Kundiman and old Philippine songs rock!

If you like or interested in knowing more about Kundiman and other Philippine classical songs, there are two blogs out there created by one passionate lover of these two almost-forgotten genres in Philippine music.

It's a pity that you can't find any program catering to these types of music in the local television anymore, or at least none that I know of. I am not sure if Armida Siguion Reyna's Aawitan Kita is still airing, but the last time I saw it was around two years ago or more, showing at a God-forsaken hour. When I was a child and much to my consternation then, I was forced to watch Aawitan Kita by my mother, who likes old Philippine songs. Back then, we only had one TV set and computers, I think at that time, had yet to be commercially released.

But thinking about it now, I am thankful that my mother had forced me to watch the program. It has encouraged me to later explore other genres of music, and not just being content with the usual mainstream hits that have become the regular staple of radio programs and even MTV or MYX.

Too bad there's no Aawitan Kita episode uploaded on Youtube (except a video showing Cris Villonco singing in the program and one karaoke song), for the sake of the younger generations who have never heard of any kundiman or Philippine classical song.

Please visit these links: Kundiman and Philippine Classical Music. The Kundiman blog also has several patriotic kundiman songs.

On Forced Democracy

Here's a insightful piece written by Shankar Vedantam of The Washington Post on US President George W. Bush's analogy between Philippine democracy and the Iraq situation.

Lessons in Forced Democracy
By Shankar Vedantam
September 17, 2007

Four years ago, during a speech in Manila, President Bush drew an analogy between the history of the Philippines and the history he was rewriting in Iraq.

"Democracy always has skeptics," Bush said. "Some say the culture of the Middle East will not sustain the institutions of democracy. The same doubts were proved wrong nearly six decades ago, when the Republic of the Philippines became the first democratic nation in Asia."

Since 2003, Bush has rarely mentioned the Philippines. But as the nation debates Gen. David H. Petraeus's recent report on the state of the Iraq war, a new study by political scientists Andrew Enterline and J. Michael Greig shows that the president ought to revisit his analogy.

Bush got some of his historical facts wrong, but his analogy turns out to be unintentionally accurate -- the Philippines is an excellent example of the risks, stakes and odds of imposing democracy on another country. By contrast, the oft-cited success stories of Japan and Germany turn out to be outliers.

Enterline and Greig's as yet unpublished study is a detailed examination of 41 cases over about 200 years where one nation has tried to impose democracy on another. As Washington debates the success of the recent U.S. "surge" in Iraq, the study offers a sobering glimpse of the big picture -- not the odds that the Iraqi insurgency will go up or down, but the odds that a stable democracy will emerge in the country.

Read here more.

Hello, Garci timeline

Here's a "Hello, Garci" timeline from GMANEws.TV.

June 6, 2005

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye holds a press conference, plays two compact disc recordings, says that both contain the voice of the President but one was doctored.

June 8, 2005

Suspended lawyer Allan Paguia says he was the source of the recordings. Paguia intended his distribution to be on an installment basis to keep the Palace in the dark.

June 10, 2005

On June 10, whistleblower Samuel Ong, a former deputy director of the country's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) announced in a public press conference in Manila that he was the source of a set of audio tapes in circulation for the past week around the country. The master tape is allegedly of a wiretapped conversation between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Virgilio Garcillano. Ong currently holds, as he claims, one out of four known master tapes that may incriminate Mrs Arroyo. He says that he did not tape Mrs Arroyo's conversation himself; the evidence was just entrusted to him by another source.

June 11, 2005

On June 11, Ong resided in the San Carlos Seminary in Guadalupe, Makati. Sympathizers in the area vowed to prevent his arrest and/or death. Later, the Office of the President formally denied the accusations to the public, although Mrs Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, had earlier acknowledged that it was Mrs Arroyo's voice in the Ong tape. Mass protests grew around the country, by the thousands.


June 12, 2005

On June 12, the country celebrated independence day. Philippine police tighten security around the seminary. Protesters who held vigil in the seminary, and in other areas, dwindled as people paid their respects to the day of independence. Protest activity overall was minimal, compared to the two previous days.

Ong tapes spread, through different forms of media like written transcripts which circulated.

