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The J Spotter

Personal insights from the J Spot author J. Angelo Racoma
( this site has moved to http://jangelo.racoma.net )

The J Spotter » Archives

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Pia at the garden


(Click for a larger version)

This was taken at Pia's grandpa's house in Sikatuna Village during a post-Christmas visit. I managed to pan the camera juuuust right! After all, it IS difficult to catch up with a very active toddler!

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

i.ph

I.PH

This is one of the newest services being offered by dotPH. It's basically a service by which individuals (Filipinos in particular) can avail themselves of their own "i.ph" domain name without the hassles of having to register for a regular domain name (such as the need to divulge one's identity). In short, the i.ph service offers "domains for individuals." In the past month, I had registered using jangelo.i.ph. I'm trying out the features, and if I like it, I'll be migrating this weblog to i.ph.

The service uses the BLOG:CMS Personal Content Management System by Radek Hulán, which is, according to dotPH president Mr. Joel Disini, one of the better blogging softwares (i.e. compared to Blogger). I do agree, since you'd have to be a techie to be able to fully harness Blogger's potentials. The barebones Blogger software is quite basic, and without third-party add-ons and some code/template tweaks, you'd end up with a blog that's quite limited.

One note, though: it's not free. dotPH charges a US$ 5.00 fee for three months or $15 a year for use of the i.ph domain name and service. But you do get a two-month free trial period to test the service(I'm halfway through this trial). Another thing: it's not as simple and straightforward to use as blogger. With some more patience, I'll get the hang of it.

Kudos to dotPH for the work put into i.ph.

Friday, December 17, 2004

MDGs: Ends without means?

I read (and have recently re-read) this article as published in the 9 Septmeber 2004 issue of The Economist (one of my preferred bathroom reading materials, =P ), and I can't help but agree with the sense that UN seems to be making a lot of "declarations" but the results of its plans are not so good, or at least its activities in the grassroots are not quite evident.

Even in my line of work (which includes serving as administrator of the NEDA Public Investment Staff's Project Proposal Monitoring System), I get to come across a number of UN project documents/proposals (not my direct responsibility, though), but I tend to wonder if these activities do, indeed, make a difference in this impoverished nation of ours. If the Philippine Government is a mess with all the bureaucratic intricacies (read: inefficient), what more with the UN, which is quite a large-scale multilateral organization?

The UN is, after all, a political organization. And it continues to enjoy an increasling level of political clout with the concept of globalization (rather, globalisation, as the Economist would spell it, the British publication that it is) gaining a hold on the world. Geographical boundaries are rendered moribund in this age of information, even by the very medium this text is currently being delivered (the Internet). Are we therefore coming close to becoming "One World United?" (Note: I do not categorically believe that the UN is evil, but hey, it might be. Anyway, I shall be posting here a copy of another article on the "new form" of evil, as published in TIME).

Quoting the article from the Economist (incidentally, you can also try typing " www.economsit.com "--yes, SIT and not IST--in your browser's address bar and you will be redirected to the correct website. Cool, huh?). Emphases are mine.

Ends without means
Sep 9th 2004
From The Economist print edition


The United Nations has set benchmarks for progress in poor countries. Are these any use?

THIS week the United Nations published its annual assessment of progress toward its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—targets established in 2000 for advancing welfare in the developing countries. The record, as you might expect, is mixed. Some things are improving, others are not. How far the MDG initiative is making a difference, one way or another, is unclear. It remains questionable, in fact, whether the MDG exercise, with its unimpeachably good intentions and its proliferating bureaucratic overhead, has done any good at all, on balance.

The targets cover eight areas, calling in most cases for specified improvements by 2015 measured from 1990: reduce the incidence of extreme poverty and hunger by half; provide universal access to primary education; promote the equality of women; reduce infant mortality by two-thirds (with a separate target for extending immunisation against measles); reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters; halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria; achieve “environmental sustainability” (reverse the loss of forests, improve access to clean water and sanitation); and form a “global partnership for development”.

The first six goals, at any rate, could hardly be questioned—nor the seventh, so far as drinking water and sanitation are concerned. One might ask, perhaps, why settle for reducing extreme poverty by only half? Why not aim for a cut of 80%, or 100% for that matter? The answer is that the UN did give some thought to what might feasibly be achieved, with increased effort by poor-country governments and donors, in the stated timescale. Fine. On the other hand, the weakness of the whole MDG concept is that it wills the ends without willing the means—something which the UN, perforce, has come to specialise in. A plan to spend an additional allocation of aid on specific interventions designed to reduce poverty, or combat AIDS, or whatever, could be judged for cost-effectiveness and ranked alongside alternative ways of expending resources on development. A statement of good intentions is unfortunately just that.

The UN seems especially proud of the progress made toward goal number eight, in which it has a vested interest—that of greater global co-operation on development. Certainly, discussion among governments about aid and development has been completely reordered by the MDG initiative. High-level conferences, working groups, declarations, strategies and programmes, all swearing allegiance to the MDG idea, are multiplying fantastically. In this sense, at least, the concept is a runaway success. However, what this is actually doing for the putative poor-country beneficiaries is harder to say. The UN observes that “many countries are in the process of retooling development programmes and strategies in line with the MDGs.” How odd. Were those governments hitherto unconcerned about poverty or AIDS? Then again, in the new assessment the UN is pleased to note that “at least 65 countries and five regions or sub-regions have issued reports geared to measuring progress on the MDGs.” Well, that's something.

Let them eat reports

For the most part, again as you would expect, progress in the substantive indicators of improvements in welfare is highly correlated with economic growth. East and South-East Asia have met or are on track to meet nearly all of the MDGs by 2015. (East Asia has seen movement in the wrong direction for just one target: the proportion without clean drinking water in towns, partly owing to rural-urban migration. South-East Asia has seen a worsening in just one area too: forests.) At the other extreme, the moribund economies of sub-Saharan Africa, taken together, have met or are on track to meet not a single target—with the exception, presumably, of the global-partnership targets for retooling programmes and issuing reports. No progress at all, or less than no progress, on poverty and hunger; on secondary-school enrolment for girls; on infant mortality or immunisation against measles; on maternal mortality; on malaria; on forests, drinking water and sanitation.

The overriding importance of economic growth suggests that aid, in itself, is no cure-all. Yet there is no question that in sub-Saharan Africa and in other very poor places, certain kinds of aid—notably those aimed at specific health interventions—are well worth undertaking. Has the MDG process at least succeeded in directing more aid to the right uses?

Not really. Aid flows increased by $2.3 billion between 2002 and 2003, but American spending on reconstruction in Iraq is included in that total, and accounts for $2 billion. Contributions to multilateral concessional funds fell by $1.2 billion. Total official aid, at $68.5 billion, stood at 0.25% of the donor countries' aggregated national incomes, up from 0.23% in 2002—but the UN's agreed aid goal is 0.7% of national income.

Additional spending on treating and preventing AIDS is recognised by the MDG initiative as a key aim, and widely acknowledged (for instance by the Copenhagen Consensus project, described in this space earlier this year) as among the most cost-effective ways to spend money in poor countries. What is the record there? Spending to halt the spread of AIDS and other diseases (notably malaria and tuberculosis) was $4.7 billion last year, a substantial rise from $1.7 billion in 2002. But this is still far less than ought to be spent: the UN reckons that $12 billion will be needed next year and $20 billion in 2006.

Meanwhile, nearly 5m people became newly infected with AIDS in 2003, more than in any previous year. In Eastern Europe and South Asia the disease is spreading more rapidly than before. In sub-Saharan Africa the pandemic continues “unabated”—partly for want of resources. As a result, MDGs or no, the region's millennium development outlook is a worsening economic catastrophe.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Loose Wire: Tips against Phishing

Jeremy Wagstaff writes (again) on phishing. He cites some tips against phishing put together by Daniel McNamara of Code Fish Spam Watch, whom he considers the "Anti-Phisher King."

Webopedia.com defines phishing as:

(fish´ing) (n.) The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.
...
Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing,” the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.


While Filipinos are not as likely to divulge sensitive information that may be useful to Phishers aside from passwords (i.e. bank details, or rather bank details to accounts that are well-funded), I have read about bad experiences of some Pinoys with Phishing emails. Okay, actually, I had been victim to such an attack myself (involving a Yahoo account), but that was eons ago.

