Month: September 2006

There are presently 43 journalists in the Philippines facing libel charges filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo. The sheer number betrays a wanton disregard for freedom of the press and the propensity to use power and influence to silence critics. This statement is to protest the use of the libel law to stop critical reports and commentaries and to fight for the right of every Filipino to seek and receive information and ideas on matters of public interest, which are at the very core of the concept of a democratic society.

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A wanton disregard for press freedom

The law on libel exists to protect private citizens from unwarranted damage to reputation, but in the Philippines libel has been predominantly used by public officials as a tool to cow an independent press.

The most glaring example is the multiple libel cases filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo against 43 reporters, columnists, editors, publishers, and even a subscription manager, of various publications.

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At list two technology guys are among the top 10 billionaires of 2004 by Forbes.com. Microsoft founders Bill Gates ($46.6 billion) and Paul Allen ($21.0 billion) are in the first and third places, respectively. Google’s Sergey Brin ($1.0 billion) is at #554, while Larry Page ($1.0 billion) is listed at #572.

Also in the list of that year’s billionaires is George Lindemann Jr. (whose family’s net worth is $1.2 billion) at #494 (listed as George Lindemann and family).

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The Filipinos’ interest in ring tones–especially controversial ones like “Hello Garci”–reflect the growing significance of mobile communications in the Philippines. It is of course natural for a people deprived of landline telephones for so long to take advantage of the arrival of cell phones. Just go to the mall on weekends and you will see how packed cellphone stores are. The Ayalas of Globe Telecoms, who introduced Filipinos to cellphone and texting, are now reaping the rewards of their initiative.

In the US, George Lindemann was the pioneer in the cellphone industry. He started Metro Mobile and sold it to Bell Atlantic for $2.6 billion 1992. His family in now among the richest in the US. Read more about the Lindemanns in this George Lindemann Jr. History page.

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Now that Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been ousted by a military coup, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo’s critics must be wondering if the same will happen to her. Arroyo has been very vocal about his admiration for Thaksin’s style of leadership, and the latter has also been generous with praises for the de facto Philippine President. But aside from their friendship, the two leaders have more in common.

Thepchai Yong, group editor of Bangkok-based independent Newspaper The Nation, enumerated them in an opinion piece entitled Continue reading “Arroyo and Thaksin”

Below is the full text of Pope Benedict XVI’s “Faith, Reason and the University Memories and Reflections” –a lecture which caused the anger of many Moslems all over the world. (The text was lifted from the Vatican website.)

The specific part of the lecture that offended Moslems is a quotation from Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus uttered six centuries ago: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”.

Pope Benedict said the emperor that he quoted addressed “his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness, a brusqueness which leaves us astounded…” However, it is unfortunate that he chose those words to express his point–that “not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature.” In a personal apology the pope later issued, he said:

“At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.

Bakekang is GMA-7’s latest telenovela. It is the story of Bakekang, described as “a loving heart trapped beneath an ugly facade, ignored and unappreciated by those who fail to see beyond what is skin-deep.”

Bakekang’s only desire, iGMA.tv says, “is to feel a little affection from the world that has deprived her of everything she has always longed for.” The latest Carlo Caparas character to jump from komiks to television, Bakekang will rise from a sorry state of ridicule to the pedestal of triumph and coveted fame.”

Just a thought–a very shallow one, though–when Bakekang finally become successful, will she do something that this day’s modern celebrities do? Plastic surgery procedures or a cosmetic makeover, perhaps? Hmm, maybe not.