The multimedia service portal 88DB.com, in partnership with Commission on Elections (Comelec), launched on Thursday a new socio-political networking site aimed at providing an online forum for candidates and voters ahead of the 2010 elections.

According to Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, the new website – www.politicalarena.com- is a logical platform to connect presidential hopefuls with their future constituency through the use of social networking tools such as blogs, chat and multimedia portals.

He said the unlimited space offered by the Internet allows candidates to engage voters in meaningful conversation that is not limited to catchphrases and sloganeering.

“Politicalarena.com is very timely, a quantum leap forward in building an informed electorate. People will now have a resource to vet the candidate before the elections and see if the candidate is worth voting for,” Jimenez said in a Makati forum.

Candidates’ profiles

The site provides profiles of at least 20 possible presidential candidates in the 2010 elections including such names as Sen. Richard Gordon, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jesus Is Lord Movement founder Eddie Villanueva, and Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio.

Racquel Cagurangan, general manager of politicalarena.com, said each perceived presidential candidate is provided a web page with a standard layout to ensure that the focus of each page is on issues that matter most to voters. She said the candidates are given personal content management systems to ensure the integrity of their information.

She also said that any candidate who has withdrawn from the race only needs to submit a letter to be removed from the site. “In the case of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, he has already submitted a letter to us that he is withdrawing from the race,” she said.

Pledges

She said 88DB.com is still considering a proposal that will allow supporters to pledge both time and money to their candidate through politicalarena.com. She said the site may seek sponsors to shoulder some of the cost in maintaining the site.

Jimenez said the Comelec envisioned the site as early as 2007 in recognition of the growing online trend in the Philippines. He said, however, that the technical complexities of the idea slowed down the actual progress of the project.

Cagurangan said the website has been receiving 5,000 visits daily from 26 different countries including China, Singapore and Saudi Arabia since its launch two days ago.

Steady increase

She said the steady increase in Web traffic to the site “shows that Filipinos here and abroad are interested in the political arena in the country.”

She said the site’s forum section will provide a community-based arena from which politicians and voters can communicate and effectively address relevant issues.

“We are working with the candidates to committing to smear-free campaigns conducted on this platform and elsewhere. Our focus is on the voters, and making sure that we provide the best one-stop-shop site that presents to them profiles and personalities of candidates,” she said.

Among those who attended the website launch were Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairwoman Henrietta de Villa, and representatives of different presidential candidates.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/18/09/website-seeks-be-online-plaza-miranda

Unmanly as it may seem, I confess a feeling of trepidation as my mind’s eye gives me a replay of two singular events in our contemporary political history which came 12 years apart but left wounds in our consciousness that have yet to heal.

Here’s how the news accounts went:

The Ninoy Aquino Assassination -August 21, 1983:

Despite a convoy of security guards (all assigned to him by the Marcos government), a contingent of 1,200 military and police personnel on the tarmac, three armed bodyguards personally escorting him, and a bulletproof vest Aquino was wearing, Aquino was fatally shot in the head as he was escorted off the airplane. From the airplane, aviation security personnel were seen firing into the body of an unknown man dressed in blue, who was identified as Rolando Galman. Aquino’s body was quickly loaded into a van and sped away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benigno_Aquino,_Jr.#Assassination

The Plaza Miranda Bombing -August 21, 1971:

A crowd of about 4,000 had gathered in the Plaza Miranda, a popular political forum in the heart of downtown Manila’s shopping and business district. They had turned out to hear speeches by Liberal Party candidates for Manila’s mayoralty and for eight of the country’s 24 Senate seats. It was a festive occasion; balloons floated through the evening air and spectators waved fans printed with the candidates’ names and slogans. The makeshift stage, built with old kerosene drums and boards, was crammed with Liberal Party officials, the smiling candidates and their wives.