In the end, it's best to scrutinize such emails even if they look official or from the source they claim. There are obvious signs that an message intends to phish, such as the target URL, the sensitivity of the information required, and spelling/grammatical errors in the text.

Some tips I'd like to add:

  • Turn on your browser's status bar (click view--status bar). This way, if reading email via web, you can easily check the target URL of a link by hovering your mouse cursor over it. Hence, you can more or less determine if the page will lead you to an official website when you click a link. For instance, some phishing messages claim to have come from Citibank, but have "www.citibank.com.xxxxxxx (replace xxxxxxx with your favorite top-level domain), but the URL is clearly not that of Citibank's website. Sometimes, the target is legit, but the codes will send your information somewhere else!

  • Turn on your file manager/explorer's extension-viewing capabilities. I don't understand why, by default, newer versions of Windows (i.e. XP) have this feature turned off by default. With this, you can easily see the file type of an attachment, and thus you can pinpoint what types of files you should avoid (EXE, COM, CMD, BAT, PIF, SCR, and some document files that may contain malicious macro code).


Some tips to consider to avoid being victimized by such phishing expeditions as posted in Loose Wire:

User Tips

Standard Phishing Emails

  1. Just remember that NO bank will ever, ever ask you to confirm details via email. If a bank seriously needs you to confirm information they will always require your physical presence or at the very least by phone.

  2. Banks never need you to confirm your password or PIN. They run the systems and if they ever run into problems with these it's much simpler for them to scrub the current records and replace them with new ones.

  3. They tend to be pretty un-imaginative using the same wording over and over again. Have a read through some previous phisher emails and you'll soon spot some common patterns.

  4. There's always the obvious clue that the bank that requires you to confirm your details is not one you actually bank with.

  5. Ebay/Paypal Scams - Just like the banks these guys never need you to confirm your details. They do control the systems so it's far easier for them to reset the information than to get the client to verify it.

  6. Remember this simple fact. The emails claim that due to whatever issue you need to verify your details. A quick bit of common sense shows that if they've screwed up the data they have what exactly are they going to verify against?

  7. The emails always threaten account closure if you don't comply. If a bank was seriously considering closing your bank account that would almost certainly contact you in writing (via good old snail mail) or over the phone.


Job Scams

  1. Remember these jobs scams don't just arrive via email. There have been cases of the phishers inserting these jobs into real job sites. The job sites generally do a good job of scrubbing these fraudulent job listings but occasionally they will miss one or two.

  2. Job scams are sometimes sent out via broadcast ICQ/MSN messages. If you receive an email from someone you do not know offering you a job, particularly if it offers large amount of income for very little work, treat it with extreme suspicion.

  3. Any job that offers you to make thousands a week is automatically suspect. No legitimate job (other than that of a CEO) will ever pull that sort of cash.

  4. The jobs scams almost always claim they are a European company have troubles doing overseas money transfer. This is ridiculous. Todays financial systems allow for businesses to transfer money anywhere they want in the world without resorting to wiring services such as Western Union.

  5. A "job" that pays by percentage kept from a money transfer is not legal from a tax point of Remember in the real world the employer needs to pay the appropriate amount of payroll tax. The way the jobs scams operate falls outside of this area.


Trojan Lure Emails

  1. These emails are almost always designed to get an emotional not rational response. As such the will claim things like your credit card has been charged, there is some form of huge natural disaster/terrorist attack or some of other story designed to make people click on the link out of fear or curosity.

  2. Some lure pretend to be questsions from eBay or PayPal people. Most of the time these emails looking slightly out of place


General Tips

  • By cynical. Seriously. The way the internet is today end users no longer have much of a choice but to approach anything they are presented with on the web/email as highly suspect until you feel you have enough hard evidence to prove it.

  • Keep your windows machines up to date. Yes even if you are on dial up. The time you spend now could save you from a very expense headace down the road. Make sure you run Windows Update at least once a month.

  • Use anti-virus. Doesn't really matter which one you use as long as you actually keep it up to date. All current anti-virus systems are simply signature based checkers and can only check for trojans they actually know about.

  • DON'T treat anti-virus and firewalls as the magic bullet for this problem. Despite what many companies will try and sell you there is NO all in one cure for this. There is always a way around firewalls, there is always some lag time between the time a new trojan is released and when the anti-virus companies update their signatures. Having said this you should still use these products because most of the time they will help save you.

  • If you receive an email you're unsure about ask the place is supposedly from. It's worth it just to double check it now than pay the price in the future.

  • If you come across an email you know to be fraudulent try and make steps to inform the bank/company involved. Most major ones these days have a facility to do this now.

  • If you have become embroiled in one of the money laundering job scams you need to cease contact with the scammers. Don't send them emails saying you've found them to be a scam and don't respond to their inquiries. Then contact your bank's anti-fraud department. Depending on the level of service of your bank's helpdesk this may take a little work but once you get through to the anti-fraud department you should find it is staffed by competent and understanding people who will work with the police in order track the stolen money. Be aware this process may result in your account being frozen for a few days while this happens. Better this than potentially being charged with aiding and abetting fraud.

  • If you have been involved in a job scam like the ones we've seen to date do not try and hold onto the money from the "job". Remember some that money has been stolen from some other person's account and you have no more right to it than that of the scum that stole it in the first place.


Monday, December 13, 2004

Senator Manny Villar: Taxi Drivers Should Not Choose Or Refuse Passengers

Finally, better rights for the taxi-riding public? As a frequent taxi rider myself, one way I address the problem of having one too many a choosy taxi driver is by being myself choosy with the cabs I ride. In fact, I believe that it's more economical to ride the newer-model vehicles, in particular those post-year 2000 Toyota Corollas, since you get to enjoy a safer and more comfortable ride (i.e. cooler air conditioning, firmer and more ergonomical seats, and generally a cleaner feel), and with generally a faster travel time. Thus, I make it a point to refuse cabs that do not look or sound well-maintained, or whose drivers seem badly-groomed, unruly or disrespectful. And as much as possible, I make it a point to call for a cab (from several reputable taxi companies) instead of flagging one down, especially with more distant destinations. Some of my usually-called transpo companies (if calling from outside Metro Manila, use 02 as area code. Replace 0 with +63 if for some reason, you find the need to call a cab from outside the Philippines):


  • MGE - 363-6096, 364-8260
  • R&E - 330-1654, 362-1890
  • Basic - 900-1447 to 48 (plus PhP 70)
  • Taxi Dispatch - 373-TAXI (8294) (plus PhP 50)


Angelo

An excerpt from the media release:

VILLAR: TAXI DRIVERS SHOULD NOT CHOOSE OR REFUSE PASSENGERS

Commuters should not be inconvenienced by such practice of taxi drivers

...
Senator Manny Villar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order, says the common practice of taxi drivers who choose or refuse passengers should be stopped, since it unduly inconveniences commuters.
...
Senate Bill 782 upholds the promotion of the general welfare of the Filipinos, particularly equal access to public services and utilities such as transportation. It provides for penalties to taxi drivers who violate the law.

According to Villar, the concerned authorities such as the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have also been issuing warnings to taxi drivers and operators in being choosy in rendering services, but to no avail.

"Its about time, we issue stiffer penalties because it seems that mere warnings do not work in disciplining taxi drivers. I just don't want commuters and passengers to be unduly inconvenienced by the unlawful behavior of taxi drivers. In fairness to them though, there are still a lot of fair and disciplined taxi drivers around," further cites Villar.

Friday, December 10, 2004

SAGIP-BUHAY INFANTA

I got an email detailing the plight of residents of Infanta, Quezon, and linking to the SAGIP-BUHAY INFANTA website. The welcome text of the site is copied below. With the calamity our fellow Filipinos have experienced, I think anything we can contribute would be deeply appreciated.

Angelo

SAGIP-BUHAY INFANTA: "PLEASE HELP THE CALAMITY VICTIMS OF INFANTA, REAL AND GENERAL NAKAR QUEZON

For Cash/Check Donations:
BPI Bank Account
SAGIP-BUHAY FUND
BPI, Sta. Ana Manila
Savings Acct. No.: 3223-3892-35

For Donations in Kind, the following items may be dropped at:
CMN Office c/o Fr. Francis Lucas
No. 2307 Pedro Gil St., Sta. Ana Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (632) 563-7321, (632) 563-7313, (632) 564-4480
Fax: (632) 563-7327"

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

ISAW: Why are malicious hackers succeeding?

