The Right to Reply Bill
Senators Mar Roxas, Francis Escudero, and Loren Legarda, original signatories to the Right of Reply bill have withdrawn support for the measure. In appreciation of the trio’s sudden change of mind, the Philippine Daily Inquirer has invited them as guest storytellers in the paper’s regular Read-Along Sessions. You know what they’re reading? “Ang Alamat ng Balimbing.”
Sen. Francis Escudero, co-author of the Right of Reply Bill has flipped-flopped. Escudero said he realized two things: one, it was a mistake to support the bill, and two, it’s an even bigger mistake to displease the media a few months before the 2010 elections.
Senator Mar Roxas has withdrawn his support for the Right of Reply bill. He arrived at the decision after having a bad dream. In the nightmare, he sees a copy of the Inquirer, the Star, Malaya, and Daily Tribune with identical banner headlines that read: “Put*ng-Ina!” – Roxas. Then the very next day, the banner headlines of the four broadsheets read: “Put*ng Ina Mo Rin!” – Malacañang.
And Loren Legarda? I would not even talk about Loren Legarda. Considering her track record, it would have been more surprising if she didn’t change her mind on the issue.
Sen. Lito Lapid couldn’t understand why the media is opposing the Right of Reply bill. The Kampampangan lawmaker believes that everyone has the right to reply… as long as “meron siyang load.”
Top 5 Things We Wouldn’t Want To Read in the Papers, See on Television or Hear on the Radio Once the President Signs into Law the Right of Reply Bill
5: Inquirer Special Issue: One Thousand Readers React to Ramon Tulfo
4: Ngayong Sabado sa Imbestigador: Inireklamong Pulis, Inireklamo si Mike Enriquez
3: The Philippine Star Special Paid Advertisements Edition: Ang Dating Daan vs. Iglesia ni Cristo: Sino’ng tunay na gago, tarantado, sira-ulo at manloloko?
2: Ted & Korina vs. Mike & Gloria: Live! Gabi-gabi sa ABS-CBN Primetime Bida
And the No. 1 thing we wouldn’t want to see on TV once the president signs into law the right of reply bill…
1: Startalk and The Buzz Present: FACE/OFF Calayan vs. Belo… (Seventh in A Year-Long Series)
Dangerous Roads
A study conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund last year revealed that the country’s roads are the most dangerous in Asia. In close second were the roads in Ateneo.
Speed Limit
Remember MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando’s declaration last year that there is no speed limit on Edsa? Nope, he’s not backtracking. But here’s the latest: Fernando is imposing a speed limit… at the parking lot of Ateneo de Manila.
You’ve heard about Ma. Theresa Torres, right? She’s the driver of the vehicle that killed the Atenean fourth grader last week. According to her lawyers, upon her release, the family will bring Theresa to a convent for “counseling.” A convent? Seriously? Since when did our nuns become experts on driving and traffic rules? (For chrissake, bring her to an LTO seminar!)
You think Ateneo roads are dangerous? Think about its alumni! (You know who they are!)
Oreta Gets Post 
Defeated administration senatorial candidate Tessie Aquino-Oreta has been appointed chief of the newly-formed “Early Childhood Care and Development Council.” The council will focus on children six years and below – the age group that will most likely appreciate… her talent in dancing.
Belo vs. Boy: A Postscript
Boy Abunda has reportedly forgiven Dr. Vicki Belo. He made the decision after several hours of staring at himself in the mirror.
Briefly Noted: Malala Na Kaya?
People have been asking me to react on the episode of ABS-CBN’s Maala-ala Mo Kaya last Saturday. It tackled the story of a summa cum laude agriculture graduate from the University of the Philippines who couldn’t find a job and ended up as a nightclub dancer. Firstly, that’s the very reason why I do not watch local soaps or drama anthologies. It’s full of bullshit. Secondly, is our economy that bad? Believe me, even if Bangladesh registers an economic growth thrice that of the Philippines, no summa cum laude graduate from UP would end up working as a stripper because she couldn’t get a job! Thirdly, no agriculture major student finished summa cum laude in the last two, three or even four decades. Lastly, I am 101% certain that the episode writer didn’t graduate from UP and knew absolutely nothing about UP. The ignorance was annoyingly insulting, and appallingly stupid.