More

June 13, 2005

On June 13, the official position of the government held on to the stand that the pieces of evidence are fake, and Mrs Arroyo did not commit electoral fraud. Copies of tapes, CDs, and written transcripts spread.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) challenged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) regarding warning of a possible forced closure of networks that air the contents of the tapes that involve the conversations of President Arroyo.

June 14, 2005

On June 14, The KBP attacked the NTC by calling their warning as "an attack on press freedom." The spread of tapes, CDs, written transcripts are accompanied by the spread of computer files (.doc, and .mp3) versions of the Ong recordings over the Internet. Authorities later released their own government endorsed copies over the Internet, and called the Ong recordings, already widespread, as "manipulated". Ong sympathizers countered by calling the act a last ditch attempt by the government to save itself. Sympathizers said that since the government can't control the spread of the Ong recordings, authorities just tried to confuse the electorate with their own fake recordings.

Foreign experts reportedly confirmed that the Ong recordings do indeed have the voices of Mrs Arroyo and Garcillano. This was confirmed by New Jersey based Voice Identification Inc. Mrs Arroyo has yet to respond. With the tape itself authenticated, and the voices therein confirmed, Ong sympathizers began a fresh wave of protests calling for the legal ouster of politicians. They called for the Supreme Court to declare the 2004 elections null and void. They also supported the creation of interim government, new elections, all to be followed by a new legitimate government. Mrs Arroyo stood by her claim of innocence.

June 17, 2005

On June 17, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the Arroyo administration for attempting to restrict the airing of the Ong recordings. Christopher Warren, IFJ president said that, "Threatening journalists and media organizations is an unacceptable practice in a democracy; the [Arroyo] administration needs to be more transparent in its dealings with election officials."

Authorities instead allowed the country's media to play a government endorsed recording which they claim to be the original. The government tapes portray a conversation of Mrs Arroyo and a man named Gary, rather than Garci (nickname of Garcillano). The Ong recordings though have already been verified (both tape and content) by two neutral parties. Also, the courts have not yet had a say on the matter.

June 18, 2005

On June 18, the KBP announced that the Ong recordings may now be aired to the general public, until it is proven to be an illegal wiretap by the Arroyo administration. Both the Ong recordings and the government endorsed recordings were broadcast on mass media channels.

June 19, 2005

On June 19, Virgilio Garcillano was reportedly seen in Zamboanga City, preparing to go abroad. Copies of both recordings spread further everywhere through almost every possible means of mass media. A significant number of the country's electorate was already able to access the recordings. Names of many other election candidates and other politicians are reportedly mentioned in the recordings.

Procedures that are already in place could help end the issue of electoral fraud allegations on Mrs Arroyo, Garcillano and any other related party. Everyday life for most citizens moved back to normal, though the crisis is still ongoing. Members of Congress reportedly were interested in starting hearings about the crisis.

June 27, 2005

On June 27, a day before the burial of the former Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin, President Arroyo addressed the country with a television broadcast. She admitted that it was indeed her voice on the tape. She explained that she was just asking for a count in Mindanao, the southern island. Her admission was followed by an apology addressed to the people stating that she made a "lapse in judgment" in communicating with an electoral commission official during the election. Lawyer Oliver Lozano filed an impeachment case against Mrs Arroyo on the grounds of her alleged betrayal of public trust. Representative Prospero Pichay was confident that no congressman would endorse the impeachment case, however a party list representative had indeed endorsed it. The largest opposition group did not support impeachment because they believed that it was part of the political maneuvering of the administration. Former president and opposition leader Estrada said that Mrs Arroyo could not be impeached because impeachment is made on a legitimate president which, according to him, she was "not."

Click here for the full timeline.

Censored!

Presenting the top 10 big stories the US news media missed in the past year. Wow. I wonder what stories did the Philippine press missed (or maybe even underreported) this year.

Censored!
The top 10 big stories the US news media missed in the past year
BY Amanda Witherell
September 5, 2007

There are a handful of freedoms that have almost always been a part of American democracy. Even when they didn't exactly apply to everyone or weren't always protected by the people in charge, a few simple but significant rights have been patently clear in the Constitution: You can't be nabbed by the cops and tossed behind bars without a reason. If you are imprisoned, you can't be incarcerated indefinitely; you have the right to a speedy trial with a judge and jury. When that court date rolls around, you'll be able to see the evidence against you.

