Sympathy for the Boston Bomber?

Jose Mario de Vega

I read a Get Real Post article that expresses sympathy with the Boston bomber. Well, not with the bomber's act, exactly, but with the motive that is likely behind the bomber: bring down US imperialism.

Here's a link to the article. It's by Jose Mario de Vega.

The article begins with a stark condemnation of the bombing and expresses condolences for the young boy who was killed. Then it turns the gut-wrenching emotion inside out with an attack on America and ends with the closing call: "DOWN WITH US IMPERIALISM!!!"

Yes, in caps, three exclamation points.

In other words, this blog writer is sympathetic to the motives of the bomber. Make no mistake about that. It is not a call for understanding, or compassion. It is a clarion call of hate raised loud and clear on that bastion of blogging integrity Get Real Post.

The article content is mainly a list, a replication of "a century of U.S. Military Intervention complied by Dr. Zoltan Grossman".

A few excerpts from the author's own words in the article:

• I hope that those bastard imperialist and war mongers in Washington and Pentagon will not use the Boston event as a necessary pretext to bomb or attack North Korea and/or Iran!

• I hope that the American public would not be again duped and brainwashed by their stupid, racist and imperialist government!

• Those bastards who bomb Boston are terrorists, in the same vein, that the United States of America is the NUMBER ONE TERRORIST COUNTRY IN THE WHOLE WORLD by virtue of their long history of bloodbath, mayhem and mass murder committed against the people of the world!

• My heart breaks for those who died and injured in Boston, in the same vein that it pierces and shatters my soul every time an American bomb drops in any part of the world killing innocent civilians, especially women and children!

And then this remarkable quote:

• Consider the following conversation below: Guy 1: I’m really upset about the bombing. Guy 2: The one in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, or the one the media told you to be sad about?

So the author believes the gut-wrenching sympathy Americans feel about the Boston tragedy is sad because the media tells them to be sad. In other words, there is nothing about the incident on its own merits that calls for sadness. This reveals the author's own fake condolence in the article, condolence that is merely aimed at posturing himself as a sympathetic man.

He is not a sympathetic man. He is an angry manipulator.

The list of US interventions is a rather fascinating list. It is an example of when information presented out of context makes a new context, a new reality.

The implication is that the US is an aggressive war-mongering, imperialistic nation. The truth would have to be found in looking at each case and determining, was the US intervention good or bad from the perspective of the citizens of the subject nation, or was the intervention in some way aimed at defending American citizens?

I'm sure one could compile a reasonably profound balancing list of people who are thankful for the US engagement in their nation. So it is a rather interesting for what it is, a one-sided list sheared of context.

Note the sequencing of events around World War II:

• CHINA 1948-49 Troops/Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory.
• PHILIPPINES 1948-54 Command operation CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.

Missing entirely is World War II, and the US interventions in Europe and Asia.

What's with this? 

What's with this is that the list is concocted for advocacy, for impact, not for accuracy, or for comprehensive truth.

It is an argument, not a study. It is the kind of argument the Boston bomber likely BELIEVED.

So who is Dr. Zoltan Grossman who originally compiled the list?

• Dr. Zoltan Grossman is a professor of geography at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. His website is at http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz and can be reached at  grossmaz@evergreen.edu.  He is a civilian Member of the Board of G.I. Voice, an antiwar veterans group that runs the Coffee Strong resource center for soldiers outside Fort Lewis.   His list of U.S. military interventions since 1890 is at http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html.  (Source: Common Dreams)

The good doctor has made his mark writing and teaching about US racism and military interventions.  He is an advocate AGAINST war. But he at least appears to teach ideas, not anger.

What about the author of the blog article on Get Real Post? His name is Jose Mario de Vega. Here is what he says about himself:

• The writer has a Master’s degree in Philosophy, a law degree and a degree in AB Political Science. He was previously teaching Philosophy, Ethics and Anthropology at an institution of higher education in the Nilai University College at Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He is currently a lecturer at the College of Arts, Department of Philosophy at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. As of the moment, he is preparing to publish his first book entitled “Dissidente”. It is a collection of his articles, commentaries and op-ed published by various newspapers in Southeast Asia.

He tags himself on Get Real Post as "The Radical".

I'm asking myself as I near the end of this commentary, had he submitted the post to the Society of Honor for publication, would I run it? Ought Get Real Post be condemned for running it?

You know, I probably would run it.  With an editor's comment framing why it is run. The disgrace of Get Real Post is not in running the article. It is in not allowing open comment to balance a provocative viewpoint. It is found in GRP's banning of JoeAm and others who have opposed GRP advocacies in the past. So Get Real Post walks no high ground here.

