Tag: politics

Can Mike Defensor Solve The Crime Problem in Quezon City?

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On April 10, 2010

mike defensor

Last February, I was able to attend a no-holds barred blogger meet with Mike Defensor at his home in Quezon City.  As someone who lives in Quezon City, I’m very much interested with what Mike Defensor has to offer since he is running for mayor in this coming May 2010 elections.

I’ve been living in Q.C. for 19 years.  The problems that I’ve been seeing then and until now are:

  • Street Children
  • Blatant Robbing

I’ve been wishing for those problems to be resolved for the longest time, but I haven’t seen any progress so far.  I see this happening in Araneta Avenue, Quezon City.  I myself have been a victim a couple of times now.

Let me tell you my story..

I once had both of my car’s side mirror stolen while I was inside the car.  It was a bright Saturday afternoon.  I was stuck in traffic as always in Araneta Avenue.  To my shock, I saw two guys approaching my car, one on each side.  They quickly took my side mirror and ran away.  My car was right in the middle of traffic, with cars all around me AND with a traffic enforcer just a few meters away.  I honked my car like crazy but everyone just looked like it was just another movie/TV shoot.  To make things worse, that was only my 3rd day driving!  This is a common situation in E. Rodriguez, Araneta Avenue area.

Another situation that I also found myself in and along Araneta avenue once again was when one day, all of a sudden, in the area where no one was supposed to cross, a guy just ran in the middle of the street right in front of my car.  It was impossible for me not to hit him.  In just a matter of seconds, a group of drunk people gathered around my car.  I was so scared that I quickly locked the doors.  There were about 20 of them with sticks, like they were so ready to beat me up.  I sat inside my car crying out of fear.  After awhile, a police officer approached my car.  He assured me that he would protect me.  We then proceeded to the hospital, the officer included, to take care of the person that ran in front of my car and to tend to his possible injuries.

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor said that the guy was drunk & told me to be careful with my situation and that the man had no injuries.  At the police station, I got the shock of my life when the guy’s mom was asking for my cellphone number even after confirmation that the guy was safe w/ no injuries.  I asked why and she said, to my surprise, and in front of the police officer, that they had been doing this for a long time already in order to ask for money.  Hell, what is happening to our country?!?

I told Mike Defensor my experiences as well as my observation of street kids stealing truck materials at night.  I asked him if he gets voted as mayor of Quezon City, will he do anything about it?  If yes, then how?

Read the rest of the article at Blogwatch.PH.

References:

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Yahoo launches Election Microsite Purple Thumb

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 3, 2010

purple thumb our mark our vote

A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend the Yahoo Social Media Forum held at Hotel Intercontinental.  As a writer for Blogwatch.ph, I had the privilege to be part of the event where Yahoo Philippines officially launched the Purple Thumb microsite.

Purple Thumb is an election dedicated microsite by Yahoo! that gives filipino voters the opportunity to share their thoughts, pictures & videos expressing their views on the upcoming May 2010 elections.  Users can join real-time chat through the site and socialize with one another plus gain knowledge from each other.  Users can also discover more about the candidates through Purple Thumb.

Technology really does progress so fast.  Would you believe that we can now share real-time news online?  With growing # of online users in the country, social media can now be considered as a great venue for important news & other stuff.

yahoo purple thumb site

Aside from officially launching the Purple Thumb site, the event also touches on “How social media will change the way elections are covered”.  Respected people in the blogging industry were invited to speak in the forum relating to the topic.

Here’s the list:

  • Jack Madrid (General Manager, Yahoo! Philippines) — Background to Purple Thumb
  • Allan Soon (Managing Director, Yahoo! Southeast Asia) — Introduction to the ‘now’ revolution
  • Joey Alarilla (Social Media Editor, Yahoo! Southeast Asia), Ellen Tordesillas (Vera Files/Political Blogger) — Ethics & news in the age of Twitter
  • Howie Severino (Editor-in-chief, GMANews.tv), Arlene Burgos (Head of Social Media, ABS-CBNNews.com), Katrina Sandejas-Manosa (General Manager, Philstar.com) — Integrating Social Media in your newsroom
  • Manolo Quezon III (bloggers/PDI columnist/TV host), Janette Toral (DigitalFilipno.com) — Why Social Media Matters in this Election
  • Comelec Representative (on behalf of James Jimenez) — How are candidates using social media to engage voters
  • Mong Palatino (blogger/lawmaker) — A Tweeting Life
  • Margaux Salcedo (Estrada spokesperson/blogger) — Tweeting a candidate
  • Mong Palatino, Gang Badoy (RockEd), Noemi Dado (BlogWatch) — Benefits & risks of social media in covering this election

Here’s a video taken by Blogwatch.ph editor Noemi Dado on Allan Soon discussing the ‘Now Revolution’:

Lastly, I would also suggest you go and create a Yahoo Meme account 🙂  Do share with the world why you are voting this May 2010, your message would really make a lot of difference.  Take a stand & encourage fellow filipinos to do so.

