a very lonely grandmother

By admin | July 6, 2009

The lola in the Bayantel DSL ad is a very lonely person. Instead of being surrounded by her grandchildren, the lola is alone at her home. Like other lola, the Bayantel lola is craving attention from her family. But unlike most lola, the Bayantel lola is tech-savvy. She stages her dramatic appeal for affection by talking in front of a computer. She shows her love for her apo by helping them with their computer problems. She establishes her authority as the family matriarch by being an omnipresent online Big Lola: She googles the dating partners of her apo; she uploads videos on YouTube; she is active on Facebook (she even threatens to delete one of her apo in her list of friends).

Maybe the lola was an adventurer during her younger years. Now she surfs the globe in front of a computer screen. She uses the internet to desperately stay in contact with her loved ones. She seems to prefer the virtual world as her retirement paradise over a quiet vacation home inhabited by relatives or other senior citizens. When registering on social networks, does she reveal her real age? Does she link up with anonymous teenagers?

Maybe everyone will end up alone in this world. But our Bayantel lola should not be alone since she still has family. The lola should not be admired for being a modern lola; she should be pitied for believing that her unique virtual relationship with her family makes her a very fulfilled, and perhaps, happy person.

Maybe the Bayantel lola was a hardworking person who saved enough money for her retirement.
Now she uses these precious pension funds to buy her favorite products on the internet. Maybe it is the lola’s proud assertion of financial independence from her children. Maybe she is already tired, or maybe she is injured which prevents her to do her shopping in the real market. But isn’t it sad for a pensioner to lose his/her savings because he/she is addicted to online shopping? Isn’t it doubly disheartening to learn that a person who spent most of his/her adult life paying taxes, mortgage, and other bills continues to waste more money on non-essential goods through the seductive and mysterious appeal of online shopping?   

Maybe the Bayantel lola was emotionally repressed. Maybe her husband was abusive and dominant. Maybe she was denied the chance to explore and celebrate life during her youth. Marriage and domesticity robbed her of her vivacity, her idealism, her love. Now that she is retired, she can be young again. She can start a new life. She can love again. It is unfortunate that the modern world can only offer a cold virtual reality as a fun alternative for the re-born lola. She should be golfing instead of googling. She should be kicking in the air instead of clicking on the desk. She should be outside the house enjoying life instead of living inside the house pretending to enjoy virtual life.
     
Woe to senior citizens! Economists blame their growing population for the rising budget deficit of local and federal governments. Senior citizens who depend on pension and health care insurance are treated as a burden to society. Bureaucrats and capitalists want them to work forever. They are told to learn new skills in order to be useful to society. Mutinaltionals are designing and developing new consumer products and services in order to grab the pension money of senior citizens. Popularizing the image of an active, wired, and networked senior citizen, like our Bayantel lola, suits the profit motive of capitalists. 

The Bayantel DSL ad portrays a different kind of lola. We are used to watching ads which feature grandparents being hugged and kissed by their anak and apo (Remember the dancing lolo in the Alpine Milk ad: “I remember yesterday, the world was so young”). The Bayantel ad reflects the interesting impact of new media in the world today, even in a society as backwards as ours. The ad is funny because the internet lifestyle of the hyper and cyber lola is familiar. Aren’t we like the Bayantel lola who uploads videos everyday, sends superpokes to friends, and buys products online? We use YM, videochat, and chikkatext to communicate with family and friends. We google the names of new acquaintances and even our enemies.

Through the ad, young and middle-aged Filipinos are given a glimpse of the kind of life they will have in the future. The ad is also a gloomy reminder that the future has already arrived. We are all like the Bayantel lola now: inevitably connected to the cyberworld but ultimately alone in the real world. 
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Posted in media | Tagged | 12 Comments

Philippines battles child pornography

By admin | June 29, 2009

Last month the Philippines was scandalized when several sex videos of prominent local showbiz personalities were uploaded on YouTube. This prompted many groups to press for the passage of tougher laws to protect the privacy of individuals.

Discussions on how to stop the proliferation of pornographic materials were also initiated. In particular, a strong lobby was launched for the enactment of a law which would give the government more power to combat child pornography.

Child pornography is both a domestic and international problem. The Philippines’ first case of child pornography was reported in the late 1960s. Since then, there have been many sensational cases of child pornography in the country, indicating the continuing victimization of Filipino children.