The article represents an attitude that must be dealt with to find a peaceful way forward. It fairly represents what I consider to be a simplistic, angry, narrow-minded perspective held by radicals. In other words, it is a legitimate viewpoint no matter how disgusting I find the framing to be, leveraging the Boston bombing tragedy for political gain.

Here's what I think about the whole of the matter of war and peace:

Wars are not brought to us by earnest, honest, candid people interested in finding solutions to competing or conflicting self-interests. They are brought to us by conniving power-mongers holding narrow views, expecting others to fit into their narrow views, and leveraging emotions to achieve their goals. Sometimes these people occupy US government positions. Most of the time they are elsewhere.

You can recognize them easily.

They read a lot like Jose Mario de Vega.
______________

Addendum: Mr. de Vega's response to this blog can be found here: 

http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2013/04/my-sympathy-to-all-victims-of-bombs-violence-agression-and-imperialism-and-the-us-global-domination/

I cannot respond to his blog directly because I am banned from Get Real Post. But, hey, I appreciate the time he put into it. He does have his passion.

My answer to his questions posed there would be twofold: (1) hate breeds war, and (2) information presented out of historical context breeds hate.

JoeAm

"I Flee and Moan, Therefore I am . . ."

Like Nixon, not Woodward

A short blog of no real consequence, a rebound as it were.

Blogger: (noun) one who flees to his personal writing space and moans to the best of his ability.

Moan: (verb) to point out the flaws in others.

Information is where you find it.

• FOI is a legal initiative to drag information reluctantly from government, for government has a natural drive toward secrecy. It is best done through legislation that mandates accessibility to all but the most sensitive of government information.

• Spying is the risky business of stealing information from another nation to help defend one's own nation. It is generally illegal and is carried out secretly for purposes deemed important and righteous. Spies are often executed.

• Investigative journalism starts with an issue and probes sometimes hidden or undiscovered information to shed light on the issue. It is journalism with a purpose deeper than reporting on everyday events. Investigative journalism will sometimes rely on unrevealed sources that have access to secret information. The righteous justification is found in revealing who did what to whom, when, where, why and how. What is often criminal. 

• Whistle-blowing is the non-journalistic cousin of investigative journalism.

• Wikileaks is a political effort aimed at undermining the integrity of powerful states using methods that are illegal, such as theft of information. It is akin to spying except it is not in defense of any nation, but is for the destruction of nations. Wikileaks would argue that it furthers the betterment of mankind, but one wonders why undertakings are done with disregard toward laws. Laws are the rules by which we pursue the betterment of mankind. 

Wikileaks is Nixon, doing illegal acts for political purposes. Investigative journalism is Woodward, doing discovery on illegal acts.

We should be clear on this.

Scurrilous scumbag: (adjective fronting a noun) Julian Assange

Philippine Bloggers Suck

A Philippine Blogger

I love a dirty headline. Grabs you by the indignity. Grabs you by the curiosity. Grabs you by the prurient interests.

It's the pride of journalism in the Philippines, this finely honed knack for slapping sensationalism across the front pages. Who is attacking whom today? What American transgressions can we pounce on today? Did Kris Aquino cry on television today? Did Miriam explode? Did Enrile zing verbal insults at a fellow senator? Were people murdered at the mall? Beheaded in Mindanao? Arrested in San Francisco? Impeached in the congress? Eaten by a crocodile? Did any buses smash into each other today on the expressway? Trucks roll down the mountain in Mindoro? Bridges collapse? Police conduct a rubout? Flash floods kill some kids? What kidnapped person emerged from the jungles of Sulu and how much was that ransom, anyway? Any Sultans on the rampage today? The Chinese landing on any new Philippine islands? Is Jessica Sanchez coming to the Philippines? Who is her boyfriend here? 

It is endless, the sleaze and slime and underbelly of the Philippines, racked and stacked at newsstands across the land daily, hawked on the highway by gap-toothed vendors thrusting a pile of bold headlines through the car window, or blazed in full bloody color on the television screen, carnage dealt like big magic cards from a pompous talking head's bottomless pit of grue and gore.

I studied journalism at the University of Southern California. Got my Master's Degree at it. Man, we never imagined anything quite like Philippine news. Those were the days when US journalism actually tried to be upstanding. Walter Cronkite ruled the news roost, a man of impeccable objectivity and passion for doing news right.  Dan Rather rather tilted to the left but Tom Brokaw held steady. And Fox News, under the direction of "Da Man" Ruuuuuupert Murdoch, one of those rare Australian hopping creatures of low moral integrity, went sharply right for ratings. "Fair and balanced" became the Fox motto, the big lie, itself testimony to the deceits and slurs this network would willingly ship to overfed and intellectually lazy Americans.