The president can't suspend elections, spy without warrants, or dispatch federal troops to trump local cops or quell protests. Nor can the commander in chief commence a witch hunt, deem individuals "enemy combatants," or shunt them into special tribunals outside the purview of our 218-year-old judicial system.

Until now. This year's Project Censored presents a chilling portrait of a newly empowered executive branch signing away civil liberties for the sake of an endless and amorphous war on terror. And for the most part, the major news media weren't paying attention.

"This year it seemed like civil rights just rose to the top," said Peter Phillips, the director of Project Censored, the annual media survey conducted by Sonoma State University researchers and students who spend the year patrolling obscure publications, national and international Web sites, and mainstream news outlets to compile the 25 most significant stories that were inadequately reported or essentially ignored.

While the project usually turns up a range of underreported issues, this year's stories all fall somewhat neatly into two categories — the increase of privatization and the decrease of human rights. Some of the stories qualify as both.

"I think they indicate a very real concern about where our democracy is heading," writer and veteran judge Michael Parenti said.

For 31 years Project Censored has been compiling a list of the major stories that the nation's news media have ignored, misreported, or poorly covered.

The Oxford American Dictionary defines censorship as "the practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable parts," which Phillips said is also a fine description of what happens under a dictatorship. When it comes to democracy, the black marker is a bit more nuanced. "We need to broaden our understanding of censorship," he said. After 11 years at the helm of Project Censored, Phillips thinks the most bowdlerizing force is the fourth estate itself: "The corporate media is complicit. There's no excuse for the major media giants to be missing major news stories like this."

As the stories cited in this year's Project Censored selections point out, the federal government continues to provide major news networks with stock footage, which is dutifully broadcast as news. The George W. Bush administration has spent more federal money than any other presidency on public relations. Without a doubt, Parenti said, the government invests in shaping our beliefs. "Every day they're checking out what we think," he said. "The erosion of civil liberties is not happening in one fell swoop but in increments. Very consciously, this administration has been heading toward a general autocracy."

Carl Jensen, who founded Project Censored in 1976 after witnessing the landslide reelection of Richard Nixon in 1972 in spite of mounting evidence of the Watergate scandal, agreed that this year's censored stories amount to an accumulated threat to democracy. "I'm waiting for one of our great liberal writers to put together the big picture of what's going on here," he said.

Click here for more.

Here are the top 10 stories the US news media missed in the past year.

1. No Habeas Corpus for “Any Person”
2. Bush Moves Toward Martial Law
3. AFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa’s Resources
4. Frenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements
5. Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in Iraq
6. Operation FALCON Raids
7. Behind Blackwater Inc.
8. KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of India
9. Privatization of America’s Infrastructure
10. Vulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations’ Debt Relief

For the Project Censored's 2008 report, click here. For another story on this, click here.

Hello again, Manila

Just arrived yesterday from Thailand, still feeling weary from the weeklong project management training workshop organized by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA). The workshop -- facilitated by MDF management trainers and consultants Susanne van Lieshout and Roshanga Wickremesinghe -- proved fruitful, as it provided participants helpful information on project-related issues such as managing projects, securing funding from various institutions, writing proposals, making presentations, among others.

As I said, the workshop ran for about a week, although a project management workshop like that takes about two weeks. As it was shortened to just a week, the workshop's sessions sometimes stretched from 9 am to 6 pm or more. And the sessions were about management-related concepts, processes, and issues. Talk about major nosebleed.

But don't get me wrong. I am very thankful that the office has sent me (together with Lara) to attend the workshop. I learned a lot from the workshop, and very eager to apply the things I learned in our projects. Plus, I get to meet old friends in Southeast Asia as well as meeting new ones. And it was my first time in Pattaya, the venue of the workshop. Overall, it was great.

The participants, which are managers, project coordinators, and budget officers in their organizations, come from SEAPA and its member-organizations, as well as partners the Timor Lorosa’e Journalists’ Association from East Timor and Centre for Independent Journalism from Malaysia. Aside from the two of us in the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the other two Philippine participants were Jaileen Jimeno and Baby Cacdac of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

Here are some photos:

Some of the participants.





































Despite the hectic schedule, Lara still manages to look pretty for a photo.