According to official statistics, the majority of child pornography perpetrators are foreigners. Many of them pretend to be good-hearted individuals who provide gifts and donations to poor families. Their charity work is their cover as they scout for young boys and girls for their illegal activities.

Pedophiles proliferate not just in poor urban communities; they also operate in tourist resorts in the provinces. Most of the shocking media-reported incidences of child pornography have taken place at popular vacation resorts. It seems tourism attracts not just investors and philanthropists; tourism also makes it possible for child pornography syndicates to expand their nefarious activities in the various islands of the Philippines.

Child pornography and child prostitution are underreported. In 2003 there were only 13 reported victims of child pornography and 247 victims of child prostitution. These are very low numbers which do not reflect the observed reality on the ground.

Many parents are not aware that pornographers and pimps are victimizing their children. There are also parents who see nothing wrong with pornography, believing it only involves the innocent taking of photographs. When foreign pedophiles were arrested in a small town south of Manila local residents defended the foreigners, whom they described as generous and benevolent tourists.

Digital and mobile technologies are also tools which benefit child pornographers. Mobile phones are increasingly used to take pictures and shoot videos of nude children. Editing of pornographic films can now be done almost anywhere because of digital technology. Even innocent-looking pictures of children can be instantly transformed into porn images.

The distribution and exchange of pornographic materials is done through the worldwide web. The Internet makes it possible for pornographers to quickly and secretly share their materials with prospective clients around the world. Cyberspace continues to be an ever-expanding repository of porn pictures and videos, including those produced decades ago.

There are many initiatives to defeat child pornography in the Philippines. Various groups have come up with a legal battle plan to punish child pornography syndicates. They have also pinpointed a few gaps in the laws on the subject. For instance, they believe there is a need to expand the definition of child pornography. Today there is a bit of confusion, even among judges, on the accurate and standard definition of pornography.

Certain artists and children’s groups are feuding over the meaning of child pornography. The latter insist that movies and pictures involving adults portrayed as children in sexual scenes should be considered pornography. They oppose anything that depicts children as objects of sexual desire.

Artists reject this assertion by arguing that it violates their freedom of expression. If Congress criminalizes the portrayal of children by adults in sex scenes, artists will be forced to find other creative ways to describe child rape, child abuse and child prostitution. Other artists might choose not to tackle these socially sensitive topics in order not to attract legal prosecution.

Most of the laws on child pornography were enacted prior to the popularity of the Internet. Hence, there is need to draft laws to address Internet-mediated pornography. According to children’s rights advocates, current laws on pornography only mention information technology in general terms, thus empowering smart lawyers to circumvent the laws and allowing pedophiles to escape punishment. There are also some judges who are not knowledgeable about how the Internet works, which prevents them from handling cybercrime cases competently.

The campaign against child pornography will be given a boost if greater international cooperation is fostered among governments. Since this is a transnational phenomenon, it is necessary to forge links among police and judicial authorities of several countries to weaken global sex syndicates.

National governments should seriously probe the nexus between child pornography, sex tourism and poverty. Corrective legislation is not enough. A holistic approach is needed to protect children from sex predators and pedophiles. Aside from providing immediate aid to vulnerable sectors, national and local governments should launch an information and education drive about the various dimensions of child pornography. Rich and poor families need accurate information about sex crimes.

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Posted in youth | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Swine flu, economics, decollectivization

By admin | June 25, 2009

The global economic crash continues to terrorize the world everyday. Banks fail, jobs disappear, wealth becomes fictitious. The pillars of the global economic system are now exposed as lacking in firm foundation. The new world order is now heralded as a global disorder. This sudden unraveling of the inconvenient truths about the capitalist economic system has startled many people. Free market doctrinaires are still in the state of denial. Not surprisingly, there are those who want to believe that the recession will soon end. The breakdown of a system is something not easy to integrate with our individual and collective consciousness. Even with its unmajestic defects, really existing capitalism is seen by many as the only viable political-economic structure which can sustain the world forever.

The global crisis is too painful to accept; a taboo. Its symbolic meaning should be filtered. A sense of normalcy should prevail. It’s our defensive mechanism. It’s part of the survival manual.

