Arao, D. A. (2007, August 29-September 4). Sa gitna ng malakas na ulan. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (33), p. 5. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-33/op_ed/ed-6_33_3.htm.

There are certain contradictions in the handling of those allegedly responsible for the pollution, as well as the flooding of certain areas of the country during the rainy season.

You’re aware of the demolition of urban shanties in some parts of Metro Manila. But are the urban poor the only ones to blame for the pollution and flooding? What is the context of their failure to properly dispose their waste?

I hope you will read this article to know what I think. Thank you.

Arao, D. A. (2007, August 22-28). Kalaliman ng kababawan at kabaliwan. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (32), pp. 5-6. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-32/op_ed/ed-6_32_3.htm.

The problem with writing about unfolding developments for a weekly publication is that you run the risk of being overtaken by events. Immediately after Pinoy Weekly’s issue came out, the development I wrote about has been somewhat resolved.

In this article, I wrote a critique of the personal essays written by Malu Fernandez which were published in Manila Standard Today and People Asia Magazine which offended the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Unlike some blog entries which were full of ad hominem attacks against her, I opted to provide a more sober analysis of how she violated the ethics of the journalism profession and why her articles do not make good case studies for responsible journalism. Out of professional courtesy, I even decided not to identify her and the two publications.

Don’t get me wrong. Personal essays and travel stories can be considered journalistic outputs but they should adhere to the highest standards of, among others, accuracy and objectivity. Writers must also attempt to relate their personal experiences to the overall social context, mindful of the ethical principles that go with analyzing data and articulating one’s arguments.

With Ms. Fernandez’s announcement of her resignation from the two publications she writes for,  the issue may be somewhat resolved, but it is far from over.

I think that the two publications still owe the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) an apology for what Ms. Fernandez wrote. This is the least they can do to save whatever’s left of their credibility.

Social Science Diliman, a refereed journal based in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, now has a new set of editorial board members. I have accepted the invitation to serve as one of its associate editors.

Dr. Maria Mangahas (Department of Anthropology) is currently the journal’s editor-in-chief. Dr. Maria Joy Abrenica (School of Economics) and Prof. Marie Joy Arguillas (Department of Sociology) are the other associate editors. Dr. Corazon Villareal, director of the Research Dissemination and Utilization Office (RDUO) under UP Diliman’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD), serves as the managing editor.

We had our first meeting last August 16 (Thursday) where we came up with a plan to produce the next issue (or issues) of the publication. We have our work cut out for us because the journal’s most recent issue as of this writing is July-December 2001. (We were informed, however, that there is an issue that will come out soon, thanks to the hard work of the previous editors.) 

If you have any social science-related paper and you are willing to go through a refereeing process, I hope you will consider submitting it to Social Science Diliman.

Arao, D. A. (2007, August 15-21). Aliw at pag-aaral sa midya. Pinoy Weekly, 6 (31), pp. 5-6. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-31/op_ed/ed-6_31_3.htm.

Mass media are so fixated on providing entertainment that they have miserably failed in fulfilling their two other functions — providing information and enlightenment. You can say that this article seeks to explain in a little more than 600 words the context in which media should be studied.

I also explained how entertainment can be used to both provide information and enlightenment, devoid of any escapist tendencies. One of my objectives in writing this article is to dispel the notion that media owners and gatekeepers only provide audiences what they want, and that there is no one to blame but the people for the kind of trash that pollutes the airwaves (in the case of radio and television).

To know what I mean, I hope you will take time to read this article. Thank you for your attention. 

The season has ended and the results are in.

Congratulations to the selected students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) who are behind the documentary “Pundido” for winning the grand prize and the viewer’s choice award in the recently concluded season of Dokyu: Ang Bagong Mata ng Pinoy Documentaries aired over ABC 5.

The awarding was actually done last August 9 at ABC 5 in Novaliches, Quezon City. I understand that the awarding ceremony was aired in Dokyu’s last episode for this season last August 11.

Quoting from ABC 5’s press release, “`Pundido’ was the only finalist which got a perfect score of 30 from any of the three respected critics from the academe and the broadcast industry, with UP journalism professor Danilo Arao giving it an unblemished mark of 10 in all three categories, namely form/technical, content/relevance, and x-factor.”

Yes, I gave it a perfect score because it was, in my professional opinion, a cut above the rest. The script is well-written, the direction is generally well-executed, the pacing is good, visual elements are occasionally used to convey messages/emotions, the soundtrack is original and the technical production (particularly in the shooting of night scenes) is fine.

The people behind the documentary allowed the story to unfold by itself. They resisted the temptation of being preachy and too melodramatic, the mortal sins of some amateur documentarists who tackle poverty and deprivation.

You are prone to have a range of emotions in watching the documentary — i.e., frustration over the plight of the poor and the differently abled, pity towards the blind man who is forced to work as ice drop vendor by day and balut vendor by night, hate towards the blind man’s family members for not helping augment the family income, among many others. 

This documentary, however, proves to be different from the usual documentaries on poverty by giving hope to the viewers in a very, very subtle way which I prefer not to disclose if only to encourage readers to watch it.

