DALAWANG PISO: #AMABITCH #AMALAYER

Here's another one just fresh out of facebook and twitter. And indeed from the moment I saw the video yesterday, it is a guaranteed trending topic. And it was as #AMALAYER just trended on the top spot (and some say, it went also to global trends).  With just over a minute of raw video of a girl in her uniform making a scene at the LRT 2 Station with the lady guard on duty. Though the video did not cover the whole scene, it caught the part where the student, known to be Paula Jaime Salvosa, was confronting the lady bag which she says was rude to her.

The video was uploaded in facebook and was shared thousands to times. The hashtag #AMALAYER still trends twitter in the Philippines and also worldwide. Like other internet stars of this year like the one who assulted the MMDA officer and Sen. Sotto and his "highest form of flattery", they got a lash from angry, sympathetic, and parody-loving netizens. And as of this writing, it is still trending.

Just coming from the advanced screening of Breaking Dawn, which I think would have trended, was overshadowed by the hot issue of the #Amalayer Girl. If one would look at the video, it was more of Paula's ranting in front of the lady guard. With the quotable AMALAYER (I'm a liar) part which made it into the trending topics. Some of the quotes also got are ("may pinag aralan ako, i'm returning the favor")

As most of us do not tolerate these kind of behavior against a fellow Filipino, it would really spark a hate sentiment all over the net. Knowing that there are millions who owe their lives to workers like the security guard. Let's say that the guard did made also a mistake with an unfriendly and rude, it would have been in favor if she did not fight back with attention grabbing reaction, and indeed with her english background makes her a target of grammar nazis. And the reactions goes as fast as having hate and parody pages and even a fake twitter which many though was really her and made haters hating her more.

First for the uploader, yes it was something fast yet lifechaning moment that was posted however, I hope that you first forsee the consequences for both parties of the viral video. To the lady guard, that it may also be a wake up call that even it may be a routine job, one false move could snap on a very rowdy customer, and also keep calm at all times. And finally to Paula, is to takes this as a serious life lesson, first is public exhibition of anger is never a good idea. If one was wrong against you, you have the option to shrug it off or try  filing a formal complaint (tough not be practical, but  really addresses the issue better. And finally, when you see someone filming you, stop.

That is my dalawang piso, take it or leave it. .

DALAWANG PISO: Sorry Po Blogger LANG...

For this edition of DALAWANG PISO, it came to my attention that in the midst of the heated debate of the very controversial and  RH Bill(To make it clear that I made my stand that I do not approve the bill), a short statement  was made by Senator Tito Sotto. He is against the bill and  also told the story on how he lost his son brought by its consequences. However, there was something wrong in his speech that raised eyebrows especially to the online community.

On the website of The Healthy Home Economist, the article used in his privileged speech regarding about the bill was said to be plagiarized from her post.  Sotto first denied quoting the blogger and said she was quoting Natasha Campbell-McBride. And then also gave a statement of “Bakit ko naman iko-quote ang blogger? Blogger lang iyon. Ang kino-quote ko si Natasha Campbell-McBride." Which sounds really wrong to bloggers like me. Later, Sotto's staff admitted to have used the blog post with a letter sent by Atty Hector Villacorta from the office of Senator Sotto. 

The quote also got reaction from various Filipino Blog communities, one of which is PEBA Inc (Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards). And has been the talk of blogger discussion groups. And so the issue is now spreading via social networking sites. I have also read a number of blogs that, like me, furious about what they think of this predicament as something light and carry on. Cheerio?

Being one of the non-RH Senator, he made his privileged speech at the right place, at the right time but with a wrong piece. As humans, we do understand the pain of the loss of his son which is one of the reason he is against the bill. However, its a sin to tolerate people that an obvious crime of plagiarism was made which is technically intellectual theft. 

For my dalawang piso, it seems that there is something wrong here. I don't question Senator Sotto's stand on the bill or his grief on that heart breaking loss. However the things that are wrong here are:  (1) Plagiarizing an article from a blogger and even denying it (even proven that original content did came from the post), which later on was admitted by his staff. (2) Though understandable that he is not into the blogging community, his small statement " Blogger Lang" is somehow a "rude" way to see their existence. It maybe addressed to a specific blogger but does it mean blogs and bloggers are irrelevant? Also with their letter to Sarah Pope, the author of the blog seems to put the guilt on her rather than to apologize for the damage done. 

