should I be mad or should I just laugh it off? After re-inventing a summa-cum laude story for cinematic purposes, and trying to earn money while being nationalistic daw (showing of Cory’s funeral march which greatly offended their talent (?)), now here comes another feather in abs-cbn’s cap? what will be next for abs-cbn kaya?

  3. It’s definitely not right to do that. And knowing Karen Davila, she is humble and brave enough to admit mistakes – most likely it’s the writers’ fault but it doesn’t excuse anybody from the wrong that was done.

  4. ito ang nagiging problema kapag ang host ng isang programa ay simpleng tagabasa lamang.

    natatandaan n’yo pa ba ang kasong isinampa ng pamilya barbers sa imbestigador at kay miguel castro enriquez? natatandaan ko na isa sa alibis ni mike ay “tagabasa lamang ako ng mga report. hindi ako ang nag-akusa sa mga barbers.”

    hindi tama ‘yun. ano kaya ang magiging excuse ni ms karen davila?
    here’s what a friend (Maya Cruzada, also a writer) said about this issue when another reader of my blog commented, “common knowledge” naman ang isinalaysay ni davila:

    “Plagiarism? Paraphrasing?

    When is it simply paraphrasing? Does changing every fourth word in a sentence good enough?

    Also, just because the book dealt with “common knowledge”, it doesn’t mean that Ms. Davila (or her writers) didn’t plagiarize Ms. Santiago’s work. (And it isn’t common knowledge, by the way. Ms. Davila’s writers — which I’m guessing weren’t even born during said era and, ergo, didn’t have the benefit of walking down memory lane when they wrote this script — had to have done research. They should have cited their sources, whether that source was Ms. Santiago or otherwise.)

    If Ms. Santiago has the resources, then she should look into plagiarism and copyright infringement.”

  5. Mrs NickJonas

    uh-oh to abs management and karen davila. very wrong indeed. if ganito sila gumawa ng istorya, i don’t think it’s even worth it to take their word in their news reporting

  6. jojie umali-riyadh

    Watching and hearing the Laban ni Cory sounded familiar and common knowledge but the narrative lines were quoted verbatim (or word for word from your book) which means copied or plagiarized. You have the right to sound-off and claim credit maybe at least under intellectual property rights since it was aired with public advertisements and commercial rights.

  7. Loccolokko

    Baka naman synchronicity lang ang nangyari, hehehe. Yun nga lang almost impossible coincidences nagaganap iyan pa kayang coincidental matching of Tagalog words with respect to a recent historical event and hindi?

    Halimbawa, kahit hindi ko nabasa yung kay Santiago I’m sure I would have said:”Nang lumapag ang mga helicopter, buong pangambang nagsipagposisyon ang mga kawal sa Crame (siyempre, alangan naman nagsitayuan silang parang honor guards ni Cory nung libing). Nagkasahan ng mga baril (kung ako ang may baril at nandun ako, ikakasa ko rin) at hinintay ang paglabas ng mga sakay ng helicopter…”

    Common knowledge naman talaga yung mga events na yun na na-feature ni Karen. As common knowledge as McArthur’s landing in Leyte (hoy, hindi pa ako pinanganak noon, ha). Bakit, kung halimbawa mag-speech ako tungkol sa historical event na iyan kailangang sabihin ko – “Ayon kay Zaide nag-landing si McArthur sa Leyte…?” Kalokohan.

    Let’s not jump to conclusion. Miraculous coincidences do happen!Hehe…

  8. Loccolokko,
    If you had no direct knowledge or experience, and you write about it or talk about it, it means you picked it up from somewhere. Even if it is “commonly known”, there are details that are not, and you have to verify their factualness. So you check sources. Otherwise, it’s hearsay or even urban legend.

    The moment you check a source, you should cite it, in the end credits (if a film) or footnotes (if a paper). The “ayon kay” (for a show) is an option if you won’t list sources. Even when writing a paper for school, you should list down Zaide (as per your example). In fact sometimes, even things that are taken as historical fact, are points of conflict by historians as fact. Might be commonly accepted, but isn’t necessarily common knowledge.

    Also sources help a viewer do further research if they want to know more.

    The point here is, the lines are way too similar for the particular topic being featured, and if itis some miraculous coincidence, the writers should disclose where they gleaned those facts from. Their own inherent “knowledge” I doubt it. That’s why they have researchers. If they knew everything, they wouldn’t need the researchers mentioned.

  9. jojie ;) loccolokko ;) “common knowledge”? i dare say that most viewers were hearing such details for the first time. it took me a long time to put the story together because after EDSA the key figures refused to say much about any of it, except for enrile who was spinning the facts naman.

    the civil disobedience campaign, hindi yan pinag-uusapan in public in its details, as though the powers-that-be don’t want it to happen again. there is also nowhere else but my book where it is essayed that the civil disobedience campaign led to EDSA. that without it, the coryistas would not have been on revolutionary mode and would have let the ver troops wipe out the rebel military instead of coming to their aid to promote cory’s cause.

    the order of marcos and ver for an all-out assault on crame is not common knowledge either. maraming naniniwala kay imelda at bongbong that marcos did not give the order to shoot, that he loved his country too much to kill innocent civilians.

    “Napakagat ng labi ang mga sundalo, nagkasahan ng mga baril, pumosisyon……. Isa-isang lumalabas ang mga piloto, may hawak na mga puting bandila at nagla-Laban sign.” yeah, hard to say that in other words, sorry na lang sila. but that’s not common knowledge either. that info i found in mr.& ms. magazine and business day, respectively, published some days after EDSA, and to my knowledge has not been recounted in a docu until “Laban ni Cory.”

    finally, that cory was in edsa on day 3 was something even enrile did not know. for a long time he kept saying that cory wasn’t even in edsa, and so it should have been the rebel military, not cory, that benefitted from edsa. the info was also reported only by one newspaper at the time, the manila bulletin, which no one was reading anymore — coryistas had shifted to inquirer and malaya and manila times. common knowledge it was not.

  10. @kbc ;) thanks, i couldn’t have said it better.

    “Even when writing a paper for school, you should list down Zaide (as per your example). In fact sometimes, even things that are taken as historical fact, are points of conflict by historians as fact. Might be commonly accepted, but isn’t necessarily common knowledge.”

  11. Hey, Plagiarism is a serious crime. It’s not unlikely that one can commit such. But darn. What they do for mainstream! Tsk tsk tsk. It should be reprimanded. A simply “Sorry,” like the one given for the “Summa cum laude” overlook, would not suffice. Not in a million years.

    There’s the partial plagiarism/paraphrase plagiarism too. And I think this falls under that.