Probably the most difficult task given to the participants was to make a toy car overnight. The cars should be made of recyclable or organic materials only. The participants were divided into two groups. To a group of journalists and press freedom advocates, the task was almost next to impossible.

The other group, Team Ferrari, made this:



















Our group, Team McLaren relied on heavy corporate support to do this. Meet the next "It" car. Haha.
































The two cars were tested in a car race. Because the Team Ferrari car ran faster and looked prettier than ours, it won. Boo. Haha.

When not eating at the Cosy Hotel in Pattaya (where we were billeted) or elsewhere, one fave dinner hangout of the group was this restaurant, which is near our hotel. Great food and service.



















The guy on the left wearing a white shirt, which seemed to me the restaurant's owner, knew which person ordered what food and drinks the previous night. One my first dinner there, I ordered jal jeera for drink, my first time to order it ever. Turned out it was a wrong choice for a drink. The rest of the participants, who sipped the drink, practically agreed with me. I guess it's an acquired taste. I could still feel my stomach churning every time I think of the green-flavored polyjuice potion-looking drink.
























At the end of the workshop on Friday, the participants who were leaving on the weekend were accommodated in a hotel in Bangkok.

I had some free hours on Saturday morning, so I went to the Chatuchak Park and of course, the Chatuchak Weekend Market.





























































A lot of things happened back home, most especially the conviction of former president Joseph Estrada for plunder . Man, lots of catching up to do.

Out-of-the-country mode

I'm off to Pattaya, Thailand tomorrow. I don't know if I can -- or have the time to -- blog in my weeklong stay there, but I'll try.



For more information about Pattaya, click the Wikipedia entry here. Other useful sites are here and here.

Who's this man?

Who's this young man below?



Click on the photo to see his profile. Or visit his website here.

Can you also see him in this class photo?



Photos taken from his alumni class site. He was an award-winning editor in chief in their high school paper The Chronicler. He was also part of the school's student officers that year as PRO.

According to their yearbook, he dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Thank God, he ended up in journalism. Can you imagine the profession without him?

Guess who's back

Malu Fernandez that's who. She is indeed back, writing for the Manila Standard Today.

Here's her first piece (appearing in today's issue) after the ruckus. The piece, which focused on makeup tips, did not mention the controversy at all.

Unseen evil on your dressing table
By Malu Fernandez
Source: Manila Standard Today

There are two kinds of people who react to bacteria and germs, some are from the germaphobes—or the people who are obsessed about cleanliness —others are just plain filthy. We have all seen those programs on one of the lifestyle channels (such as Clean House and the other one, whose title escapes me, is about the two British ladies who come in and show you how much bacteria you have in an unclean house). But many women I know who keep a decent clean home or are obsessive about cleanliness often forget about cleaning their makeup tables and medicine cabinets. There is a lot of unseen evil lurking on your dressing table and medicine cabinet. And by evil I mean bacteria and germs!

Read more here.

Why I love my job

Actually my original title for this post was "Why I Love Joe Torres." Haha.

Excerpts from his post:

"At last I got my copy of CMFR's latest study, "News Media Coverage of the 2007 National Elections...."

"You would be happy to know that there's a temporary stoppage (at least five minutes) of work every time we in the newsroom receive a copy of CMFR publications, especially the PJR Reports.

"There is always a moment of silence, then ohhhs and ahhhhs, when editors and deskpersons scan the Reports. Your "star and kalabasa" ratings section always gets the desk's attention and, I believe, is the most read part of the publication.

"I hope your latest study will get the same attention from journalists, especially from media top guys.

"I scanned the book and was impressed by the diligence you had in making the study. (The annexes are more reader-friendly compared to the annexes of the 2004 report, which were mostly statistics.) "

Read more here.

Whenever we get reactions like this -- through blog posts, SMS messages, email, or just your regular old-school postal mail -- the difficult media-monitoring work we do at the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility becomes a bit easier, even for a moment. We continue to check and discuss media coverage of issues, knowing that some practitioners -- like Sir Joe -- appreciate our efforts in helping further professionalize the press.

The next time we see each other, Sir Joe, I'm gonna kiss you. Haha.

Diana, Princess of Tales

Media's fascination with Princess Diana continues, even after her death 10 years ago.