I am not calling for heads to roll, but rather an sincere apology letter or statement for this issue only. Plagiarism is a crime, and it is ironic for a lawmaker to break a law  that is a very obvious practice. Dear Senator Sotto I know you may be stressed, but as a citizen of the Philippines, a blogger and a netizen, if you really care about public welfare you would listen to this simple post of what I feel and also of the people online. Don't think that bloggers or online people are something you can exempt from rules that you made to get get out of this needle hole. It's so freaking obvious, and the worse part is it was from someone abroad which makes thing go internationally. I feel now uncomfortable with you and your staff as if you think you also own our souls just because we work and write online. There is still time to redeem yourself dear senator and your staff, definitely my vote is not for you. This is my dalwang piso, it's time to make it... or break it...

DALWANG PISO: RHetoric Monologue

Kung may anti RH at pro RH, meron din namang dedma RH. 

Before making a stand, better know the law is about, mahirap na ang makisama sa bandwagon ng pro at anti dahil uso ito. Ang tanong ay nabigyan ba ng publiko ng tamang impormasyon ukol sa batas? I personally don't have a firm stand because like a thesis, this bill should be properly studied. As many RH supporters point out overpopulation is the reason why the bill is needed, our population as a country has been concentrated in cities like Manila, which is now the most densely populated city in the world, while in the provinces well there is land and resources but no infrastructure and capital. While most Anti-RH supporters, mostly from the Catholic church and religious organizations on the other hand point that the bill would be promoting sex without the guilt.

Although many supporters of the bill says that aside from reducing unwanted pregnancies, it would also help reduce mothers who die because of pregnancy complications. On the other hand, Anti-RH says that the bill would be impractical because of giving a large budget for contraceptives rather than using to money to create jobs and education.

For this moment, lets exclude our personal beliefs and political motives, so we can focus on the essence of this controversial (and overexposed) bill.

For my Dalawang Piso, like any other bill there are pros and cons that the proposal would create, but they would always have the objective that will benefit the country and its citizens. Actually we should look at healthcare which is the common denominator of this bill. Access to general healthcare has always been scarce in the country especially to poor provinces.

Well contraceptives of many kinds has been available for so long but some are considered "pricey" to the poor which are the ones who have big numbers of children. But the RH bill won't make a miracle of reducing the population overnight, though it would slow down annual population growth. The price of the bill seems to high that some can be allocated to other priorities that poor people need.

It's kind of ironic that mostly both anti and pro RH that are not the direct benefactors of the bill (like priests, celebrities, government officials, legislators, online personalities), are the ones making a great debates and intellectual insights of the boon and bane of the bill while it is seldom or rare to hear opinions and even the idea of the bill from the mothers, fathers and poor families.  And in the end, if the bill is passed or not, the choice would still be with the individual person. Give them a condom, will they use it or not?

Whatever your stand may be, just make sure that you have read the bill first. And also there are also a lot of things we can do today that can make a difference than focusing all our resources on our anti or pro RH campaigns. This is my dalawang piso, take it or leave it.

DALAWANG PISO: PNoy SONA 3

Ah! After a long hiatus from a lot of business and school I came back to write at my personal blog space where I can voice my opinions freely. Well for this edition, I mean this post, I came to write about the State of the Nation Address. A tradition that I have done in the past administration, but stopped at 2010 for unknown reasons. For this SONA tomorrow, I think it will contain:

DALAWANG PISO: The Stoning of the Cross Posers

do you want nails with that?

The world of the web is both nice and mostly harsh and sometimes with our daily actions that we think we can get away with it may not would be as expected. Especially this last holy week when a lot of people flew to their respective provinces or probably vacation spots especially this very long weekend.

And with most of us being busy roaming the cities and towns for Visita Iglesia, other prefer to soak up in the beaches and pools (well probably they would not be Catholics, or not really into the penitence thing). Others do both, which I also do sometimes. Because Lent is a season of solemnity, reflection and transformation (for the better), and also a time to limited TV programming, facebook notifications dropped because of less viewers and internet use.

And another viral photo became the talk of the town with several shots of people posing at the cross used in after a senakulo. The tourists then went to the cross which have a peg to stand on and made poses on it as if they were an interactive pose-on-the-cross moments. Well others feel that a jump shot is cooler.

As Easter arrived, and many went back in online has seen these pictures and became viral. Last night it was featured in the national TV news. Again, the power of social media shows its influence and most likely, the ones in the photos have seen the consequences of what they have done. And add to that the thousands of criticisms that they got from facebook and other sites.

