A case of two stories

Here are two news articles about the same thing. The first is from the Manila Standard-Today: High court upholds GMA gag order. The second comes from the Sun-Star: High court excludes Arroyo from suit v. gag order. The first story obviously has a lot of spin to it; the second puts the story firmly in its proper context: the Supreme Court simply decided the President is immune from suit, but wants a quick resolution and has asked the other concerned parties to submit their positions on whether it was proper to gag officers who have testified before Congress.

Click this.
garci_taken.jpg
It’s hilarious.

The Garci-hunt, as I noted briefly yesterday, had GMA7 reporting an anonymous congressman on its news show, 24 Oras, as saying Garcillano’s in Manila. The GMA7 source is quoted in an article I’d linked to yesterday:
But a lawmaker at the House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that during that time he was able to speak with Garcillano on the mobile phone of a common friend.

The source said he was positive that Garcillano was in Manila when he spoke to him.

“He sounded so depressed. He was telling me that he’s done nothing wrong,” the source said.

In their brief conversation, the lawmaker said that Garcillano did not ask for any assistance or favor from him.
RG Cruz in his blog says that the latest mutation of the buzz is that Garcillano is in Cagayan de Oro City, but the networks don’t have any confirmation of this. The stage is pretty clearly being set up for something.

The Inquirer editorial, Little brown brother, apparently delves into Edwin Lacierda’s calculations on how long it would take for the rape case against American servicemen would take. Noteworthy here is that it’s possibly one of the first times the blogosphere has had an influence on the editorial content of a newspaper. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that Finger-pointing begins: Who turned over 6 GIs? DFA now seeks custody of US servicemen.

Speaking of servicemen, Gail Ilagan, with whom I don’t always agree but who is quite splendid in the pungency of her punditry, delves into the characters and characteristics of your average G.I.

As I said, as this story evolves, start with the past, in particular this article from 1946, “Filipinos keep out.”

Newsbreak is set to release an absolutely devastating issue this weekend. Three articles, in particular, answer these long-pending questions: who had Garcillano tapped? How did the President’s campaign really work? What was the President’s role in the whole thing? Grab a copy at your nearest newsstand.

Precious picture of the day: This one, on Inq7.net (I can’t reproduce it here, because of copyright restrictions) It’s of the President in Korean academic robes. I thought the caption should’ve quoted a line from Queen Amidala: “Your Honor! I am Queen Amidala. This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I am sorry for my deception, but under the circumstances, it has become necessary to protect myself. The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. You are in hiding; my people are in camps. I ask you to help us. No, I beg you to help us. We are your humble servants. Out fate..is in your hands.”

Four tidbits of note: Wrongfully deported woman returns to Sydney and Zobel to advertisers: Work for reforms. Then, Free Republic links to an article about allegations of voter fraud in Georgia, USA, requiring voter identification. Sounds like home! Plus, the BBC reports UK revisionist historian David Irving has been arrested in Austria under laws against denying the Holocaust. Irving has long claimed there’s no documentary evidence Hitler ordered the mass liquidation of Jews and has gone on to argue the Holocaust never happened. Bravo for the Austrians, it’s about time.

In the punditocracy, Amando Doronila points out that after limiting most public protests to Metro Manila, by allowing the resumption of logging to Samar, the government has accomplished what the opposition failed to do: start trouble for itself in the provinces. Dan Mariano wonders where the “great debate” over constitutional change has disappeared to. Ellen Tordesillas writes of the nost recent ambassadorial shuffle (interesting tidbit was publisher Max Soliven’s veto over the appointment of fellow journalist Amando Doronila to the Paris post; welcome news is the appointment of Ambassador Jose Zaide, Jr. to Paris: to my mind he is one of our most cultivated and witty ambassadors, and was very sensible during his stint as head of protocol for the home office. Incidentally, Uniffors has an interesting debate going on in its comments section on the question of elderly ambassadors and determining up to which rank diplomats should be career civil servants).

My editor at the Arab News, Rasheed Abou-Alsamh, recounts his impressions on visiting the Philippines (and incidentally announces he’s gone into blogging: his entries on how airline seats seem to be shrinking, and how some Miss World finalists look like transvestites, are quite funny). Incidentally, one of my Arab News columns has been reposted on Al-Jazeerah. Mike Tan makes an eloquent appeal for multilingualism.

The blogosphere has the Washington Note linking to a couple of important articles on China; Buzz Machine with a capsule observation on plunging self-confidence in Germany; and two interesting blog entries on the use of “white phosphorus” firebombs: Where Now is the Citizen on Mars? and locana (a blogger based in Bombay). locana says white phosphorous bombs are “dangerous chemical weapons,” while Citizen on Mars points out they’re being used in Mindanao.

My Favorite “Progressive” Blogger goes great guns in praise of Ninotchka Rosca’s biography of the Red Pope, Jose Maria Sison. May topak objects to the “guidelines on patriotism” recently released by an education official, and with good reason (the objection, I mean).

Adel Gabot blogs about the impending release of a major podcasting effort by Filipinos:

[The podcasts will] premiere in a big Podcast event on November 22, where 25 different Philippine podcasts (including Philmug and m|PH’s, as well as Jessica Zafra’s and many others), and will be available for download internationally starting then. Jessica [Zafra] and I will also be recording the Twisted Radio Show podcast sometime soon so it’ll be one more to put on your iPod.

A site of note, which gave me my first major exposure on the Interweb is Tanikalang Ginto: The Philippines’ most comprehensive and largest human-edited web directory. Online since 1994. Bookmark it.

This should really be in my reviews blog, but I have to say, my favorite show nowadays is Boston Legal. James Spader as a neurotic, egotistical attorney; William Shatner as a lecherous, slightly senile legendary lawyer, Candice Bergen as a ruthless maneouverer: and a supporting cast of conniving, yet essentially decent lawyers. Who could go wrong watching such a cleverly-written show?