Then there is swine flu, the first pandemic of the 21st century. Through the swine flu scare, we are able to express our real emotions about the global economic crisis. The spread of the deadly virus has allowed us to vent our fears, frustration, anger about the capitalist virus which is also wreaking havoc in the world.

We may be unconsciously associating the swine flu virus with the global financial crisis.

Both the swine flu and economic crisis are rapidly and uncontrollably spreading in the world. They are both hurting and killing rich and poor individuals alike. The swine flu virus was created in a U.S. laboratory; the global economic crisis was jumpstarted by the Wall Street crash last year. The swine flu virus was produced by combining different lethal strain from animals; the economic bubble is blamed on the speculative financial instruments created by banking institutions. There is no available vaccine for swine flu; there is no solution yet to end the global recession. Thermal scanners were installed in airports and preventive measures were imposed to minimize the spread of the swine flu virus; trade protectionist measures and stimulus plans were implemented to revive and protect the interest of struggling economies. We bailout money-losing banks and companies which are too big to fail; we close down schools and buildings with swine flu cases. We lay-off workers; we quarantine individuals afflicted with swine flu virus.

Governments initially insist that their countries are swine flu-free; governments initially boast that their countries are not under recession. When swine flu cases are reported in their countries, governments downplay the extent of the threat; when economic indicators point to a looming recession, governments assure the public that the recession will not last long.

The global economic crisis is the worst economic crash since the Great Depression of the 1930s; the swine flu pandemic is the worst global health disaster in recent decades.

Decollectivization

As a safety measure against the spread of swine flu, the Philippine Roman Catholic Church has discouraged the holding of hands everytime the Lord’s Prayer is sang during mass. The joining of hands during mass is a basic show of solidarity in a community. It’s an affirmation of belongingness in a congregation united by faith. Because of the swine flu panic, this symbolic ritual is no longer required during mass.

Swine flu threatens the formation of radical politics based on solidarity, collectivity and mass actions. Swine flu strengthens the ideology which puts primacy on the empowered but anti-social individual.

Swine flu is affecting the behavior of people around the world. Everyone is suspected of carrying the dreaded swine flu virus. Sick persons are advised to impose a self-quarantine prescription. Touching of hands, embracing, and kissing in public are now discouraged. Talking in public places is made more difficult because almost everyone is now wearing facemasks. The swine flu scare reinforces inidividualistic attitudes in a society gripped by paranoia and cynicism.

Swine flu seems to be the appropriate global health disaster of the 21st century. In the past, community involvement is needed to cure individual and social health problems. Today the sick individual is required to isolate himself/herself from the community. Swine flu discourages social involvement of individuals. It complements the emerging dominant behavior among young people. Because of the rising popularity of mobile technologies, nobody is talking anymore. Individuals are too engrossed with their virtual selves and ako mismo world that they are no longer too concerned with what is happening around them. They are afraid to talk and meet strangers in the real world. They are hesitant to touch and feel the fleshy, spongy, rough and textured surface of the world. They prefer virtual interaction; not social interaction.

Could this be the reason why there is no massive unrest in poor societies? Individuals are too afraid to act, to socialize, to organize because the dominant ethic is to rely on individual initiative. Sick? Quarantine yourself. Unemployed? Find a job yourself. Feeling sick? Wear a facemask and avoid crowded places. Employed but threatened with retrenchment? Work harder and avoid the union. Isolation, not socialization.

Behold the 21st century: Global warming. Global financial crisis. Global swine flu pandemic. They terrorize the world everyday affecting the health, environment and livelihood of everyone. The appropriate response should be to wage a global collective fight against this triple global menace. But global radical politics is shunned by many as we continue to associate it with the western definition of terrorism. We embrace the preferred, accepted, and mainstream solutions to global disasters.   And so many seemed content that they lead politically-correct lifestyles (I buy green, I do not discriminate against the minorities, I oppose the Junta and Ayatollah); their salaried jobs insulate them from the most brutal impact of the economic crash; and their best defense against the virus is to wear facemasks everyday. They change the world by adding advocacies in their facebook pages.

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Posted in economy | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Con-Ass: Huwag buhayin ang patay

By admin | June 22, 2009

Talumpating binigkas sa De La Salle – College of St. Benilde, Hunyo 22, 2009.