"One has to wonder—at what point does all this coverage stop being a tribute and start being an insult?" Columbia Journalism Review asks in a recent piece.

Diana, Princess of Tales
Ten years after her death, the media fascination with Diana lives on
By Megan Garber
Source: Columbia Journalism Review

Ten years ago today, the world awoke to the news that the car carrying Diana, Princess of Wales had crashed in a Paris tunnel, ending her life and, with it, her tragically modern fairy tale.

What the crash didn’t end, of course, was the media obsession with Diana; in fact, the tragedy extended it, heightened it, even justified it, moving the fascination—and the woman who inspired it—into the mythical realm of perpetual youth. The public fixation that had haunted Diana in life magnified her image in death.

There’s no better evidence of this than the resurgence the media have afforded Diana in commemoration of today’s grim anniversary.

Read more here.

Please help Mark

Mark Baul, a great web designer, photographer, and music lover, needs TYPE B+ blood. From his partner Tonyo: "His platelet count is down to 18 due to dengue and typhoid. He is at Room 337 Bed 4 of the Manila Doctors Hospital in UN Avenue, Manila. Donors should go direct to the hospital bloodbank at the 2nd floor. Please mention that your donation is for Mark Baul. Salamat po."

To get in touch with Mark and Tonyo, here is Tonyo's mobile number: (63 917) 892-8277.

Mark, I'll pray for your fast recovery.

Ordinary Juan: Both as news source and consumer

Just found this while looking at the old issues of the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR):

"Our society has become politicized more and faster, political relationships become increasingly complexed.... Everybody has become potentially both a news source and a news consumer."

- BusinessWorld editorial board chair and former Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility Vergel Santos, observing how political journalism has ceased to be the preserve of presidential and congressional reporters (PJR December 1991)

For a second there I thought he was talking about blogging and citizen journalism.

Regarding the latest twist to the Malu Fernandez issue

And so, the latest mini-twist to the Malu Fernandez saga was Manila Standard Today's August 27 issue that said she is going to resume her column the next Monday, or September 3. (Photos in Freedom Watch, Rom's Smoke blog, PinoyBlogero, and here)

The reason why an actual copy of the Manila Standard Today where it appeared has to be seen was because it was surprising to see such a photo from Rom, who I think was the first one that posted online.

I think Nick of Tingog.com however was right when he said that maybe this have already been printed before the resignation was tendered. So let's see. If by September 3 no Fernandez's column appears in the Standard Today, then it could be as such.

Malu returns to the Manila Standard Today?

And the plot thickens. This is more interesting than I thought.

Freedom Watch checked the photo posted here (which I also posted the last time) whether it really got published in the Manila Standard Today. And suprise! This announcement was posted in the August 27 issue of the paper, or several days after the public outrage over the issue was reflected in the online and mainstream media.



See more photos here in Freedom Watch.

So, what happened to Malu Fernandez's supposed resignation from that paper? Is she truly part of the Manila Standard Today again?

Still on the Malu Fernandez controversy: Some questions and insights (and is she back again in the Manila Standard Today?)

And I almost thought I'm finished posting about the Malu Fernandez controversy. But these things are too important to just throw them away.

First, now that Fernandez supposedly resigned (but more on this a bit later), other crucial question needs to be addressed: Are the editors at People Asia (or at least the ones who edited Fernandez's piece before it got published) not culpable for deciding to publish the article nevertheless?

Here's Freedom Watch on the issue:

Why did People Asia decide to publish Malu Fernandez's story anyway?
Source: Freedom Watch

University of the Philippines journalism department chair Rachel Khan raised an important question in the still raging Malu Fernandez controversy: Why did the People Asia editors let Malu Fernandez's article "From Boracay to Greece!" pass through?

While the blogosphere is full of castigating remarks against Fernandez, Khan wrote in her blog last August 25, "(N)o one seems to realize that the editors who decided to publish that piece of trash are equally--if not even more culpable--of insensitivity and bigotry against the hard working Filipino overseas workers. Who made the editorial decision to publish the article in the first place??!!!"

Read more here.

