Bloggers’ Rights

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I told myself that I should take a break from blogging. Just when I thought the waters are calm, Mike Abundo reveals that a hearing on a proposal by the Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission that will require licenses for online content developers will be held today. The public hearing is set at 2pm Thursay GMT+8 (meeting got cancelled) at the NTC Executive Conference Room, 3rd Floor, NTC Building, BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

The proposal is called the GUIDELINES ON THE PROVISION OF CONTENTS, INFORMATION, APPLICATIONS, AND ELECTRONIC GAMES. Content definition is not quite clear but I hope that can get threshed out. Is the memo applicable to commercial sites? And are personal sites exempted from this definition? Imagine paying 6,000 pesos annually for licenses when people create and post content online. Just the same, I asked my husband to read the memorandum so I don’t miss any fine print.

(edit -updated at 7:00 PM: My husband’s opinion below and read this Business Mirror article that explains the memorandum. Thanks Scrufus for the link. )

The definition of Content Developer is too vague and broad although it would appear to regulate content provided ““for compensation”. It could be dangerous as it could be used to stifle the blogosphere…

Bloggers should question this measure.

It’s not the money, although 6k is a lot. It’s using government policy to control and regulate content online. It’s a freedom of expression issue. It infringes on the constitutional right of free speech and expression.

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Media in Focus on De la Paz & Blogging

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(thank you Adrian Jeric for the video)

Continuation…Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Media in Focus feature on the Valley Golf Brawl and blogging had guests Carlos Conde, Danilo Araña Arao (Assistant Professor of Journalism in UP), Atty JJ Disini, Councilor JC de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran Party) and myself.

Questions revolved along bloggers vs journalists, legal issues like libel, blog ethics and Credibility in blogging.

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Credibility in Blogging and the Libel Suit Against Blogger, Bambee de la Paz

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Credibility in Blogging

Edit- Added January 14
If you came here because of an entry written by Manuel Viloria in “Credibility in Blogging”, let me make it clear. I don’t give a hoot if I have credibility or not. You can have it, Manuel Viloria. I can stop blogging today and still continue on with my goals in life. (edit on January 16, 2009 – Watch the Media in Focus episode on de la paz and Blogging, as I talk more about Credibility in Blogging.)

Manuel Viloria, author of that entry, Obliterated and “Credibility in Blogging” should offer a disclosure as well. (edit- January 17, 2009- Manuel Viloria and I discussed things personally and I felt he need not disclose anything if there is nothing to disclose. There is no feud. We agree to disagree. )

And now the main entry….

If I am not mistaken, I believe this is the first libel case filed against a blogger because of their blog entry. Another blogger survived a libel case but it was not about an entry he wrote but as the webhost of a libelous entry. The latter case was dismissed.

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Clearing the Clutter for Good Feng Shui

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Most Filipinos are quite superstitious as the New Year approaches. One of the prevalent practice to ensure the New Year will be met with wonderful blessings is to de-clutter our home or clean up the mess. I think I have a more or less clutter-free home. Call me a Neat Freak but did you know that You are Your Clutter? In the book “Clearing the Clutter for Good Feng Shui by Mary Lambert, that my sister gave me last month, it says that

Your home is supposed to mirror your inner self, so mess and inactivity reflect something that is going inside you.

The chaos will also make you feel lethargic, stultified and confused about what you want in your life. Once you have emptied your junk hoard, you will feel physically, emotionally, and spiritually liberated and you will have opened the door to wonderful new opportunities.

The superstition of “cleaning up” does indeed bring some logic there. Imagine the wonderful opportunities that await you in 2009.

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Photo Hunt: Wide

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Photo Hunt theme is Wide and my photo today is the wide backyard of my brother’s home in Missouri. When I left his home in mid-October, the weather was just cool and lovely. The Autumn colors were so pretty to look at too. It was my first Autumn experience.

But look at it now, two days after Thanksgiving. Everything is covered in snow. I can’t imagine living under those weather conditions. I don’t like the cold climate.

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Department of Tourism with Happy Slip, Partners with MTV for 2009 Global Campaign

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Happy Slip (Christine Gambito) is in town since December 9 and I only found out today. Yehey invited a few bloggers for dinner at Alchemy for a sneak peak of Department of Tourism (DOT) and MTV plans for 2009. The intimate dinner gave us lots of time to chit-chat in a very informal setting. I am once again reunited with Happy Slip and this time we had more time to talk about Filipina dating online ads appearing in her myspace account which is now deleted.

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Lesson Learned from Shoes Thrown at President Bush

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Most of you have already seen the video above when an Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush in Baghdad and where President Bush shrugs it off:

“So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?” Bush told a reporter in response to a question about the incident.

“Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It’s one way to gain attention. It’s like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It’s like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. …

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Being Right

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Being in recovery is not about being right. It’s allowing myself to be who I am and accepting others as they are. I cannot help it if others perceive me in a positive light while others look at me as the complete opposite. One’s perception of me is based on another set of circumstances while others based it on my past mistakes.

That concept of “being right” is difficult for many of us if we have lived in systems that functioned on the “right-wrong” justice scale. The person who was right was okay while the person who was wrong was shamed. The value and worth may have depended on being right; to be wrong meant destruction of self and self-esteem.

I don’t have to stand up for myself when I know I did nothing wrong but I have the responsibility to set boundaries and take care of myself. I do not need to justify taking care of myself by condemning someone else. I avoid the trap of focusing on others instead of myself.

At first I could not figure out what Patricio Mangubat’s entry on The Genesis of Every Blogger Byte meant. I wonder what he meant when he said:

People like Butch Dado and his lovely wife Noemi, Dang, Janet, JV and all others are trying their darnest best to keep the Pinoy Blogosphere clean as a whistle but this stupid ingrate tried to spoil everything.

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My Very Own Siamese Pet Kitten

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I once wrote about the Health Benefits of Cat Ownership but the thing is I don’t own a pet kitty. My two daughters each own a pet cat. Kylee is almost 10 years old on January 2009. Lady is 7 years old. That’s in cat years. I am often lonely at home when the kids are at school and hubby is at work. I want the two kitties to adore me the way they do their respective masters. But nada.

I resolved to get my own Siamese cat. Why a Siamese cat?

Well, the Siamese are talkers! I see it in Lauren’s Siamese cat, Kylee. He makes a number of sounds and some of the sounds begin to sound very much like human words. The more we talk to our Siamese cat the more it understands our language. So yes, the Siamese is the cat for me.

I searched high and low at pet shops until I decided to check online forums like adpost.com. The ad caught my attention because of the owner. Look at her requirements…

– owner loves cats kaya they are well taken cared of for sure
– I need to talk to the future owners of my kittens, before each transaction.They must be caring…. I won’t sell my kittens to you if you will cage them lang.

I find it touching that Danielle, the cat owner is particular about the future owner of her kittens. I showed her cat entries in my blog to prove that I am truly a cat lover. Danielle seemed happy enough. Today, I finally brought home Missy, a female Siamese (formerly named as Autum by Danielle). She is so adorable.


Missy loves to pose for the camera. I took this photo at Danielle’s home when I was still trying to figure out which of the remaining two kittens fit my personality. The other Siamese scampered away from me as I tried to be friendly. No, not her. Definitely, Missy is the cat for me since she calmly posed for the camera. What a cutie.

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