  12. this is really nakakaasar. if the researchers/writers used a canonized author i’m sure ilalagay nila yun sa credits. but canonized authors of history books do not cover EDSA I. that is not the fault of those historians kasi they were limited by their own lifetime naman. so since napaguusapan naman, actually kinahuhumalingan na ng mainstream media ang EDSA, dapat sa academe, sa mga institutes, people’s org at ngo’s magkaroon na ng maayos na indexing sa mga references na nagtatalakay dito. yung pag-tackle ng contemporary history ay nagiging monopolyo na ng dalawang networks. and i get this feeling that whenever people talk about EDSA iba sa handling halimbawa ng KKK or ng Progapaganda Movement…may sense of seriousness and pagpepedestal dun sa huli, siguro kasi naitaktak na sa kasaysayan so to speak.. habang patuloy pang wine-weave ang kasaysayan ng EDSA–na magandang bagay naman. ang downside niyan, dahil nga recent history nagiging “common knowledge” na ang sense ko sa ibig sabihin ay “free for all.” syempre everybody is most welcome to contribute, dapat nga pinaguusapan yan pero habang pinaguusapan, pinagdedebatihan i storngly believe na dapat lang i-recognize ng bonggang-bongga (tulad ng recognition accorded to the likes of constantino, ileto, agoncillo…) those who labored to document and analyze this part of our history. lalo na ngayon na that part of our history hindi lang sa pinag-uusapan pero pinagkakakitaan ng husto. at dahil pinaguusapan at pinagdedebatihan, citing one’s sources is not just a formality. mahalagang binabanggit yan dahil sa huli, mahalaga ang mga tanong na who says what and for whom? kung talagang engagement sa mga pangyayare ang gusto nating maganap dito. they did not only steal your ideas. labor is a humanizing activity. that’s whay labor should be properly recognized, compensated, etc. may mga tao kasi who labor not just to earn money. very few people live in order to write. at ang mga ganong klase ng tao usually ang nagiging biktima ng mga hustlers. it only goes to show that despite all that networks yak-yak about history, democracy, cory, etc. they have also taught their employees to be as mindless, insensitive, unethical and anti-history, anti-thought, anti-debate. tse,tse,tse sa kanila!

  13. manuelbuencamino

    Angela,

    It’s really too much of a coincidence for two people to use the exact same phrases to describe situations where neither was personally present. You were plagiarized.

    Why don’t you text or call her afternoon DZMM radio show and ask her to explain to you on air what happened? The same people who listen to her radio show most likely saw her docu also.

  14. Yan ang hirap sa ibang taong nagtatrabaho sa tv eh, sa pagmamadaling makabuo ng istorya, nag reresort na sa dirty tactics…

    actually, may kopya ako nung libro, (thanks to butch hernandez of ffwwpp)…maayos ang pagkakasulat at mukha namang well-researched kaya hindi ko masisisi ang author kung magalit siya sa nangyari…

    sana lang eh hindi mapunta sa wala yung isyu na to, may mga taong dapat mabugyan ng sanctions para maturuan ng leksyon…

    as for karen davila, kung yan ang paliwanag niya, dapat mag-issue man lang siya ng public apology…kung si tina monzon palma eh nasibak sa isang bagay na hindi naman siya ang nagsulat, dapat eh mahiya naman si karen sa nangyari..

  15. biancag

    plagiarism in journalism is unforgivable, yes!!!! but i believe karen davila was just one of the many anchors asked to give spiels for that Laban Ni Cory episode and she definitely did not write any part of that documentary.

    in a big production such as that, there are usually many writers and producers assigned to do one segment, they go through a process of checking with the executive producer.

    i hope you and karen davila get to be in contact soon to clear the issue.. with her status now as a top journalist, i highly highly doubt she would plagiarize, or even condone this behavior. i’m sure there is an explanation for all this.. good luck!

  16. may feeling ako na hindi alam ni karen davila ang ginagawa or vini-vo nya (kung hindi sya ang nagsulat ng special episode) kaya umere ng ganyan.
    pero, gayunpaman, sa mga producers na gumawa ng episode, SOP po ang i-mention sa credits ang mga tao na pinanggalingan ng documents para sa plagiarism espesyal nila. hehe.
    wow. may isa pa akong suhestiyon na title sa sobrang kawalang propesyunalismo sa trabaho nila: wowowee, is dat you?

  17. Loccolokko

    Angela,

    I’m basically saying that you have no monopoly of Tagalog phrases and words. Kaya as far as I’m concerned I don’t want to jump to conclusion na plagiarism yang ginawa nila Karen. Maybe if your passages were “Shakespearean” baka maniwala agad ako na may plagiarism nga. Kaso hindi naman eh. Napaka-common nung passages and the chances of coincidental utterances in Tagalog in narrating those events during the EDSA revolt is, I think, not an improbability.

    Especially if we are talking about a historical event that is of common knowledge. Ah, of course, may problema ka rin diyan. The same way you seem to want to claim some monopoly on certain Tagalog words and phrases, you would like to monopolize the meaning of “common knowledge” as in – if it is not common knowledge to you then it cannot possibly be common knowledge to anybody else – including Karen’s staff writer(s). You can’t just make a valid assertion along that line.

    I have no problem about footnoting or acknowledging sources of information pag hindi common knowledge yung information. But if I would follow your line of thinking specially on what can be asserted as “common knowledge” aba eh mukhang wala nang matitirang common knowledge. Kung ganun every declarative sentence in any historical narration would have to be footnoted. Ginawa mo ba ‘yan sa work mo? (Sorry but except for the excerpts you’ve given, I haven’t read it.But this exchange has made me interested to read it. :-))

    Relax ka lang sa mga standards on what may be factual or hearsay.
    Baka mamaya niyan, with your stringent definition on what can be common knowledge, wala ka nang pwedeng i-assert na common knowledge as a historian kundi yung nakita mong langaw na dumapo sa sandwich mo habang kumakain ka! Hay naku.

    Peace!

  18. loccolokko: “Kung ganun every declarative sentence in any historical narration would have to be footnoted. Ginawa mo ba ‘yan sa work mo?”

    oo, ginawa ko. of course some sources contributed more than one declarative sentence at a time, but every bit of information as to the events that unfolded was properly documented.

  19. pusang gala

    This yet another abs-cbn “writer-researcher blunder” reminds me of their MMK “Blusa” episode where the ill-starred character was presented as a UPLB summa cum laude which was denied by UPLB amid incredulous protestations of many in the UPLB community. Maybe they have over-eager writer-researchers who resort to “short-cuts” when under pressure. Now, Karen Davila should not do a Loren Legarda who, irked when the Inquirer called her a newsreader, asserted acidly that she was a “broadcast journalist!”

  20. pusang gala ;) interesting nga. if davila will stick to that excuse, na wala siyang kinalaman sa pagsulat ng script na iyon, e di tagabasa nga lang siya. so yung pagka-“broadcast journalist” niya ay hindi pala all the time. kung minsan lang. porma lang. i suppose this is true too of her fellow “broadcast journalists”? so parang guessing game, we never know what we’re listening to, a reader or a journalist. so now when i listen to any of them, i’ll be wondering, do they really know what they’re saying? how credible is that?