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“Some of the press who speak loudly about the freedom of the press are themselves the enemies of freedom. Countless people dare not say a thing because they know it will be picked up and made a song of by the press. That limits freedom.”
~Geoffrey Fisher</aof
syang di nanalo ang g4m at downelink sa survey! hahahhaha
ayan nag vote nko!
waaaaaaaaaaa si Lito Lapid talaga..pasaway! nyahahaha
pero teka ako rin di ko alam kun ano ang right to reply bill..hehehe
the phil. bar asso. is against passage of this bill for it will diminish lawyers’ income.
This really made my early morning heckler! Kudos!
Salamat sa panaginip kaya biglaang bumalimbing si Mar.
i would like to add my two-cents’ worth on that item about maalaala mo kaya, about a u.p. summa cum laude graduate who ended up as a striptease dancer. i think that is a HUGE BALONEY! considering abs-cbn’s penchant for sensationalizing every trivial event in the country, i don’t think we should believe all of what that tv station churns out -much less consider what they tell at “mkk” to be even half-truth. bakit kasi nanonood pa kayo sa abs-cbn eh!
In what sense will this RTRB diminish lawyers’ income? This will not preclude lawyers from filing libel suits. On the contrary, this will create new clients who are asking networks or newspapers to publish their side through their lawyers.
Anyway, responsible media practitioners who always get both sides have nothing to worry about this bill. Unscrupulous media men, those loose cannons, mercenaries and attack dogs, are the one concerned about the passage of this bill. They are the one who will loose their income.
Incredible! A summa cum laude who cannot find a job? From UP pa? Why, what job was she applying for? Was it relevant to the course she graduated in? Baka naman nag-apply as Rocket Scientist or Molecular Biologist, e Communication Arts ang natapos.
Tsaka, Anong UP? Diliman? Saan system? Sigurado bang The UP yan or Unibersidad de Pamela Mela One? Sauce!
Too bad I don’t have TFC here thus I haven’t it. Kung napanood ko lang, hindi lang sana yan ang comments ko. Baka nag kilos-protesta na ako!
kung ako nga na hindi man lang cum laude got a job right after graduating from UP Diliman, yun pa kayang summa cum laude?r (although pwede rin akong mag strip tease dancer from time to time! LOL! ) ang masasabi ko lang sa writers ng maalala mo kaya: bukod sa obvious na di taga peyups, nag uulyanin na!
@ ambiex….
talaga! mas matatanggap ko pang nabalew sya sa paghahanap key Crispin at Basilio dahil nasobrahan ng talino, keysa nag-strip teaser kung saan san.
Checked the story about the latest episode on the web and it seems like the summa cum dancer graduated from the UP at the South. Agriculture daw ang natapos. Still, it’s preposterous she opted to find work at Manila, perhaps to see to it that the Fertilizer Funds for the City will be put to good use for the ugly flowering vines at the EDSA columns?
whateveh. I protest!
@carelesshush -> Sa bill na yun, nakalagay na pag may na-offend sa isang issue, pwede sya magreact. Halimbawa, sa newspaper. Kung gano kahaba yung article na naka-offend sa kanya, ganun din dapat kahaba yung gagawing article tungkol sa pagdefend nung naoffend na tao. Dun din mismo sa space ng newspaper ilalagay kung san yung original na article. Tapos, dapat around 3 days ipo-post yung article.
Very demanding.
Belo vs. Boy: A Postscript
Boy Abunda has reportedly forgiven Dr. Vicki Belo. He made the decision after several hours of staring at himself in the mirror.
-this made my day =)
nawala ba talaga yun about sa MMK episode o naduduling lang ako? heheh
eniweiz, posible bang mangyari yun na ang isang Summa Cum Laude will end up being a prosti?! di siguro! di ba usually kapag ganyang may mga honors mismong company ang magooffer sayo ng job? bwehehehe…pero malay natin, ‘true to life’ yang MMK di ba? true to life na scripted? hek hek
posible naman na mahirapan o walang makuhang trabaho ang mga tao these days. the economy is THAT bad, so i guess hindi naman tama na sabihin na porke galing sa ganitong school or university eh imposible na. we are in such bad times, kahit sino pwede mabiktima ng unemployment… at pag di ka matibay tibay, pwede ka talaga mawalan ng loob, maging emosyonal, mabaliw o magpakamatay atbp.
pasensya na… mejo reality check po muna tayo. salamat!
hey! if the pay is good, i can believe that the summa cum laude has become a dancer
after all its easier to exercise the pelvic muscles than the brain cells 
The alleged UP summa cum laude turned prostitute appears to be in her 50s, so this happened sometime in 1970’s or 80’s, but still hard to believe.