A 6 December post on the Internet Security and Warfare (ISAW) weblog.

Why are malicious hackers succeeding?
ISAW (Internet Security And Warfare):

...
Malicious hackers are always one step ahead of everyone else. Most of the time sysads will only know that their system has been compromised when their website is defaced or when they detect that their system is acting weird. By then, it’s already too late because it means that somebody has already been inside the system.
...
Recommendations:

(1) Absolute security can never be achieved. Instead of using anti-anything alone (spam, virus, hacker, spyware, etc.), it is also important to properly educate system users. These two things, when coupled together, will result in a more secure network.

(2) Network security should be proactive; do not wait for security breaches to happen before doing something to secure your network.

(3) Develop sound security policy and force users to follow it. A policy is an outline of security practices that every employee in a company should follow.

(4) Subscribe to security mailing lists to be updated on what is going on. Patch and update your system regularly to avoid breaches.

(5) READ, READ, READ.

(posted by PI Flashbulb)


Sensible Recommendations, IMHO. Anyone interested in securing their systems should act proactively. After all, hackers with malicious intent (i.e. crackers) are usually one step ahead of everyone else in terms of security (and breaches, thereof).

- Angelo

NEDA budget's approval deferred

In a hearing Tuesday, November 8, 2004, the Senate Finance Subcommittee G, chaired by Senator Manuel A. Roxas II, deferred approval of the Proposed Year 2005 Budget of the FY 2005 budget of the Office of the Director General (ODG) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), or the NEDA proper (or mother agency), pending resolution of issues raised by Senator Richard Gordon. In particular, Senator Gordon sought clarification on NEDA's role in the processing and approval of the Subic Bay Port Development Project. He expressed concern on the appropriateness of the investment, which involves a loan by the National Government from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation amounting to 16.45 billion Yen, when at the time he was chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the SBMA had already bid out to the private sector the construction of the ports, at no cost to the Government.

According to Senator Roxas, NEDA should be able to submit, in writing, within the next few days the agency's responses to the issue raised, as well as to other possible concerns that are likely to be raised in the floor deliberations during the Plenary Session for the agency's budget. NEDA targets to provide the required documents by December 15.

The subcommittee also deferred approval of the proposed budget of the Philippine National Volunteers Service Coordination Agency (PNVSCA), but approved that of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), National Statistics Office (NSO), Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC), and the Tariff Commission (TC). The aforementioned institutions are all NEDA attached agencies.

The Plenary Session to discuss the NEDA budget, and that of other Executive agencies is expected to be held sometime in January of 2005.

(Providing technical support to NEDA officials, the author was in attendance during the hearing, and the previous day's briefing for Senator Roxas, as well as the Appropriations Committee hearings and Plenary Session floor deliberations in the House of Representatives for the NEDA budget and the Development Budget Coordination Committee/DBCC.)

Slashdot: Firefox Users Bad For Advertisers

According to this post on slashdot, which quotes a CNET article, Firefox users are less likely to click on advertisement links. I'd reckon it's because Firefox users are more likely to be tech-savvy than IE users. It's not that all IE users are not tech-savvy, but you're more likely to be such a person if you've at least bothered to try a browser alternative to IE, especially Firefox. More so if you enjoy the enhanced security and other added features (tabbed browsing rocks!).

And if you're tech savvy, you'd most likely be thinking twice before clicking on links, especially those that may be deemed unsafe or unsecure, or at the very least a nuisance.

IMHO, IE is a mediocre application.

Angelo


Firefox Users Bad For Advertisers

By CowboyNeal on smart-clickers

rocketjam writes "According to CNET, German advertising technology company Adtech reports that during the months of October and November, Internet Explorer users were more than four times as likely to click on ads than Firefox users were. During the period 0.5 percent of IE users clicked on ads compared to 0.11 percent of Firefox users. Speculation on reasons for the difference in click rates range from Firefox's integrated pop-up blocking to seeing the average Firefox user as more tech-savvy the average Internet Explorer user."

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Population Management - Are we up to it?

This article, which appeared in the 1 December issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports on yet another paper published by professors from the UP School of Economics making a stand on our present economic situation, this time entitled "Population and Poverty: The Real Score". Recall that a few months back, they published " The deepening crisis: the real score on deficits and the public debt" (click here to download a PDF copy), a paper warning on an impending fiscal crisis if Government does not implement concrete--and drastic--measures to curb a possible debt default, which would lead to credit downgrade/s and consequently further make it difficult for the government to finance its deficits (due to higher cost of borrowing). Recall further that I likewise made a blog post commenting on their publication on fiscal crisis. Now they're raising another issue. I hope the Administration would listen to the distinguished UPSE professors, similar to how Malacañang seemed to have listened and reacted when the paper on the looming fiscal crisis was published.

Status report: as of writing, the Executive had facilitated/fast-tracked the endorsement to Congress of eight revenue-generating measures, four of which had been passed, albeit with revisions. The Executive had likewise fast-tracked various "reorganization," "rationalization," "streamlining," "austerity"--or whatever you may call it--programs in order to arrive at a leaner bureaucracy.

If you ask me, I'm still not quite comfortable with Government's passing the buck, or letting us, commonners, carry the burden of providing the solutions, for instance in affording government employees (such as myself) lesser benefits in terms of allowances and other material or non-material perks in the face of the possibility that we would have to carry the brunt of the increased taxes (which may ultimately be passed on to us as consumers), and when big-time officials are known to be spend-thrift with government resources. And recent developments show that corruption still abounds even--or most especially in?--the highest echelons of government and the military. This is also in view of Congressmen still holding on to their PhP 70 million each in pork barrel allocations when they can instead allow for some cuts to at least be able to contribute to the pagtitipid (savings). But I guess that's life. Perhaps I can only count on a move, prospectively in the near future, to the more lucrative and challenging private sector, if I want to provide better for my growing family (and as well rid myself of the various headaches that are constantly hounding me with all these issues I am involved in given my line of work).

Come to think of it, the Administration may have reacted to the paper on fiscal crisis in an opportunistic manner, since it greatly benefited from public perception especially on the perceived need to immediately undergo several drastic measures, which would have faced much opposition without an adequate justification or precedent. But it cannot be denied that circa 2002 to 2003, international publications (FEER, the Economist, Newseek, Time) were already discussing about an impending debt crisis in the country, which is precursor to a fiscal crisis.

Dr. Arsenio Balisacan, my professor in Development Economics at the UPSE (DE 291, which I took first Semester of SY 2004-2005) and, at present, also the director of SEARCA - the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, made it a point to emphasize that an uncontrollable population growth rate is one of the main reasons why the Philippines, which used to be one of the fastest-growing, now lags behind its ASEAN neighbors in terms of economic growth and development.

Dr. Balisacan had co-authored a study, "The Population-Poverty Nexus: The Philippines in Comparative East Asian Context," which, is a part a Philippine Center for Population and Development (PCPD)-supported publication "The Ties that Bind: Population and Development in the Philippines." The findings ...

... showed that the Philippines and Thailand were neck and neck in terms of population size and per capita GDP in 1975. Twenty-five years since, Philippine population ballooned to 75 million while the number of Thais was pegged at 62 million. In the same year Thai women have, on the average, only 2 children or a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.9 while the Philippine TFR stood at 3.6 or an average of 3 to 4 children per woman.
...
The decline in the population growth rate of Thailand is complemented with an increasing per capita GDP, growing to about 8 times the 1975 level. Indonesia 's per capita GDP grew 6.5 times and South Korea 10 times. And the Philippines ? A measly 2.6 times! But it had the highest population growth rate of 2.36 % a year, on the average, among the four.
...
How much would the savings be in terms of the cost of education and health services if the Philippine population growth followed that of Thailand ? According to the study, from 1996 to 2000 some 52 billion pesos from the health sector and 128 billion from the education sector from 1991 to 2000 could have been saved. These savings could have been spent instead on the agricultural sector where most of the country's poor belong. With greater investments in agriculture, slower population growth, and a rise in income, rural poverty could decline by 70 percent and national poverty by 60%.


(A PDF copy of the "layman's version" of the research can be downloaded through this link.)

