Indolent Internet Digest 9

Manila tech start up Pencil Rocket has come out with taxikick.com, a website that allows you to report abusive taxi drivers. The complaints, or “kicks,” are forwarded to the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Recent kicks on the site paint a picture of cab drivers who are rude, who short change passengers, give generally bad service, and serve cold pizza.

Photo from sofimi on Twitter

Indolent Indio is still verifying reports that Ver.2 will also give copies of complaints to the local TBS13 (and similar local gang) in the area so they can actually kick cabs.

 

And since we are on apps, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez has an idea to pitch to developers: The Reality Check App (Recapp), for politicians and pundits who harp on about why X country has this but we don’t.

“They can peer at the innovation or the thing or WHATEVER through their smartphones and voila! up pops information about how much that innovation would cost if it were to be implemented in the Philippines, how much money the organization actually has, and what they’re gonna have to cut spending on if they really want to see that innovation implemented.”

 

Diario Filipinas is our go-to source for news from the front and on the revolution. They live-tweeted the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal and have been keeping us updated on militarization in the countryside.

They are on Twitter, but may not be for long. Their latest exclusive: Polavieja may be preparing for an offensive against the rebels by February. Leaked rebel documents indicate they have been preparing against attacks since December.

 

Also in fighting the powers that be, somebody apparently defaced the Wikipedia page of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, changing his title to ‘thief justice’ and implying a special relationship between him and court administrator Midas Marquez.

Militant gays were quick to condemn the gay-bashing, but apparently not the “Thief Justice” tag because although politicians and government officials can be persecuted, they are in no way marginalized.

“We totally deplore this heinous way of using gay slurs for launching political attacks between the opposing sides in the impeachment trial,” declared Goya Candelario, spokesperson of ProGay, in a statement.

This was followed by an urgent appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to help keep the site running.

 

RELEVANT: The Top 10 grilled liempo (pork belly) in Metro Manila, according to Spot.ph
Like its distant cousin Pep.Ph, the comments section is all kinds of classy.

“Baliwag? Seriously?! haha. mas masarap pa dun sa ‘liempuhan’ beside SPUM”–Spot reader ‘dc’

“Their liempo are too crispy and are major rip-off. Now worthy for its cost. its not even crispy. Darn.”–Spot reader ‘skies’

Truly, if a Filipino can express a contrary opinion without any consequences, he will do it.

The Filipino will also eat pork belly despite the consequences

 

And since we’re on that, here is former Department of Tourism undersecretary Vicente Romano III* on people hating on the new tourism slogan announced last week:

“You see the new DOT slogan trending and creating a lot of positive buzz. You tell yourself, “this is too good to be true.” So you google “It’s more fun in” and true enough, it’s been used before by Switzerland.

Never mind that Switzerland used it way back in 1951. Or that there was “Truly Tuscany” before Malaysia’s “Truly Asia”, Amazing Australia before Amazing Thailand, and Incredible Italy before Incredible India.

No. We can’t stoop down to their level. Iba ang Pinoy. Kailangan Orig!”

This was, by far, the classiest response to negative feedback to “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” The least classy was probably from one Twitter/real-life celebrity who, when some girl from the US dared say the slogan was “the stupidest thing ever” because it’s not true that it’s more fun in the Philippines, called her out with a “self-hating Filipino, much?”

It turns out the girl had had deep personal reasons for not liking the Philippines. Twitter/real-life celebrity backed off, eventually, after reminding the girl to “think before you click.” Lesson learned! Also, “Internet tough guy, much?”

Comelec’s Jimenez has this to say about that:

“Just because someone disagrees doesn’t make them a downer – a negatron, someone tweeted. Doesn’t make them an enemy either, or a de-stabilizer. Very few people on twitter are actually anti-PHL, but nearly all are opinionated. This is a good thing.”

And finally, here is a strip from web comic/blog Cereal Saturdays that will never get old (unlike the experience of shopping with troll parents):

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*For context: Former Department of Tourism undersecretary Vicente Romano III left government service over the last tourism logo and campaign, which was found to have been very similar to a tourism campaign for Poland. The DOT quietly dropped its “Obejrzyj prezentacje o Polsce” campaign soon after launch.

Indolent Internet Digest 8

When the stars are right, Indolent Indio comes out with a short and hastily-done roundup of things we’ve found on the Internet (pinoy chapter, of course.) Quality, quantity, content, and success may vary.

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Third World Truth is either good or sort of scary. In any case, it’s a blog that deserves watching.

An excerpt:

Now, when those clowns get to save enough after slaving in their corporate blow jobs, they can finally rent or perhaps even own an entry-level unit. They’ll struggle with payments, but they’ll do what they need to do to maintain that illusionary status symbol. Watch out for these guys in your family reunions. They’re going to borrow money from you at the first chance they get. It’s pathetic.

 

Congressional Observer, whose pictures we posted/totally stole this week, is a blog run from within the House of Representatives although certainly not by the House of Representatives. Here’s a throw-away line on former Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquiel’s gown at the State of the Nation Address a few months ago: “Sorry but mas maganda ang mga gay companions’ get ups kesa sa iyo, mudra.”