  21. Maria Corazon S. Dacong

    Ayon sa aking source sa ABS-CBN, ang docu na Laban ni Cory was produced by Current Affairs show, ang mga hosts, Karen Davila, Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao. Unfortunately, sa docu na ito hindi si Karen ang sumulat, mismong yung segment writer. Unfair ito kay Karen, wala siyang kasalanan dito, nagbasa lang siya. I’ve worked with Karen during our Brigada Siete days in GMA 7, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER niya ako, alam ko ang work ethics niya, hardworking, padded ng information ang report at siya mismo ang sumusulat at nag-co-cover. Sa ganitong docu, may Executive Producer maraming kamay na dinadaan ang report before ito i-voice ng host, at ganito ang nangyari sa docu. Please be fair with Karen, hindi naman niya ilalagay sa alanganin ang kredibilidad niya bilang broadcaster, bilang TOYM awardee at bilang isang tao. Marami na rin siyang pinuhunan para maging Karen Davila, she’s a god-fearing woman, magaling na broadcaster, patas, a great mother and a wife. Hindi naman siguro tama na binabato siya ng MALING ISSUE.

  22. ireklamo dapat itong ginawa ni karen davila at kanyang mga tiga sulat.. nakakahiya sila!! well, simula pa naman dati walang kwenta magbalita ang dos, overrated si karen davila, wala naman kwenta.

  23. Plagiarism nga. Baka nakalimutan lang kung ano yung librong pinagkinopyahan kay di naacknowledge as source.:)

    That’s what happens when you rely on other writers. You take the credit when the resulting work is good but what happens if there was plagiarism involved?

  24. Maria Corazon S. Dacong

    According to my source in ABS-CBN, 3 and hosts ng Current Affairs docu, Korina Sanchez, Karen Davila, Julius Babao. Bawat isa sa kanila may naka-assign na segment writer, segment producer, and researcher. Unfair kay Karen dahil hindi naman siya ang sumulat ng segment niya, not unlike sa Correspondent siya talaga ang sumusulat, interview and shoot. Siempre sasabihin natin, TAGABASA LANG SI KAREN YAN ANG ALIBI NIYA…totoo TAGABASA LANG SI KAREN sa docu na Laban ni Cory pero, dapat naisip din natin na napakaraming libro na na-published about Cory Aquino, hindi naman lahat yan NABASA NI KAREN DAVILA para sabihin niya sa writer, habang nagvo-voice siya na “PARANG NABASA KO NA ITO SA ISANG BOOK”? Trabaho ng writer na isulat sa script niya ang source ng information niya, trabaho ng researcher at TRABAHO NG EXECUTIVE PRODUCER na linisin ang script, busisiin, bago ipa-VO sa host. Siguro kung investigative report ito or crime etc…kung bawat line ng script may sinasabing PINATAY NI GOVERNOR SA PAMAMAGITAN NG…OR NI-RAPE NG ARTISTANG SI…i’m sure magtatanong si Karen ano ang naging basehan ng report. Medyo magdududa ka pa. Sa ilang years na nakasama ko si Karen Davila sa Brigada Siete, HINDI SIYA GANYANG KADUMING MAGTRABAHO. Malinis, magaling, matalino, mabusisi. Command responsibility, from the Production Manager to the Executive Producer ito, hindi ito DAPAT IBATO KAY KAREN DAVILA. TOYM Awardee, award winning broadcast journalist, malaki na rin ang pinuhunan niya para makarating siya kung nasaan siya ngayon na walang tinatapakan kahit sino, hindi naman siguro TANGA AT BOBO si Karen na mangopya para maging BIDA siya. Sana bago natin husgahan ang isang tao, alamin muna natin at SANA MAGLABAS NG STATEMENT ANG ABS-CBN PARA NAMAN MALINIS ANG PANGALAN NI KAREN DAVILA. Unfair, sana tinigilan na natin ang mga taong NAGTA-TRABAHO LANG AT WALANG PINEPERSONAL.

  25. have begun to think about this more closely…. our local news anchors, may be just reading stuff of the cue machine. they don’t go after the story, ok. the ones who do are the beat reporters – and hence the news report goes ‘live’ or feature the reporter who was on the spot.
    but that’s news. a docu is not “news”, hence the one speaking should vet what she reads, or at least know what is there. if she goe son screen and there’s a line that says “Noynoy Aquino is a jerk” would she not stop and say teka teka teka. hindi ko sasabihin yan on air. I don’t believe THAT, and i wont’ say it.

    But she trusts everything else and says hindi ko naman alam yan, nagrereport lang ako? Parang mali. So what henceforth, she has absolutely no credibility? anything she says she CANNOT guarantee that it is right? E huwag na siyang magreport kaya? Wala pala siyang alam. Tagbasa lang siya. Hindi siya dapat manalo ng newscaster awards EVER pala? KASI reader lang siya.

    May broadcast reading award kaya?

    t

  26. bennie so

    have you written or have spoken to Maria Ressa, Head of ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs and Managing Director of ANC?

    knowing her, she will not take this accusation lightly.

    if she does not act on this i strongly recommend that you file a criminal and civil complaint.

  27. let me pose this question to ms dacong.

    let’s say i am a singer.
    i get up on stage and sing what i make the world believe is an original song.
    however parts of the song are taken from lines in a published poem.

    people say wow what a lovely song, what a good singer.
    then someone comes up and alerts me, hey some of those lines from that song were written by me in a poem. you took my lines and made it into a song

    i say, oh sorry, i don’t know anything about that. i’m just a singer. i don’t even tell say ‘ll check with my lyricist or what. i just say, i don’t know anything about that. i am just a singer.

    that’s that?
    i don’t think so. i think i as a singer, have to know who writes my songs, where she gets her material and whether there is any liability in what i;m singing, and if not, it is her responsibility when calle dto attention to FIND OUT if there is truth in it or not, and sack the songwriter, apologize, retract. or pay royalty or whatever.

    But hugas kamay is not very professional.

  28. i think the major conflict here is that many people have NO IDEA that you can’t just pull someone else’s words and use them without acknowledgment. It isn’t even anymore that the things that happened were known or not by everyone/many people, but in THE WORDS USED BEING IDENTICAL OR PARAPHRASED.

    btw, people, when you paraphrase, you still have to cite sources. You paraphrase when you choose not to use something as a direct quotation, but you still cite the source, otherwise paraphrasing is also plagiarism.

    People are supposed to learn that in high school and freshman english. Methods of Research. And yes, kabilang sa trabaho ng researcher, writer, executive producer, ay ipaalam sa manunuod kung saan nila nakuha ang impormasyon na ginagamit nila kung hiniram nila ito sa isang libro, magazine or ibang palabas. Intellectual integrity lang po.

    Also, when

  29. Angela you are right. They should have cited your book as a source. This is the PRODUCER’s fault. As you already know this is a major documentary/production with lots of segment writers, fact checkers, editors, etc. For this production size, its but logical for ABS to segregate functions. The hosts are hosts who will read what was written for them. How unfortunate for Ms. Davila that the segment writer assigned to her paraphrased your work and failed to mention it to the producer.

    Why did you single her out? Why are you exonerating the writer and producer and whoever else was involved in coming up with the final written piece for that segment? Is it because she’s the easy target – famous, successful therefore let’s bring her down any chance we can?