May natatandaan akong pelikula ni Jestoni Alarcon at Charito Solis na ipinalabas sa takilya noong 1989. Grade 3 ako noon. Ang pamagat: Huwag Mong Buhayin ang Bangkay. Sa sobrang pagmamahal ng ina sa kanyang namatay na anak, lumapit siya sa itim na kapangyarihan upang buhayin ang bangkay. Ang nangyari: nabuhay nga ang anak pero isa na siyang zombie. Zombie na naghahasik ng lagim sa kanyang paligid.

Eto ang ginawa natin sa Con-Ass. Binuhay natin ang patay. Mag-ingat tayo sa bangkay na ating  binuhay; tiyak itong magdadala ng kamalasan sa ating bansa.

Bakit ko sinabing tila parang zombie ang Con-Ass? Ilang beses kasing pinatay at binuhay ang Con-Ass. Una, binawi ni Rep. Luis Villafuerte, principal sponsor ng Con-Ass, ang kanyang lagda sa Con-ass. Sa kabila nito, sinulong pa rin ng mga PALAKA (Partido Lakas-Kampi) ang Con-Ass sa committee level. Pinagbotohan sa committee kung ihahapag na ba sa plenary ang Con-Ass kahit wala pang sapat na debate. Nagwalk-out ang minority; tinuloy ang botohan; pero natalo pa rin ang mga pro Con-Ass. Ito ang pangalawang kamatayan ng Con-Ass.

Pero pagkatapos ng isang lingo binuhay ulit nila ang Con-Ass. Nag-imbita kami ng mga respetadong iskolar tulad ni Fr. Joaquin Bernas upang magbigay ng liwanag kung ano ba ang tamang paraan para baguhin ang Konstitusyon. Mahigit tatlong oras kaming nakinig sa mga iskolar; lahat sila nagsasabing kailangang bumoto ng hiwalay ang dalawang kamara. Ibig sabihin hindi pwedeng lumipad ang Cha-Cha o Con-Ass ng walang partisipasyon ng Senado. Ilan sa mga miyembro ng Kongreso ay nagsalita sa committee hearing. Ang sabi nila estudyante raw sila ni Fr. Bernas; sila raw ay nag-aral noon sa Ateneo. Ilang minuto (uulitin ko, ilang minuto) pag-alis ni Fr. Bernas, nagbotohan ulit. Inaprub ang Con-Ass. Binuhay ulit ang Con-Ass. Parang hindi sila nakinig kina Fr. Bernas.

Hindi rito nagtatapos ang kuwento. Namatay ulit ang Con-Ass. Binalik ng Committee on Rules ang HR 1109 sa mother committee. Ang implikasyon nito ay hindi na malalagay sa adyenda ng plenary ang Con-Ass. Akala namin ito na ang katapusan ng buhay ng Con-Ass kasi malapit nang magtapos ang session ng Kongreso. Aba, bigla kaming nagulat dahil noong Hunyo 2, nagkaroon ng caucus ang majority at nagdesisyon sila na isusulong na nila ang pagboto sa Con-Ass sa plenary level. Ang bangkay ay muling binuhay.

Hapon ng Hunyo 2. Biglang dami ng mga pumasok sa Kongreso. Yung iba unang beses kong nakita sa loob ng Kamara. Tapos ang pagkain sa lounge ay sapat-sapat hanggang hatinggabi. Mukhang nakahanda silang magpuyatan para ipasa ang Con-Ass.

Natatawa kami sa minority habang nakikinig kami sa sponsorship speeches. Iba-iba kasi ang sinasabi ng mga sponsor. Bawat isa ay may kanya-kanyang bersiyon kung ano ang balak nilang gawin sa Con-Ass. Kahit sila hindi nagkakaisa sa interpretasyon kung ano ang tamang paraan upang matuloy ang Cha-Cha.

Napanood natin kung ano ang nangyari noong gabi ng Hunyo 2. Nanalo ang mga pro Con-Ass. Pero hindi natin nakita ang kanilang mga mukha dahil ang ipinasa ng Kongreso ay simpleng House Resolution lamang; ibig sabihin hindi kailangang tumayo ang bawat miyembro ng Kongreso upang ipaliwanag ang kanilang boto.