 

Also, while we were sleeping, a video on the truth about the Cojuangco family went viral and infected us with the “truth” as presented by some dude with animation skills:

Indio: Bravo (no relation), who is a historian and is good at it, posted the video then took it down because “while I still do believe that we have a feudalism/padrino system that has to be crushed by empowering Filipinos through education, it is clear that the video indeed is promoting a sort of propaganda.”  And that is true, the video strays into silliness at times.

Here is a longer discussion by De La Salle University professor Michael Charleston Briones Chua on the “truths” in the video.

TL;DR version: “There is nothing here that is new for those who read Philippine History books.”

 

Also, more than 1,000 people have liked a Facebook page absolving murder suspect Ramon Joseph “RJ” Bautista, thus freeing up court dockets for other cases. Indeed, the Facebook page renders our justice system redundant.

 

A Facebook page supporting his sister Ramona Bautista/Revilla is not doing so well, with only 159 people liking it so far. Maybe her flying to Turkey instead of facing charges has something do with that. You can’t fool Internet justice, Ramona. We’re not stupid.

 

Also, we are not sure what is happening over at fake news/comedy website Mosquito Press. They’re showing photos of the 7-billionth baby. Is that the punchline? Are those fake babies?

Indolent Internet Weekly Digest 7

Every weekend*, Indolent Indio tries to come out with a short and hastily-done roundup of things we’ve found on the Internet (pinoy chapter, of course.) Quality, quantity, content, and success may vary.
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We have been delving into the wasteland that is Tumblr and have found two sites relevant to our interests:

Drunken Dispatches is a tumblog for Filipino tipplers. It does not update as often as it should, but seeing as we are people who live in a glass house, we shall let that pass.

Missed Connections Manila reads like the sort of graffiti conversations you always hoped to see in your college restroom. It’s about could-have-beens and could-still-bes. It’s very romantic, really. Romantic and sad, which is pretty much what this whole romance thing is about anyway.

A Manila Bulletin column saying Filipino is not the “language of the learned” earns Atenean James Soriano a place on the pantheon of sad Internet celebrities alongside Cat Killer Joseph Carlo Candare and Christopher Lao.  Project Kino says “ang problema sa column mo tsong, elitista ang perspektibo.” Which, as an Atenean, Mr. Soriano cannot really help.

Mistervader, who went to the Ateneo, had this to say: “name-dropping Fr. Bulatao just because he can just feels like such a predictable thing a typical pretentious artsy-fartsy Arrnean would do.”

The “Alabang Boys” were acquitted. Some of them anyway.

With Rey Marfil effectively de-fanged as a blind-item columnist by joining the Aquino government, here comes a new challenger: Remate’s Crispin Rizal. Mr.(or Ms.) Rizal has caused quite a stir at some government offices, and in various news beats. Nobody knows who he (or she) really is, but some friendships are being tested. With reporters being accused of, and having to deny, being Crispin Rizal.

A sample:

Sino itong mambabatas sa Mataas na Kapulungan ng Kongreso na madalas pagtaguan at ayaw kausapin ng kanyang staff kapag mainit ang ulo.

Ang dahilan ng staff, pag-mainit ang ulo ng senador ay nagmumura at naninigaw pa ito kaya mas makabubuti pa umano na huwag na silang magpakita rito.

Pero kapag media ang kaharap, kuntodo ang ngiti nito na halos abot hanggang tenga.**

If only one stream of Filipino literature will survive the global monoculture, let it be the political blind item.

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*This is a lie.

**As a pointless spit in the eye of Mr. Soriano (and as a sop to our laziness) we will not translate Filipino content on this post.

Indolent Internet Weekly Digest 5

Every weekend, Indolent Indio tries to come out with a short and hastily-done roundup of things we’ve found on the Internet (pinoy chapter, of course.)

Quality, quantity, content, and success may vary.

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Boracay island is aghast over the President referring to their island as “Bora” just like everyone else has in the past 10 years.

A Filipina in Hong Kong throws herself in front of a bus to save her young ward, thus redeeming us for that other incident involving Hong Kong people and a bus.

A Christian church marries eight gay couples in Baguio City.

When you are in a rap battle and you try to follow up calling your opponent a bitch by calling him the “bitchest,” consider admitting defeat:

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Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former President,  holds a press conference to score the Aquino administration and its lack of leadership. As this happens, her hometown and congressional district  gets flooded because of heavy rains.

Lawyer H. Harry Roque, crusader for justice and publicity hound, wants the Supreme Court to scrap a guideline on live coverage of the Maguindanao massacre trial that bars networks from cutting to commercials. He said the rule infringes on editorial freedom and on the media’s right to make money. [Note: allowing live coverage was already a concession.]

Pinoy Gonzo talks about the anguish of writing: “Ilang nobela ko na ba at short stories ang parang mga programa ng gobyerno — puro simula lang — dahil sa sobrang gipit ko sa oras ay nawalan ako ng gana sa kanila?”