In our class, the professor often stressed the importance of supporting theory with empirical evidence, and as well the need to distinguish between correlation and causality. Now while there are numerous theories on the relationship between population and economic growth and development, it is evident from empirical findings that Government needs to take a firmer stance in population management if it is serious in reaching its goals for the economy.

Oddly, Dr. Balisacan is not one of the authors of the new paper. I was expecting he would be, given the topic, and given that he claims this to be an advocacy of his. The professor related to us that he had, upon invitation, presented the results of his study to Congress early second semester of this year, when the population issue was still hotly-contested, given Rep. Edcel Lagman's sponsoring/proposing legal measures to provide for more reasonable population management programs/policies. Sadly, the media's pick-up of the issue was quite hyped, as they focused on population- or even birth-control (which, I was informed, was quite far from what was proposed).

With all the ensuing national issues and problems, including the fiscal crisis scare, corruption scandals in the military, and most recently the wave of typhoons still currently devastating our northern and southern Luzon regions, the discussions on population management were thrown to the backburner. But with the emerging arguments being brought forward by some distinguished members of our academic community, perhaps we can again actively discuss the importance of considering the contribution of sound policies and programs in population management to the economic growth and development of our nation, which is, arguably, currently still in bad shape (yes, contrary to media spin by the Administration).

We cannot turn a blind eye to this pressing issue. We cannot just let our population grow at an uncontrollable rate for preference for 'natural' methods of family planning by the dominant institutions. I would argue that it would, indeed, be more attuned to the teachings of our faith to be humane and compassionate to our less fortunate brethren by working for an improved economic situation in terms of growth and development--most especially growth and development deemed to be equitable.

It's a difficult challenge, most especially in coming to a consensus on the matter. But for sure, we have problems, and someone has to address it at some point. As the old Philippine Collegian headline went, "Kung hindi tayo, sino? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?" (If not us, then who? If not now, then when?). I hope the Church, Government and, more importantly, society, will be up to it.

- J. Angelo Racoma

By this time you may have already noticed that UPSE professors seem to be fond of "real scores."

I have yet to secure an e-copy of the publication cited, but once I do, I will post a link here. An excerpt from the Inquirer article (emphases mine) follows below.


UP economists ask Church to soften population stand
Updated 05:18am (Mla time) Dec 01, 2004
Blanche Rivera - brivera@inquirer.com.ph

THE COUNTRY'S top economists have called on the Catholic Church hierarchy to adopt a "more tolerant and humane" stance on the need for a national population policy for the sake of the poor who are suffering because of their large family sizes.

In a paper titled "Population and Poverty: The Real Score," 17 economists from the University of the Philippines School of Economics said the Catholic clergy in the country should allow families to choose their preferred family planning method, consistent with the Second Vatican Council's teaching that the final arbiter of moral decisions is one's informed and responsible conscience.
...
poverty incidence in the country rose significantly with a bigger family size. Poverty incidence for a "family of one" is 9.8 percent compared with 57.3 percent for a family of nine or more.

"Family size is directly related to the vulnerability to poverty or the likelihood of falling into poverty owing to exogenous (external) shocks," the paper said.
...
"It is more difficult to improve governance than adopt a national population policy. Improving governance would take several decades to achieve based on the experience of other countries, so we're saying it is easier to adopt a population policy to help address poverty," [Dr. Ernesto] Pernia said.
...
The economists identified three elements for an effective population policy:

• Reduction of unwanted fertility, which accounts for 16 percent of the population growth. The economists urged the government to use public funds to buy contraceptives as most poor families do not have access to an effective family planning service.

• Raising the quality of education and fostering women's empowerment that would lead couples to want smaller families. A large wanted family size contributes 19 percent to the country's population growth.

• Creating job opportunities for women that would result in later childbearing age and wider birth spacing that would slow the population momentum, which accounts for 65 percent of the population growth.

"These measures are mutually reinforcing and, if backed by appropriate reforms in the economic and other social sectors, would bring about the best results... Even if not much can be done about public investments in infrastructure owing to the fiscal constraints, it would help ease the demand pressure coming from rapid population growth," the paper said.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Tandang Sora Flyover to be closed?

Heard from a reliable source last week: Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando is planning to have the Tandang Sora Flyover closed (yes, the one along Commonwealth Avenue) in favor of U-turn slots.

Now I've encountered complaints about MMDA's resorting to making U-turns the norm in an attempt to improve Metro Manila's traffic situation (read old but insightful articles here and here -- links will open in new windows; ctrl-click in Firefox to open in a new tab), but this is plain silly. Imagine putting to waste an interchange that had cost millions in taxpayers' money, and instead replacing it with a scheme that gives U-turning vehicles the right-of-way or priority over straight-through traffic.

Traffic lights and interchanges were invented for the very reason of allowing for better traffic management. If traffic situation in the Commonwealth-Tandang Sora intersection were to improve with this scheme, then Chairman Fernando deserves an inventor of the decade award!

I'm a fan of innovative thinking, considering myself to be an innovative person as well. And it can be argued that MMDA's preference for a U-turn scheme has indeed brought about marked improvements in the traffic situation in some areas. But unless MMDA had been able to conclude a through study on the advantages of shifting to a U-turn scheme in this particular intersection/interchange, and unless the flyover has already passed its economic life, then it would be tantamount to going against what is supposedly an out-of-the-box thinking, since they may as well generalize that since the U-turns worked elsewhere then it should also work here.

And what will MMDA do with the abandoned flyover? Plant trees on it? (They had uprooted quite a number of trees over the past in their re-design/re-configuration of major thoroughfares in favor of U-turn slots.)

I hope Chairman BF just spoke about this as a joke.

** Image courtesy of Philstar.com

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Yahoo! News - Exploding Cell Phones a Growing Problem

Buyers beware! This warning is especially for those who have bought their mobile phones from non-official distributors, such as those in stalls, in particular Greenhills-type shopping centres. It's a well-known fact in online techie communities (such as the BNC discussion forum) that such retailers usually replace original batteries with "Class A" (or fakes that are marked/labelled to pass off as original) batteries when selling mobile phones, even those considered "'brand new." This is more especially so, if the unit purchased is re-conditioned, refurbished, or re-constituted. It's not uncommon for stalls or fly-by-night operations to pass of recons/refurbs as "brand new."

I once experienced having a fake "Class A" lithium-ion type battery heat up and balloon/swell while charging, to the point that my phone would have been burned, or its innards might have been crushed due to the pressure that had built with the swelling battery pressed against it, had I not noticed the problem early on.

Lesson: never buy fake batteries. Mobile phone manuals clearly caution against this, and even to the point of voiding warranty if unauthorized third-party accessories are used. But given the thrifty Filipino consumer mindset, we would most likely consider original accessories as too expensive. I would hence suggest to opt for reputable third-party equipment/accessory providers, if you choose not to purchase OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Instead of buying the fake item marked as "Class A," for instance, you could go for branded accessories, such as Kingcom (which is available locally thru Wellcom and other mobile outlets).

While the U.S. experience points out that it is possible even for OEM batteries to cause untoward incidents, it's still best to stick with reputable brands, and avoid fakes.

An excerpt from the Yahoo News article (click here to read more):

Yahoo! News - Exploding Cell Phones a Growing Problem: "Exploding Cell Phones a Growing Problem

Wed Nov 24, 1:52 PM ET
By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer

...

Burns to the face, neck, leg and hip are among the dozens of injury reports the Consumer Product Safety Commission has received. The agency is providing tips for cell phone users to avoid such accidents and has stepped up oversight of the wireless industry. There have been three voluntary battery recalls, and the CPSC is working with companies to create better battery standards.

...

U.S. phone makers and carriers say most fires and explosions are caused by counterfeit batteries and note that in a country with some 170 million cell phone users, the number of accidents is extremely low.

Some consumer advocates say the cause goes beyond bad batteries making their way to the market. They point to the increasing pressure on battery and phone makers to fit more capabilities into small instruments.

"If you're cramming more and more power in a small space, what you're making is a small bomb," said Carl Hilliard, president of the California-based Wireless Consumers Alliance, which has been tracking incidents of cell phone fires and explosions.

Though legitimate batteries can go wrong, there is a greater chance that poorly made, counterfeit ones will lack safety devices to detect overheating or overcharging. The lithium-ion batteries found in most cell phones can overheat if, for example, heat vents are covered.

...

"There needs to be high-quality batteries for these cell phones. You have a lot of power in a very small product, so it's really key," said Wolfson of the CPSC, which is participating in the meetings between wireless industry members and IEEE.