    I think you should just be upfront with what you hope to accomplish with this. Is it free publicity for your book? You got it! What else? Lots of money from ABS? Good luck. You yourself admitted that citing you as a source would have sufficed so you can’t claim damages since they can prove that the free publicity this has stirred opened up a channel for you to sell your books. Why don’t you post a picture of your book cover on your blog so people will be more enticed to buy it. Hurry while the Cory emotion is still high. Apologies? You certainly deserve it. I won’t be surprised if they did not get to cite all the sources for their information. Nonetheless they should extend their sincere hand of apology.

    Whatever is your REAL issue/goal with this, I hope it gets addressed so you can move on. As you know this is not the first time it happened. Famous journalists have been ‘victimized’ in the past and they are still out there delivering the news. The segment writer who’s directly at fault will most likely get axed, ending his short lived career and will need to find another job to feed his family in a totally unrelated industry.

  30. number1fan

    evidently, the persons who came up with the documentary “Laban ni Cory” did commit plagiarism. but i guess it isn’t fair to put all the blame on the “host” or “narrator” of the program. Ms. Angela Stuart Santiago deserves to be credited for her inspired work on the book “Himagsikan sa EDSA — Walang Himala!”. But Ms. Karen Davila shouldn’t be solely blamed for this mix up.

  31. Dear Ms. Santiago,

    Reading the news on a complaints regarding Ms. Karen Davila.. leads me to your blog.. I find your blog very interesting.. worth the read and worth to recommend for reading.. I agree in so many ways on the topics discussed. I’m starting to admire your sensitivity to your nation.. Philippines… I’m about to say that you are one good writer..

    However, I find my way feeling sad and disappointed on your reaction regarding your writings. I will not dwell on whether they copied it or not.. but I will dwell on seeing the REAL HEART of this author.. I thought I see the HEART of RIZAL in your work.. but realize, it’s just WORDS…BEAUTIFUL words.. well written by a person who just has a skill to write what she see and observe around her.

    Let me Introduce to you Amy Carmichael she was a prolific writer, producing (35) thirty-five published books including His Thoughts Said . . . His Father Said (1951), If (1953), and Edges of His Ways (1955). Best known, perhaps, is an early historical account, Things as They Are: Mission Work in Southern India (1903). She refuses to be known or be covered in magazines and newspaper during her time. To the point of talking directly to the publisher so as not to release/give any credits to her. In her death, She asked that no stone be put over her grave; instead, the children she had cared for put a bird bath over it with the single inscription “Amma”, which means mother in the Tamil.

    She is well known to these Quotes:
    ” One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving”
    — Amy Carmichael

    We profess to be strangers and pilgrims, seeking after a country of our own, yet we settle down in the most un-stranger-like fashion, exactly as if we were quite at home and meant to stay as long as we could. I don’t wonder apostolic miracles have died. Apostolic living certainly has.”
    — Amy Carmichael

    I wish thy way.
    And when in me myself should rise,
    and long for something otherwise,
    Then Lord, take sword and spear
    And slay.”
    — Amy Carmichael

    Writing is a gift..not just a skill..use it ..using your HEART and not you MIND.. WRITE NOT AS TO BE KNOWN but rather to be USE as a channel for other to see things that an ordinary eyes don’t see.

    Success will follow to those whose heart is humbled by it..

  32. Marami nang nasabi at sang-ayon ako sa sinasabi mo rito, Angela. Napakaganda kasi ng pagkakakawento mo sa libro mo, baka nahirapan silang mag-paraphrase man lang. Hehe. Dapat kinilala na lang nila ang author. Hehe.

    Parang walang alam sa blogs ang nag-plagiarize. Unang-una na, hindi siya natakot sa backlash, at sa katayuan mo bilang blogger.

    Kung susubaybayan pa naman nila ang blog mo, masasabi kaagad nila na Kapamilya ka. Hehe. Tama naman di ba? Mas madalas, Channel 2 ang nasusubaybayan mo.

    Pareho tayo — iyun kasi ang pinapanood. Hehe. Pero that’s beside the point. Hehe.

  33. I think Karen should not be faulted. It is humanly impossible to check all the sources of your materials. Before the broadcast, eh si Karen ba ay supposed to ask his producers and writers na “Hoy, tutuo ba lahat na ito, original ba ito, may credits ba na sasabihin dito? Parang weird na ang broadcaster na gagawa noon…

  34. I ask simply, would you be a mouthpiece and not know if what you are saying are words that can be repeated with no liability? It’s as simple as that. It has nothing to do with heart, or greatness. It is simple, is it legal?
    And is Karen at fauit? Maybe not of plagiarism, but of due diligence. But she is the face, she is the talking head.

    All I say is if you hear GMA say something in a speech, do you say, ah ang speechwriter ang may sabi niyan, hindi naman si GMA, kasi hindi siya ang sumulat?

    So lahat ng promulgations or declarations cannot be attributed to the one who speaks?

    Then of all us can deny what we say, none of us can be sued for defamation or libel or plagiarism for something we write or say because we can all say, e I didn’t write that naman or copy that, I’m just reading it or repeating it what the researcher told me?

    Ganon?

  35. vista writer

    I work with ABSCBN po and nabasa ko ang blog nyo. May punto po kayo. Mali ang ginawa ng segment writer na yon sa Laban Ni Cory. Kasama ako sa paggawa ng docu na ito and kilala ko ang writers na nagsulat ng 6 segments na yon. Lahat ng anchors ay nag-host lang talaga for this docu. Sa office, Karen is known to write her own reports except for this one because it was a “special program”. Sana you can be fair sa blog mo rin. Kung gusto mong iadress ang plagiarism sa docu, you should address it to ABS and not sa anchor. Sana rather than posting it, you complained immediately to ABS. Hindi mo naman makaklaro ang isyu sa blog, hindi rin nila maaksyunan… dapat IPATANGGAL ANG TAONG NAGPLAGARIZE sa yo.

  36. That is the risk one takes when one stands as the face that speaks. The host becomes responsible for what she says. Whether or not she wrote it herself, she presents the information based on her credibility and stardom. Otherwise they could put anyone there (writer included) to stand and speak. But Ms Davila, as the famous one, is the one people will watch and quote as saying “sabi ni Karen Davila” hindi sabi ng writer ng docu na hinost ni Karen Davila”.

    Why can’t people see that?

  37. Yashika

    i agree to previous comments here that we don’t have the right to monopolize the use of words specially in broadcasting where it comes inevitable to use terms to somehow “perfectly” describe the situation.

    But as the saying goes, “lightning never struck the same place twice.” this cannot be a mere coincidence considering that the imitation of words and thoughts happened more than once, twice or even thrice. i assume that the writers and researchers weren’t even born during this part of history and so i wonder how they knew of these events other than reading it from another source. ang pagkakamali nila, hindi nila nilagay yung source nila sa credits.

    Karen might knew what she was reporting, she could even have reviewed the spiel before airing, ang hindi niya lang alam, how it was made and from whom. was it required from every broadcast journalist to know by heart each and every words from books? no offense meant, but that’s how i see it. if someone is to be at fault, it should be the carelessness of the writers and executive producers tungkol sa credits.

    but since Karen is the visible person on the show, she should apologize for this din. she’s just the icing on the cake, if you delve deeper, the cream is within and any legal matters should be addressed either to the writer/researcher/executive producer.

    im not siding on anyone and i know how unethical plagiarism is to journalism, kaya nga something should be done with this issue lalo pa you’re questioning the credibility of a broadcaster specially the intellectual rights of an author. we just have to know who should we throw the stones at.