See sample below.  That was my purple thumb post last February 24 letting people know that we should make our vote count as the future of our children relies on it.  You can upload a picture relating to why you are voting, type your message & add #YourPurpleThumb at the end of your post 🙂

yahoo meme

You can see more pictures from the Social Media Forum organized by Yahoo in my Flick account.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Horoscopes of The Philippine Presidential Candidates

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 24, 2010

I received an email that I find extremely amusing that I can’t help but share with you.  Get ready to be entertained.  Let me warn you though, don’t drink water or eat while reading the rest of the post.  If you choke or something, don’t blame me 😛
presidentiable horoscope
It’s written in tagalog.  I wish I could translate it to english but the effect is really different so I’d rather just share with you word per word as stated in the email.  Promise, this is worth your while!  I was laughing like crazy when I read it.

Presidentiables Ayon sa mga Bituin

Ano ang sinasabi ng bituin sa kapalaran ng siyam na kandidato sa pagkapangulo ngayong linggong ito?

Narito. Basahin, limiin, unawain, at seryosohin.
Ngunit laging tandaan ang paalala ni Zenaida ‘Syzygy’ Seva, “Hindi hawak ng mga bituin ang ating kapalaran.  Gabay lamang sila. Meron tayong free will, gamitin natin ito.“

Ulitin natin.  Pero sa pagkakataong ito, basahin nang malakas at imadyinin si Zenaida Seva habang binibigkas ang linya, “Hindi hawak ng mga bituin ang ating kapalaran. Gabay lamang sila. Meron tayong free
will, gamitin natin ito.“

At inulit mo naman. Masunuring bata!

Noynoy Aquino
February 8, 1960
Aquarius:
Iwasang magtungo sa Quiapo.  Baka mapagbintangan kang bumibili ng survey.  Sa pag-ibig, magpapasya ka this week sa regalong ibibigay mo kay Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad sa Valentine’s Day.  Huwag mo itong ipaalam kay Kris.  Pagtatawanan ka lang niya at sasabihang “Gosh, how cheap!“
Hahabol sa kasikatan ng “Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura” jingle ni Manny Villar ang NOY|NOY! jingle kung saan tinangka mong mag-rap katulad ng idolo mong si Vanilla Ice.  Ngunit makabubuting panoorin ang ginawa mong pagsayaw sa naturang patalastas.  Ginawa na ni Villar ang ganyang gimmick noong 2007.  Utang na loob, huwag mo nang ulitin.  Mukha kang tanga!
Sanga pala, may nag-text. “Patahimikin mo na kami. Huwag mo na kaming isali d’yan. Matanda ka na. Alam mo na ang dapat mong gawin. Good luck.”
All the best,
Daddy Ninoy & Mommy Cory

Manny Villar
December 13, 1949
Sagittarius:
Sa pananalapi: napakasuwerte mo.  Ni singko ay wala kang utang.  Umuulan ang iyong pera kaya naman bumabaha ang iyong political ads.
Dahil sa ‘yo, muling mag-iinit ang Senado sa linggong ito.  Consistent kang tao.  May isang salita.  Hindi ka sisipot sa pagdinig ng plenaryo.  Kaya’t patuloy na magtatanong ang taong-bayan: guilty or not guilty?
Dahil sa patuloy na pag-iwas mo sa iyong mga accusers, malamang na iwasan ka na rin ng mga botante. 
Ang payo ng mga bituin: simulan mo na ang paghahanap ng tindahang nagbebenta ng suwerte.  Kakailanganin mo ‘yan ngayong Mayo. 
Babala: kung ayaw mong umuwing may black eye, iwasan ang isang babaeng may initials na JM.  May maitim siyang balak sa ‘yo.  Matagal ka na niyang hina-hunting.  Clue sa katauhan ng babae: mukha siyang lalaki.

Bro. Eddie Villanueva
October 6, 1946
Libra:
Ang katulad mong Born-Again Christian at spiritual leader ay hindi naniniwala sa mga hula.
Ang sabi ng mga bituin: ‘Pwes, hindi rin kami naniniwala sa ‘yo.’
Wala kang horoscope!


Complete horoscope can be found on Professional Heckler’s site.  He also created horoscope for our vice presidentiables hahahhaa!  Crazy!  Click here to read it.

Whoever created this hilarious horoscope, kudos to you!  It is done with such perfection! hahahaha!  Of course, we should not treat this seriously.

******
Just found out that this was apparently made by Professional Heckler from http://professionalheckler.wordpress.com/.  Great great great job!  😀

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Guesting at DZRH for Blogwatch

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On February 4, 2010

batas baranggay

Last saturday, Blogwatch was featured in the radio show, Batas Barangay.  The radio show was aired at DZRH w/hosts Henry Uri, Christine & Atty. Ramon Barredo.  Batas Barangay is run by Batas Barangay Development Foundation.  It is a non-government organization that aims to educate the people regarding their rights and obligations towards the achievement of peace and development.

