Stormy Islands

10 or 13 people dead from Bebeng, the trpocial storm that hit the Philippines on Monday (Sunday for us United States-ers), according to The Manila times and The Philippine Star.

Two people, as reported by Yahoo, are said to be missing as well. according to the the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Yahoo also reported "Around 21,413 families or 111,938 individuals, mostly from the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, have been affected by the tropical storm."



(This map is of the Visayas section of the Philippines.) The tropical storm also hit Manila. The NDRRMC precautioned the island's citizens of lanslides. Wind, rain, and flooding are also facets of concern.

Pacquiao triumps over Mosely

Defeating "Sugar" Shane Mosely, Manny Pacquiao, national hero of the Philippines I guess, achieves his 14th consecutive win.

According to The L.A. Times the judges final score was 119-108, 120-108, and 120-107, with Pacquiao recieving the unianmous victory.

Here's a clip of the third round of the Mosely-Pacquiao fight:
(Not the announcer saying "only the third time [Mosely's] ever been knock down.)

Cerritos resident Makoto Faller watched the fight from home and said, "It was a good fight. Not what I expected, but it was . . . entertaining."

As of the MGM brawl this past Saturday, the Filipino boxing dynamo's record stands at 53 wins, three loses, and two ties.



According to the Times article, Mosely may be the next, dare i use the word, victim Pacquiao forces to retire. If Mosely does continue, He'll be the Randy Orton of professional boxing. Get it? Randy Orton was the Legend Killer in the WWE? Nevermind.

In another, and very interesting, nuance of Pac-Man's victory, The Manila Times reported that crime rates faltered during the boxing phenom's exhibition. Around 500 inmates shared recreational space with armed guards to watch the Pacquiao fight. Meanwhile, Islamic rebels and Philippine military officals actually, get this, had an "informal truce" as the boxing match went on.

Freedom House and the Philippines

The Philippine islands, according to the Freedom House scored a four on political rights and a three in civil liberties for the year 2010.



Now the latter numbers would'nt mean much if you don't know what the scores meant, right? Right. So, a one dictates that the country is the most free while a seven generally means that the counry is least free.

This basically means the Philippines is currently in the middle of the specturm. While the islands' press were shaped and reinforced through American-type media predecessors, growing politics and corruption shaped how the news is handled sometimes.

Recently, ore more specifically in 2009, the Philippines has become on of the most dangerous places for journalist.



To prohibit a politcal rival from running in an upcoming election, one clan decided to take out the competition, Godfater style. The Freedome House website has it written that a "total of 57 people were massacred in the incident, including 29 journalists and 3 media workers who were accompanying the unarmed group. The graves in which the bodies were found appeared to have been dug in advance, and the mutilation of female victims indicated sexual assault. Evidence soon emerged to implicate the Ampatuan clan, which dominated the province’s politics and was closely allied with the Arroyo administration."



Though this November Massacre occured two years ago, the stain of the incident still reverberates today.

Media conglomeration effects part 2

Okay, round two on this topic-baby.



As mentioned in my very first post, the early Philippino newspapers were meant to modernize the islands' inhabitants. But as the newspapers grew to aid Filipinos in reading and writing in English, the English-only papers were geared toward the American businessmen.

The pivotal role of the media, I think, is divided much like the United States. While papers such as the The Manila Times informs the Filipino public of newsworthy items, a giant fascination with movies, celebrities, and brand names exist among the islands.

One example of the media delving into relevant stories is a show called "Imbestigador." This serious and investigative program tackles topical issues such as socail networking, corruption, and prostitution in the Philippines.



(If you find it difficult trying to understand the youtube video, you are not alone. Basically, this segment revolves around consequences of the social networking site, Friendster, being hacked. Some users have had thier passwords changed, messages edited, and personal information accessed.)

On the other hand, Hollywood and popular music has a strong foothold in Phlippino culture. For almost every popular television show in the United States, be it American Idol or Ugly Betty, there is a Pinoy version probably roaming out there somewhere.

It's a little sad, I think, but it is popular. And I can't say much for this performance, but, hey, those EB Babes are pretty attractice:

Media conglomeration effects part 1.

Hey, folks...Or should I say folk, seeing as no one will actually read my blog. This post, or possibly multiple posts (I'm not entirely sure how this one will work out), deals or will deal with the notion of "Media Conglomeration."

For those readers who do not know, or forgot what we talked about in class, I shall enlighten you through the Serrato-cliff-notes method of the aforementioned idea: Media Conglomeration, or MC for short, is the concept of the media being controlled by a few number of companies or people.

Now why is this important to discuss or even blog about? Well you see child, MC can shift a country's culture both positively and negatively through the news, music, movies and television programs that escape every media orifice. Now when the the outlets of the media are in the hands of a very few, those few companies generate a sort of self-serving bias and recycle what's shown on T.V or played on the radio. As mentioned in my global communications class, the series of media generally start from the west, as in America, and then spreads to the rest of the world...

The view of Americans, in other countries at least, has succumbed to the following: I apoligize in advance for even linking such a reality disaster, but the truth must be seen. Follow if you dare and please note that the clip is...yes, you guessed it, from Jersey Shore *Shudders*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaGzP4vof7o&NR=1

(While this post covered the sort-of-outward appearances of America through its media, my next post will solely focus on MC and it's consequences on the media community of the Phillipines. Stay Tuned!)

The Philippine's history of the printed media

Welcome to my Philippines News Blog. Whether you're a curious student, a Filipino or my journalism instructor checking to see I maintain this blog, feel free to stop by often. Assuming most of my readers have no idea why my ramblings are on an internet page, I shall tell you it is for an assignment. I must report, comment and liason newsworthy items, dealing with the Philippines, from different sources to you. And yes...you are most welcome. Okay, let's start!

The birth of news media in the Philippines began with the liberation of the island nation from its Spanish overlords. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in December 1898, the mantle of "benevolent dictator" fell to the United States of America. The first few newspapers, such as the Manila Times and La Democracia, followed the American tradition of journalism. Not to mention, the early newspapers were also meant to sophisticate the "barbaric" natives of the Philippines. (By the way all the information I'm spewing out can be traced back to here: http://www.pressreference.com/No-Sa/Philippines.html)

Though modeled after an American-style of free press, the U.S. gov't made sure to limit anti-American propoganda in the papers, sometimes even through deporatation and imprisonment. By the way, most Filipino newspapers were in English to accomodate the U.S. forces and representatives stationed throughout the island nation. The tyranny of a constricted press was finally relieved when the Philippines gained its independence during the closing chapters of World War II. The free press of the Philippines led to a more progressive form of journalism.

According to the website previously listed,"At the turn of the twenty-first century, national newspapers numbered eight from a high of 22 in 1986, according to the World Press Review. Slightly more than 400 community newspapers, most weeklies or monthlies in English are found amid the nation's 7,100 islands. 45,000."

Unfortunately an island nation with a free press system does not necessarily mean the press has the right to excercise it. Alot of times, corruption from high political places see to that. Due to the massacre of at least 50 people, 18 of which were journalists, the Philippines was deemed the world's most dangerous country for reporters. Follow this link for the story: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/25/philippines.danger/