Just as the ceremonies were to begin, two hand-grenade blasts ripped apart the speakers’ platform. The explosions brought instant death to eight spectators clustered near the platform, including a five-year-old child and Manila Times Photographer Ben Roxas. Virtually everyone on the stage was injured, including incumbent Senator Jovito Salonga, who is running for reelection; Liberal Party

President Geraldo Roxas; and the Liberal Party’s 1969 presidential candidate, Senator Sergio Osmeria Jr., who received critical head and chest wounds. President Ferdinand Marcos termed the bombing “a national tragedy.” Who had caused the tragedy? Police believed that the hand grenades had been thrown by “leftist radicals” they had earlier noticed in the crowd.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,909933,00.html

The saddest footnote to these two events perhaps is the reality that till now the crimes are ‘unclosed.”

Unclosed because while the supposed killers of Aquino have been pardoned, and as the country looks ahead to new elections 10 months from now, Filipinos are  not convinced the guilty have been punished nor do have a clear choice among the ‘Moses’ jockeying to lead us out our ‘Egypt’ alongside lingering fears o one man-rule returning.

Again my apologies for being in a state of alarm, and dread.

“ The best way to defeat terrorists is to penetrate their cells. “  Paul Bracken

Secara konseptual, negara sebagai suatu institusi politik dinyatakan hadir jika ia dapat menegaskan dirinya sebagai institusi satu-satunya yang sah dalam penggunaan kekerasan.

Bila hakikat monopolistik dalam penggunaan kekerasan ini hilang, gugatan dan pertanyaan atas eksistensi negara akan muncul. Gugatan dapat muncul dari dua sumeber.

Pertama, jika profesi penggunaan kekerasan diijinkan menjadi lahan bisnis komersial. Pertumbuhan perusahaan keamanan swasta sering dikritik sebagai indikasi ketidakpercayaan terhadap kapasitas monopolistik penggunaan kekerasan oleh negara guna menjamin keamanan.

Kedua, jika terjadi fenomena negara gagal yang ditandai tidak berfungsinya institusi penanggung jawab keamanan negara. Dalam kalimat keras, Erhard Eppler dalam The Return of the State (2009) menyebutkan fenomena pertama sebagai kekuasaan yang diswastakan, sedangkan fenomena kedua sebagai masyarakat barbarik dan tidak beradab.

Perlindungan demokrasi

Tidak mengherankan jika negara lalu memberi tanggapan saat ada aktor lain yang secara telanjang berusaha meniadakan monopoli penggunaan kekerasannya. Aktor lain yang mungkin menantang otoritas itu bisa datang dari kelompok separatis bersenjata atau teroris. Tanggapan negara biasanya mengeluarkan aturan, yang membatasi hak-hak politik individual. Namun, ada variasi dalam memperkuat otoritas itu, mulai dari yang “lembut” (soft response) hingga yang amat “keras “(cruel response).

Untuk tanggapan yang “lembut”, misalnya AS setelah Peristiwa 11 September. Pemberlakukan UU Patriot oleh Bush tahun 2001, setelah serangan teroris, memberi ruang lebih luas bagi Pemerintah AS untuk membatasi hak-hak politik individual warganya. Namun, pemberlakuan UU Patriot ini tidak serta merta mengakibatkan terjadinya “pengebirian” proses demokrasi di negeri itu. UU Patriot dikeluarkan untuk melindungi dan melanjutkan pelembagaan dan mekanisme demokrasi di AS.

Tanggapan ini berbeda dengan yang diperlihatkan Marcos, saat terjadi ledakan bom di Filipina, 21.08.1971, yang menewaskan sembilan warga sipil. Dikenal sebagai peristiwa “Plaza Miranda”, Marcos menuding teroris sebagai pelaku. Berdasar tuduhan itu, ia memberlakukan undang-undang darurat perang, mengakibatkan terbungkamnya demokrasi lebih dari satu dasawarsa dan memunculkan rejim otoriter.

Kisah di AS dan Filipina menyampaikan pesan, upaya negara memonopoli penggunaan kekerasan, khususnya saat berhadapan dengan teroris, dapat mengakibatkan dua hasil berbeda. Ia dapat dilakukan untuk melindungi demokrasi, tetapi juga dapat membunuh demokrasi. Pilihan kebijakan ideal yang harus dilakukan Indonesia bukan dengan membunuh demokrasi, tetapi melindungi.