TV Patrol yesterday went to search for her and found her loitering somewhere in laguna with her pet cat. Its either her life got fucked-up real hard or its all bull shit. My classmates, average UP grads, find it easy to get a job, (even those undergrads) in today’s economy.
BOBO ng mga TV writers.
me legal suit ata na susunod jan.
Malala na Kaya
First off, I watched the episode because I like Angel Locsin.
The story in itself is so so. And so full of inconsistencies.
Well put argument about the supposedly UPLB Summa Cum Laude agriculture major graduate.
My Two Cents Worth:
1. IF supposedly the story was true, it may be difficult but not that impossible for a Summa to get a job. Even busted light bulbs serve in government.
2. She’s a Summa, that means she is smart. Who among the dimwitted writers made her go to Manila to look for a job? Haven’t they heard of a square peg in a round hole? And what possible job can an agriculture major find in Manila? Would Bayani Fernando hire her for his Metro Guwapo Program?
3. Reality check. Being a college graduate doesn’t always mean or bring financial success. Either the writer is still living in the dark ages or have no grasp of the realities of the corporate world.
4. Not all Cum Laude or higher graduates can get a job easily unless they are head hunted. Remember, they have to pass through HR. So not only must they have the qualifications, but you also must have the personality and adaptability to work well with a prospective boss. We have had several of these graduates with very very impressive resumés but they have this attitude “Hey, I’m smarter than you, so why wouldn’t you hire me?” Guess what happened next? Those resumés met with the paper shredder right after he/she stepped out the door. No active file for them.
5. Why do they always portray the barrio lass with big dreams to end up as a bar girl or dancer and keeping this from their families? You’re right. No girl with brains like her will sink that low so quickly. Not unless that lass has a real need to be big fast by sleeping her way to the top. Someone we know?
6. ABS-CBN featured in a news report the supposed source. Big deal. How much of her story featured in MMK was true? Most of us may not be Summa’s but don’t insult our intelligence. Such a disservice to the Filipino.
7. I know it’s not that easy to write a story, but couldn’t they have better writers with a solid grasp of current realities. Geesh.
c”,)
it was found out by the UPLB admin that the character was not a SUMMA cum Laude. It was obviously the writers’ way of “spicing” up things. (stupid, really. and absolutely clueless).
Fact: if you are a SUMMA CUM LAUDE grad from UPLB, ikaw ng hahantingin ng mga employers. Tapos.
about MMK.
i think it’s the “formula” they follow for soap operas and alike on tv.
everything on primetime sucks. the only show worth watching are the primetime news.
but don’t be surprised that MMK episode gets a high rating or viewership.
it sucks, huh?
@ Smile.
Now that revelation makes MMK’s distortion of facts totally FOUL! I cannot agree more to Heckler’s last comment: .. The [UP] ignorance was annoyingly insulting, and appallingly stupid.
Fact: Basta’t galing ka ng UP, hindi problema ang trabaho.
Nadale mo Smile!
Manofthehour – I share your sentiment.
Did I already mentioned I watched it because I like Angel Locsin?
Peace c”,)
chiwee is right… UP graduates usually don’t have problems getting employed
tama talaga ang monicker ng MMK… Malala na kaya
I graduated from UP Visayas. Talaga namang stupid to the highest degree talaga ang MMK episode na ‘yun! Our househelp was watching it and I kept on asking her kung UP summa cum laude ba talaga ang character ni Angel Locsin. When she said yes, naloka talaga ako! As in, hello? Imposible talaga that she can’t find a decent job if she graduated with honors. Although di naman assurance ng success ang UP diploma, but give us a break! Bakit ka pa naging UP summa cum laude kung wala ka naman pa lang kahit konting resourcefulness sa paghahanap ng disenteng trabaho.
