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I was interviewed with no less than the living legend of  Philippine Investigative Journalism, Ms. Cheche Lazaro. Woah. Together with Josel (AKA the guy who’s been getting tens and thousands of hits since this issue exploded), I was interrogated first regarding the Malu Fernandez issue. There was a bit of a mix up – they thought I had direct links to the content of Tinig.com — but I think I was able to address the issues well (well, I hope I didn’t misrepresent you guys in anyway). Also on hand were a magazine publisher  (whose name escapes me right now – she’s in no way related to People Asia), Alex Magno (a broadsheet columnist) and Ricky Carandang (blogger – and fresh from during the news from the other studio. Hehe. Bloggers weren’t exactly put in the good light (all the time – we were also under scrutiny) so I had to be on the defensive on certain issues that were hurled my way.

Here are the issues that were discussed.

1. Was the reaction to the issue fair? Didn’t the bloggers and internet denizens react to the issue in such a crass and rabid manner that it become a bit hypocritical at the end of the day? Did we act like a huge lynch mob?

2. Do bloggers have the responsibility to police the comments that their visitors leave? Should we prioritize the freedom of expression or should we be more compassionate?

3. Are people more brave when they post opinions online? Does the fact that they can do it anonymously and without repercussions (i.e. facing the other person) aid in giving people extra courage.

How were these issues tackled? Just watch it later at 6 PM. I’ll be posting the replay schedules as soon as I get them.

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I didn’t get to watch the round but I was told that Xavier University (formerly known as Ateneo de Cagayan) beat the University of the Philippines Baguio in the fifth octofinal round of the Square Off! Debate Championships. Xavier becomes the first provincial school to advance to the quarterfinals after schools like Western Mindanao State University, Mindanao State University – Marawi City and University of Baguio failed to secure a slot in the next round. This is an upset of sorts. UP Baguio was the fifth seed in the competition while Xavier was the twelfth seed.

Xavier will face De Lasalle University in the quarterfinals. This is the second upset in five rounds so I guess that shows that anything can really happen.

Octofinal#5: Xavier (12) def. UP Baguio (5), unanimous

Octofinal#4: DLSU (4) def. Univ. of Baguio (13), split

Octofinal#3: PUP (14) def. UST (3), unanimous

Octofinals#2: UP Diliman (2) def. MSU-Marawi City (15), unanimous

Octofinals #1: ADMU (1) def. WMSU (16), unanimous

Next week: Ateneo de Zamboanga vs. UP Manila

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The Primer: Media In Focus is a show that deals WITH the media – on how is a story being reported — and less about what the story is to begin with. But this is a special case. The issue probably fell under this show’s criteria because the person at the center of this commotion is herself a member of the media.

I didn’t exactly keep this as a secret (haha), but if you have been reading my tweets and posts this past week, you would know that I’ll be taping for this week’s episode of Media In Focus at the ABS-CBN News Channel Studios tomorrow afternoon. The topic of the hour-long talk show will be the now explosive Malu Fernandez controversy that stemmed from a) the rudely discriminatory tone of the lifestyle writer’s article on her encounters with Overseas Filipino Workers and b) the general public’s inability to appreciate her acerbic wit. The guests for the program will probably be the journalists from the daily broadsheets, some NGOs who look after OFWs, probably Malu herself and yes, bloggers! It must be noted that other bloggers like Nick of Tingog and Kapuso Ederic of Tinig were also asked to participate but both begged off due to different reasons. I was told that Sassy Lawyer and Josel (more than 1900+ comments!) will be there as well.

Here are the possible issues:

1. Did Malu Fernandez exercise proper discretion in writing the article (and corresponding follow-up) ? Is there really such a thing as target audiences? Are the rules of ethics blurred or relaxed when it comes to writing entertainment or lifestyle pieces compared to straight news and more high brow columns?
2. Is the writer’s publication culpable in anyway? Does the concept of command responsibility apply in cases of acerbic wit gone-out-of-hand/ distasteful writing devoid of wit?
3. How did the media deal with the issue? Was the media reaction late or was the story just not big enough for mainstream media to pick up before the actual explosion of the issue? How should the media cover such stories in the future? Should it wait until an issue reaches fever pitch before taking action?

Obviously, those issues are outside the realm of yours truly and I’ll let the journalists, lawyers and Malu to figure out those things for themselves. I was invited to be a guest for my suggestion to start a writing project. Therefore, I will have to verbalize my concerns as a blogger who in my own little way took part in this massive cyber-indignation rally we launched against Malu’s article.

1. Has blogging emerged as a legitimate and more importantly, significant avenue for people to voice out their dissent and opinions? It must be emphasized that this is the first time that bloggers are being cited as one of the bigger players in this developing story. Have we really gained enough cred to hold enough authority to somehow police the mainstream media by a)whistle-blowing on the incidents of unfair journalism and b)direct them into more news-worthy stories? (the story of Pyro comes to mind) Have we truly arrived as a new and emerging flank of Philippine media or is this a mere fluke?
2. What polices the blogging community from similarly hateful comments directed at people bloggers choose to crucify? Should there be a mechanism to also check the abuses that bloggers commit? A deluge of very personal attacks have come Malu Fernandez’ way and it’s clear that those comments do nothing as far as enhancing the degree of discussion is concerned.Do bloggers have the responsibility of policing their own commenters?