Isolasi isu

Jika sepakat bahwa perlindungan terhadap demokrasi harus dijadikan benchmark guna meluncurkan tanggapan kebijakan yang tepat, yang perlu dilakukan tidak memperluas ancaman serangan teroris ke bidang lain. Dengan kata lain, isu serangan teroris, seperti ledakan bom di Hotel JW Marriott dan Ritz Carlton, harus dibatasi sebagai masalah keamanan, bukan politik. Dengan mengisolasi sebagai masalah keamanan, yang harus dilihat adalah keterbatasan dan kegagalan keamanan, khususnya intelijen, untuk mencegah serangan teroris.

Pemerintah harus bersedia dan mengakui, ledakan bom itu menyampaikan pesan, ada yang serius dalam sistem peringatan dini dinas intelijen negeri ini. Institusi intelijen di Indonesia mungkin tidak efektif untuk melaksanakan fungsi utamanya, yaitu menghindarkan terkadinya kejutan strategis (strategic surprise). Secara teoritik-konseptual, ada tiga sebab mengapa dinas intelijen Indonesia tidak efektif mencegah kejutan strategis teroris.

Pertama, informasi tentang adanya serangan teroris sebenarnya diperoleh, tetapi tidak ditindaklanjuti. Ketiadaan tidak lanjut mungkin muncul dari berbagai sebab, misalnya terkait sifat informasi masih amat kabur atau sering disebut problem of signal. Sebab lain, mungkin terkait keterbatasan otoritas. Informasi mungkin sudah didapat oleh dinas intelijen tertentu, tetapi karena dinas intelijen bukan lembaga penegak hukum, ia tidak mampu melakukan pencegahan, tetapi hanya menyampaikan informasi peringatan kepada polisi sebagai lembaga penegak hukum. Jika ini yang terjadi, solusinya adalah penguatan koordinasi antarinstitusi keamanan yang di dalamnya memiliki dinas intelijen atau mengeluarkan regulasi yang memberi wewenang terbatas dinas intelijen yang bukan penegak hukum guna melakukan penahanan pelaku yang dicurigai.

Kedua, memang tak ada informasi sama sekali kemungkinan adanya serangan teroris. Ketiadaan ini mungkin terkait ketidakmampuan dinas-dinas intelijen untuk secara profesional mengumpulkan atau mengolah informasi yang diperlukan. Mengapa tidak mampu ? Mungkin disebabkan warisan tradisi dinas intelijen Orde Baru yang amat dekat dengan kekuasaan politik sehingga lebih berfungsi sebagai intelijen politik daripada intelijen keamanan profesional. Ketidakmampuan juga bisa disebabkan keterbatasan teknologi sehingga tidak dapat memperoleh informasi yang dibutuhkan. Keterbatasan teknologi ini mungkin muncul dari keterbatasan anggaran. Penguatan teknologi intelijen memang membutuhkan biaya amat besar.

Namun, teknologi bukanlah segalanya, AS yang memiliki teknologi amat canggih pun kewalahan menghadapi teroris. Seperti pendapat Paul Bracken pada awal tulisan, cara terbaik menghadapi teroris mungkin bukan hanya mengandalkan teknologi, tetapi memanfaatkan human intelligence, yaitu penyusupan terhadap sel-sel teroris. Karena itu, ledakan bim di Marriott dan Ritz Carlton patut dilihat sebagai kesempatan membenahi dinas-dinas intelijen Indonesia baik dalam fungsi, otoritas, koordinasi, penguatan kapasitas teknologi dan sumber daya manusia.

Sumber  :  Terorisme, Bom, dan Intelijen – Makmur Keliat, Kompas, 21.07.2009

Este 25 de abril todos por la
Ley de Protección Animal

Ya la  Ley para la Protección de Animales Domésticos, Dominados, Silvestres y en Cautiverio es un hecho. La Asamblea Nacional entrará en sesiones para la SEGUNDA DISCUSIÓN DEL PROYECTO que aprobará definitivamente el marco legal de los derechos animales.

En Sin embargo, existen enemigos furibundos a que se apruebe el texto a plenitud. Aquellos que se lucran del sufrimiento animal están reaccionando y presionando para que se modifiquen ciertos artículos y así continuar sus negocios.