It was an honor to be one of the bloggers asked to represent Blogwatch in the radio guesting.  We were there to share with listeners what blogwatch is about, who blogs and why we write for the site.

It was my first time to be in a radio studio.  Can I just say that it was sooooo cool to actually sit in on the room (which was good for five people).  There were microphones and headphones ready.  Inside the room were some monitors like what we could see on television.  It is really popular that radio shows are now on Television too.

It’s funny that wherever I go, certainly there’ll always be bloopers that I make.  One big mistake I made was when they asked me who the presidentiables we interviewed were.  I answered: Villar, Gibo, Gordon, Perlas, Villanueva then… JC de Vera instead of JC delos Reyes!  On national radio and on TV!!!  It was so embarassing!  To think that JC de Vera is an actor and not a politician and definitely NOT a presidentiable!  So if both JCs are reading this entry, I apologize for the mixup. 🙂

Here are some information we shared during the 6:30-7:30pm show:
blogwatch_logo

  • Objective: The aim of Blog Watch is to give Filipinos, especially the youth, exactly what they need when they need it, and to try to produce a better-educated voter body in time for the 2010 elections through the use of new media and social media software applications.
    BlogWatch is a bloggers’ initiative aiming to cover underplayed stories that traditional media cannot cover due to limited resources and time.
  • How the bloggers were selected: Their passion for writing was not just for a personal engagement but for a higher end. Referrals & word of mouth were mainly the instruments as to how the bloggers were selected.
  • Demographics of Bloggers: Age: 21-66 yrs old; Gender: M-17, F-8; Metro Manila-20, Provincial-5
  • Profile of Personal Blogs: Personal, food, politics, photoblog, internet marketing
  • Difference between Blog Watch & Traditional Media:
    1) Traditional media – provides the medium for discussion.  It is Blog Watch, in new media where discussion takes place -twitter, plurk, facebook comments.
    2) Traditional media – tends to focus on Personality- or celebrity-centered coverage, He said, she said, Party Politics, reactionary.  Blogwatch – platforms, Issues, Campaign Finance, Automated Election, Voters Ed, Commentaries.
    3) What traditional media prints out or shows on TV passes through rigorous editing.  Sometimes long speeches and discussions need to be trimmed down to just a few minutes due to precious airtime.  Blog Watch – has almost no limit.  Interviews of candidates are hardly edited and are posted in full on our sites (only chopped up in YouTube due to the latter’s 10-minute per video limit.
  • Categories: Voter’s Education (emphasis on relevant COMELEC laws), Automated Elections, Commentaries, Features & Campaign Finances.
  • Format of interview: Casual ambiance (sometimes in internet cafes); interviewee is surrounded by bloggers in a warm setting; Blog Watch gets one question each, followed by Vibal, guest bloggers.  Questions from the online viewers via Twitter or the chatroom are also asked.  Bloggers end with photo ops (a trademark of bloggers as these pics are often used in their own blogs as well as on social networking sites and the actual Blog Watch articles they write).
  • Interviews done: Manny Villar, Bro. Eddie, Kapatiran (JC de los Reyes/Jun Chipeco), Nick Perlas, Gilbert Teodoro, Gordon/Fernando and some senatoriables

dzrh guesting

One important point I want to call out (it was discussed briefly during the show) is how blogwatch is non-partisan.  I myself believe that there’s no such thing as being neutral.  While blogwatch is non-partisan, the bloggers in the group have their own choices when it comes to who to support.  We balance each other out.

To be honest, I am still undecided but based on who we met, I am already leaning towards supporting some candidates.  I’ll definitely share my choices once Blogwatch has finished all interviews with the candidates most probably a few weeks before election.

Rest of the pictures of our radio guesting can be found in my flickr page.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Why Gibo Teodoro changed his mind on RH Bill

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 20, 2010

Gibo Teodoro

Presidential candidate Gibo Teodoro & his pretty wife, the congresswoman from the 1st district of Tarlac were once supporters of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. A few weeks ago, they changed their minds regarding the RH bill. So when the opportunity came to ask Mr. Teodoro some questions, I had to take it.

Why did Gibo change his mind regarding the RH bill?

Gibo Teodoro answered my question with authority & strong conviction. I was actually speechless throughout his reply. Now after reviewing the video that I just realized that I have several followup questions to his answer.

Gibo Teodoro said the main problem of the RH bill debate was this: Everybody got so involved with the bill & how to pass it that everybody forgot about what the actual problem was and how to fix it.

Nikki Teodoro

Mr. Teodoro then said that this debate is about government substituting itself as the people’s moral guardians. He said it was a mistake because family planning is a personal issue. He then recounted that the Reproductive Health bill will not pass. He reasoned, what good can the RH Bill do if we fight for something knowing the effort would simply fail?

Read the rest of the article in Blogwatch.PH.

References:

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

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