I thank the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) not once but twice this week, coincidentally the same number of book launches I am scheduled to attend and the power outages we experienced last Tuesday (June 26).

Last Sunday (June 24), there was an article at the bottom of page A9 titled “Media men take to the airwaves.” Yes, it’s all about our radio program Usapang Media on DWAD which started airing last Monday (June 25). Incidentally, I am scheduled to do board work this Monday (July 2) and I will discuss media and the elections.

Three days after (June 27), PDI had an article on page A13 titled “`Double blind’ review journal launched.” The article announced the launch of the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR) today (June 28). PJR, which used to be a magazine, is the only refereed journal on journalism in Southeast Asia. Aside from being its managing editor, I also wrote the commentary for PJR’s first issue as a refereed journal titled “Teaching Online Journalism,” pp. 123-130. It is an expanded version of a paper I presented at the First National Conference of Journalism Educators in December 2006 which I helped organize.

It is unfortunate that there was not much media coverage on the forum and launch of the book Mula Tore Patungong Palengke: Neoliberal Education in the Philippines last Tuesday (June 26), 1 p.m. where I was among those who presented the salient points of the chapter I wrote.

The almost one-hour brownout prevented us from starting the forum on time. At around 1:30 p.m., the organizers decided to start with the launching of the book (originally the second part of the program) even if there were no microphones and we only had two emergency lights.

When power was restored at around 2 p.m., we immediately started the forum. We give credit to most of the students, faculty members and other visitors who did not leave the venue despite the long brownout. While I was in the middle of my presentation, however, there was another power failure which lasted only about two minutes.

In any case, I hope that you would take time to read the review of Prof. Roland Simbulan which we will include in this issue of Bulatlat Online Magazine. Kabataan Party’s Raymond Palatino also presented a short review of the book which you can retrieve from his blog.

The second book launch I will attend this week happens tomorrow (June 29), 4 p.m. at the Gawad Andres Bonifacio 308, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines (UP) Manila. This is actually a re-launching of the book Oligarchic Politics: Elections and the Party-List System in the Philippines where I wrote a chapter titled “Elections, Personality Politics and the Mass Media.”

It may be a very, very busy week for me, but somehow I still managed to squeeze in ample time for practice driving. What’s this all about? Visit my blog in the next few days. Thanks for reading!

Since the radio program Ngayon Na, Bayan! which I used to co-host was unceremoniously axed in February 2006 (about two hours after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of national emergency), I have looked forward to the day when I can go back to broadcasting.

Now, the long wait is over (not just for me, I hope!). Starting June 25, Usapang Media airs on DWAD from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. every Monday. This is a production of both DWAD and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).

Please find below NUJP’s press release:

Using the airwaves to promote media safety and ethics

Starting June 25, a 30-minute segment about Philippine media will air over dwAD 1098 khz from 3:30 to 4 p.m. every Monday. Dubbed “Usapang Media”, NUJP personalities such as Jose Torres Jr. (GMA News.tv), Deo Bugaoisan (GMA7), Nonoy Espina (Inquirer.net), Carlos Conde (IHT) and UP Journalism Prof. Danny Arao will take turns anchoring the segment. Sonny Fernandez, NUJP vice chair and Angel Ayala of NUJP-Sorsogon are project heads.

“Usapang Media” will be a regular segment in the program, “Ano Bang Atin Kabayan” hosted by Ricky Lee. The segment will focus on issues that journalists face, ranging from killings to the measly wages that correspondents and media staff receive. It will provide tips for safe coverage and enhance awareness of ethical journalism.

The project also seeks to build a base of listeners with a critical
understanding of the nature of media. Thus, “Usapang Media” will tackle how media works, how it produces meaning and constructs reality, and how it could sometimes benefit some people but leave others out.

All episodes will be recorded and the materials made available to anyone who is interested.

Please tune in to DWAD if you have time. Thank you for reading!

Arao, D. A. (2007, June 20-26). `Palibhasa, aktibista’. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (23), p. 5. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-23/op_ed/ed-6_23_3.htm.

What have I been up to these past few days? How did Joy and I spend some of our hard-earned savings? This article can provide the answers.

That we were able to buy a second-hand vehicle in good running condition at a very low price is not just because of sheer luck. My political background had something to do with it, as the seller proved to be very sympathetic to the progressive cause.

Despite my progressive orientation, I have to admit that I have never been comfortable being called an activist. It’s not that I’m ashamed to be called one, it’s just that what I’ve done pales in comparison to those who have practically spent the most productive years of their life acting as agents of social change.

There is, of course, reason to worry being branded an activist in this day and age, as political killings are on the rise and there are journalists who matter enough to be silenced permanently.

Please read this article if you have the time. It’s seldom, after all, that I write very personal essays. Thank you for reading!

Please attend a forum which coincides with the launch of the book Mula Tore Patungong Palengke: Neoliberal Education in the Philippines on June 26 (Tuesday), 1 p.m. at the Claro M. Recto Hall, Faculty Center, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City.

Since I wrote a chapter titled “Deregulation at the Expense of Quality Education,” I had been asked to give a 10-minute presentation of my findings. The book, by the way, is published by IBON Foundation, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND).

