June 2008 Archives

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net THERE is no escaping the Pacquiao frenzy, even on the Web. Come Sunday in Manil a, INQUIRER.net will again deliver breaking news, a running account and even T witter posts about the Pacquiao-Diaz fight. To whet the appetites of Filipinos and other boxing fans worldwide, INQUIRER.n et has also put up The Pacquiao Files, a webpage dedicated to the Filipino boxing hero. The Twit ter entries will also appear on The Pacquiao Files site i tself. The site contains news and feature articles on Pacquiao leading to his upcomin g bout against WBC lightweight champ Diaz. Plus of course photos and video cli ps of Pacquiao in action. INQUIRER.net has been doing running accounts of the previous Pacquiao fights, including the last slugfest with Juan Manuel Marquez. In case you canât watch TV this Sunday and youâre in front of the computer, your best bet is to go to The Pacquiao Files.

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net A DAY after an apparent news embargo on the abduction of ABS-CBN reporter Ces Dr ilon, two of her crew and a professor from the Mindanao State University, t he online Filipino community of bloggers and forums is already alive with excha nges about their fates. Some offered prayers and praises for her while others s peculated as to the purpose of the media blackout. Since Monday, there has been speculation regarding the alleged abduction. Forum s such as PinoyExchange .com and Peyups.com ha ve dedicated threads on the issue and have been exchanging ideas since June 9. One member of Peyups.com posted a story from the online version of The Mindanao Examiner, though some members questioned the veracity of the st ory, stating that they have not picked up the story from other news websites an d that it could be a hoax. It was on June 9 when ABS-CBN executiv es "requested" other media outfits to embargo the story until 6 a.m. of Jun e 10, stating concerns about the safety of Drilon and her companions. This was also later criticized by some Peyups.com and Pinoyexchange.com members. Nevertheless, they still offered their sympathies and hoped that the abducted g roup would be released unharmed. A few bloggers have started discussing the story. Warrior Lawyer's blog post s tressed the dangers of journalists going after stories, especially in war-torn areas, noting the story of American journalist Daniel Pearl who was beheaded by his abductors in Iraq. "â¦the safety of all journalists is our collective concern. Without them, our d emocracy risks being reduced, in the words of Chief Justice Puno, to the 'sover eignty of the deaf and the dumb,'" Warrior Lawyer said. Others criticized the apparent media blackout on the abduction. Willi e Galang saw the embargo on the story as a form of control by a media insti tution. "Look who's doing news blackouts now! Look who's asking everyone concer ned to be circumspect on their brand of journalism! I never thought these words would actually be part of an official statement from ABS-CBN. It just appears funny coming from the not-so-responsible network itself." Some critics had less-than-kind words for Drilon, the company she works for and the media in general. One comment on the blog post of Ellen Tordesillas states: "By the way, why is it that whenever someone gets kidnapped (not from media), t he media is all over it even on the pleadings of the victim's family not to rep ort it. But when it's their own who gets kidnapped they had a news blackout? Th eir reason? "⦠with utmost consideration for the safety of our news team" Whoa .. as if the other victims safety is of no importance to them. Sorry guys can't help it. I knew someone who has been kidnapped before and these media outfits are like leeches.. the relatives just couldn't shake them off!!!" Another comment on a Tagpuan.com blog post disapproved of media' s continuous efforts to take dangerous assignments without security detail:"Ver y irresponsible kasi, dapat laging may kasamang security or any provin cial police pag pumupunta sa mga liblilb na lugar sa Pilipinas⦠Y an ang advice ng government sa mga journalist, pero hindi nakikinig ang ABS [CBN]â¦"

MIKE ABUNDO talks about his blogs, Alodia and his detractors. Mike's blogs include The Mi ke Abundo Effect, Inside Online Video and Tech Side Up. Video taken by INQUIRER.net community evangelist Alex Villafania.