But even Fox news carries itself with integrity compared to Philippine news.

Here, the big television networks use every trick in the book to squeeze out pesos. Jam 50 minutes of shampoo and soap ads at us per hour. Market mercilessly to kids. Turn up the volume of advertisements so we have to leap from the sofa for the remote to push mute. They even feature their own station's drama stars as news features, as if we are all SUPPOSED to be goo-goo eyed watching those ego-polished fake people strut their phony stuff. As if it mattered. As if it were properly a part of every Filipino's earnest, productive work day to know what ACTORS are up to.

I screamed at my wife the other day, as I am inclined to do now and then when the cross cultural pressures get a little heady. "Honeybunch, those television dramas are FAKE you know! They aren't real!"

She tends to get absorbed by them.

But back to the headline.

"Philippine bloggers suck!"

I have drawn that conclusion recently as I've watched another blogger whom I held in high regard go off the deep end of negativity. Angela Stuart-Santiago.  She now joins Ellen Tordesillas on Joe Am's list of Fox News aspirants, bloggers who have gone biased. Gone negative. I fear that Noemi Dado of Blogwatch is going the same route. Who's next? Not Raissa. Please tell me, not Raissa.

Angela got my goat by doing the inside-out twist of the Fitch ratings. Taking what ought to be a moment of celebration for the entire Philippines, flipping it, and attacking President Aquino.

I can't comprehend this.

Well, I can. Each blogger believes we should be perfect. He . . . or she . . . believes the President should be perfect. Perfection in this model is what the blogger believes is best, or correct. Never mind that the blogger has little information to work from and absolutely zero responsibility if he . . . or she . . . ends up WRONG. The Filipino blogger writes into that easy-writing space between his . . . or her . . .ego-bound ideal and reality. And is aghast if anyone  sees it differently.

Filipino bloggers are 100 percenters, just like the normal population. My way or you are an idiot. They don't write to learn, like dear JoeAm. They write to instruct. To lord their wisdom. To prove their superiority.

Filipino bloggers are wits of great nit when they flamboyantly strut their words as if they and only they had the inside scoop, the better perspective, the greater wisdom and the deeper insight. They also leverage people's desire for gore, for pain, for headlines and hard opinions and put conflict in the headline and insult in the text of the article. Nevermind that most of it is fiction, made-up stuff. You know . . . opinion.

The Philippines is a nation always jealous, always envious of the United States. Always insecure, with Filipinos trying to puff themselves up or put the US down. Filipinos are always comparing their nation with the neighbors, Viet Nam, Malaysia, Indonesia. They watch for every international ranking with absolute terror in their hearts.

Then we have a truly impressive POSITIVE milestone reached. Something never done before. The Philippines emerging from banana land to modern, investment grade stature. Recognized formally and tangibly around the world as a globally upstanding nation. And what do so many Filipino bloggers do? What do so many citizens do?

Flip the distinguished award inside out and CRITICIZE THE PRESIDENT WHO BROUGHT THEM THIS ESTEEMED RATING.

Christ Almighty.

Philippine bloggers suck.

Philippine Media: The Lay of the Land

This blog is a little different, as I search for order rather than meaning. Indeed, many of you may already know these media, but it is a process of discovery for me.

I have read repeatedly about Philippine news reporting being shallow and sensationalist. But it has only lately crystallized in my mind how damaging this can be to the Philippines as the nation seeks to emerge as a productive, modern,  respected nation in the global community of human rights and commerce.

Sensationalist news focused mainly on problems can overwhelm good works. That's the main danger, that news reporting would undermine the trust people have for their government and its leaders, and convey the wrong impression about what is happening.

So I thought I'd explore in more depth what the various media bring to the information table in the Philippines. Indeed, this is a long-dormant passion of mine. It was my chosen field of work laid to waste by an economy gone south in the early 1970's. I had acquired a master's degree in Radio and Television Arts, doing my thesis work at CBS Television in Los Angeles. Job opportunities were thin at the time. The fates determined that I should become a banker, or rather a bank marketing officer, working on the other side of the media business, as an advertiser.

But journalism is an area where I have a decent understanding of good communication principles. What we see in the Philippines is "light news", a kind of "quick and dirty" reporting without a lot of investigative work. Interviews and "hearsay" evidence are taken as facts and this repesents the content of many news articles. So do murders, rapes, tragedies and other titillating stories.  And, indeed, the sensationalist drive for ratings means that news frequently gets laced with emotionally charged words. Headlines are written to strike nerves. Filipinos, emotional at heart, love the stuff.