Ngayon, buhay ulit ang Con-Ass. Papatayin ito sa Senado. Bubuhayin kaya ito ng Supreme Court? Kung pagbabatayan ang opinyon ng publiko, mayorya ng ating mamamayan ay tutol sa Con-Ass at Cha-Cha. Kailangan nating wakasan, tuldukan na ang buhay ng Con-Ass. Paano?

Dapat daanin natin sa sindak ang mga miyembro ng Kongreso. Huwag nating payagang umabot pa sa Korte ang labanan. Ngayon pa lamang ay iparinig natin ang ating boses, ang ating matinding pagtutol sa Con-Ass. Ipakita natin sa Malakanyang ang ating malakas na oposisyon sa Con-Ass.

Nauuso ngayon ang virtual activism. Isa ako sa mga nagsusulong nito. Sige gamitin natin ang texting, blog, facebook, twitter at plurk para ikampanya ang pagbabasura ng Con-Ass. Paramihin ang bilang ng mga pumipirma sa ating mga online petition. Pero kilalanin natin ang limitasyon ng mga ito. Una, hindi lahat ng masa ay maabot nito. Pangalawa, hindi lahat ng pulitiko ay mahilig bumisita sa cyberspace. Yung marami hindi nagbabasa ng mga blog. Yung iba hindi talaga mahilig magbasa.

Hindi uubra na magpatali tayo sa mga cute na aksiyon; kailangang dambuhala, kailangang dumadagundong, kailangang rumaragasang mga pagkilos ang gawin natin para masindak ang mga miyembro ng Kongreso. Kailangan nilang maramdaman ang ating presensiya. Magplano ng mga lokal na pagkilos. Pumunta sa opisina ng mga mambabatas. Kausapin sila.

Nagawa na natin ito noon. Noong 1997 may balak ding Cha-Cha ang administrasyong Ramos. Sophomore ako noon sa kolehiyo. Malawak din ang pagtutol ng mamamayan sa Cha-Cha. Ano ang ginawa natin? Nagrali tayo sa Luneta. Pinuno natin ang Luneta. Pinarinig natin hanggang Malakanyang, hanggang Batasan, ang ating galit. Kailan tayo pupunta ng Luneta?

May mga hamon tayong kakaharapin. Una, seryosong balakid ang swine flu. Paano tayo magkakapit-bisig eh simpleng paghahawak lang ng kamay sa simbahan ay mukhang ingat na ingat tayong gawin. Paano tayo magpapalakas sa mga kampus kung palaging suspended ang mga klase?

Pangalawa, huwag nating maliitin ang pwedeng gawin ni Pangulong Arroyo. Kahit marami sa atin ay galit sa kanya, huwag nating kalimutang nagawa niyang manalo noong halalang 2004. Hindi siya mapatalsik sa Malakanyang sa kabila ng mga Hello Garci scandal, fertilizer scam, extrajudicial killing, at marami pang mga kaso.

Ito ay mga balakid pero hindi ibig sabihin imposible tayong magwagi. May hangganan din ang pasensiya ng ating mga kababayan. Kaya pa natin ilunsad ang mas malaki, mas malawak, mas epektibong porma ng People Power sa hinaharap. Sabi nga sa Koreanovelang Boys over Flowers, (we should keep on) Fighting!

Para sa mga nagdadalawang isip, eto ang ilang mga katanungan:

-Gusto ninyo bang tawaging Prime Minister si Gng. Arroyo sa June 30, 2010?
-Gusto ninyo bang maging Prime Minister for life si Gng. Arroyo? Tandaan natin, bata pa siya.
-Payag ba kayong alisin ang term limits para sa mga miyembro ng Kongreso?
-Hahayaan ba nating magmay-ari ang mga banyaga ng mga lupain at korporasyon sa ating bansa? Eh samantalang sa ibang bansa, kahit sa Estados Unidos at Europa, nagiging uso ulit ngayon ang konsepto ng economic nationalization.

May planong martsa ang mga pwersang anti Con-Ass sa June 30? Dadaan ito sa harap ng inyong kampus sa hapon. Sana sumama tayo sa pagkilos na ito. Isuot ang facemask, magdala ng alcohol, bitbit ang mga placard at streamer, sabay-sabay nating labanan ang Con-Ass ni Gloria.

Basahin din:

Handa na ba kayo?
Postblogism
ChaCha at kabataan

Posted in speeches | Tagged , | 4 Comments