Carriers and manufacturers also are urging cellular users to exercise reasonable care of batteries, chargers and phones and to purchase them directly from phone companies rather than secondhand dealers or off the Internet.


Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Politics and Long-Term Development

An article published in the 22 November 2004 issue of N-News (by the NEDA's Development Information Staff)*, reports on a study conducted by the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB), an attached agency of NEDA. This was presented to the press by Secretary General Romulo Virola in the 19 November 2004 press briefing at the NEDA sa Pasig.

It's good to note that officials who practice good governance are indeed rewarded with re-election (or election of a relative), as exemplified by the ten most-improved provinces. However, of the worst-performing provinces, 50% of the incumbents were still re-elected! Perhaps it can be argued that the Filipino people still has a long way to go in becoming a mature electorate. Then again, Philippine politicical system, itself, still has a long way to go in attaining maturity.

Our political system is still, after all, based on personalities, and not platforms. In contrast, it can be noted that the political system of the United States of America, which can be considered to be a more mature system, is based mostly on platforms. For instance, Republicans are considered to lean more to the right or to conservatism, and Democrats toward liberalism. The policy thrusts of US Administrations are also reflective of party preferences and policies, hence thrusts would depend on whether a Republican or Democrat sits in the White House, and also on who controls Congress. In contrast, here in the Philippines, policy thrusts are also based on personalities, especially given the patronage politics practiced even, or perhaps most especially, in the highest echelons of Government.

It would take quite a while for our nation to attain that level of maturity in our political system. And because of problems prevalent in our day-to-day lives, such as poverty, armed conflict, corruption, and crime, I think we are constrained to attend first to the more immediate concerns. However, in the long run, if we are to aim for sustainable development, we should think about reforming our political system. After all, the 2004-2010 Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP)**, the Administration's blueprint for economic development in the medium-term, states, particularly in Chapter 25 (Constitutional Reforms), that "the country’s seriously weakened economy, political instability and unabated corruption have continued to retard efforts to achieve progress ... The current party system offers no meaningful policy choices since political parties form around well known personalities and families, instead of well-defined programs of government. This has made popularity, and not intelligence, competence, or experience, the winning qualification for public office."

Charter change, anyone?


* I'm quoting the entire article, since N-News publishes fresh content every two weeks--7th and 22nd of the month--and does not archive old articles.

** The 2004-2010 MTPDP may be downloaded through these links: PDF or ZIP.

N! In and About NEDA: Good leaders get reelected, study says

Voters do elect again leaders that have governed them well-but not all the time.


A study with 2002 data by the National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that Laguna, Batanes, Rizal, Benguet, Cavite, Bulacan, Bataan, South Cotabato, Batangas and Siquijor were the 10 best provinces according to a good governance index (GGI). Of their leaders, eight were either reelected, or ran and won for Congressman or a spouse won in 2004.

NSCB Secretary-General Romulo Virola presented this study, 'The Best and Worst Provinces in the Philippines: What Happened To Their Leaders in the 2004 Elections,' during a Nov. 19 press conference at the NEDA Board Room. His co-researchers were Severa de Costo, Joseph Addawe and Leonor Reyes.

Comparing performances in 2000 and 2002, the 10 most improved provinces were Aklan, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Bohol,, South Cotabato,, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Sorsogon and Northern Samar. All governors and/or their relatives of these provinces either ran for reelection or for Congressman and won.

However, eight of the leaders of the 10 worst provinces (Masbate, Sulu, Maguindanao, Romblon, Northern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Camarines Norte and Sorsogon) still got reelected.

Meanwhile, of the 10 worst-performing provinces (Kalinga, Maguindanao, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Abra, Lanao del Norte, Sulu, Capiz, Albay and North Cotabato), five were reelected and five or their relatives lost. Worst performing means that their GGI deteriorated from 2000 to 2002.

Virola explained that the NSCB's GGI covered three types of governance: economic, political and administrative.

The improvement of internal and external security (crime solution efficiency rate) was the indicator used for political governance. Virola said that although they wanted tin include law enforcement and administration of justice, and elimination of graft and corruption as political governance indicators, there were no data available.

Economic governance indicators included sustainable management of resources (per capita financial resources, per capita revenue, per capita total deposits, per capita expenditure on social services, and unemployment and underemployment rates), and enhanced government responsiveness to the poor (poverty incidence and poverty gap).

Indicators for administrative governance included enhanced delivery of services (teacher-pupil ratio, number of public and private elementary schools per 1,000 population, total enrolment in government elementary schools per 1,000 population, health personnel per 10,000 population, live births less than 250 grams per 1,000 births, length of national and local roads per 1,000 population, and percentages of households with access to safe water, housing made of strong roofs, housing made of strong walls, and energized barangays) and expanded use of information technology.

Improved transparency and accountability, and continuous building of capacities were considered as part of administrative governance but there were no data available.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Gizmodo : Retro Phones at Retrofone


The Nokia 8110

Old phones are back! Well, in our country of 24% mobile phone penetration rate (as cited in my immediately preceding post), I guess most of these are what can be considered retro phones, anyway, with the proliferation of refurbished and/or reconstructed phones, especially in mobile phone stalls such as those in Greenhills. And I wouldn't mind using a 'retro' phone myself, as I had once used the classic Ericsson T20s as my primary phone, even when at that time that particular model had been outdated for more than a year (I used my hi-tech phone as a backup, then!).

An excerpt:

Gizmodo : Retro Phones at Retrofone

Retrofone does precisely that [selling out-of-date phones -JABR], selling phones to businesses and individuals who for whatever reason aren't interested in all the whiz-bangery of Bluetooth, cameras, and color displays, like this Nokia 8110. Retrofone stocks phones from a variety of manufacturers including both Sony and Ericsson. If you like to be on the cutting-edge of 1999, you'll feel right at home.

Monday, November 22, 2004

BusinessWeek: Filipinos Are Getting The Message

This Business Week Online article captures the essence of Filipino ingenuity, especially that of local telcos, in providing fund-transfer services over-the air. In a country where the mobile phone penetration rate is about 24%, and foreseen to grow to about 45% to 50% by 2005, and whose primary export is its labor force, the telcos have hit it right on the mark with offering such value-added services. The ordinary Filipino seems to have jumped over e-commerce, and went straight to m-commerce (noting that PC-penetration rate is only about less than 1%).

More about SMART Money / Smart Padala
More about Globe G-Cash

An excerpt:


Once a month, 24-year-old Jane Manarang drops by the McDonald's (MCD ) in her busy Manila neighborhood. But she's not there for a burger and fries. Instead, she is stopping by to cash an electronic check. Her husband, a teller at Forex International in Hong Kong, sends a portion of his salary to Manarang using a new mobile-phone-based cash remittance service called Smart Padala. His Hong Kong remittance company sends a text message to Jane's phone, crediting the money to her account. Then she transfers the credit to McDonald's cell-phone account through her phone, and Mickey D gives her the money, taking a percentage of the amount cashed as a fee. It's a great deal for Manarang and her husband, Glenn, because it costs much less than the $5 Glenn would pay for a wire transfer. For amounts above $180, Manarang gets a free Big Mac meal to boot. 'It's so fast,' marvels Manarang. 'I receive a text message, and I can quickly get cash.'

That kind of innovative service has made the Philippines the king of text messaging worldwide. Filipinos send an average of 200 million messages daily, or 2.4 per capita. In fact, many Filipinos ignore the voice capabilities of their phones and use their handsets almost exclusively for texting. Nearly 38% of sales in the Philippine cellular market come from text, compared with 1% to 2% in the U.S.

...

Saturday, November 20, 2004

The Email Hoax of the year? A compilation of my blog posts

It's over. We had indeed been taken for a ride. And as sure as the sun rises in the east, some of us had willingly obliged, at least initially. But after much skepticism, and much debate on- and offline, it's been proven: while Ms. Faye Nicole B. San Juan is a real person, her story is not.

I have removed the individual links from my favorite posts, and instead will link to this compilation. I think the story has been read about, forwarded and discussed for so many times, it will live on to be quite possibly the email hoax of the year, at least in our country, and at least for Filipinos whether here or abroad.