I won't belabor this further. Let me just say that for now, we will accept the argument that media news disciplines in the Philippines are very slack, in the interest of profit. We might shade this differently as we progress.

As we work through this together, we can identify certain issues for follow-through. For example, how about politics? Does that drive anything? We must put that on our task list for further study.

A second takeaway becomes quickly evident. There is no central resource of broadcast or print media because the Philippines has no media regulator. The industry is "self-regulated". This is very different than in the United States where the Federal Communications Commission regulates media ownership and monitors that media are properly serving the best interest of the public. So no central repository of licensing or cross-ownership of media appears to exist. It takes considerable effort to identify the full scope of media power of the larger organizations. Sorting that out becomes a "to do" item for the future.

Because of the lack of a central regulatory data base, it was difficult putting together this simple starting profile. Some of the information is a couple of years old, and some of the specific players may have changed. But this is just a starting point, so rough edges will be fine for what we need to do.

THE MEDIA DEFINED

It would be good to get a good reading of the landscape before we advance into it. Our focus is on news and information, not entertainment. The national goal is presumably an educated community having access to a variety of kinds and sources of information. Opinion columns or broadcasts represent the interpretive part of the news, so we include that in the realm of study as well.

We can start by breaking news sources into four groups:

• Television networks and stations
• Radio networks and stations
• Newspapers and other print media
• Internet news and commentary

Let's try to characterize each:

Television networks and stations

There are three dominant television networks and a wide range of over 200 local television stations, most affiliated with a network. Dissemination of programs is via airwaves, cable and satellite.

The two top networks, ABS-CBN and GMA-7, battle almost equally for dominance. It is a bitter battle, with interpretation of leadership meaning a lot in terms of advertising revenue. The two networks have engaged in legal and public bickering for about 7 years now, each claiming it is number one. The third network, is ABC-5. Recent Nielson ratings reported percentage viewership as follows:

Network	Share Points
GMA-7	36
ABS-CBN	30
ABC-5	15

ABS-CBN claims it held the prime time lead at 41% to GMA's 32%. The source is a different rating agency.

Beyond the "Big 3", we have the following television networks:

• Both GMA and ABS-CBN own secondary stations that broadcast shows aimed at younger "lifestyle" audiences, QTV-11 and Studio 23, respectively.

• One of the larger radio networks, Radio Philippines Network, owns a television station, RPN-9 (oops, outdated; read on. JA).

• Several other significant networks target regional or specialized audiences:

• UNTV 37, a public service channel owned by the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation in Quezon City.

• NET 25, featuring IT programming and encompassing Asia and Australia.

• IBC 13, the Intercontinental Broadcasting Company managed by the national government. (Update. Now only the People's Television Network is held by the government; see comments below. JA).

• RMN 31, the Radio Mindanao Network, which has 10 stations across the Philippines and one station in New York, USA.

• Cable and satellite subscribers can also sign up for CNN, BBC and other information channels. These typically do not feature the Philippines, and they are controlled outside the Philippines.

Radio Networks and Stations

There are just short of a thousand radio stations in the Philippines. All major cities across the nation have at least one radio outlet. Manila has 51.

The two largest TV networks also own substantial radio properties.

We also once had the Radio Philippines Network, cited above. But it's a changing world and RPN has been consolidated with former government radio stations of the IBC, and recast as ETC, under private ownership (including by San Miguel Corporation). The government got tired of losing money and offering crappy program so cobbled together a new network and kept only the public television station.

The major radio networks in the Philippines include:

• Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) – 200 owned and affiliated stations nationwide. The news and talk station DZRH is its anchor, and it feeds other network stations such as Radyo Natin , as well as television through companion station RHTV. MBC also owns entertainment stations Love Radio, Aksyon Radio, Easy Rock and Yes FM. 

• ABS-CBN –  DZMM Radyo Patrol national news which feeds cable TV news channel DZMM TeleRadyo.  ABS-CBN also owns  My Only Radio's regional network of 14 FM music and entertainment stations.

• Radyo Mindanao Network (RMN) – AM and FM stations in 34 cities across the Philippines with heavy representation in Midnanao.

• Bombo Radyo – Bombo Radyo talk radio has 22 stations and Star FM operates 21 music stations. Based in Iloilo City.

• Catholic Radio Network – 52 church-run radio stations under a variety of different names nationwide.

• GMA Network – 23 radio stations across the country with main stations DZBB SilverRadyo and the Campus FM chain of music stations.