Este sábado 25 de abril nos concentraremos en la Plaza Miranda del CC Millenium,  en Los Dos Caminos, Caracas desde las diez de la mañana para respaldar una ley de protección animal SIN EXCEPCIONES.

La convocatoria es a NIVEL NACIONAL para defender una Ley:

POR LOS DERECHOS DE TODOS LOS ANIMALES
Ante la ciencia, Ante la industria, A conservar su piel

POR LOS ANIMALES DE COMPAÑÍA
Contra el abandono, Contra el Maltrato

POR LA FAUNA SILVESTRE LIBRE
Del  Tráfico, De la Cacería

POR LA ABOLICIÓN
De Circos con Animales, Corridas de Toros, Peleas de Gallos, Toros Coleados y Peleas de Perros

CONTRA LOS SACRIFICIOS RITUALES

Puedes movilizarte desde el interior del país:

MARACAY

PARTIREMOS TODOS JUNTOS DESDE EL TERMINAL DE MARACAY HACIA CARACAS Y EL REGRESO SERÁ IGUAL. DE ESTA MANERA, NADIE TIENE QUE VIAJAR SOLO.
A LAS 7:00 AM EN DONDE SALEN LOS BUSES PEQUEÑOS HACIA CARACAS.

Escribe a: YiyiM@AnimaNaturalis.Org
Llama o escribe al: 0412-0169354

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VALENCIA

NOS VEMOS A LA 6:00 AM EN LA PANADERÍA QUE ESTÁ ADENTRO DEL BIG LOW CENTER.

Llama o escribe: 0424-4918133, 0412-8890493, 0424-4616975

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NAGUANAGUA

SALDRÁ UN AUTOBÚS A LAS 6:30 A.M. DESDE LA SEDE DE LA FUNDACIÓN ASOGUAU EN LA URB. LA CAMPIÑA, AVENIDA 103, QUINTA Nº 03, NAGUANAGUA, ESTADO CARABOBO
CONFIRMAR SU ASISTENCIA POR LOS TLFS: 0241-897-56-71, 0241-866-51-15 Y 0241-617-74-66.

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MATURÍN

VEN CON NOSOTROS DESDE MATURIN HACIA CARACAS PARA DEFENDER LA LEY DE PROTECCIÓN ANIMAL

Escribe a: lisuaram@hotmail.com
Llama al: 0424-9037150

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LARA

Llama al: 0416-8586108

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GUATIRE

NOS ENCONTRAREMOS EN EL TERMINAL DE GUATIRE A LAS 8:30 AM PARA IR AL PARQUE MIRANDA.

Llama al: 0414-1017890

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VALLES DEL TUY

Escribe a: pranamm@hotmail.com

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MARACAIBO

COMUNICARSE CON DIOSA BECERRA POR EL 0416 9619033 O ESCRIBIR A duendeybruja@hotmail.com

¡Te esperamos!

Via: Maria Alejandra Useche

We’re lost. We cannot find THE Historical Marker. The NHI Historical Marker. Maybe it’s gone, maybe we just cannot find it. We saw one marker put up by the local government of Manila. And checking our book, it has the same citation. So, maybe, this IS the marker. Haha.

Here’s the citation:

“Can We Defend This in Plaza Miranda?”
 As President, Ramon Magsaysay made the touchstone for public endorsement of policy and action. The constant concern of his administration for the welfare of the people was often expressed in the above query, which indicated his readiness to place issues before them.

Admit it, the citation is kinda…malabo. Haha. But I guess, Plaza Miranda served as a place where debates were being held, discussions, etc. Of course, Plaza Miranda is also famous because of the bombing during the Marcos presidency. We didn’t find any marker pertaining to that though.

We didn’t have any picture with us. Too many people staring at two geek kids. Hahaha :-p

That name registered fully well in my mind, as if it were deeply encoded in my brain. Correct, that Bro. Eli is the one he used to watch on TV every afternoon.

By Ryan G. Borja

I was born and raised a Catholic just because I was baptized by a Catholic priest. But today, I can say those were just about rituals, papers and some money.