  38. Karen is just host of this “special documentary”. As in a news program, she just relates the materials before her. Eh kung sa news, it would be impossible for a newscaster to check her sources. At hindi nya trabaho yoon. Kaya nga may mga credits at the end of the show. The veracity of the materials depends upon the writer and the necessary verification of other members of the production staff. Itong thread na ito ay para ng showbusiness…

  39. jojie umali-riyadh

    Dear LSC,
    To me, the book Himagsikan sa Edsa-Walang Himala was a documentary written to immortalize a historical event that depicts important settings of liberating an oppressed society. Therefore,if this piece of art was used by mass media as one of its major sources to produce a relevant docu to re-instill patriotism for inspiration,propriety demands to give credit where credit is due,regardless of all other considerations. This will inspire more “Angelas” to write a good piece of literary works.

  40. plagiarism is plagiarism.

    as for us in the publishing industry, every author is entitled to their
    rights and ownership of their literary works, literary works are protected by our intellectual property rights wherein we can find this disclosure on the “copyright page” of every philippine book you purchase.

    and if by chance, you want to use a clipping, a picture, or just a mere paragraph from someone’s book, it is your responsibility to acknowledge the author by means of a FOOTNOTE OR ENDNOTE.

    and if not? then, be prepared for a legal battle.

  41. Laurence

    I really thank for Ms Santiago to have brought out this issue. Napakalaking bagay nga po ang tinatawag na copyright lalo na sa mga may akda. I am a writer myself and I can attest to the rigors one has to pass through in order to come up with an opus. And to deliberately dis(or mis-)credit you is a slam on a face.

    Naalala ko dati yung issue ng video grabs which GMA7 used from ABS CBN during the release of Angelito Dela Cruz, yung last year na reklamo ng singer/writer na si Gary Granada sa GMA Foundation, yung reklamo kumakailan ni Professional Heckler (Sandicho) sa isang broadsheet na di inattribute sa kanya yung isang political humour na sinulat nya, at marami pang iba.

    Nakakapanlumo kasi meron namang Copyrights Law ang Pilipinas pero bakit kaya wala tayong nababalitaan sa mga reklamo ng mga writers, artists, etc. I really hope that Ms Santiago’s case will not end up with these series of debates but really will pave the way for a totally strong Philippine Copyright environment.

    Knowing the integrity of ABS CBN (batay na rin sa kanilang internal Code of Ethics na kanilang binabandila) naniniwala akong at the end of the day may patutunguhan itong reklamo ni Ms Santiago.

    Nakakapanlumo ring isipin na merong mga komento rito na mga pasaring, walang laman, at ginagawang perya (katulad na lamang ng mga komentong parang showbiz ang dating) ang sinusulong ni Ms Santiago.

    For Ms Santiago, let us both wait for ABS CBN News and Current Affairs investigation at sana naman ay ibahagi mo rin sa amin kung ano yun. I look forward for a public apology (sa lahat ng platforms ng ABS CBN na gagawin sa primetime) which I believe is what they will do (sana). Otherwise, I urge Ms Santiago to bring this case to a proper forum. Hayaan po nating litisin ito sa korte.

    This should be a lesson not only for the media industry but also to other writers (authors, bloggers, o ano ka man)that plagiarism (no matter how tempting it is to do one) is a sin!

    One last thought. Ms Santiago could still be lucky compared to Mr Landicho.

  42. I am with Loccolokko on this one. What is invariably at the heart of the issue is a narration of facts, events and personalities leading to and during the the EDSA People Power. These were covered extensively in newspaper blow-by-blow accounts at the time — narrated from the different perspectives of the key actors — not to mention several books that were published shortly thereafter. How many ways can you describe the call for civil disobedience, or where and how Cory delivered her call, the number of days that took place after a specific event, etc. in a unique/singularly different manner? Lalo na pag isasalin sa Tagalog. Angela Santiago does not have singular claim on knowledge of those events, etc. taking place. I’d have to say your claim is a major stretch.

  43. I read the comparison of the text and dialog posted above. There are too many similar lines to just dismiss it as a coincidence. I hope you get what is due to you Ms Angela.

  44. Is It Plagiarism? Brief analysis of probability.

    [my note: of course, this is for the English language, the stats may be different for Filipino, but you get the point]

    According to the site WordOrigins.Org (http://www.wordorigins.org/number.htm), there are about 20,000 English words that are used by educated persons. Accidentally Matching 5 Words is “Hitting the Lottery” Twice and then a Hole-In-One In creating an original sentence, and assuming that the writer is free to choose any of the 20,000 words and use these words in any order, a series of 5 words that exactly match another source would have the “random chance” probability of(1/20000) x (1/20000) x (1/20000) x (1/20000) x (1/20000) or 1 chance in 3,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 (one chance in 3.2 sexillion). For the purposes of this illustration, we are ignoring common syntax rules such as the article of “a” or “an” isdependent upon the word that follows.This “accidental match” is far less likely than hitting the PowerBall Jackpot twice in a row. PowerBall uses 55 numbered balls, of which 5 are picked in random, and then a separate red “PowerBall” is randomly picked from a set of 42 numbered balls. Correctly selecting the 5 lottery balls and the one PowerBall is one chance in 146,107,962.The odds of hitting the jackpot twice in a row would be 1 in {146,107,962 * 146,107,962}, or 1 chance in 21,347,536,559,793,444. Taking 3,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 and dividing it by 21,347,536,559,793,444 leaves you with a remainder of 149,900. According to the National Hole-In-One Association, the odds of hitting a hole-in-one, even if you are an amateur, is 1 in 33,000. So, you could hit the lottery jackpot twice in a row and still have the “odds” left over to hit a hole-in-one while golfing, and that is still LESS LIKELY than accidentally matching the same 5 words as another source. Smaller Dictionaries Even if we assume that we are using a smaller subset of the language, which might be the 1000 most common words a person knows, the chance of picking in exact order the same 5 words as another writer would be (1/1000) x (1/1000) x (1/1000) x (1/1000) x (1/1000) or only 1 chance in 1,000,000,000,000,000 (one in a quadrillian). Giving a writer a maximum benefit of doubt, given that writing in a particular field might yield a smaller subset ofwords, if we reduce the vocabulary list to only 50 distinct words, the chance that a writer will pick exactly the same 5 words in a phrase are:(1/50) x (1/50) x (1/50) x (1/50) x (1/50) or 1 chance in 312,500,000 (one chance in 312-million). Of course, the chances of accidental matches to another writer’s work are geometrically smaller the longer the listof words (for instance, a sequential match of 10 words with a vocabulary of 50 items would only occur by chance 1 in 97,656,250,000,000,000 times).