Newspapers and Other Print Media

There are approximately 75 newspapers published in the Philippines. Of these, 48 are in English with most being local publications from large cities, 20 in Filipino languages, 2 in Spanish, 1 bi-lingual and 4 in Chinese.

The major national newspapers include:

• Philippine Daily Inquirer.  Estimated circulation 260,000 daily with an average daily readership of over 2 million.

• Philippine Star. Circulation of about 270,000. Reaches Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

• Manila Bulletin. Circulation of about 280,000.  Owned by Emilio Yap who also owns tabloids Tempo and Balita and magazines such as Liwayway, Bisaya and Philippine Panorama.

• Manila Times.  President Aguinaldo read this publication. 

Other newspapers include

• Other: Business World, Malaya, Manila Standard Today, The Daily Tribune

• Tabloids:  Abante (circulation 420,000), Balita (Tagalog), People's Journal and People's Taliba (English and Tagalog versions), Pilipino Star Ngayon (Star's Tagalog paper), Saksi Ngayon (Tagalog) and Tempo (Manila Bulletin)
  

The Inquirer established a radio station in 2010, Radyo Inquirer.

If you'd like a more detailed history of the Philippine newspaper business, here is a link to an article published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts on a recent but unknown date.

Internet News and Commentary

The largest television and newspaper enterprises also have robust and informative web versions of their daily news and opinion fare. Videos and live feeds are featured on television sites. Here are the links to the news or main sections of those outlets.

• ABS-CBN
• GMA-7
• ABC-5
• Philippine Inquirer
• Philippine Star
• Manila Bulletin
• Business World  

The most significant internet-only news and opinion site is, of course Rappler. It is a younger, more interactive and less advertising intense news effort.

Information is not readily available as to the impact of the internet on newspaper circulation, or the financials of these undertakings. The web sites are significant efforts, maintained in a much more dynamic, current state than are government agency sites, for example.

We also have attached to the news outlets robust opinion and commentary sections, with top columnists such as Randy David drawing several hundred reader comments in response to an article. Bloggers represent fly-by-night opinion mongers, rather wayward and quite broke orphan cousins.

Conclusions

There are three or four main players in each media category. The internet is the most competitively robust because it has both newspaper and television players, plus Rappler.

In order of dominance based on daily viewership, I'd guess the impactful voices stack up as follows in terms of power:

1. ABS-CBN
2. ABC-5
3. Abante
4. Philippine Inquirer
5. Philippine Star
6. Manila Bulletin
7. Manila Broadcasting Company
8. GMA-7
9. Business World

We now have in this first blog is the general lay of the land. There is much, much more to explore.

For Further Study

• What is the ownership connectivity among the major players. That is not clear from this cursory review.

• Do editorial or news policies reflect a political bias?

• What are the issues emerging from "self regulation" of media? Are television and radio frequencies considered a "public resource"? Or are they the total purview of private interests?

• How does the quality of news reporting vary from outlet to outlet?

• What are trends in internet readership? How is the internet affecting the financial viability of the mainstream media?

The next article in the series will take up trends on the internet, and financial impacts if such information is available.

This Top Secret Report Just In

Unknown to readers and even Angry Maude, JoeAm three months ago hired a black ops organization to do some undercover work. A "black ops organization"  is a secret agency so secret that its existence must be denied by every alphabet known to the entire spy world, including the FBI, CIA, NBI, NBA, KGB, NRA, IRA, USDA and Greenpeace.

This organization is darker than the cave of the underground river on a moonless light, with that cheap Chinese flashlight the boatmen carry emptied of batteries. You couldn't find this organization with radar or SONAR or GPS or a ten foot pole. It is invisible, a chameleonic shape-shifter able to go places ordinary men and women only dream of. It can hack and crack computers impervious to that world-famous hacking organization Anonymous and its cadre of technically ingenius evil-eyed gameboys.

Are you getting the picture? This organization can go anywhere at anytime and never be seen. It has ears the size of Dumbo and a nose the size of Dumbo and muscles the size of Rambo. It can go up, under, around and through any obstacle, even virus software, sandbagged bunkers, military riot squadrons and Philippine mall police. These guys are professionals, although they may look like Sonny Angara or Piolo Pascual or Charice. Absolutely normal. They go with the flow, bend in the wind, fly in the sky and dig in the dirt. Agile and strong. Smarter than a brass tack.

So Joe hired them at no small expense and gave them their charter:

• Find out who reads JoeAm's Society of Honor blog, and who does not.