Faye, thank you. Since I posted a link to Ms. Patricia Evangelista's CRAZED article on your story and likewise published a link at pinoyblog.com, and as well, made subsequent postings on the topic, my readership has risen to the thousands. Before your story, I only had what, about three to four legitimate readership statistics per day (i.e. excluding myself). Now I had averaged 30-40 a day (though I doubt everyone of those page views refer to people who actually read my content, but hey, it's nice to have garnered quite a handful of referrals from Google and Yahoo!).

Links to my posts in chronological order:

  • Filipino Idol

  • Misplaced Priorities

  • Misplaced Priorities 2

  • Misplaced Priorities 3

  • Dramatic Parable

  • Political Points?

  • Fiary Tale Come True

  • Postscripts

  • A Farfetched Story?

  • Misdirected Aggression?

  • Government statement

  • Church group apologizes

  • Closure?

  • Government statement

  • Idealism and Reality

  • The foolish and the weak

  • Friday, November 19, 2004

    CRAZED: The Foolish and the Weak

    As promised, I'm posting liks to Ms. Patricia Evangelista's Crazed column for today, 19 November 2004.

    Link to article in Philstar.com here.

    Cached link (in my geocities account) here, in case Philstar's article is offline (Philstar.com doesn't archive articles older than a week).


    An excerpt:


    I used to say that my generation had a special mission of our own. We are accused of being a generation without an identity, and maybe there is some truth in that. It has been said that every generation is defined by a cause. But unlike the last generation who rallied on EDSA, this generation does not have a definite wrong to correct, or a distinct institution to oppose. But we grew up with the Ninja Turtles, Spiderman and the Power Rangers – we want to be heroes too. So we fight our own battles, we slay our own demons. We find our own causes.
    ...
    Today, I write knowing that much of what I stood for and defended was untrue. I am a writer; I trade by my word. I have been in the business for less than five months, but I grew up knowing that truth is a journalist’s only weapon. A writer’s power goes only as far as her credibility. As I write these words now, I am filled with both helplessness and anger. More than the fact that I was deceived, it is infinitely more painful to be responsible for others’ deception. My responsibility is to correct that untruth.

    I still have a cause. I may be the least person now with the credibility to speak of serving the country, but I will try. There are many who warrant the praise that Faye has unjustly received. In time, I’ll take up that cause again, in the hope that this one failure will not taint the names of all those who still deserve their recognition. I stand for my convictions, and can only wish that my doing so would in some way aid this cause.

    In a world where change is the only thing that’s constant, there are a few things that I still count on. I count on my family’s support. I count on my friends’ understanding. I count on the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. Most of all, I count on the idea that all people are basically, inherently good.

    After all that has happened, it’s hard to hang on to even that. But I’m nineteen, and I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not-quite-grown-up yet. I still believe in the goodness of people, and the greatness of the Filipino. It is one of the few truths that no lie, however big, can ever blot out.


    Thank you, Patricia, for your idealism. Perhaps someday idealism will indeed be able to change the world.

    Thursday, November 18, 2004

    Idealism and Reality

    I sent an email to Ms. Patricia Evangelista expressing my support over all the brouhaha over the "Faye" story, especially since quite a number of comments were left on my weblog attacking her personally. Now this may be misconstrued as coddling the Philippine Star writer, but I would beg to disagree. Now that the "Faye" issue is more or less behind us now, lessons have to be learned from the mistakes made. We were all taken for a ride. And some of us willingly obliged--initially, at least.

    She provided a response, along with an advance copy of her article. I read and re-read it, and what can I say? The young, indeed, are idealistic. I'm part of that "young" generation, too, but my idealism had been watered down by reality: a reality where poverty, suffering, and malice are prevalent. But I remain hopeful. I would rather be optimistic. I try to see the world with a hint of idealism. After all, being part of the younger generation, we are what our forebears had described as the hope of the future.

    I will post a copy Ms. Evangelista's CRAZED article here once it's published online by Philstar.com.

    An excerpt from her email:

    i think those people are entitled to their own opinions. there were a lot who based their criticism on misrepresentations of my message. a few went to the extent of consciously taking my words out of context. i believe in the freedom of speech as much as the next person, but one of your posters clearly stated that to use that freedom entails responsibility. but hey, i publish my work in a medium that is very open to criticism. fair or not, i'm getting used to it :)

    i take full responsibility for the column i wrote on faye. it was a mistake to rely on the words and documentations of faye and her church. i apologize to you and everyone else who were needlessly hurt, angered, or saddened by what i wrote. i hope that my words have not unjustly destroyed the cause that i (and so many) are fighting for: that of spotlighting filipino excellence.


    An excerpt from my response, which actually comprised my thoughts upon reading her yet-for-publication article (as she had requested):

    At that age (which was not quite that long ago--only five years ago or so), I was likewise idealistic. I wanted to change the world with my ideas. I wanted to make my mark. But times had changed. I learned that idealism may always be able to change the world. Time will ultimately bring about change, but not without those movers and shakers who are willing to keep on with their idealism until change is achieved, albeit quite slowly.


    We can now all charge this incident to experience.

    Jeremy Wagstaff's LOOSE wire: Cyberwar On The World SMS Capital?

    Bloghopping (with my online RSS reader), I came across Mr. Jeremy Wagstaff's Loose Wire blog post for Wednesday, 17 November 2004. Now, I'm an avid reader of Mr. Wagstaff's Loose Wire tech-oriented column in the Far Eastern Economic Review, and it's good to note that writers of such stature acknowledge that the Philippines is the "World SMS Capital." Mr. Wagstaff cites an INQ7 news report that a group of hackers "breached the short messaging service (SMS) servers of both Smart Communications and Globe Telecom". He likewise posts links to other articles and blogs of note, that echo such concerns, including security holes in government websites.

    I do recall that our very own NEDA Web Portal was hacked a few months back. I can say that NEDA's tech services are among the most advanced in Philippine government today, and the hacking episode exemplifies the saying that if there's a will, there's a way.

    An excerpt:


    Jeremy Wagstaff's LOOSE wire: Cyberwar On The World SMS Capital?

    Today's article, since removed, says that to see "the hacker group's message, one has to create a new SMS message, key in "FLT RB9" on the message body, and send it to 2333 for Globe and 211 for Smart subscribers. After sending the cryptic text message to 211 or 2333, the subscriber will receive this message: "Greetz to PATz, Luvchris, Verum, Fed-X, hEps, ch1m3ra, TriSha22, powerb0xx, clown AFeD-XA, Bryle, royX, Crayden at sa mga wanabee hacker groups ng masang Pilipino!"" The article says that as of Wednesday evening, "the Smart service was still sending this same message to subscribers, while the Globe number gave an error message."

    Intriguingly, the earlier article, published Nov 6, said anonymous readers had posted messages on PI_Flashbulb's blog saying that "that the digital subscriber line (DSL) service of both Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc.(Digitel) and Globe Telecom were open to possible attacks". One comment appeared to suggest the hackers PI_Flashbulb were referring to are Indonesian. Many Indonesians -- the world's largest Muslim population -- are opposed to George W Bush's administration for his war on terror.



    Read more here.

    Wednesday, November 17, 2004

    Message from Ms. Ruby Cristobal of DOST-SEI

    Ms. Ruby Cristobal of DOST's Science Education Institute, who had emailed me a copy of DOST-SEI's statement on the "Faye" story (as previously posted here), posted, in her blog, s&tmedia, a message to bloggers and other individuals who had been (and continue to be) active in discussing the "fairy tale," and who may have had a hand in exposing the truth about what was an inspirational story gone awry.

    An excerpt:

    I am writing to thank you guys for having the brains and the guts to question or simply write about issues like this one. We in the government recognize our shortcomings. We try our best to promote the achievements of the young, talented youth in science and technology. But we need the media, the private sector, the NGOs and people like you to help us. I have written a lot about these young kids and also about our brilliant scholars (like Jeffrey Hidalgo, a DOST scholar-graduate) but only a few publish such stories. I hope this 'never ending faye story' will change the mindset of the media people.

    Wired News: Do Blogs Change the News?

    A 14 November 2004 article from Wired News poses this question. Excerpts:

    Blogs have drawn attention to political stories that more established media outlets then report on, and exposed flawed journalism by those same newspapers and television news programs. But some at the gathering said they face a near-constant struggle to establish the credibility enjoyed by professionals.