DALAWANG PISO: Nicole Kelly at Mo Twister vs the Internet

Kailan lang may pumutok na kontrobersya muli sa internet tungkol sa isa sa mga kandidata ng Ms. Earth pageant na ginanap dito sa Pilipinas (originally sa Bangkok ang venue kaso ang lungsod ay nasa isang matinding baha sa ngayon). Ang representative ng USA na di Nicole Kelly o Nicole Lynn ay di umano'y nagpost ng isang racist remark sa kanyang facebook profile:

“I hardly made it to Manila and we already attended a ridiculous tv show. So annoying!!! These people want to touch you and be with you all the time!! I can’t understand a word they say. I can’t wait to go back home. This country is so dirty and noisy. I’m scared to eat!!! What a mess. On a lighter note I don’t see any real competition. Will keep you updated my loves,” 

Dahil sa statement na ito, maraming Pinoy ang nagpupuyos sa galit at nagcomment (at shinare) ang screenshot ng status niya sa facebook. Tinangal na ito sa kanyang wall at gumawa ng isang youtube video na di umano'y na hack ang kanyang account at nagpost ng walang paalam. At syempre tulad ng apoy ay madaling kumalat ito sa internet na karamihan ay nagagalit sa kanyang statement. Marami din namang sumang-ayon sa kanyang pahayag na madumi at maingay ang Pilipinas. 

Ngunit tila lumalaki pa rin ang isyu sapagkat patuloy ang pagkalat nito. Kung matatandaan natin na mailang tao na ang binatikos at kung minsan ay nabuko sa kanilang kamalian na kumalat sa internet. Mula sa sinampay na aso, mga banyaga na nagkomento ng masama tungkol sa bansa. Hindi maikakaila na malaki ang kapangyarihan ng internet sa bansa, kaya tinuturing na tayong social media capital ng mundo.

Ngayon at mainit pa rin ang usapin eto ang aking masasabi:

Para kay Nicole Kelly, (i-english natin para sa kanya) if you actually made that statement, yes it is true and we already know it. However, if you mess with anything with Philippines or Filipino on it expect to be the talk of the nation with hate, hate and more hate. Also this statement maybe the reason you lost the crown. If that was a hacked statement, get you privacy settings up, though its suspicious you were able to delete it so quickly. Stay safe and say sorry if you do, the Filipino people will forgive you.

Magsilbi itong aral sa lahat, lalo na sumasali sa mga contest at pageant na maging maingat at matatalas ang pandinig at click ng mga Pinoy sa ganitong pahayag. Pero minsan ginagawa na ito ng ilan upang makakauha ng pansin sa mundo, yun ang mas nakakainis.  

Ngayon dumako naman tayo kay Mo Twister na kamakailan lamang ay lumisan ng bansa dahil sa isang video na kumalat din sa internet ukol sa di umano'y pagpapalaglag ng sanggol nila. Ang video mismo ay isang taon pa nakakaraan at patuloy na dumadami ang nakakapanood. Maging ang GMA Network ay magtutulak ng kaso laban sa DJ dahil inaakusahan ito ng nagbibigay ng pressure sa dating kasintahan.

Ayon kay DJ Mo, maaring nakuha ang video sa dati niyang computer at ito ay kumalat na. Sa totoo lang ay nakita ko pa siya sa isang technology event na tila walang problema bago ito kumalat. At dahil sa mabigat na isyu ng abortion, naiipit din si Rhian Ramos sa isyu lalo na mayroon siyang kakapalabas na pelikula na The Road.

Dito napapatunayan na kung dapat maging maingat sa mga pahayag na ginagawa sa internet lalo na sa mga celebrities. Dagdagan mo pa ng matitinding isyu kasabay nito ay tila pagtitiwakal sa harap ng bayan. Para kay Mo, kung totoo ang iyong pahayag sa video na ito dapat harapin mo ang mga consequences na dulot nito. At kay Rhian, nawa maliwanagan mo rin kung ano ang tunay na nangyari lalo na ang abortion ay isang napakabigat na akusasyon.


So sa mga gustong sumikat, laos na ang sex scandal videos, isang matinding racist statement o confession video (with props) ay magpro-propel sa inyo tungo sa kasikatan at kamuhian ng buong bayan. ITO ANG DALAWANG PISO KO.

SIGNS.

Uso na ulit ang signs of the times. Mula sa katapusan ng mundo, mga kalamidad, pagbagsak ng credit rating ng Amerika at kaguluhan sa London, tila may pinapahiwatig na maaring umabot nga sa  kinakatakutan na pagkagunaw ng mundo.