    Asummed Plagiarism Although a single set match might occur by “chance” once in a paper, when multiple sentences have matching word orders (and these phrases have not been cited as originating from another source), the assumption can be that plagiarism has occurred (or at the least, that sources were not properly cited). A commercial site that allows educators to analyze the contents of student papers can be found at: http://www.turnitin.com.

    To read more please check out the site at:

    http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache%3AZyj4eJRusB8J%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fsctc.ims.mnscu.edu%2Fshared%2FFacultyTutorials%2FMathematicsOfPlagiarism.pdf+plagiraism+probabilty+of+exact+words&hl=en

  45. From http://filipinovoices.com/plagiarism-and-uh-karen-davila-is-that-you – Ms. Stuart-Santiago’s response to comments made by Primer yielded some interesting bits which am copying and pasting below:

    a perfect “convergence of ideas”??? meaning what, that it so happened that davila and her writers know as much about EDSA as i do, and that they happened to use the same words in telling their version of the story? napaka-farfetched.

    the civil disobedience campaign, hindi yan pinag-uusapan in public in its details, as though the powers-that-be don’t want it to happen again. there is also nowhere else but my book where it is essayed that the civil disobedience campaign led to EDSA. that without it, the coryistas would not have been on revolutionary mode and would have let the ver troops wipe out the rebel military instead of coming to their aid to promote cory’s cause.

    the order of marcos and ver for an all-out assault on crame is not common knowledge either. maraming naniniwala kay imelda at bongbong that marcos did not give the order to shoot, that he loved his country too much to kill innocent civilians. kuno.

    “Napakagat ng labi ang mga sundalo, nagkasahan ng mga baril, pumosisyon……. Isa-isang lumalabas ang mga piloto, may hawak na mga puting bandila at nagla-Laban sign.” yeah, hard to say that in other words, sorry na lang sila. but that’s not common knowledge either. that info i found in mr.& ms. magazine and business day, respectively, published some days after EDSA, and to my knowledge has not been recounted in a docu in similar detail until “Laban ni Cory.”

    finally, that cory was in edsa on day 3 was something even enrile did not know. for a long time he kept saying that cory wasn’t even in edsa, and so it should have been the rebel military, not cory, that benefitted from edsa. the info was also reported by only one newspaper at the time, the manila bulletin, which no one was reading anymore — coryistas had shifted to inquirer and malaya and manila times. common knowledge it was not.

    i also don’t get what you mean that “it was incumbent upon angela to open this issue in the very medium where she finds…” what medium is this. television? msm? oh pleasssse. that’s like telling me to forget it.

    *****
    A few things that I noted about you comment to Primer:

    1) The civil disobedience was, in fact, common knowledge. It was covered by the papers and the products that were to be the subject of the boycott well-known. Priests across the various diocese in the country read letters along that line. In fact, even in schools — my school, for one — the selling of the cola drinks of one of the “named” products was banned. I do not know how you can make the assertion that the civil disobedience was not well-known.

    2) The Marcos-Ver orders for an all-out assault was also well-documented in the papers, particularly in the day-to-day accounts that were chronicled in the broadsheets when Marcos finally fled. The supposed show-of-force by Ver and his generals with Marcos, down to the “dramatic dialogue”, was also shown on the government TV station. Books by Cecilio Arillo, Mercado and Tatad, among others, shortly after EDSA also documented the events, personalities and day-to-day accounts. Accounts by Generals Tadiar and Lim were also fairly well-covered.

    3) Your assertion that the events, personalities, etc. that became the subject of the documentary was not common knowledge becomes all the more disingenuous when, as can be seen from your reply to Primer, that you referenced, among others, Mr. and Ms., Business Day, Manila Bulletin. Given that these were printed materials, what are the odds that you and only you would have had the singular opportunity of having read through these? That other people would not have had the chance to parse these and other materials as well as interviewed the personages back in the day? Singular claim to knowledge and thus, IPR? I think not, Ms. Stuart-Santiago.

  46. The book author had every right to complain about the plagiarism of her work. The public can understand why this matter cannot be simply dismissed especially since the plagiarism was committed in a documentary produced by major tv network and hosted by people from their news department. It is unfortunate that Davila had to take the rap for the whole mess but it was unavoidable. She lent her name and credibility to the program; had things been different she would have taken much of the credit.

  47. atrevido

    I googled your book (or the online article) and I was brought to your website: http://www.stuartxchange.com/Panimula.html and I have begun browsing through your article. I looked at your bibliography and you have cited a couple of works. However, what boggles me as well is that you don’t (please correct me if I’m mistaken because often times, “publishing” articles on the internet ommits footnotes but NOT parenthetical references). For example, and I quote: “Nasa $16 billion na ang utang-panlabas ng Pilipinas noon at, ayon sa isang World Bank report na na-leak sa press noong Hulyo 1982, ayaw na raw magpautang ng maraming bangko sa gobyernong Marcos.” (http://www.stuartxchange.com/HimagsikanIntro.html) What is the World Bank report? When was it published? Who was the author? I believe this is not “common knowledge” that it doesn’t require any citation because you have directly mentioned “ayon sa isang World Bank report […]”. This is in no way an attack to you personally but I’m just asking for the source of this report because as writers, we must base our claims according to facts and we must cite every single thing in order to avoid dishonesty. I am an academic and we are really serious about plagiarism. I think the writers in ABS-CBN have para-phrased what you’ve written but the para-phrases are too close to what you’ve written, they should’ve cited your work all throughout the broadcast. Thank you very much and have yourself a nice day!

  48. I could only imagine Angela’s reaction when she found out about it. Considering she spent years of research and investigative work and someone took few minutes copying it without even mentioning her name as the source. This is piracy and stealing in itself.

    If mainstream media did this to Angela, they can do this to any author who devoted time, energy and talent to make factual accounts of a historic event. They can deny they have committed plagiarism but there is no denying they have used Angela’s book as one of the references.

    To say that Karen is not responsible because she merely narrates what is fed to her is a weak argument. As seasoned journalist, she allowed to be the face and the voice of that program. Once she puts her name on any project, her reputation is on the line. To disown the liability and accountability may tarnish her credibility not only as a narrator, but also as an established journalist. The only decent thing to do is for her to acknowledge the mistake, promise not to do it again and provide some restitution to Angela. Maybe then, Ms. Davila could gain back public trust.

  49. Yashika

    niknok: while it is agreeable that Karen should not “disown the liability” of this issue as she is one of the significant member of the production team, people behind the camera should also be held responsible. Why give all the burden to Karen when really, she was not alone in producing this documentary. talking about teamwork, everything should be properly allocated to people: duty, success and even fiascoes.

    Mia: it could well be considered that the facts stated by Angela in her book is not of “common knowledge” as other periodicals have already published it and the story itself passed on to numerous individuals through the word of mouth.

    But could it be possible that in all the published articles, documentaries, lessons and conversations, different people used the very same and exact words to convey the story? how likely could these words be so identical to what Angela has written that even the writers and researchers of ABS-CBN’s documentary did not even notice the similarities?

    bottom line: if it is a “common knowledge” as you have clearly mentioned, why is it that the Karen’s spiel is exceptionally similar to that of Angela? the story being a “common knowledge” may not be put in question, but still, the matter of plagiarism still lingers.