And heckler, I couldn’t agree more with what you said:
“I am 101% certain that the episode writer didn’t graduate from UP and knew absolutely nothing about UP. The ignorance was annoyingly insulting, and appallingly stupid.”
Glad people are starting to take note of the hogwash ABS CBN is feeding the public. Not just ABS CBN! There’s GMA 7 too! These media companies are contributing to the decreasing general IQ of the Filipino nation.
I finished Biology from UPLB in 1980. I am celebrating my 50th birthday this year. When I was in UPLB, the most recent Summa Cum Laude graduate then was Lizbeth De Padua in 1975 or 76. She was I think the third SCL to graduate from UPLB since 1908. If the story has factual basis, that should be Lizbeth’s story, but she is now practising medicine in the US, and didn’t finish Agriculture but Biology too. Anyone who graduated after my UPLB years couldn’t be in her 50’s or 60’s these days.
I hope UPLB will not take this story sitting down. Administration must investigate and take action to set the record straight and put ABS-CBN it its rightful place.
Bad enough that they are dumbing down their viewers with such lame ass writers with absolutely no imagination. san ba nila pinupulot ang mga writers nila? at the sewage treatment plant?
@midlifer: Lizbeth de Padua, after finishing summa cum laude, went on to take medicine at UP-Manila (and if i am not mistaken, finished magna cum laude). she is now a neurosurgeon practicing in the US.
happy centenary, UPLB!!
celebration are from March 2-6. =)
Now everyoneone hold on for a bit!
People are mistaken that UPLB referred to in the MMK episode stands for University of the Philippines Los Banos. It doesn’t.
It is actually University of Polangui-Ligao-Bato (UPLB).
That would actually explain summa-cum-laude turning the stripper bit
People can now rest easy and cool down
“Lastly, I am 101% certain that the episode writer didn’t graduate from UP and knew absolutely nothing about UP. The ignorance was annoyingly insulting, and appallingly stupid.”
One of the writers and who conceptualized the Maalaala episode graduated from UP.
Briefly Noted: Malala Na Kaya?
People have been asking me to react on the episode of ABS-CBN’s Maala-ala Mo Kaya last Saturday. It tackled the story of a summa cum laude agriculture graduate from the University of the Philippines who couldn’t find a job and ended up as a nightclub dancer. Firstly, that’s the very reason why I do not watch local soaps or drama anthologies. It’s full of bullshit. Secondly, is our economy that bad? Believe me, even if Bangladesh registers an economic growth thrice that of the Philippines, no summa cum laude graduate from UP would end up working as a stripper because she couldn’t get a job! Thirdly, no agriculture major student finished summa cum laude in the last two, three or even four decades. Lastly, I am 101% certain that the episode writer didn’t graduate from UP and knew absolutely nothing about UP. The ignorance was annoyingly insulting, and appallingly stupid.
Exactleeh!
sabi tita ko na classmate niya si charo who was from pwu when she x-enrolled at dlsu. kanya magaling dancer yan si charo. not sure if she graduated with honors.
regarding the MMK episode,blusa… im a nurse and during my days as a student nurse we had rotations in different psychiatric hospitals. It may surprise you, but yes we had patients from prominent universities. the funny thing is i had one patient who was from that said university with almost the same background. I am not saying that graduates of that school are crazy, what im saying is that mental illness is real and can affect anyone.
Dante: Charo Santos graduated cum laude – St. Paul’s College, Manila.
dapat isoli ang lahat ng awards ng malala na kaya
taga-up din naman ang researcher/s nyan.
Sa tingin nyo ba hindi makakakuha ng trabaho sa loob ng UP ang isang Summa Cum Laude nito kung sakaling naisin nya?
Reality check kung reality check na, hindi papakawalan ng UP ang isang summa cum laude nila kung piliin nitong manatili sa kanyang alma matter para ibalik sa iba ang kanyang mga natutunan at ipamahagi ang iba pa nyang kaalaman.
Isang lantarang panloloko ang ginawa ng ABS CBN dito… Sana ay umaksyon ang UP para maturuan ng leksiyon ang sino mang nagtangkang gawing bobo sa pamamagitan ng palabas na ito ang sambayanang manood na Pilipino…