Pero minsan may mga bagay na biglaan at walang signs tulad ng pagreresign kahapon ni Secretary Lim sa DOT. Wala namang kontrobersya, sex tape, o kurapsyon, kailangan lang daw niya ng time sa family niya. Oh well. Tara na, Biyahe tayo!

Balik nga tayo sa London, kung saan tila nasusunog at sinisira ng mga nangangalit na taumbayan ang makasaysayang at makapangyarihang lungsod sauong mundo. Paano ba ito nagsimula. Ayon sa aking reaserch, nagsimula ito nang may mapatay ang pulis na isang taxi driver na pinaghihinalaan na drug pusher. Hindi ito tinangap ng kanyang kamag-anak at ang komunidad kay nagsimula ang iba't ibang riot sa London. Sana matapos at maisaayos kaagad at hindi rin umabot na makikita natin ang Beg Ben na ang umaalab.

Sa Amerika naman, malaking issue na sa kanila ang pagbagsak ng credit rating from AAA to AA+. Kung titignan, mukhang maliit lang ang kaibahan, ngunit dahil sila pa rin ang pinakamalaking ekonomiya sa mundo, ito ay nagbabadya ng pagbabalik ng recession at pagbagsak ng mga negosyo sa Amerka. Sana all is well...

Tama, Aal izz well, kakapanood ko lang ang 3 idiots na isang Bollywood film. Nakakainspire at nakakaaliw at the same time. Sa katunayan hindi ako ganun ka hook sa Hindi films dahil baka marindi ako sa sobrang dami ng song and dance number. Pero iba ito, lalo na pinauusapan dito ay ang buhay estudyante lalo na sa engineering na course ko. Ngayon na may matinding signos din akong pinagdadaanan, nakatulong siya ng malaki sa akin. 

Aal izz well, kapatid

Matapos ang matagal na procrastination or katamaran sa madaling salita, heto na naman ako nagta type sa keyboard ng walang pakundangan walang edit edit at walang magawa. Yes, tila may nahulog sa akin n a mahiwagang bunga at nakain ko habang natutulog. Sinipag ata ako, at in fairness, tagalo... este Filipino ang gamit na wika ko para sa blog post na ito.

Kung sa bagay dito naman talaga ako nagsimula sa pagkahilig sa pagsusulat, gamit ang wika na aking nakagisnan. Masayang malaman na tuloy na ako magsisismula sa pagsususlat ngayon na nakatenga lang ako at gumagawa ng iba pang blogs. At oo nga pala, ipapakilala ko ko sa inyo ang aking section na tatawagin kong DALAWANG PISO, ang Pinoy two cents.

Dito malaya kong maibabahagi ang aking opinyon sa mga nangyayari sa paligid. Kung nagbabasa kayo ng blog ko ay siguro alam niyo na ang BLAH BLAH BLOGS kung saan nagsimula din ako mag kuro kuro sa mga pangyayari. Well since nag upgrade na siya at kailangan nang maintindihan ng mas maraming tao, ang DALAWANG PISO naman ay para sa isa pang malayang usapan.  Parang Editoryal sa dyaryo, pero syrempre nasa blog tayo kaya iba ang masasbi ko rito.

Hindi naman ako magmumura (kung kinakailangan lamang), at manyuyurak (ng walang basehan) sa mga tao, bagay, pangyayari at pagkain nang hindi dumaan sa matinding balitaktakab at research. Libre naman ang internet sa mall kaya madalang makasagap ng balita at impormasyon ngunit dapat ay mayroong matalas na mata at matalinong pagiisip ukol sa mga isyu ng bayan. Ika nga ng GMA news, Think before you click.

Hangad ng dalawang piso na maibahagi sa nakararami ang mga usapin at iba pang bagay na hindi natin napapansin na may mahalagang bahagi ng may kinalaman din sa mga ito. Sa ngayon, parang introductory pa lamang ito pero asahan niyo na mas magiging personal at makulay ang usapan dito sa DALWANG PISO. Salamat din sa mga pangyayari, pelikula at mga panahon na sumubok sa akin at nagpaliwanag ng aking mata upang magising. 

Kaya eto, dumaan ang limang minuto at nakailang paragraph na pala ako, parang nakipagtsimisan lang ako sa inyo ng 5 minuto. Pero seryoso, sana ay hindi lang kayo maaliw dito kundi may matutunan at may mapagsimulan na mga diskusyon sa inyong baranggay, bayan at maging sa internet sa facebook, twitter o blog man yan. Iba na ang panahon ngayon, pero may mga bagay na perho pa rin at di nagbabago at yun ang Tama at Mali.