So there. Wish me luck. It will be shown tomorrow at 6.

Update: They just asked me on how I wanted to be introduced – I just told them to say that I’m Benj, a 22 year-old medical student, collegiate debater and blogger at Atheista.net. Hehe

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Malu Fernandez exercised poor judgment, bad choice of words and horrible taste in choosing to poke fun and insult people who are taken in high regard in this country. Though it’s not exactly a no-no, if one is to criticize anything, the grounds have to be logical and rational. That is why discrimination on the basis of factors that are affected by socio-economic and genetic variables are rarely seen as valid arguments.

The writer messed up and despite her delusional stance on how funny the article was, the damage she was dealt a punishment of unprecedented proportions for someone who writes in the Lifestyle Section – a part of the newspaper that is traditionally an escape from the rigors of the real world to retreat to the lighter side of life. But then again, who has forgotten about the Claire Danes fiasco back in the 90s when she cited Manila as a ghastly place during one of her interviews? The actress did stay in a run-down building to shoot some scenes for a Hollywood movie and Manila really is a huge departure from the streets of Los Angeles, so every greasy beggar that came to her car’s window would’ve shocked her far more than it “shocks” (if still at all) us now.

Some Filipinos also reacted violently when a dog-eater joke was used in a major awards program. Not so long ago, a Jay Leno joke that made fun of the Philippine pull-out in Iraq also caught the ire of a few who didn’t exactly find the gag that funny. Clearly, Filipinos are not the biggest fans of humor and comedy especially when they’re the topic of tongue-in-cheek wit. Pinoys are sensitive, and they will react in a way comparable to how people from Muslim countries reacted when the Muhammad cartoon strips controversy erupted a while back. We are a zealous people – an overeager race who would defend the motherland and our people – at least with scathing words — when the call of duty is made.

With the Malu Fernandez issue, the Philippine Blogging Community has gained some semblance of clout and influence as far as the whole milieu of the media is concerned. We’re not becoming a relevant flank in this side of journalism, and we have to make sure that we take good care of this

But when I read comments like these in blogs, I can’t help but scratch my head and feel really perplexed:

You have said in your “apology” to leave your family and friends out of this fiasco.On the contrary Ms Fernandes,your actions reflects those who are close to you,ever heard of the saying”BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHERS….” or our own native saying “KUNG ANO ANG PUNO SIYA ANG BUNGA”.

pasalamat ka Emirates Airline nasakyan mo, kc sa Dudai nag land at hindi nag-emergency landing sa Sharjah, kun Air Arabia di kakpapayagan kc BAWAL BABOY SA MGA MUSLIM COUNTRIES

Comments taken from Selvo’s blog.

If you go to that blog, there are plenty of colorful comments that make fun of Malu Fernandez’s hefty frame. Actually, it has spilled over to a genuine brand of hatred. You can actually see a horde of village people trying to lynch someone with a bunch of pitchforks, hoes and axes. The comments are mostly irrational and as laughable as the actual article by Fernandez. Instead of posting pieces that would reflect an intellectual slant (as Tess Termulo would want it), people got carried away. While I agree that people should be given the leeway to react explosively – and we’re all guilty of this — after such a boisterous effort to discriminate, cooler heads and level-headedness still has to prevail eventually.

What has her weight have to do with the fact that she is an irritating elitist who writes not-so-funny articles? What’s the point of calling her ugly? True or not, it has nothing to do with the way she discriminated against the Filipinos she shared that flight with!

As one commenter in Tess Termulo’s blog said (verbatim):

Not all is born intellect… [sic]

As grammatically-deficient as the comment was, it does reflect a lot of things regarding this medium. Not all people will be able to verbalize his or her concerns regarding the article in a manner that would discuss the major points. It’s more likely that those who will be unable to dissect the article will be tempted to engage in gratuitous name-calling and emotional rhetoric that would amount to nothing in the end.

I think it’s about time that we call for some sanity. Yes, Malu Fernandez is one nasty writer who chose to discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic factors. I don’t even care who she discriminated against – an Overseas Filipino Worker is as much a hero as a diligent Filipino employee here in the Filipinos who is working for his family’s future. They are equals – both are making sacrifices for their families and both are inspiring and commendable citizens of our country. She should be held accountable for the things she done – but not for her weight (trust me, diabetes and heart disease will see her shortly), her looks and certainly not her family.

This sort of comment gives me hope though:

i am not saying that we as ofw’s can not act on our own. what i am trying to point out is we need to explore other avenues, other schools of thought on how to get the proper audience to listen to us. we obviously need help in accomplishing that task as we do not have the right machinery. for me, if we could show our disgust for what malu did to us in some other ways other than publishing a collective condemnation, why not, di ba? anyway, we only have one goal: to make sure that this kind of bigotry does not happen again.