    "Things get picked up by bloggers that take awhile to get picked up by the mainstream media," said Mark Glaser, a columnist for the Online Journalism Review who writes about web logs. "Bloggers have to start from scratch in building trust."

    ...

    Mindy McAdams, a University of Florida journalism professor, applauded bloggers' efforts but urged them to adhere to ethical standards held by mainstream journalists.

    "Our credibility is suffering with so many people rushing to publish things without checking them out," McAdams said after Cox's speech. "Blogging is really great. I like that more and more people have a voice. That's good ... But it doesn't give people who call themselves journalists an excuse to not check out the information."


    Read more: Wired News: Do Blogs Change the News?

    Tuesday, November 16, 2004

    Closure on the "Email Hoax of the Year"?

    As follow-up to my previous post on Government's statement on the "Faye" story, Ms. Ruby Cristobal of SEI-DOST emailed me, last Friday evening, a follow-up message stating that they "decided not to have a press release on Faye's story anymore ... [the] statement says it all." Sorry for the late citation.

    Bread of Life Ministries, the Christian organization that first published an account of Ms. Faye Nicole B. San Juan's supposed travails, issued an apology to the public. In fact, there are two, one written by Associate Pastor Sharon E. Valencia for the Higher Word Team (text here), and another by Associate Pastor, Reverend Rito Saquing, Jr., who had authored the original "Misplaced Priorities" article (text of apology here). They say that "Pastor Saquing has been placed under a censure program and spiritual retraining."

    The Philippine Daily Inquirer, in its front page Sunday, 14 November, published an article on the confessions of the mother-and-daughter team of Ms. Cathy and Ms. Faye San Juan, entitled "We lied because no one loved us, says 'whiz' kid ma."

    Ms. Patricia Evangelista writes blogger Cath in gratitude for having giving her the benefit of the doubt, and Ms. Cath responds.

    Is there now finally closure to this issue?

    In my mind, the "email hoax of the year," as what the "Faye" story was called by Observer, a commenter at Flyingroc's blog, will come down in history (my personal history, at least) as one of the simple proofs that you should not always believe what you read/hear/see in the news. A smart audience will not just take for granted what is presented to it. And in turn, a smart media would strive to do better in presenting to its audience the truth, unskewed, unbiased, unadulterated.

    Thanks to the following sites for very insightful discussions on the matter. Personal limits were breached, indeed, but I hope everyone came out a better person, in the end.

    The CA t, http://www.cathcath.com
    ExpectoRANTS, http://restyo.blogspot.com
    Flying Roc, http://flyingroc.org

    Thanks also to those who left insightful (and lengthy) comments on the post that started it all, at least on my blog. Please continue to share your thoughts on the plights of our Filipino brethren working abroad for a better life for their loved ones, and those staying here, holding on.

    Angelo

    Sunday, November 14, 2004

    INQ7.net: Church group apologizes, says whiz kid story not true

    Farfetched story, after all? I'm wondering about the motives of the concerned individuals in bringing out this story: the mother, the Bread of Life pastor who came out with the ad, and even Faye, herself.

    Angelo


    An excerpt:

    Church group apologizes, says whiz kid story not true - INQ7.net:

    FAYE'S brief fling with fame ended yesterday. And it ended with an apology no less from her church, which said her story of victory in Brisbane was not true.

    Even earlier, the Department of Science and Technology also shot down her claim when the Inquirer began probing Faye's seemingly moving story.

    Bread of Life said in a letter to the Inquirer yesterday that it had conducted an investigation into the matter and would issue a public apology soon.

    "We have determined that the story is not true," it said in the letter issued in the name of Rev. Sharon Valencia, Associate Pastor of the BOLM.

    Friday, November 12, 2004

    Congrats to me

    At last, my long-awaited promotion to Senior Economic Development Specialist has come. Appointment papers were signed yesterday. I had weathered the Commission on Elections' (COMELEC) hiring ban, the Administration's re-activation of Lateral Attrition (per Administrative Order 103, "Directing the Continued Adoption of Austerity Measures in the Government"), and whatever else was in the way (my planned transfer? -- Another long wait perhaps?). Oh, and much emotional stress.

    At long last.

    Government's Statement on the Faye Story

    Ms. Ruby Cristobal of the Department of Science and Technology sent me an email containing government's, in particular DOST's, statement of the "Faye" story. While I do not personally know Ms. Cristobal, I'd like to thank her for sending me this information. She attached this scanned document. She likewise included the text of the media release in his message (below).

    (My apologies for earler addressing Ms. Cristobal as "Mr. Cristobal." I thought her first name was "Rudy." Must be my dyslexia acting up.)

    I have yet to validate the authenticity of the memo, though. Today being a Friday, and Monday's being a declared national non-working holiday, and knowing how the bureaucracy works (being in the bureaucracy myself).asa pa ako.

    Please email me for his contact details, for any inquiry.

    -Angelo


    MEDIA ADVISORY

    12 November 2004

    The story of Faye Nicole San Juan, a Grade 6 student of St. James College of Quezon City, has been recently the subject of discussions in the Internet, electronic mails, articles, opinion columns, TV and radio programs. As claimed in these reports, Faye won first place in the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net in Brisbane, Australia besting 56 students all over the world, and the Best Physics award which she received in Sydney, Australia. It was also told that she was among the Top Five winners in Mathematics for the Young Asians held in Indonesia.

    We, at the Science Education Institute (SEI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), have been alerted to this issue prompting us to validate the claims of the girl and her mother, Ms. Ma. Catherine San Juan. This is in line with the agency’s mandate to support, nurture and recognize talents in science, mathematics and technology. The validation procedure is a process adopted to verify the awards received by individuals for competitions which are not coordinated by the Institute.

    Unfortunately, the information we have gathered from various sources, including our professional counterpart in Australia, do not support the claims of Faye and her mother. We have likewise invited the young girl and Ms. San Juan through the principal of St. James College, Mr. Arnel B. Salgado, to present valid proofs of the girl’s awards. However, Ms. San Juan declined the invitation.

    Although SEI-DOST would like to give Faye the recognition befitting an outstanding young achiever in science and mathematics, we are constrained by the fact that her story as presented in the media lacks merit in terms of valid proofs and the absence of any indication that the competitions cited truly exist.

    (SGD.) ESTER B. OGENA
    Director

    Misdirected Aggression (On Pat Evangelista's "CRAZED: Filipino Idol")

    Another "anonymous" comment (no blogger account) to my original post on Ms. Patricia Evangelista's "CRAZED" article entitled "Filipino Idol." This was left by a certain Ube Juan Kanduli (UB1).

    I thought, again, that the comment deserved a blog post in itself.

    Note that the emphases (in bold) are mine. It's quite a long read, so I thought I'd highlight some points.

    -Angelo


    Anonymous said...

    This is my response to Patricia Evangelista’s article specifically in reference to “the Filipino People who chose to leave.” I've posted on annonymous because I don't have a log on to this site yet but I'll sign my name at the end.

    I would like to offer some fact to Patricia regarding “Filipinos who chose to leave.”

    1. Working abroad, enduring the loneliness of being apart from their loved ones, many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) console themselves with the thought of the money that they can send to their family back home.

    For them, the sacrifice is worth it because they can generally earn more abroad. OFWs diligently remit money back to the Philippines—to send their children to college, pay for the household expenses, or help out a younger sibling or needy relative. The money sent back to the Philippines by Filipinos working abroad has become a vital component of the national economy, which is why OFWs have been dubbed as modern-day heroes.
    Source: Manna from abroad, Posted: 1:46 AM (Manila Time) | Aug. 15, 2002 Inquirer News Service with INQ7.net

    2. Presidential spokesperson Ignacio Bunye … a “substantial chunk” of the gross national product comes from the OFW’s remittances. Last year, 7 million Filipinos working or living abroad sent an estimated eight billion dollars, an amount nearly equal to the country’s agricultural output.”
    Source: Global news, 30 Oct 2004

    3. Remittances are an important source of income for many developing countries. According to the World Bank, $111 million was remitted worldwide in 2001. Of this, about 65 percent went to developing countries, with half of that money going to countries considered to be “lower-middle income countries.” For some countries, remittances are a major source of foreign exchange and are an important addition to their gross domestic product.