Here's what they discovered:

THE READERS OF THIS BLOG

Group One-A:  The Society of Honor. These men and women are a special bunch of intellectually, multi-dimensionally, cross-culturally gifted Filipinos and non-Filipinos  having connections with the Philippines. They are the people who comment. They've been around. They think for themselves. They are mature and civil. They can take a joke and dish one out. They are well-read and know what is going on. They can parse complex problems and articulate solutions. They see the Philippines clearly. They bring a wide set of experiences to bear on topics presented here. They are worth reading, for sure.

They are the makers of ideas.

Group One-B: These are the quiet men and women who read the blog regularly but don't type much. Possibly because they are shy, or perhaps not confident of their English expression or arguments, or perhaps because they don't type much. But they read and think and share ideas with their friends. They are the strong silent types.

They are the bakers of ideas.

Group Two:  Opinion makers and politicians who, by the importance of their station, are required to refrain from commenting. But they read, and think, and incorporate the ideas they like within their own thinking. Journalists are in this bunch, and certain legislative staffers, and even people on President Aquino's cabinet or staff. They may just peek in, or even read regularly. For sure, they are there because some have introduced themselves to JoeAm in the background.

They are the takers and shakers of ideas.

Group Three:  The curious and the spot-checkers. People pass through, maybe from a link plopped on Rappler or other blogs. A few enjoy what they read and stop in once in a while. A great many don't connect with the writing style or the idea the blog is written by an American or the irreverent style or other reasons. They move on down the road.

They are the forsakers of ideas.

THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ THIS BLOG

Group One: The anti's and the envious. The complainers don't read this blog. They are offended by JoeAm's relentless positive view of President Aquino and the Philippines. It infuriates and depresses them to even think that their complaints, whines and gripes are so much spit into the wind. Also in this group are other bloggers who somehow think they are competing with JoeAm even though he only competes with himself. These are people who are happy when others fail.

Group Two: The great unread. Face it, the big words, complex concepts, and satirical style zoom right past most Filipinos. There are like 92 million of them in the Philippines. They include the unaware, the unread, the technologically unplugged, and kids.

WHAT READERS THINK ABOUT THE BLOG

In addition to the quantitative look at who reads, our black operators also explored what readers think about the blog. Here are their findings in short bullet-point capsules:

• The pictures are cool. They are funny and lots of times have hidden meanings.

• Joe is nuts, a bit of a friendly blowhard with lots of opinions that sometimes get tiresome, but it is worth it for the refreshing ideas or good jokes that float through now and then.

• People don't understand 34.8% of what Joe is writing about, especially when he gets into literature that people haven't read, or goes back so far with his stories that he appears as a figment of ancient history.

• Readership increases when Angry Maude rages or Joe disses Get Real Post. Readers may be smart, but they like a little good dirt now and then like anybody else.

• They'd like to read more from guest writers, especially Filipino writers. Readers are proud of their own and like the change in pace from Joe's daily grindings.

• They don't like it when Joe imposes a superiority complex on things Filipino. Fortunately, the Society readers are candid enough to take Joe to task when he is going arrogant.

• Readers appreciate the contribution Joe is making to the Philippine dialogue.

JoeAm has released the black ops unit from any further inquiry. He gave them a generous bonus for the depth of their findings. It is rumored they are now training up on underwater sabotage and speaking Chinese. They were last seen waterproofing a bunch of maps of the Spratleys.

JoeAm's 2012 Philippine Blogging Awards

I wanted to nominate myself for a Philippine blogging award this year but discovered that, in the purest of nationalistic fervor, the Philippine Blog Awards gives awards only to bloggers who are Filipino citizens . Boy howdy, that's a slap on the white but nicely tanned cheeks.

Here's their web site blurb which I agree with, actually:

The Filipino Blogging Community is a diverse and vibrant mix of personalities and individuals. Bloggers of different tastes. Bloggers of different views. Bloggers of different ages. Bloggers of different persuasion. Bloggers of different forms, shape and purpose. All Filipinos in spirit.

Well, I'm aspiring to be Filipino in dedication, but I don't know what it means to be Filipino in spirit. Is that the same as dedicated and loyal, or do I have to have the right paperwork? I live here. Drive the roads, go to the hospitals, bank at the banks, run over the dogs, pay the taxes, face the gunslinger neighbors. Am I not properly qualified to comment on the Philippine condition, and if not, why not? Seems wholly unbloglike, rather typical of the uber-nationalists who somehow believe only a Filipino is qualified to breathe the good island air. Rather like the people who wrote the Constitution, now that I think about it.