I’ll be on Media In Focus (ABS CBN NEWS CHANNEL) this Thursday to tape an episode regarding the Malu Fernandez issue and this article will more or less be the focus of my comments.

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August has been one crazy month. Prior to this month, all my appearances on TV have been due to coincidence – the camera panning during a PBA game, having a camera crew covering a debate event I was in etc. This month, I’ve been invited to deliberately appear on shows not once, not twice, not thrice… but four times! But then again, I’m sure you’ve taped them all and I’m still waiting for you (all 24,992 of you), to upload it to Youtube.

August is not yet over and neither is my string of TV appearances. *fingers crossed*

I’ve been invited to be at the ABS-CBN studios this Thursday to talk about the Malu Fernandez issue. Why? Well, for one, I asked Ederic Eder of Tinig.com-fame to start a writing project. Ederic, being the nice and obedient person that he is decided to honor my request and formalize the commencement of a writing project about the now-controversial journalist. Due to the obvious conflict of interest – one look at Ederic’s personal blog will expose you to tons of hearty material – THE Ederic cannot guest on Media In Focus. Hopefully, Nick of Tingog.com can make it. To be fair to Nick, he has been an outspoken and passionate pundit for this issue and he has every right to be in a show that aims to discuss the crooks of the matter.

 I also need to find an OFW who will be willing to show up on TV. Given that criteria, make that former OFW. It would help if he’s/she’s a blogger as well. Haha, good luck to me!

Here are some notes that I have in my head:

• Mainstream media (well, at least the ABS-CBN News Network) is now paying attention to what bloggers have to say. Hopefully, this would enlighten other media outfits that the opinions in the blog community is also as valid as those found in newspapers and magazines. I think this bodes well as far as the objectives of the Blog and Soul Movement is concerned. For those who want to make blogging a prevalent and relevant facet of Philippine media, I think we should embrace every chance to get the word out with open arms. Lets all be TV-appearance whores and take one (or two) for the team.
• I will try to speak for myself. I will not speak for other people in this interview. I’ll bring cue cards to remind me of those things. You never know, I might slip and spin stuff like any debater would. Haha. I’m also trying to anticipate the questions that I will probably be asked… Hmmm…
• I don’t know the schedule yet! The taping will be on Thursday afternoon, but I don’t know when it will be shown.

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I’ll be updating this post soon. It’s really late, so let me just rattle off some bullets for now.

From Aileen Apolo’s gallery – Front Row: Yatot, Aileen, Carlo, Joe, Jehzlau, Allen and Benj (channeling Coy)

Back row: Billycoy Dacuycuy, Jerico, Lalon and Elmo aka JP.

• I had a great time hanging out with the younger crowd. I’m a couple of years their senior, but they were pretty cool. Karlo of Pinoy Blogero fame, Allen of Silkenhut, Jehz Lau, AJ of Baklaako, Doctor Tess Termulo, JP Monje, Lalon dela Rosa, Joe of Seph The Dreamer, Yatot Chronicles, Darwin of Juicelog and THE Misteryosa all provided good company – especially in the hours after the event. Congratulations to us for being the last ones in the venue.
• I also got to spend time with the usual suspects – Billycoy, L.A., Ederic of Tinig, Marcelle and Enrico of Byahilo. Others who I shook hands with at one point or another – Rico of Fool45, Chris and Apples Haravata, Noemi Dado, Sexy Mom (my best wishes on your newest apo!), Lauren Dado, Arbet and Jayvee Fernandez (not related to Malu!).
• Somebody recognized me from TV! Freaky! He told me that he wanted his kid (now in fourth year) to get hooked into debate. He also said that University of Baguio deserved to win the round – haha, and yeah, I had the same decision as well.
• Juned of Baratillo once again floated an interesting idea (that will remain top secret for now). Hopefully, the plans come into fruition! Woohoo! This will be sooo cool.
• I also got to meet up with the now 25-pounds lighter Ganns Deen! Way to go Ganns! May you continue losing weight until your reach your target weight! Honestly, you look a lot healthier and it definitely looked like that you’ve lost way more than that.
• The Man Blog guys mobbed me. I thought I was going to beat up pretty badly, but apparently they don’t bite. Haha. So it was nice meeting you (again) Ade (I don’t think you needed to kill your barber). I also met the following TMB staff guys for the first time: Rising Internet Star Mike Villar, now-reformed former Pinoyexchange addict (like myself) Bim, Iron Chef and the fashion guru Fritz of Fritzified and one of the movers of I.PH, Adam Mordo. I also got to see Helga Weber – the genius behind Ditz Revolution — a classmate from high school.

Stolen from Ade’s photos… From left to right: Fritz, Ade, Benj, Mike Villar and Bim.
That’s all for now. Hopefully I didn’t forget anyone.

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