We beg to differ.
There was a movement during the passage of the anti-Cybercrime law back in 2012 calling for the decriminalization of libel. They probably shout that again with the recent arrest of Rappler head honcho Maria Ressa. I didn’t pay much attention to it then, but now that I think about it, I prefer that libel stay…
Read More “Why Libel Or Defamation Should Remain Criminally Liable” »
If “press freedom” were truly an issue relevant to ordinary Filipinos, then it would have been a cornerstone of many a politicians’ campaign platform today. But it isn’t, and the reason it isn’t doesn’t come across as much of a surprise. Ordinary Filipinos wouldn’t have the time nor the brain space to critically evaluate “journalism”…
Read More “#DefendPressFreedom has been reduced to an elitist “movement”” »
If we take the time to sift through what some personalities in the “journalism” and corporate “news” media communities have been screeching about, it would seem that Facebook is increasingly regarded as the source of all forms of misinformation nowadays. Indeed, in the Philippine setting, nowhere is this idea more aggressively promoted than in the…
Read More “The Philippine Government should shut down Facebook and make Maria Ressa happy” »
Filipinos who are demonising a Chinese national who threw a cup of taho (a sweetened beancurd snack) at a police officer the other day are flirting with the dangerous possibility of inciting racial tensions with ethnic Chinese foreigners residing in the Philippines. Jiale Zhang is currently facing charges of “direct assault” against a police officer…
One of the biggest hurdles for Philippine passport holders is the enormous hassle of entry visa applications. Producing PSA certificates, bank statements, income tax returns, properly filled-up forms, ID pictures… what a waste of precious time on mostly unnecessary red tape! Fortunately, the winds of change are beginning to blow on this Pacific-facing vessel holding…
Read More “Should South Korea grant Filipinos visa-free entry?” »
People should get a grip over this recent measles “outbreak”. Partisan camps and social media “influencers” have been polarised between just two camps — (1) the Department of Health (DOH) headed by Sec. Francisco Duque who have been asserting that “low vaccine coverage because of the Dengvaxia scare” is behind this outbreak and (2) the…
Surveys are showing that senatorial candidate Bong Go is ramping up as a force to reckon with in the race for a seat in the Philippine Senate in this year’s elections. Widely-derided as epal (grandstanding) and “well-funded” in Opposition circles, Go is delivering the goods as far as gaining traction in the collective consciousness of…
Read More “Whatever Bong Go is doing, it seems to be working” »
A revolution of a different sort is at hand in the Philippines and it has the potential to effect the truly profound sort of change that is long overdue. The recent successful clean-up of Boracay and Manila Bay has created a new collective consciousness in the Filipino — one that has eluded an entire people…
Read More “A new and deeper-affecting REVOLUTION is happening in the Philippines!” »