Well never mind anyway, that blog award organization seems like it is fading. The web site reports only the 2010 awards, although I guess there was an award in 2011.  I have no idea what's going on for 2012. The 2011 awards seemed rather obscure. I never heard of the 2011 "Social, Politics and History" guy. This must be some club on Mindanao or something. I dunno.

I rather think it falls to JoeAm to acknowledge the stars and the otherwise, the ept and inept, of Filipino blogging. I don't give a rodent's patootie where you live as long as your subject is the Philippine condition.

Before getting to JoeAm's awards, however, lets go back to look at  how those other award-givers saw things back in 2010. I refuse to list the 2011 winners. It might gum up my keyboard with irrelevant trivia.

2010 PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARD AWARDS (with notes by JoeAm)

• Best Blog in Advocacy Category – Web Safety Philippines by Sonnie Santos
• Best Blog in Beauty and Fashion Category – The Reluctant Stylista by Alexandra Lapa
• Best Blog in Business Category – Ready to be Rich by Fitz Villafuerte
• Best Blog in Culture and Arts – Anik-anik Love by Mitch Mauricio
• Best Blog in Entertainment Category – Without Wang2 by Nickie Wang
• Best Blog in Food and Beverage Category – Happy Foodies by Ferdz Decena and Oggie Ramos
• Best Blog in Gaming Category – Back 2 Gaming by B2Gamers
• Best Blog in Hobby and Recreation – Back 2 Gaming by B2Gamers
• Best Blog in Home and Parenting Category – iMom by Chats Siao
• Best Blog in Humor Category – The Professional Heckler by Loi Reyes Landicho
• Best Blog in Lifestyle – The Creative Dork by Robbie Bautista
• Best Blog in Literature / Literary Category – City Buoy by Nyl Lim
• Best Blog in Personal/Diary Category – Yoshke.com by Yoshke Dimen
• Best Photoblog – Gerryruiz Photoblog by Gerry Ruiz (Last Post 8/12-Joe)
• Best Blog in Social, Politics and History – The Pro Pinoy Project by The Pro Pinoy Project
• Best Blog in Sports – Filipino Boxing Journal by Kenneth Ragpala
• Best Blog in Technology Category – My Silly Point of View by Richard D. Feraro (Dead? Joe)
• Best Blog in Travel Category – Just Wandering by Nina Fuentes
• Best Blog in Video and Podcasts – Pinoy How To by Buddy and Yael Gancenia (Not a blog. Dead. Joe)

If you click the links, you will find an astounding array of topical, high quality blog publications on a variety of subjects: food, photography, boxing, parenting, travel and more. Three of the blogs appear to have expired.  The other 16 are still at it, and most post their blog awards in a side column.

The only two on the list that I was previously familiar with are The Professional Heckler  and The Pro Pinoy Project. They are both on my blog roll at The Philippine Blog Center.

My favorite on the list is Yoshke.com for its variety of subjects, humor and quality of publication. For entertainment buffs, Without Wang2  is also excellent.

Clearly, I need to add these blogs to the Blog Center because these are some fine quality blogs. The consistencies I see among them are: (1) high quality presentation and photos, (2) narrow, generally technical or apolitical subject matter, and (3) associated advertising to try to generate money.

My own engagement has been in the category of "Social, Politics and History" where Pro-Pinoy was the winner in 2010.

Well, boy howdy, things have changed in the "Social, Politics and History" blogging world this past year. First, Raissa Robles came on the scene and demolished any competition in terms of quality of edgy writing and volume of comments. Pro-Pinoy  languished with few articles and a site under construction for much of the year; the site has been more active lately. JoeAm on The Society of Honor  has been gaining readership by pushing the limits as the most opinionated blogger in the Philippines, six articles a week. And the anti sites have faded into the irrelevance they deserve for failing to join in and promote through constructive acts the rise of a healthy, growing Philippines.

In the interest of good humor and constructive intent, that being to promote a blogging COMMUNITY of vibrant, active, varied and impactful writers, JoeAm hereby gifts the JoeAm's 2012 Philippine Blogging Awards as follows:

JoeAm's 2012 Philippine Blogging Awards

Most Awesome Blog in the Philippines: Raissa Robles by Raissa Robles

Raissa has been in the journalism business long enough to know people and sources, so she gets into the real world of politics with information and insights the outliers don't have. Her blogs are topical, interesting and informative. They are edgy, poking at the vulnerabilities of the existing ways of doing business and thereby acting as a catalyst for change. Her cadre of commenters, called CPMers (Cyber Plaza Miranda), whack away at the topics in a relentless binge of inquiry, information and opinion. This is a well-read, powerful blog. The only weakness is the tendency of some commenters to dominate the dialogue, and Raissa's often passive role as she is off investigating her next piece.