I don’t want to give away the ending for those who were unable to watch Dokyu’s June 29 episode where it was aired (and I sincerely hope that ABC 5 will replay this episode in the future). However, this much I can write: You can know the reason for the use of the title “Pundido” only towards the end.

I also personally congratulate those who made the documentaries which were adjudged second and third place, namely ”Kendi Man” and Nasaan ang Katawan ni Baklesh” both from the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC). While I don’t want to disclose the scores I gave to all of the 19 documentaries, I gave high scores to these two entries.

The other finalists also deserve to be commended:

• “When Fingers Talk Pink” (De La Salle University-Manila)
• “Ingay” (DLS-College of St. Benilde)
• “DeafTechCom” (DLS-College of St. Benilde)
• “Frontliners” (St. Scholastica’s College Manila)
• “Dikaurong Madiraga Putok/Sakit ng Pulang Lupa” (St. Scholastica’s College Manila)
• “Biyahed Daya/Biyaheng Langit” (Colegio de San Juan de Letran)
• “Graveyard Shift” (University of Makati/CSB)
• “Kwentong Pa[m]bahay” (UP Los Baños)
• “Tsildren: Employed” (Holy Cross of Davao College)
• “Isla Pulo” (PUP)
• “Batang Bakaw” (PUP) 
• “Estropa” (UP Diliman)
• “Banda Rito, Banda Roon” (UP Diliman)
• “Veganda” (UP Diliman)
• “Hanap Patay, Hanapbuhay” (UP Diliman)
• “Koreanoy” (UP Diliman)

Indeed, the students, faculty and alumni of these schools have every reason to be proud.

At this point, I sincerely hope that Dokyu will have another season. Sources at ABC 5 tell me that Dokyu’s decision to make this season a student documentary competition has paid off: Its ratings have increased this season!

If only for the increase in its ratings this season and its contribution to producing quality documentaries (not to mention its indirect way of proving that youth is not wasted on the young), don’t you think Dokyu deserves another run?

There is a trend right now where book launches are treated not as social events but as a way to inform people through symposia where authors are tasked to present the salient points of their research.

The event I attended at the Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati City last August 17 (Friday) — which thankfully pushed through despite the bad weather — was promoted more as a roundtable discussion on monitoring news media coverage of the 2007 elections. There was no mention of the launch of the book where we published the results of our research from February to May 2007, and I don’t mind this at all. In fact, I was happy that copies of the book were given out for free on that particular day.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) published on page 2 of its August 19 (Sunday) issue a news article titled “Media watchdog lauds PDI’s election coverage.” While it is understandable for our friends at the PDI to present mainly the information that concern their publication, there are other important findings on the other print, radio and television programs that we monitored.

For those who want to get copies of the book, it only costs 250 pesos. Please get in touch with the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) to order your copy. I think this is a must-read for those whose research interests include elections and media.

I should also mention as early as now that we will also publish a manual on how to conduct media monitoring very soon. This manual could be useful to advocacy groups, academics, journalists and journalism students who want to monitor how the mass media cover specific issues and concerns. Thank you for reading.

I got a message from IBON Foundation that the book Mula Tore Patungong Palengke: Neoliberal Education in the Philippines will have a second launch on September 1 (Saturday), 6:30 p.m. during the 28th Manila International Book Fair at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

In case you don’t know yet, I wrote a chapter for the book titled “Deregulation at the Expense of Quality Education.” Our first launch last June 26 at the University of the Philippines Diliman was well-attended despite an hour-long brownout.

Edited by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, Dr. Ramon Guillermo and Arnold Alamon, the book is published by IBON Foundation, Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND) and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).

Coincidentally, the three organizations have something in common: Me! I worked as editor-in-chief and research head of IBON Foundation from 1994 to 2001. I later became spokesperson and chair of CONTEND-UP and national vice chairperson of ACT.

Hope you can make it on September 1. Thank you for reading!

N.B. - This is a press release I wrote last July 3 to promote our College’s fund-raising activity a few days from now. Hope you can make it.

Do you love dancing and supporting worthy causes?

“Times of your life, dance of your life” happens on August 19 (Sunday), 6:30 p.m. at the Manila Polo Club.

Attendees are expected to make a “1970s fashion statement” as they dance to retro music.

The event is the second in a series of fundraising projects of the Pay-It-Forward Campaign of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC).

Launched in January 2006, the campaign aims to raise funds to modernize and upgrade the UP CMC’s facilities and further improve its communication and media studies programs.

Organized by the UP CMC Foundation, Inc., this dinner-dance party redefines charity dances as it fuses dancing and singing into one magical evening. Organizers hope that the party will move people to groove on the dance floor as they support the UP CMC’s fundraising efforts.

Business establishments are welcome to be co-presentors or sponsors of this activity.

Show your dazzling moves on August 19! Have a blast as you help UP CMC!

For ticket and sponsorship inquiries, please call or text (0906) 232-8428.

Aside from congratulations, what else is there to say?