And for Fernandez's supposed resignation from Manila Standard Today and People Asia, I have to verify this tomorrow whether this really came out (it looks like it came from Standard Today), but take a look at this:



Got this from this Smoke's blog through The Philippine Experience. Is this true or what? Will post about this later when I can check the actual issue. Repeat: I am not sure about this yet. So for now, let's take this photo with a grain of salt, okay?

Some things can be seen from the whole issue: First: Blogs have become not just a source of opinion, but also of news; Second: That this is one of the few instances in which news got first picked up by the online medium before the mainstream media noticed it (although the rapid rise of the local blogging community has made it sure that this is not the first time it's going to happen); and third, that citizens have become increasingly critical of the press and the role it plays in our society.

The Machine is Us/ing Us

I know that this is quite old, but for others who haven't seen this:

Meet Tonton and Benjo

Haha. These are funny, although I think they would be funnier if someone can help me with the translation. Haduken. Jumping Spider. Twisting Turn. Tornado Attack. Finishing Touch. Haha. Great moves.

Here's Tonton, the prince of Troy



And here's Benjo, the son of Tonton



More videos from creator Talibong1.

After all the stinky linkies and divaliciousness

Here's a nice breather after the Malu Fernandez issue.

I really need you to read this article, OK?
By Joel Achenbach
The Wahington Post
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

Am I worried about the future of the newspaper industry? No, because as an artist, I find that literature is its own reward. I care only for the pitch, roll and yaw, the warp and the woof - the yipping and the twittering - of our beautiful language.

But corporate realities are getting harsh around here, and thus I've decided to blog a lot more about sexual deviancy, inebriated starlets, "American Idol" rejects, unlikely but theoretically possible natural catastrophes, and pets in distress. In the future all my blog entries will have headlines such as "Britney Menaced by Sharks." No, wait: "Britney's Dog Menaced by Sharks."

Untrue, but think of the eyeballs!

Newspaper journalism is different these days: Suddenly everyone is obsessed with eyeballs, page views, "stickiness," "click-through rates," and so on. No one shouts "Stop the presses!" anymore, but they do whimper "Why aren't I on the home page?" The noble product that we manufacture and distribute throughout the metropolis - the physical thing so carefully designed, folded and bagged - is now generally referred to in our business as the "dead-tree edition." It gets little respect.

Read more here.

The Malu Fernandez apology

Here's GMANews.TV's report on Malu Fernandez's alleged statement. At this point, it seems the statement indeed came from Fernandez.

Manila Standard columnist quits after getting OFWs' ire
Source: GMANews.TV

Malu Fernandez, lifestyle columnist of Manila Standard, resigned from the paper and the travel magazine she used to write for after getting the ire of readers, particularly Filipino overseas workers in Dubai, a statement posted on blogsites and sent to the GMANews.TV email said.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest," Fernandez said in the statement forwarded to GMANews.TV Thursday evening.

Fernandez's resignation came after readers reacted to an article she wrote for the newspaper and the magazine that apparently made fun of OFWs travel style.

Read more here. Got the tip from Ederic.

The Malu Fernandez controversy continues

Here's yesterday's TV Patrol World report on the Malu Fernandez controversy. Courtesy of Mukamo Philippines:



As you can see in the video, TV Patrol World's basis to report that Fernandez apologized was this page.

Here's a report on the same issue by ABS-CBN News:

Society columnist quits over OFW bashing
Source: ABS-CBN News

Complaints sent via the Internet and through othery types of media led a Manila-based society columnist to resign from her job following her negative comments about overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau reported Thursday.

Bureau chief Dindo Amparo reported that Filipinos in the Middle East proved they can make a difference by uniting for a cause against columnist Malu Fernandez.

Read more here.

Now, this online report said that ABS-CBN 2 sought Fernandez for comment but she declined. Instead, the report said that Fernandez sent a letter to the network saying, "I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard (Today) and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest.” Which is what the alleged online apology also said.

So, can we really now say that the Fernandez's alleged apology in this site real? But if TV Patrol World actually sought Fernandez for her reaction (but declined), shouldn't the program check with the two papers if, for example, they indeed received such letters of resignation, as what the alleged Fernandez's statement said?

The ABS-CBN 2 online report also quoted Fernandez as saying: “I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world.” Which was also in the alleged Fernandez's statement. The report said that the statement was posted in the online version of the Standard Today. But I could not find any such link in the Standard Today site.