    Top Ten Remittance Recipients Among Developing Countries, 2001
    1. Mexico $ 9,920,000
    2. India $ 9,160,000
    3. Philippines $ 6,366,000
    Source: Remittances from the United States in Context, By Kevin O’Neil, Migration Policy Institute, June 1, 2003

    The data above probably does not include remittance from permanent residents in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. where our kababayans (countrymen) chose to follow where their opportunities can take them. It also does not include retirees’ choosing to retire in the Philippines and bringing back with them their dollar pensions. Yes, we are in the millions “who chose to leave” the Philippines. One bad apple doesn’t make the whole basket rotten. You take it out and throw it away. One bad experience with your favorite food doesn’t make you stop eating it again. Before you condemn us all to hell think what we have done for the Philippines and will continue to do in the future. Recommend you set your sights within the Philippines not towards us “who chose to leave.” Set you sights not on people who send or bring money back to the Philippines but to those who take it out in the millions of dollars at the expense of Mr. Juan de la Cruz (Filipino taxpayer). There are plenty of (awful) people in the Philippines to condemn to hell.

    Patricia Evangelista is the daughter of couple of my “teenhood” friends and it is with a heavy heart that I am writing about this unfortunate affair. Even if I have read or heard her speech in London beforehand I will react to the article supposedly the same way no more and no less. My reaction will still be objective and non-personal. Her aunt objected when I recommended a “chill pill” and “reality check” for Patricia.

    I recommended a “chill pill” for Patricia because condemning us “who chose to leave” is a very harsh reaction just because she had a bad experience with a close family friend.

    I recommended a “reality check” in defense of those “modern heroes” (8 million of us) who chose to leave the Philippines bringing in revenue, honor and recognition to the Filipino people.

    Yes Patricia’s speech was beautiful. Winning the competition gives credit to herself and Filipinos around the world. However, such accomplishment does not give her the right to “condemn us all to hell on a handcart.”

    Remember, you may receive thousands of “at-a-girl” but it only takes one “oh shit” and you may find yourself back to square one.


    Some of my friends said I took her article “out of context.” Yes of course I did in defense of the 8 million Filipinos who do not know her. I’m not discounting Patricia’s speech or her accomplishment. On the contrary I‘m very proud of her for winning the London competition and for being a Filipino. However, after reading her article and speech several times I still came out with the same conclusion – misdirected aggression. Or, should I say frustration. I can understand her resentment towards their family friend but to condemn all of us to hell because of one bad experience, I believe is uncalled for and irresponsible. Like I said one bad apple doesn’t make the whole harvest rotten. If Patricia was upset and defended the Philippines and Filipinos, because of the comment of a family friend who left the country, stating that she was glad she left this “god-awful country of ours”... and awful Filipino people, then Patricia should have used the words “our family friend” instead of “Filipinos who chose to leave.” Or, she should have specifically condemning their family friend instead of referring to the 8 million plus Filipinos who chose to leave.

    Carefully analyze her words. She wrote, “I condemned the Filipinos who chose to leave, said they deserved to be pushed down the road to hell on a handcart. Traitors and turncoats, I called them.” I’m not native of the English language and I still have difficulties with it sometimes but I think there’s no mistake about my interpretation (regardless whether written by an 18 or 58 year old). She didn’t condemn her family friend (or the likes of them) that caused her torment. She condemned “the Filipinos who chose to leave.” Regardless of her bad experience and or her inspiration that generated the winning speech, 8 million people minus one family friend should have been spared from her wrath.

    Freedom of speech as her aunt mentioned is a very wonderful thing however it must be accompanied by responsibility. I should know – I’ve been defending freedom for 25 years. You can not shout “FIRE” inside a crowded theater without the risk of causing harm due to a possible stampede and invoke your right to “freedom of speech.” Or, change lane in a busy freeway with no proper signal and maneuver without risking an accident and say I’m entitled to “freedom of movement.” With population explosion compounded by internet technology the world is not as big as it used to be. Freedom comes with responsibility. You don’t just shoot from the hip. You need to consider collateral damage. I acknowledge Patricia’s motives to be admirable and honorable but her frustration should be managed and her aggression needs to be guided to the right direction. Eight million people don’t deserve to be condemned to hell on a handcart.

    Ube Juan Kanduli (UB1) 11/12/2004 12:18:59 PM

    Thursday, November 11, 2004

    The Evil Empire and the Inattentive Attendants

    I was planning to go to SM Megamall for lunch this noon, but as I crossed the footbridge near the back gate of the NEDA compound, I changed my mind. I decide to walk to the nearest Mini Stop convenience store (no website, but you can click here for a google search on "mini stop"), instead, which was located along St. Josemaria Escriva Drive, our building's street. I planned on buying prepaid credits for our extra mobile phone at home (Sun Celluar, with the new 24/7 unlimited call and text within the network). I remembered Sun had this promo with Mini Stop where you get free meals with every purchase of prepaid credit.

    Since I was already walking along Gold Loop (where a section of the 'loop' is parallel to Escriva), I decided against re-entering our office compound, and instead thought I'd walk through the driveway of our neighboring building, the Gold Loop Towers. Now I have some very good and certainly some very bad experiences with this condo building. In particular, I could cite more bad memories than good, for it is in this very building where the Evil Empire is housed. Yes, I thought, I'd pass by the doors of the Evil Empire once again. Just to catch a glimpse of what was once a blissful encounter that had turned sour.

    The Evil Empire, in this case, is embodied by a certain 'Internationale Preschool,' loated at the building's ground level. I will not mention the name here, but its name is a combination of the surname of the sixteenth president of the United States and the home of Frodo Baggins (go figure). I noticed that the school had changed its signage to reflect its accreditation by the Philippine Department of Education. Surely, I thought, the DepEd is unaware of the school's unfair labor practices. Either that, or they're privy to such, but choose to turn a blind eye to the fact that they had accredited a school whose management is known to inner circles as regularly, or at least occasionally, abusive to its employees. After all, money talks. And money talks loud!

    I could probably blame most of my problems these days on the Evil Empire, particularly on how it handled the case of my wife, who used to teach there. All was going well summer of this year, until the Evil Empire arbitrarily chose to end its professional relationship with my beloved.

    Yes, the case had been resolved through an out-of-court settlement, after we lodged a complaint with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Pasig office, but the damages done can not be compensated by the paltry amount they had provided. Perhaps no monetary amount can compensate for the emotional stress our encounter with the Evil Empire had brought upon us, for the repercussions of their actions are felt by my family to this very minute.

    In fighting our legal battle with the Evil Empire mid-2004, we decided to settle, for the reason that we were advised that it would be too taxing for us emotionally, financially, and physically to bring the argument to a higher level. Yes, we agreed. Indeed, this is the trade-off. And we could not afford to fight a protracted battle against an enemy who may be better equipped in terms of connections and legal weaponry. In battles between Davids and Goliaths, the Davids may not always win.

    Moving on, I crossed Escriva (amid a speeding maroon Honda Civic) and entered the Mini Stop Convenience Store. I proceeded to the counter to ask about the free stuff that supposedly came with Sun prepaid credits, as advertised in about four posters on different parts of the store. The attendant manning the cash register, sniffling with perhaps a cold or allergic reaction (it was indeed raining this afternoon), asked his boss about my query, but not before seemingly ignoring me and instead attending to the timer of the deep fryer located in the store's restricted area. I approached the Assistant Store Manager, who was manning the other register, and he told me that the freebies were only for purchases of prepaid SIMpacks, and not prepaid credits. It was clearly stated in the posters, though, that one could avail a free hotdog sandwich meal with a purchase of PhP 150 e-load. So I asked again, citing the poster, but to no avail.

    I decided against arguing, for I would only waste my precious time and energy with people who do not seem to care about their clients. So I ended up purchasing a krunchy-pao meal instead for my lunch. And on impulse, I bought a pack of instant coffee (for those times I'm too lazy to brew by french-press) and soupy snax, for my merienda. Money was tight these days. And I could not afford to spend on anything more expensive after all the money I spent on transportation and food the past three days. I could have went on to look for cheaper food, but it was raining harder, and I had only brought my small umbrella. I dared not get myself wet, or worse, sick.

    Total bill: PhP 28 + 30 + 12 + 12 = PhP 82.00.

    Oh, I also visited the Off Price Store beside Mini Stop, and bought a cute red sweatshirt for Sofia.

    Total bill: PhP 59.00.

    Total money spent: PhP 141.00.

    Total emotional drain experienced: priceless / unquantifiable.