That he deserves the honor is an understatement, considering how he has touched the lives of so many students, many of them established in the field of journalism.

That’s me with the man of the hour (LVT), Prof. Ben Lim,
Dr. Temy Rivera and Conrad de Quiros (Aug. 25, 2005).

Who am I referring to and what am I writing about? The answer to the first is easy since you only need to read this post’s title. The answer to the second may be found in an article published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last August 5 titled “4 teachers are `few to inspire the many‘” written by — interestingly and coincidentally — a former student of our man of the hour (and mine, although that’s beside the point).

Just for the record, I nominated Luis Teodoro to be an honoree at The Many Faces of the Teacher 2007 program organized by the Bato Balani Foundation and Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.

Why did I nominate him? I think my answers below to the open-ended questions in the nomination form will suffice.

What makes Prof. Luis Teodoro a great teacher? (Please cite specific examples)

Prof. Teodoro is an outstanding educator not only because his past and current students say so but also because he is a recognized practitioner in the discipline he teaches. It is imperative for a journalism educator to practice the profession to establish one’s credibility to his or her students, as well as share practical, relevant and up-to-date information to them. I won’t be where I am now were it not for the teachings of Prof. Teodoro. He has instilled in me the importance of journalism in national development and the need to write about the things that matter, mindful of the professional and ethical standards of the chosen profession. As may be gleaned from his compilation of testimonials written by his former students, friends and colleagues, he not only teaches, for example, Journalism standards and ethics but also maintains their highest standards as he goes about his work as a journalist. One may get several specific instances of his being a great teacher by reading the attached compilation of testimonials titled “What I Remember Most About LVT.”

How does Prof. Luis Teodoro employ innovation, resourcefulness, and creativity in his teaching? (Please cite specific examples)

Unlike other professors who rely mainly on books, audio-visual materials and other academic and journalistic outputs to teach Journalism, he can complement textbook knowledge with what goes on in the field since he is in close contact with other respected journalists, aside from the fact that he is a journalist himself. He would often share with his students how he does data gathering, analysis and actual writing of his well-read column pieces. It was Prof. Teodoro who said that the difference between a college instructor and professor is that “an instructor instructs and a professor professes.” Not surprisingly, he professes his views on the national situation without imposing them on students and a healthy debate normally happens in his classes. He encourages students to speak their mind.

How does Prof. Luis Teodoro exhibit dedication and commitment to the teaching profession? (Please cite specific examples)

His appointment as dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication for two terms (1994-1997; 1997-2000) is a recognition of his outstanding performance as a professor. Given his track record, he could have made more money by joining big media organizations but he has chosen to remain as an underpaid teacher of the premier state university, remaining ever humble despite his stellar career as a journalist and professor. He has also accepted the demanding tasks of assessing government policies related to tertiary journalism education by being chair of the CHED Technical Committee on Journalism Education. Prof. Teodoro was the one who facilitated the funding for my project to gather journalism educators nationwide in the historic First National Conference of Journalism Educators in December 2006. He is also unwavering in his support for the founding congress of the Association of Journalism Educators of the Philippines which we hope to organize within the year. Prof. Teodoro therefore has a vision not only to make journalism education better at UP where he teaches but at the national level. For this and so much more, he should be recognized for his selfless efforts through the years.

I called Dean Teodoro a few hours ago today to talk about the launch of our book on August 17 (Friday). Before we ended our telephone conversation, he took the chance to thank me for nominating him. I was a bit in a hurry then so I only gave him the generic “It’s okay” and ”You deserve it.”

Now that I have some limited time on a busy Friday afternoon to reflect on what he has done in the past, I should be the one thanking him for teaching me not just the knowledge and skills in writing but also the necessary values and attitude towards journalism.

I believe that while he truly deserves to be honored as one of the country’s outstanding educators — an award which came immediately after his retirement — he should have been recognized earlier. Of course, it’s better late than never, and I’m sure he is very happy right now for yet another milestone in his career.

The honor is, incidentally, a fitting birthday gift for him who is about to turn 66 on August 24 (Friday).

Arao, D. A. (2007, August 8-14). Pamamahayag, ekonomiya at wika. Pinoy Weekly 6 (30), p. 5. This may be retrieved from http://www.pinoyweekly.org/pw6-30/op_ed/ed-6_30_3.htm.

You can safely assume that I wrote this article in time for the Buwan ng Wika (Language Month) in August.

I have to admit though that I am not that satisfied with the concluding paragraph since readers may interpret it as a shameless plug for the tabloid that I write for. That’s not to say that the claims I made are exaggerated. On the contrary, even before I started writing regularly for Pinoy Weekly, I have used the latter in class discussions as a good example of journalism in Filipino.

That I was able to relate the use of Filipino in journalism to the orientation of our educational system in particular and the economy in general is not really easy, and I had to go through various drafts to condense everything in a little more than 600 words.

I think this article can serve as a working framework of sorts for an indepth research on the use of language (particularly English) by the powers-that-be as they try to pursue their agenda. I might just conduct this in the future, but I think there’s nothing wrong should you decide to do this research now.