As I grew older, I realized we really never attended the mass in our parochial church together as a family. If you want to attend the masses, you can do so at your own will. If you want to receive communion, you are free to do it. But we really never practiced the faith very religiously and devoutly. And I thanked God that we had that set-up in my poor home. Those things helped me in deciding and pursuing a path that I can be proud of – the Path that gave me fulfillment and peace of mind.

When I was in my elementary grades, my father used to turn on the television set in the afternoon, but not to watch the country’s favorite noontime show. He would surf out TV channels for only one station and that was IBC Channel 13. And my mother would say, “There’s goes your daddy again – he is watching that man!”

I did not bother. In my young mind, I thought then that my father is really like that. He is fond of watching religious shows, attending debate forums in Plaza Miranda and Luneta Park to witness debate showdown. He is really like that.

Sometimes my father would bring the whole family to Luneta Park at night just to watch debates by different religious people. On our way to the park, he would enthuse, “Nandoon si Kristong Gala” (That man like Christ is there) or “Marami doong pastor na nagdedebate pero walang kagaya ni Bro. Eli.” (There are many pastors there debating, but there’s no one like Bro. Eli).

That name registered fully well in my mind, as if it were deeply encoded in my brain. Correct, that Bro. Eli is the one he used to watch on TV every afternoon. I never questioned my father because that is how he really is like in the family. And his TV habit is complemented by his radio habits. At night, he would listen to that man again called Bro. Eli. Sometimes, when the night is cold, and all in the streets are silent, the voice of that man coming from my father’s radio sizzles with Bro. Eli’s TV broadcast.

Years passed. My father continued to watch the show on TV called “Ang Dating Daan” and I would attend with him. Yes, that man, Bro. Eli, has good points and they are correct, I felt. Though the times I watched the program were few and far between, I began to admire him and liked his teachings.

In high school, when I was only about fourteen years old, I told my classmate in class that I am a member of the “Ang Dating Daan.” And my classmate would yell, “Whoa…where’s that?” And some would say, “Ah, the Church of Eli Soriano, is that a cult?” Some remarks were insulting, punctuated by smirks and laughter.

Those were the moments I most profoundly felt I was a member because I was almost the single person defending Bro. Eli. Some even challenged me for a debate, me defending “Ang Dating Daan.” I refused because I was not indoctrinated yet. I was not a member yet – officially, not having baptized even. But I felt certain that I will become a member and be baptized soon. So a question popped up in my mind: “Will I join Ang Dating Daan?”

Bro. Eli answered my question on the TV show when someone, same age of mine before, asked him the same dilemma I was having. During the “Itanong Mo kay Soriano” (Ask Bro. Eli) segment: “Can I join the Church?” Bro. Eli said, as I recalled it, “The Church only baptizes a person when he is at the right age and disposition; perhaps the age of eighteen is a good age that we allow a person to undergo baptism.”

So somehow, my world crumbled. But I still kept my promise to myself. I will join that church group when I reached eighteen, I said to myself. And life went on for me.

I finished high school and attended college and I still listened to Bro. Eli. Somehow, I already adapted in my life some of his teachings on TV like not praying rosary and novena. I quit a Marian movement after I received two medals for loyalty to Virgin Mary and one of the most religious attendees to the procession every Saturday night. I also did not attend masses during “Simbang Gabi” (Catholic night mass) and every Sunday. I became like that already. Though I did not read the Bible like my father, I said anyway, Bro. Eli will read for me and show the verses on TV. And I trust and have faith that he will not lie nor fool me or anyone else.

When I reached eighteen, I became too busy with so many things – my barkada (buddies) who liked partying in disco and wasting money in movie houses, my beer mates, my studies and me. It was as though I was at a crossroad and seemed to forget my promise. I had the same worldly interests until I graduated from college.

After graduation, I became busy with my work. With money all my own, my vices were amplified. With everything I was doing, I suspected that I would completely be corrupted if I did not change. I once again watched “Ang Dating Daan.” I said to myself that this maybe the last chance for me to fulfill my promise.

