Best Press Statement Ever!

Senator Ralph Recto and his media team deserve an award for Best Reaction to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez’s Resignation. It will probably be a one-off award and will not be as respected as a Pulitzer, but still, props to the guy for this wonderful press statement:

“This means that the latest reality TV show gets axed even before the first live episode is aired. We won’t be wearing those togas anymore. But it is a cancellation that both the actors and the audience do welcome. It doesn’t mean however that this is ‘The End’ of this political telenovela because we are speaking here of one person’s resignation and not the termination of the judicial proceedings that the cases will have to go through. The action simply shifts to the proper forum – the courts – where these cases duly belong.”

"The impeachment is a telenovela. That is all I have to say about that."

While his colleagues were talking about how the biggest (perceived) hindrance to getting some sort of justice after nine years of anomalies under then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Recto–a former Arroyo ally–went another way. He probably knew that going that route would mean he’d be overshadowed by media darlings like Senator Francis Escudero so he just said “Fuck it. Let’s have some fun with this.”

And for that, he deserves a slow clap and the only post Indolent Indio will do on the ombudsman’s resignation.

Here is an infographic

Times mentioned alongside plagiarism on GMA New Online

According to a non-scientific and totally haphazard survey conducted by Indolent Indio research staff, news website GMA News Online has 25 stories that mention plagiarism in the Supreme Court and four stories that mention PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan and his “borrowed” graduation speech.

Columnist and writer Krip Yuson, who has apologized for using another writer’s work in a piece he sent to Rogue magazine, is mentioned once.

The main story for Pangilinan’s plagiarism was annotated and even  included a video.  Yuson’s story only told us that “several paragraphs in Yuson’s article in Rogue Magazine were nearly identical to passages in a story by sportswriter Rey Joble published on GMA News Online.” Oh, and that Yuson is a better writer than all of us. Combined.

I’m hoping GMA News Online comes out with a statement on this. Something that says more than “Yeah, yeah, plagiarism. By the way, did you hear about Pangilinan’s graduation speech and that plagiarizing Supreme Court justice?”

Background and discussion over at FireQuinito.com

[EDIT: Yuson is no longer listed as an editor-at-large for GMA News Online. They must have been angry enough after all. All those hours on MS Paint gone to waste.]

[EDIT 2:  Removed some stuff after reading link above because I’m a pansy. Enjoy the infographic, though.]

And so it goes

Allegedly!

Indolent Indio has received reports from an unimpeachable source (which is to say, he cannot be impeached even by 2/3 vote of the House of Representatives) that money is flooding into the media in anticipation of the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in May.

 

Our source says payoffs go up to as much as P50,000 for one guy who does blind items. Payoffs are significantly smaller for guys who don’t do blind items, or are less famous than this famous guy who does blind items.

 

We cannot prove this but they’re supposedly being paid to launch black propaganda campaigns against Senators Franklin Drilon and Jinggoy Estrada.
“Marami ang yayaman, abangan mo (A lot of people will get rich,watch for it),” our source said.

Jollibee: Guardian of Moral Values

So Jollibee Food Corp. pulled its ads from the show Willing Willie due to the Jan-Jan controversy.

The same Jollibee Food Corp. whose mascots dance like this in children’s birthday parties:

Comment from audience: “Hahaha, ang laswa!”

Now, if the outrage over Willing Willie was that it’s morally wrong to expose children to lewd dancing (PERIOD!), then shouldn’t this also be morally objectionable and equally outrageous?

If the outrage was over child abuse, well, we’ve discussed that already.

Dear DJs of That Reggae Show on the Radio

Dear DJs of That Reggae Show on the Radio,

Listen. I went to a liberal college for a really (really) long time and have long hair, so I can say I love reggae as much as the next reasonably cool guy. I think it’s really great that you guys play reggae on the radio and I hope you guys stay on the air for a long time.

A favor, though: Could you maybe lay off the fake Jamaican accents? I know that you’re Filipinos and nobody’s expecting your station to scout Kingston for authentic selectors just to keep me happy.  You’re not fooling anyone, and don’t have to.

Also, the references to weed.  I know it’s sort of an open secret that reggae = weed, but that’s the thing. You’re not supposed to be in everyone’s face about it.  Don’t pretend to be firing up a bong in your radio booth. We know your station, and the businessman who owns it, won’t allow it. And supposing that your bosses do allow you to do drugs while you do your show, there’s no reason to let everyone who can tune in know about it.  The Babylon system is everywhere, especially in Manila.