  50. Para sa mga nanghe-heckle kay Angela: Dapat malaman ninyong lagi nang nangyari sa kanya iyan, ang tumindig siya para sa tinitingnan niyang tama tapos kung anu-anong paninira at pandedemoralisa ang tinanggap niya. Dapat ninyong malamang hindi siya umatras at hindi siya nasira.

    Sa tingin ko, iyung libro kasi ni Angela, iyun ang mas handy kumpara sa mga account na nasa mga lumang publikasyon, kaya malaki ang posibilidad na nagamit — bukod pa nga sa aktwal na pagkakatulad ng dalawang pinag-uusapan dito.

    Iyung iba rito, parang attack dogs ng ABS-CBN. May nagsasabing may due process at hintayin na lang natin ang response ng estasyon, eh kung bumanat naman ang iba diyan, parang akala mo, mismong research staff ni Ms. Davila.

  51. Yashika: do read through all the paragraphs that were juxtaposed again. I, III-V cover chronological narrations of fact that are common knowledge. Precisely because these are chronological, the documentary is guaranteed to converge the same way across different accounts — be they Ms. Stuart-Santiago’s, Messrs. Arillo, Tatad et al. Just how many ways do you present chronology in unique, different aspects? Only paragraph II is “editorialized” in treatment and can reasonably be cited by Ms. Stuart-Santiago as her own “idea”. It is therefore only on that paragraph that reasonable doubt can be argued as to her assertion of plagiarism.

  52. mia : im not saying ako lang ang nakabasa o nakaalam, pero yung ibang nakabasa at nakakaalam noon, did they spread the word in any way (other than word of mouth to limited audiences) so that nalaman na rin ng milyon-milyong pilipino 23 years later bago nila napanoood ang docu? even i wouldnt say that of my books. alam kong maraming hindi nagbasa ng himagsikan kasi hindi daw sila nagbabasa ng tagalog. of course there’s also my english chronology of a revolution, na coffee table book type naman, so rather expensive, so limited din ang readership.

    cecilio arillo’s book was a “snap book” published in may 1986, all about enrile’s and RAM’S version of the story. did not mention cory except once and only in reference to cory aquino for president movement. one sentence. mercado’s book was a photo-history. i didn’t get too many what-who-where-what-time data from that. tatad’s book, correct me if im wrong, was post edsa dos. and how many people read tatad? and how many of the millions who watched the docu read at all ba.

    btw arillo’s book denied the coup plot by enrile and RAM (that enrile admitted only in 2000, have yet to hear from honasan), as tho they defected out of the goodness of their hearts. how credible is that. and oh yes he has a version of the landing of choppers in crame on day 3. medyo iba ang details from the version in my book. why didn’t they use that instead? english kasi? isasalin pa nila sa tagalog? trabahong tamad?

  53. @angela

    what is the status of the complaint? what do you hope to accomplish (for real, i think u were kidding in the blog post)?

    i heard that she acknowledged it on radio. whats next?

  54. di kung magaling ka din at meron ka din ethics di sana ang una mo ginawa angela e ni research mo din kung paano nila nagawa ang report… then malalaman mo personally kung sino talaga o kung meron talaga silang case ng plagiarism…. hindi mo na lang basta sinabi si karen kasi alam mo naman na reporter siya at most probably nga malalaman mo kung sino researcher nila…. kala ko ba nagreresearch ka din…

  55. kung mag kwento pala ako ngayon tungkol sa nagyari duon dapat sasabihin ko according to angela chuba chiness….. eh narinig at nakita ko din naman yon sa radyo bago pa na publish ang libro mo… alangan naman mag-iibang tagalog terms pa ang gamitin ko…ay naku…. most probably magkakapareho din sasabihin ko sa sinabi mo… gaano ba kaiba ang libro mo sa the same event naman pero ibang author, yan lang ang question ko naman… eh di na nga ako nagbasa ng book mo kasi narinig ko na nga iyan sa tv at radio nuong nangyari yan… pero in fairness magandang pubicity sa iyo ginawa mo…peace

  56. Sa mga hecklers dito (you know who you are), i don’t know where you get off making insipid pronouncements like “you have no monopoly of Tagalog phrases and words’, “common knowledge ang mga sinabi”, etc, etc. Pinaghirapan ng author ang pagjuxtapose ng mga words nya sa mga ginamit sa docu ni karen davila, tapos hindi nyo man lang binasa, bagkus ay nagpakawala agad kayo ng mga salitang talaga namang nakakatuwa. Yung iba naman talagang parang mga “attack dogs” nga ng ABS-CBN. Newsflash, people: THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE NETWORK AT ALL! This isn’t GMA vs ABS-CBN. This is simply about irresponsible broadcast journalism. Forget about your biases and allegiances muna.Anong makukuha ni Angela Santiago-stuart sa publicity na magegenerate nito? I dont know her (sa mga hihirit na apologist nya ako, bahala kayo) but from her prose, it is very evident she does not want to have anything to do with showbiz at all. She seems a very intelligent writer. masyado syang nabastos dito kaya na-outrage sya at the audacity of the network (which sadly, was represented by whoever talking head was on duty at the time) to act as if they did all the dirty work to provide us, their patronizers, with balanced news and well thought of documentaries. Para bang pinaghihirapan nila talaga ang pag”sisilbi” sa kanilang mga manonood. Yun ang problema doon. Yun ang reprehensible dun sa ginawa nila. Ang analogy na naiisip ko ay ang isang tao na nangdekwat ng polo sa sinampay ng hindi nya kilalang nilalang, tapos walang pangingimi at may pagmamayabang pang ipangpoporma nya ang polo na ito na para bang pinagpawisan nya ang perang pinambili nito. Ngayun kung kung may taga-sungkit man sya sa sampayan ay wala na ako dun. Ang point ko ay, kung hindi man ikaw mismo ang nagnakaw ng polo na yun, pero alam mong hindi naman sa yo, hindi mo man lang ba uusisain ang nagbigay sa yo nun kung saan nya kinuha yun?

  57. I’m still amazed at how much bile there is in the blogosphere. And you have to put up with that, since otherwise they will accuse you of “censorship.”

    I wish you the best, since now you are up against a corporation that will want to protect its name. In theory, they should admit fault and quietly settle. But so many things don’t go according to theory.

  58. This is a clear case of plagiarism, it is almost impossible to write and describe an event that happen and be identical WORD FOR WORD with another writer describing the same event (Try nyo. hehe). Ang issue dito ay kinopya word for word ang book and made it look like their own idea, not whether it was “common knowledge” or not, if it was your work you would naturally be pissed kung di man lang na mention ang author na pinagkunan matapos mo itong paghirapan.

    Abs is losing credibility more and more with all the controversies that is coming out.

    Good luck to Ms. Angela. =)

  59. Lorelyn

    I wonder how Karen Davila and ABS-CBN will workaround this journalism error. Bago ako mag-comment dito, binasa ko ang nilalaman ng librong ito to give me an idea. I agree that it is impossible that 2 reports about the same “common knowledge” would have the same choice of words to narrate the story. The choice of word made by Angela in her book was obviously paraphrased in the docu which was relayed by Karen.