Luckily, Bro. Josel Mallari, one of the Ministers-in-charge, was announcing schedules for a new series of mass indoctrination. His voice lingered long in my mind even before I slept that night. “I must be saved,” I told myself. I believe Bro. Eli will lead me to salvation.

The next day, it was like any ordinary day for a professional reporter in a news publication. After submitting my work to my editor, I immediately left the office. No one knew where I was headed for. My father and mother did not have any idea what I was supposed to do that night.

I would like to challenge myself and I decided to fulfill my promise, no matter what. At 6pm, I was already on the bus going to Quiapo. Metro-Manila. Usually, I rode a bus from my office in Ortigas to Cubao.

At 7pm, I was at the door of the Quiapo Coordinating Center of the “Ang Dating Daan.” Smiles greeted me and I felt inspired. This will be a special day and that day was when everything started to change my life. When the congregational singing started, it swept me all the more to a high.

I am now a member of the Members Church of God International (MCGI) and I am proud to say I have found a place for eight years already. I thank God I was called from among millions of people in the whole world. Thanks be to God!

by Alexander Rosette

THE ASSALAM Bangsamoro People’s Association, Office of the Muslim Affairs (OMA), Center for Moderate Muslims (CMM), Young Moro Professional Network (YMPN), Insan Islamic Assembly (IIA), on Sunday, March 29, 2009, will gather all Filipinos to offer prayers for the safe, immediate and unconditional release of the abducted ICRC workers in Plaza Miranda, Quiapo Manila at 4 p.m.

The grand interfaith rally will be participated by different Muslim groups, institutions, civil society groups and faith-based organizations who will unite in prayer for the freedom of the abducted ICRC workers. (continue)

http://karitoon.com/xoops/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1061

Tis the season of fortunetellers and geomancers. From a few days just before the Western New Year  until the Chinese New Year which is  in late January or early February, such people are most sought after to find out what lies ahead for the rest of the year and maybe, even beyond.

At Quiapo”s Plaza Miranda, numerous “manghuhulas” converge to read cards and palms for those who are desperate to determine what lies ahead.  They huddle together in their makeshift consulting spaces consisting of a table and tiny chairs for themselves and their patrons. The clients listen intently as the seers whisper to them on what fortune can befall them.

In this area, Filipinos have sought counsel from the oracles on issues encompassing all facets of life -mundane or not. Middle aged ladies troop to the place to confirm about the suspected philandering husbands. Even businesspeople seek opinion from fortunetellers on what enterprising endeavor is most profitable for them. And of course, the out of luck and out of job would ask if they could be more fortunate outside the Philippines. Or some rich lady would just like to know who the culprit is that stashed away her set of  jewelry.

In such sessions, there are times that the socalled psychics are on point dishing out specific moments of your past experiences, but largely the readings are too general to make a real  impression. Therapeutic in a way, whether you get to have a perceptive clairvoyant or not,  just enjoy the ride, and take in the more positive comments to create a better you and a better future ahead of you.

Long Holiday
Residents of Metro Manila are taking advantage of the three-day weekend by going out of the city for rest and recreation. It’s also the best time for Filipinos to visit the provinces while they’re still part of the Philippines.

President, Sick?
Reports say a combination of dinuguan and bilu-bilo downed President Arroyo last week. Militant congressmen are filing a bill to officially name both dinuguan and bilu-bilo “mga pambansang pagkain ng Pilipinas.”

President Arroyo attended a barangay fiesta in Lubao, Pampanga on Saturday dismissing rumors she was struck with an illness. In fact, just to prove she was as healthy as ever, the president gamely participated in the indigenous games held at the fiesta. Wearing a hula skirt… pumayag siyang maging sipa.

CPP-MILF Alliance
Self-exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison proposed an alliance between the CPP-NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. MILF leaders vowed to consider the proposal on one condition – that both groups would have equal number of representatives in Congress.

Plaza Miranda Bombing
August 21, 2008 marks the 31st anniversary of the Plaza Miranda bombing. The CPP-NPA will also be celebrating on that day as it marks the 31st year of denying it had a hand in the bombing.

