Category: Media

Nic Gabunada’s amazing social media network

Published by Ellen on April 1, 2019

In his briefing on the latest takedown of accounts in Facebook and Instagram in the Philippines found to be engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook Cybersecurity Policy, underscored that the reason was not the posted content.

He said it was because “the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves.” That’s “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”

It so happened, however, that tracing the trail of the 67 Pages, 68 Facebook accounts, 40 Groups and 25 Instagram accounts that were taken down, led Gleicher and his team to Nic Gabunada, head of Rodrigo Duterte’s social media during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Red-tagging a vicious form of fake news

Published by Ellen on February 24, 2019

When we talk of fake news and disinformation, we think of social media. That’s understandable because this is the era of Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram and other social media platforms.

But the list of alleged CPP-NPA members prepared by unidentified sources delivered during an event last Friday in Cagayan de Oro reminds us that the old form of disinformation is still being done and it’s viciousness has not diminished a bit.

There was a launching of Hustisya Northern Mindanao, a group made up of victims of martial law in Mindanao which began during the siege of Marawi City in on March 23, 2017 and has not been lifted up to now, at the Philtown Hotel in Cagayan de Oro city.

SC ruling allows police to make editorial decision

Published by Ellen on February 19, 2019

Lawyer Romel R. Bagares, of Butuyan & Rayel Law Offices, representing more than 30 members of media and media groups, filed Feb. 8 a motion for reconsideration for the Supreme Court First Division to elevate to the En Banc the case against officials of the Arroyo government over the arrest of reporters that covered the protest staged by a group of military officers led by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and retired Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who is now Metro Manila Development Authority chairman, eleven years ago.

In a Facebook post, Bagares said the Oct. 1, 2018 decision of the G.R. 210088, “the SC, via (now retired) Justice Noel Tijam, basically gave a blank check for police to truss up journalists and haul them away from a developing news event, on the pretext that they are doing it for their own good.”

DZMM’s Noel Alamar (in white) and Tribune’s Herman Tiu Laurel raise their handcuffed wrists in protest while they were being hauled to Camp Bagong Diwa for covering the Manila Pen siege Nov 28, 2017.

Disclosure: I am one of the petitioners together with Charmaine Deogracias, Ashzel Hachero, James Konstantin Galvez, Melinda Quintos de Jesus, Vergel o. Santos, Yvonne Tan Chua, Booma B. Cruz,Ed Lingao, Roby Alampay, Jessica Soho, Maria Judea Pulido, Michael Fajatin;

Media and academe group: Fight back, defend democracy

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2019

Monitoring the arrest of Rappler’s chief executive officer Maria Ressa by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation Wednesday late afternoon, I was struck by the crudeness of the operation (serving the warrant of arrest past the court’s office hours).

With all the media attention the arrest was generating, both national and international, I waited for a statement from President Duterte. There was none.

I had several questions: Does the President know what was happening? Is he on top of the operation? Where is he?
What came to mind was August 21, 1983. Former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. was shot upon arrival at the Manila International Airport by Rolando Galman, who was also killed.

The public later learned that then President Ferdinand Marcos was very ill and could not have been in a position to order the assassination of Aquino. Who then gave the order to kill Aquino? Thirty five years after, the Filipino people still do not know despite the fact that his widow and son were elected president and could have probed into the murder that drastically changed the country’s political course.

But that was not the situation last Monday. Although he was reported to be “not feeling well”two weeks ago, Duterte was reported to be in Laur, Nueva Ecija inaugurating a drug rehabilitation facility.

FlorCruz on Chinese Media: from small birdcage to a bigger bird cage

Published by Ellen on January 20, 2019

Jimmy FlorCruz with wife Anna (right) and Tessy Ang See.

How does one compress 47 years of an extraordinary life story in about 20 exhibit panels?

That was the challenge that Jaime FlorCruz faced when he agreed to hold an exhibit, an idea that he had long been discussing with Chinese-Filipino civic leader Tessy Ang See for Bahay Tsinoy Museum at the Kaisa Heritage Center in Intramuros.