I hope you can make it. Thank you for reading.

Notice what’s wrong with this picture? Look at Ambassador Hilario Davide’s flag.

I got an interesting email today (June 14) from a journalism professor who is now pursuing a master’s degree in New York on a scholarship. He also included the picture above.

Sir Danny 

I recently saw on the front page of Filipino Express, a Filipino newspaper here in New York, a picture of Consul General Cecilia Rebong and Hilario Davide waving Philippine flags during the Philippine Independence Day Parade here.  What struck me was that Davide was waving the flag upside down.  It’s as if we are at war.

Do you think the newspaper was right in printing this photo when it surely caused embarrassment to Davide?  Or were the editors remiss in not pointing out to the readers that Davide was waving a flag upside down?

The picture can also be found at http://www.filipinoexpress.com/.

I think there is nothing wrong with printing this picture, even if it might be embarrassing to Davide (or to the Macapagal-Arroyo administration, for that matter). It’s a public event and the attendees, particularly the high-ranking officials, should expect to be photographed there. The printing of this photo only becomes unethical if it were digitally altered.

In any case, the editors of Filipino Express should have included this faux pas in the caption. A short news article could have also been written about it with the objective of getting Davide’s comments. Was it an honest mistake or a political statement? I’m sure the readers want to know.

Is it a coincidence that today’s issue (June 14) of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and the May 2007 issue of the UP Newsletter included articles on the book we launched last May 8 and the television program on ABC 5 where I currently serve as a member of the board of critics?

On page D6 of PDI, there is an article titled “Facets of Pinoy life in `Dokyu’ tilt” where I was mentioned as one of the “eclectic panel of critics [of Dokyu: Ang Bagong Mata ng Pinoy Documentaries]…whose reviews of the finalist documentaries offer an analytical perspective.”

It’s good to know that the PDI used this old picture of me where I am five years younger and several pounds lighter. This was taken on Mendiola Bridge where I spoke on the state of Philippine education at a rally on June 17, 2002.

However, you can’t find this picture, along with the host’s and other critics’, in the article’s online version.

On the other hand, the UP Newsletter (May 2007) included on page 8 the article titled “Oligarchs in the margins? Academics call for governance and electoral reform.” Of course, feel free to click on the hyperlink to read the online version.

To the writers of the two articles, thank you for writing about these activities.

Arao, D. A. (2007, June 13-19). Kultura ng kasalukuyang pamamahala. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (22), p. 5. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-22/op_ed/ed-6_22_3.htm.

Consider this article an effect of reading and watching too many news about human rights violations. After all, we have in our midst so-called public servants who will do anything and everything to perpetuate themselves in power. They have resorted to means both legal and extra-legal to quell social unrest.

Killings, abductions and other forms of human rights violations are being committed with impunity. The goal of those responsible is simple: to silence opposition to government policies and programs detrimental to marginalized sectors of society.

With the opening of the 14th Congress in July, we can expect moves to clip the power and influence of the Philippine Senate which is currently dominated by the opposition. There are already claims from some pro-administration legislators that a unicameral legislature is necessary for development. It is clear, of course, that this will result in the abolition of the Senate. Isn’t it ironic that the powers-that-be want the abolition of an institution just because they do not control it?

There is a strong possibility that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration will push for the change in the Constitution not only to change the form of government from the current presidential system to a parliamentary one but also to facilitate the further opening up of the economy to foreign investors. With regard to the latter, the administration will most likely change the Constitution so that it can finally allow foreign ownership of land and mass media.

Given what’s happening in the Philippines now and what the future holds, it may be worthwhile to read this article. But please don’t blame me if you end up agitated.

Thanks for reading!

Arao, D. A. (2007, June 6-12). Direksiyon patungong kalayaan. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (21), p. 5. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-21/op_ed/ed-6_21_3.htm.

Finally, I have put in print a story I used to tell in the middle of the 1990s before beginning my speeches. I stopped using this after 1998, the centennial of the 1898 declaration of independence.

This story is about a person looking for Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City who, in the end, not only knew where the street is but also became aware of his or her “direction” in life.

I should admit though that the first part of the story I mentioned in my article’s first paragraph is not original. My younger sister, then a student at the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), told me this story that, if memory serves, came from her group mate at the Ateneo Glee Club.

Touched by this story whose source remains anonymous as of this writing, I decided to expand it to reflect not just a philosophical discourse on the lack of freedom in this country but also how to attain it.

I think this is a timely article, considering that June 12 is the 109th celebration of our rumored freedom.

If you have P120 to spare, I hope you will buy the May-June 2007 issue of MoneySense magazine. That I’m promoting it means only one thing: this is yet another shameless plug!

My two-paragraph interview can be found on page 48 of the magazine. I actually posted it as early as April 26 at the same time that I sent it via email to a MoneySense writer.

You will notice, however, a slight difference in the print version. Whoever edited my reply made a mistake in the use of a preposition, not once but twice. There is no need to write about the details as I’ve already brought this to the attention of the author.

Despite the minor grammatical error, I still find the issue very informative and I will definitely share my complimentary copy with my married friends (financially challenged or otherwise).

This is only the third issue of MoneySense and I hope that there will be more issues in the years to come.