PDEA Watch List
A Philippine Daily Inquirer report says a grandson of a former president and a male multimedia personality are on the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for cocaine and ecstasy abuse and dependency. When Borgy Manotoc read the article, he immediately phoned Imee Marcos and asked, “Mom, is lolo a former a president?”

PDEA Watch List II
A Philippine Daily Inquirer report says a grandson of a former president and a male multimedia personality are on the watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for cocaine and ecstasy abuse and dependency. When Tim Yap read the article, he exclaimed, “Malinis ang konsensya ko. Hindi dating pangulo ang aking lolo. At lalo namang hindi ako ‘yong multimedia personality. Look! It’s says there o, male. Hello?!?”

Let’s talk about blogs, shall we?

Now I know that blogs have evolved from its origins as online diaries to be just about any website that consists of entries posted in reverse chronological order, that readers can post comments on. Wunnerful.

But that’s getting all technical. On a gut level, there are a lot of people who feel that a blog should be about what the author thinks or feels, or where she stands on particular issues. Used in this way, a blog is an invaluable tool for going beyond the official press release and the gospel according to the media.

In a society where mass media already dominates public discussion and exerts more influence on public opinion than public intellectuals ever did, blogs can be a re-invigorating whiff of true free expression. And the raw honesty bloggers can be capable off is probably the single most important incentive for readers to add their comments; comments that  – for the most part – foment disagreement, argument, and hopefully consensus. The conversation is thus enriched immeasurably.

In more ways than one, the blogosphere is the new Plaza Miranda. It’s where you can trot out your ideas and your policies and get instant feedback from the people who will be affected. It’s where your stupid notions can get booed to extinction before they do damage; it where your good ideas can start generating the popular support it needs to become reality.

But what use is a blog when all it does is reprint news that you can get from mass media?  I mean, a blog that really does nothing more than just lift news articles and posts them verbatim? As a research tool, perhaps, that sort of thing might be helpful. But for myself – and there are others like me – who looks to blogs to get a feel for the real person behind the words, it’s pretty fucking useless.

Remember what i said about honesty encouraging comments? The reverse is true. When readers sense that the post is artificial (for lack of a better word) or affected or propagandistic, they mostly stay away. They leave the post unacknowledged and the ideas in that post remain as they are: un-enriched by disagreement or even mere discussion. Now, if that happens to blogs with original (albeit ‘artificial) posts, what can you expect from a blog that is basically just a scrapbook? Worse yet, what the fuck do you do with a blog that calls itself Richard Gordon’s blog, but in reality is nothing more than an exercise in narcissistic, masturbatory, scrapbooking?

Whoever is behind that blog sure doesn’t know what the crap he is doing. I imagine it’s an attempt to make Gordon look hip and with-it, but it fails miserably. The only thing more cynical than having a blog and then having someone ghost write posts for you, is to have a blog and do nothing more with it than re-publish positive press. This blog doesn’t make Gordon look hip. It makes him look arrogant; like he’s presuming people don’t know any better; that people will accept this crap and somehow chalk up a point for Gordon. I don’t know when exactly this blog jumped the shark. I mean it started out pretty sincere, and while I can’t exactly vouch for authorship, alot of the early entries read like Gordon. Not anymore tho. The latest entries going back months have been mostly cut-and-paste from newspapers, with the occasional media-bureau captioned photo-op.

If I were Gordon, I wouldn’t let this blog continue like this. If it’s not his, then it’s ruining his image as a dyed in the wool cool techno – a guy whose favorite catch-phrase is “it’s not rocket science.” If it is, then it’s indicating that he has lost touch with the public image he cultivated for a long time. In either case, it’s not helping people understand him better.

A blog is a great way of reaching out to voters. Especially since Gordon isn’t shy about admitting  that he has a moist eye on the presidency, he needs that. More importantly – for me anyway – if he is sincere in what he says that he isn’t a traditional politician, he could use this blog of his to attract votes the right way: by showing off his presidential caliber; by elucidating a comprehensible roadmap for the Philippines out of our doldrums; by showing himself not afraid to submit his thinking to the critical minds of the new Plaza Miranda.