The exhibit: “From the perch of an accidental China hand” is in Jimmy’s words “ an abbreviated version of my China journey as well as a look back at China’s history of the last 40-plus years” through his China junk – discarded posters, memorabilia and other stuff that he has collected or simply refused to discard.

It’s very interesting exhibit.

Duterte, allies reap most benefits from fake news

Published by Ellen on December 20, 2018

Fake news is the scourge of the social media-addicted society.

Fake news is defined by Collins Dictionary as “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.”

It’s also being used to discredit anything that one disdains. That’s why you hear the likes of Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte, known sources of fake news, accusing legitimate news organizations as peddlers of fake news.

VERA Files, which has been fact-checking since the 2016 election campaign and is one of Facebook’s third party fact-checker in the country, has come out with an analysis who benefits most from the proliferation of fake news.

Artists unleash The Force

Published by Ellen on December 2, 2018

Joel Lamangan has spoken. #ArtForcesPH

Posted by Art Forces of the Philippines on Friday, November 30, 2018

Enjoying a vibrant sharing in social media are video statements of artists urging the public to vote in the May 2019 elections. Some go one step further and specify “Vote Straight Opposition in May 2019.”

The artists who have uploaded their video statements cut across political colors and age. They say they belong to The Art Forces of the Philippines.

They include heavy weights National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera (Literature) and Ben Cab (Visual Arts). There the voices of the young:Adrienne Vergara, Juan Miguel Severo, Marco Morales.

Lila Shahani, Maguindanao massacre and impunity

Published by Ellen on November 26, 2018

Lighted candles symbolize the nine long years wait for justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. Photo by Meeko Camba.

At last Friday’s remembrance of the Maguindanao massacre at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, the feeling was a mixture of frustration and hope.

Frustration because it has been nine long years and the families of the 58 victims- 32 of them members of media – have still to see conviction for the massacre, one the darkest marks in our history of struggle for a democratic society.

Hope because government officials said the decision on the case is expected in early 2019. Given the overwhelming evidence against the identified perpetrators led by former Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr, the families of the victims, lawyers, supporters and government officials are expecting a conviction.

PNP complaint with ‘Ang Probinsyano’ is Duterte’s fight vs ABS-CBN?

Published by Ellen on November 19, 2018

ABS-CBN’s Ang Probinsyano starring Coco Martin

Police Chief Oscar Albayalde’s tantrums over the blockbuster teleserye “Ang Probinsyano” is alarming coming on the heels of Pres. Duterte’s renewed attack on ABS-CBN, threatening non-renewal of its franchise which is due to expire on March 30, 2020.

Duterte’s threat not to renew ABS-CBN’s license has been a common refrain in many of his speeches whenever he complained about unfavorable media reports about him.

“I will file a complaint. Congress, no need to renew it,” he said in one speech. Another time he said ABS-CBN owners sent feelers to talk with him but he refused. ““I will not talk to you, but I will also never intervene. Pero if I had my way I will not give it back to you,” he said.

Trillanes vs Nieto case underscores need to decriminalize libel

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2018

Blogger RJ Nieto with Pres. Duterte. Photo from RJ Nieto’s Facebook page.

In the press statement of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on the indictment of blogger Rey Joseph “RJ” Nieto for cyber libel, he said, “Nieto will now be brought to trial and face a penalty of at least prision correccional or imprisonment from 6 months to one year to 6 years should he be adjudged guilty of libel.”

This is what we have been fighting against without much success – the decriminalization of libel.

Not only did we lose the fight to decriminalize libel before the Supreme Court, Republic Act No. 10175 (The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) even increased the penalty. For computer-related libel, the minimum punishment was raised twelve-fold, from six months to six years. The maximum punishment is doubled from six to twelve years in prison.

We recognize that the libel law has its merits – it’s a check against irresponsible reporting and abuse of the freedom of expression- but it should be downgraded into a civil offense.