Atheista -

Just mere hours after I left my post at the Philippine General Hospital Pediatric Emergency Room, I found myself walking to the National Commission For Culture And The Arts in Intramuros. I signed up for a taping of the NBN 4 show Youth Voice. I’ve been to Youth Voice before but nothing would have prepared me for last Saturday. Instead of shooting at the studio, we were asked to go on location. I’m not really that familiar with Intramuros so it did take a while before I found the NCCA.

It was around the time of the EDSA Revolution anniversary so the organizers were keen on focusing it on that particular part  of history and whether or not the lives of Pinoys were uplifted because of it. UP Manila was set to duke it out with UP Diliman, but as always the case with this show, we’re not really keen on knowing who’s better in debating – its more  of a talk show set in a debate format. No formal winners are named, but the great thing about is they give considerable honorarium for showing up on the set (Hurray!).

But something was different that Saturday. There was an actual audience! A group of about 200 high school students from Araullo High School showed up to watch the show as part of a field trip. These kids weren’t around during the first EDSA  revolution so this puts extra pressure on us to give them the information that would likely mold their perceptions of what that momentous occasion really was. That’s also ironic considering that I wasn’t even a year old during that time.

After the taping, the kids literaly mobbed us. For a moment there, I think I had an inkling of what a celebrity feels while being swarmed by fans. LOL. It definitely caught the six debaters off guard. Debaters are not used to this level of attention. It is only now through shows like Youth Voice and Square Off that debaters are given the chance to appear on TV for their fifteen minutes of fame. The high school students asked us to sign autographs, pose for pictures and even requested for our e-mail addresses (for Friendster purposes)! It was a complete half hour of total chaos of being tugged and shared like a hot commodity.

And of course, I loved every second of it.

They didn’t even need to pay me.

Youth Voice airs this Saturday, March 1, at NBN (Channel 4 – formerly PTV 4) from 7 pm to 8 pm.

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If you’re not yet aware that I’m crazy about Sagada, then it’s very likely that you’re not really a frequent reader of this blog. As proven of my entries here, here, here and here, I’ve long found the charm and the draw of this Mountain Province town too much to deny. In line with this, I – along with other like-minded individuals — started a website that seeks to further promote Sagada as a destination for adventure junkies, nature lovers and backpackers. Yes, this is it! This is the top secret project I’ve been talking about on Twitter for the past weeks.

Visit Sagada was born out of the collective nostalgia and love of adventure of bloggers who have experienced Sagada for themselves. The trip to Sagada continues to be a daunting challenge and due to the relative dearth of information on the internet. To help those who are planning their getaway, the writers of Visit Sagada will be posting reviews of living accomodations, tour and itinerary suggestions, traveler photos and visitor raves and blog entries. Continue Reading »

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When the Malu Fernandez erupted, it sent a strong and loud message that bloggers have established some degree of clout and critical mass when it came to getting the word out and breaking stories before traditional media could get them out to public consciousness. Though it was viewed as a victory for new media, it’s worth mentioning that the move towards public condemnation of the People Asia writer did not come from the main movers of the so-called Philippine Blogosphere. There were some bloggers who wrote about the issue, but they were hardly the leaders that take charge in the various get togethers, parties and awards nights that have become so commonplace since 2007. In short, the outcry came from the bloggers who were still relatively anonymous and those who have yet to be proselytized to the art of search engine optimization and the draw of oodles of cash from Google Adsense. They were the everyday blogger who probably doesn’t know about the Blog Awards, Janet Toral’s Top Ten List or the Trinoma Food Tour. Despite the feeling that the blogging community is growing smaller due to the number of events that seek to contain bloggers in one location, there are plenty more outside our realm of commercial viability and voluntary participation. This sector roared back with emphasis during the Malu-Gate controversy and no one was more surprised than the bloggers who felt that their small but progressively growing circle was all there is to it when it came to influence.

Since the effort came from relative never-heards with a surprisingly strong readership, a lot of the people in the inner circle felt largely apathetic. Certain sectors were obviously trying to separate themselves from what was going on. For sure, The Powers That Be wouldn’t want to be embroiled in anything remotely politically-charged as it may have repercussions for their PR viability in the future.

Yes, bloggers in the inner circle (those with higher page ranks, a vocal readership and monthly Adsense cheques) have definitely become a force as far as marketing and advertising is concerned. As far as being a real force in contending with real issues though, the Philippine Blogging Community – at least the one that is visible right now — is a long way from consolidating its base and having its ‘power’ realized. Most people are still elitist and standoffish when it comes to socio-political issues. The main movers have plenty of financial motivation and that could wittingly or unwittingly remove the focus on the issues that could really empower bloggers as a viable sector of this so-called new media.

In other countries, commentaries by political bloggers carries significant weight. For the Philippines, only those who also have links to old media – Quezon, Carandang et. al. — carry the cred. We’re still a long way – and there’s no trend at present to change or make things develop at a faster rate.

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For those who want to catch the replay of the Octofinals match between UP Manila and Ateneo de Manila, refer to the schedule below.

February 20 -Wednesday – 8:00 PM (LIVE)

February 21- Thursday – 1:00 PM

Feb23 -Saturday – 2:00 PM

Feb 24 -Sunday – 1:00 AM

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I went to a taping of Youth Voice (NBN) and that episode will be shown on March 1 at 7 PM.

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I know this is getting old, but I’m going to be on TV tomorrow – this time for ABS-CBN News Channel’s SQUARE OFF DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP: THE A.U.D.C. UP Manila will be squaring off with top seed Ateneo de Manila University for the right to an all-expense paid trip to the Asians Universities Debating Championship to be held this May at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

First year  med students Lee Yarcia and Carol Tan will be joining me as the official representatives of UP Manila. Please watch Square Off at ANC (Channel 27 on Sky) from 8 PM to 9  PM. There will be a vote for the texter’s choice award so please vote for me. Hehe.

Wish us luck.

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By now, you probably know that Jumper totally failed to live up to the hype and just left most of those who watched in a total state of disgust and frustration. When you first see the trailer to Jumper, it’s hard not to be thrilled by it. The concept is not exactly fresh, but the whole idea of teleportation has been revitalized by the meteoric rise of the series Heroes and the cult appeal of X-Men which features Nightcrawler - a mutant with similar abilities.

Aside from playing with the innate human desire to break away from the limits of physics and chemistry, the movie’s concept also plays with two other principles that often define life as we know it – self-control and accountability. With David Rice‘s (Hayden Christensen) abilities, it was no longer necessary to rein himself in to prevent getting into trouble. He didn’t have to stay in line and wait for his turn. He could literally get what he wanted when he chose to have them.

Those are the reasons why we were drawn to the trailer – the glitz of jumping and the fantasy escape that is offers.

Continue Reading »

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