Best Unrealized Potential for A Community Blogging Site: The Pro-Pinoy Project by Cocoy

The defunct Filipino Voices lives on, sputtering and chugging, in The Pro Pinoy Project. The idea is right. Quality writers. Important topics. Good discussion. There just is not enough consistency of commentary, and not a large enough discussion base, to raise the site to the importance it ought to have. And that the quality of its writing staff deserve (Doy Santos, manuelbuencamino, Cocoy).  I wish someone there would get fired up and demand a publication schedule that attracts more readers. Filipino Voices was a pioneering blog. Pro-Pinoy is just there.

Biggest Flame-Out For A Journalist Turned Anti:  ellentordesillas by Ellen Tordesillas

I've already beat up on Ellen and don't wish to continue. I'm looking for her to return to the balanced, journalistic platform that would make her a credible analyst of the Philippine condition.  She has the history and journalistic contacts similar to Raissa Robles, but has not leveraged them into the kind of vibrant dialogue you'll find with Raissa. It is rather like a one-woman lecture and of late it has done a lot of criticism of President Aquino. Rather like  the views of Obama you get on Fox. My comments on the site never get posted for some reason. Is JoeAm banned there??

Best Journalistic Opinion Monger: The Philippine Daily Inquirer Columnists

The Philippine Daily Inquirer makes the transition from paper rag to electronics better than most. Sound group of opinion columnists offering up a range of views. I am not able to discern a slant. Discussion is active, especially for the more established writers such as Randy David.

Best Oneway Blogs: blogwatch.ph and blogwatch.tv by Noemi Dado

I cannot decide if Blogwatch is a blog or a news site ala Rappler. The information flows one way, and it is generally good information. But there is little dialogue. Even at the.tv site, which is mainly commentary.  I get the sense that the information could be leveraged for more MEANING through active dialogue. The site would then be a lot more powerful. The base information is there. Or else the site needs to build its news team and go that direction with greater variety and more original material. A lot of the content now is re-publication of materials written by others. Like Pro-Pinoy, this blog has yet to realize the power it ought to have.

Best Cross Cultural Dialogue: The Society of Honor by Joe America

JoeAm is a sly satirist and opinion monger who eschews data in favor of concept. He leverages his outsider's history and insider's experiences to dissect Filipino culture, social institutions and politics. But he is not simply a destroyer. He seeks ways to build, to move forward and upward. He has an American's lack of tact but also an open mind. His clever word play is entertaining for those who get it and a snore for those who don't. This is a blog for those who want to fire up their problem-solving creativity.

Most Irrelevant Blog in the World: Get Real Post by Benigno

Tinnier and tinnier the carping becomes as credibility hisses relentlessly off into the internet ether. The entire blog still seems to rotate around shrill criticisms of President Aquino and Filipinos in general. Three years now they’ve rapped on this obsession. Talk about a snore. Where's the intellectual might, the ground-breaking insight? For sure, to build a new building you have to tear down the old. But at some point you need to lay bricks, if you know what I mean.

Funniest Blog in the Philippines: The Professional Heckler by Loi Reyes Landicho

Always topical, always on top of current events with a devilish twist and satiric wit. I get about 25% of the humor and it's great. Those of you who speak Tagalog would get more. And those of you who know entertainment personalities would get more. I like the blog because it proves the point, Filipinos are as creative and insightful as anyone. First class entertainment blog for the bent of mind.

Best Newsblog: Rappler by Maria Ressa and Friends

Rappler is not a newspaper that has gone electronic. It is a fast-paced news, opinion, and discussion forum built on an electronic framework from the ground up, with a wide range of articles and commentary. Content is timely and informative. Often groundbreaking. Rappler is always measuring the mood of the Philippines. Discussion is an important part of many of the articles. This is a very dynamic, modern journalistic style and I hope they can keep it up.  First class. The Pacquiao of Philippine information vending.

The Blogger We'd Most Like to Read More of: The Nutbox by "J"

Well, "J" has a name, but it's not on his blog. He is a comparative youngster at 21. Brilliant. Schooled in international relations. His blogging is among the most intelligent out there. He has the applied practicality of a journalist with the intellectual nuance of a professor. Alas, he has a real job, so he cannot crank out a lot of articles. But the ones he does are always worth reading. If there were big money in blogging, this guy would be the best. Alas, he must butter his bread elsewhere. Youth is the promise of the Philippines, and this blog shows that the future has great potential.

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