By Marjorie Gorospe

“UNHAPPY the land that is in need of heroes.”

This is a notable quotation from German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It is now the core message of Mae Paner’s (a.k.a. Juana Change) latest video posted on YouTube.

Taking the role of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), Paner portrays a domestic helper who talks about how OFWs are often considered as “bagong bayani” or new heroes of the country due to sacrifices they make.

These new heroes work abroad, leaving their families behind to find jobs elsewhere.

“We do not need praises, we need money,” Juana Change says, as she tells a stranger on a plane about her feelings working abroad.

While more and more Filipinos work abroad as professionals, some end up doing jobs that are menial.

In the video, her character mocks government officials who go abroad to hide their ill-gotten wealth.

The video eventually ends with a familiar face: national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

It was as if Paner was showing the two faces of heroes. Rizal sacrificed his life for the country; while OFWs continue to sacrifice comfort and dignity to support their family and eventually our economy.

But as Bretch’s saying goes, this country still needs more heroes who have the genuine interest to serve the country minus personal interest, desire for power and corruption.

Watch her video:

By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net

AN ANONYMOUS Filipino blogger who is behind Blog ni Inday: Ang Sosyal na Katulong, believes blogging could communicate the different sentiments and idiosyncrasies of Filipinos through humor.

Blog ni Inday is about a fictional intelligent Filipino maid who speaks perfect English, sometimes to the point of being superfluous. The person or persons behind the blog admit that the project is the epitome of the Filipino who often does not take life too seriously.

“Inday’s life is a collection of ideas from Filipinos from all walks of life,” the anonymous blogger known as the “Manager” said in an e-mail interview.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

I HAVE to apologize for the long silence. But I want to offer you 10 reasons not to blog:

1. You’re too busy working.
2. You don’t have an Internet connection for days.
3. You’re out on vacation.
4. Your laptop or PC is broken.
5. You’re just too lazy.
6. Your mind has been zapped by Sylar.
7. You’re LOST in translation.
8. You forgot your username and password.
9. You’re Hiro Nakamura, and you’ve accidentally time travelled to the Stone Age.
10. You’re too busy saving the cheerleader.

I remember writing a similar “futuristic” article about supposed automated elections in 2004. But this recent blog entry from James Jimenez, the official spokesperson of the Commission on Elections, is simply hilarious. He writes:

The widespread acceptance of modernized voting processes spurred a change in campaigning strategies as well.

The internet was proven to be an effective campaign vector in 2007 and by 2010, podcasts have all but replaced traditional broadcast advertising. Podcasts are cheaper to produce, and persist far longer than 30-second spots on tv and radio. Newspaper ads are taken over by on-line advertising.

[Read the rest of this entry »]