    May point din ang argument that Karen could have no knowledge about the book and rely on her writer’s notes. She could’ve asked where the source of the story came from, but who knows. ABS-CBN owe an explanation of the incident and an apology to Angela, subject to a damage suit.

  60. anti oyo ii

    sabihin mo man na “common knowledge” ang history tungkol sa yumaong Pres. Aquino, iba-iba ang structures ng pagsusulat bawat writers, much more sa mga “exact words” na ginamit. bigyan kita ng example, sabihin nating 25 students ang gagawa ng reaction/term paper or essays tungkol sa iisang topic, sa tinging mo pare-parehong mga “words at style” ang bawat isa? i don’t think so. bawat writers meron kanya-kanyang style ng pagsusulat, logic, and coherence. thought pareho man ang “topic”, kanya-kanya naman ng idea kung papaano i-present into writing.

  61. anti oyo ii

    sa pagkaka present ng writer ng “Laban ni Cory” in comparison to ms. santiago’s work, indeed, “KOPYA NGA.” Sa naglabasang mga “unofficial” statement, according doon sa pep.ph, “HINDI NILA DENI-NY” ang allegations tungkol sa issue. bagkos, naghugas kamay pa si ms. davila. ni wala silang mailabas na official statement either from the network or ms. davila. how does that imply to you? sounds off, right?

  62. Never akong napabilib ng mga newscaster sa abs cbn.

    mas gusto ko pa yung mga documentary sa gma 7

    Tama lng yung mga sinulat mo.

    Pati ba naman pinoy nanakawan..tsk tsk.

    Pansinin nyo po, karamihan sa mga abs cbn newscaster pag sikat na..

    Tumatakbo na sa eleksyon. taz pag naboto at nanalo wala namang nagagawa.

    tsk tsk.

  63. jorge arago

    The fair use by broadcast media of copyrighted works has generated some guidelines which reference the design, purpose and commercial context of the use, the nature of the work for which a copyright exists, the implication for the target-market of the copyrighted work, etc. On all counts, it seems clear that ABS-CBN’s use of Angela Stuart-Santiago’s meticulously synthesized work on the “1986 people power revolution” was far from fair; adds insult to injury in denying the author any credit whatsoever; and confers a certain grossness to its act through the calculated ambivalence of a corporate gesture of thanks. How else read the sustained emphasis on the proposition that apart from the access to democratic instruments that Corazon Aquino restored to a nation, she gave ABS-CBN back to its owners in a transcendental recognition of its democratic function? No matter that ABS-CBN can lay claim to being one of the founding fathers of tabloid journalism, with its skillful use of, to cite only one example, play-acting in its newscasts to assist the inadequate imagination. Let us not talk of the political vacuum in which its melodramas luxuriate, or previous intimacies with dictators. It will be enough to say all of that is germane, as historical background, to its messages and leverages about rights of all sorts. All of it is fodder for its kingdom and horse.

  64. i’ve read your book over the weekend and i must say, it’s really great. no wonder they can’t resist copying it. i was in edsa and malacanang the night he departed and reading your book brought back memories. i admit, i cried a few times huhuhu

  65. Lorelyn

    I would say that Angela’s account of the 1986 people power revolution depicts how all circumstances evolve and collaborate to turn up the historic peaceful revolt. It is more detailed and alive, feels like I’m there when I read her book.

    I hope justice prevails for you.

  66. Note to Angela’s critics: Try writing a book next time. I dayre you. That way you’ll realize that it takes blood, sweat and tears to publish a book. I can compare it to childbirth. 12 years siyang nag “labor” para lang mailabas ang librong ito, tapos aagawin lang sa kanya ang kanyang sanggol. She has every right to be vigilant about this. It’s her baby.

  67. hmmm, I think I was 9 years old back then, but I remember very clearly all the details, yung pagboykot sa kuryente, even San Miguel, yung mga utos ng Marcos. I remember hearing it all on radio, from older people, and seeing it on TV. It’s all common knowledge. I may not be able to recall the sequence of events, but everytime it is recalled, it’s all nothing new. But well, the similiarities in the phrasing and use of words are all suspicious. Puwedeng kinopya, puwede all coincidence din. But raising hell is also a good way to promote your book. Sana maraming bumili. he he. Ako, naaah. I remember too well what happened. Don’t need a written account, probably the younger generation.

  68. hindi makaintindi ang iba dito. ang plagiarism ay pangongopya. no need to defend the indefensible, or deny the undeniable. we can read, we can comprehend, and we can compare. yung mga piniling gamitin na mga salita–eksaktong eksakto. yung pagkakasunod ng mga salita, eksakto din. In many cases, yung exact phrase sa dokyu, parehong pareho nung isinulat ni ms angela. at hindi lang sa isang instance— paulit ulit. two or three times, puwede pang sabihing coincidence. pero ganito karaming beses na parehong pareho ang laman ng teksto? yung mga nagtatanggol sa mali, tiyak na tiyak either network rabid fans, o mga bayaran. deny it all you want, e pare pareho din style ninyo…bistado na kayo. i hope something gets done about this.

  69. johndiesel

    I hope that MR/MS. STUART SANTIAGO should first file his/her complain to the concerned since plagiarism is such an unforgivable act. Ms KAREN DAVILA has her reputation which may be jeopardize, she may be ACCUSING the wrong person with such a BIG OFFENSE. THINK FIRST BEFORE YOU WRITE. I always pity those who throw stones to innocent ones. thanks just my personal opinion…

  70. Everyone involved with the script should be accountable: researcher, segment writer, segment producer, executive producer, and reader. On each level, may responsibility dahil ilalabas ang script sa public. Even Karen has a responsibility and can actually remind her producers to put credits kahit pa hindi nya nabasa ang lahat ng history books about Cory Aquino. Ofcourse, she is aware na may sources ang kanyang binabasa unless ang kanyang segment writer ay isang historian.

    News anchors, kahit tagabasa lang, ay pwedeng makialam kung gugustuhin nila because they already have the script before they voice it. So no more excuses. Walang sini-single out. Dapat all members of the team should be accountable and learn from this.

  71. nag-aaral para sa eksamin

    Um, wala akong masyadong masasabi tungkol dito. Hindi ko nabalitaan eh.

    Will dig more on this stuff.

    Also, kung gayon nga ang nangyari, grabe naman sila. Napakadaling isingit sa credits o kaya sa binabasa ni Karen Davila ang pangalan ng libro. Sana nga lang careless mistake siya. Pero, iba pa rin kapag kilalang istasyon ang nagkamali eh.

  72. superpurplemoon

    please pursue this case. intellectual property rights is an issue that should be taken seriously by everyone. we should never “just laugh about” it. File a case with the Bureau of Legal Affairs Intellectual Property Office. Do something. Good luck!

  73. Leslie Fareth

    I don’t believe we should put all the blame on Karen Davila. It’s the writers/researchers’ responsibility to make sure that they include their references in what they submit.

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