Media Responsibility Group Jeers at Arnold Clavio’s Behavior as ‘Unethical and Unprofessional’

Under the Radar Stories

The Philippine Center for Mass Freedom and Responsibility has jeered Arnold Clavio’s behavior and uncouth treatment of Janet Napoles’ legal counsel during the morning show Unang Hirit last November 5.

CMFR asked: “Was this behavior merely rude or was it also unethical?” 

Here is the group’s full statement:

An interview is in the first place meant to solicit information and opinion from the interviewee, not an occasion for the interviewer to insist on his own views, much less berate the interviewee, who, in this instance, was moved by the ethics of the legal profession not to comment on a case other lawyers are presumably involved in.

An interview is also a privilege granted by the interviewee and not the other way around, and is held at the sufferance of the interviewer. The interviewee must be treated with appropriate respect both for this reason and as a matter of elementary courtesy…

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Oppose one in power, will file rape charge

First published on Newsvine in 2007. Also published on CNN iReport in 2009, writing as Vitamin B.

Perhaps rape is the most convenient crime that could put down world leaders of today. This kind of lawsuit is mostly baseless, especially if without the help of laboratorial intervention to be able to come up with physical evidences. It is just the word of the claiming victim against word of the accused. Motivation may vary from personal advancement to political inclination.

A perfect example of a rape case sabotaging the good image of a leader is that of the recently acquitted former Deputy President Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa. He was charged with the rape of a 31-year old HIV positive woman on December 6, 2005. The affair was used against Zuma by a concealed political contender.

Zuma, even before the rape trial case, had been eyed by many fellow contenders to be most likely winner of the presidential candidacy. He was regarded as the voice and the hand of the masses he had governed. Associated Press reviewed him as ‘a man who fought for the common man.” He also had the support of the African National Congress Youth League, and the South African Congress Trade and Union and South African Communist Party, both of which are influential alliances in the country.

Zuma was appointed Member of Executive Committee of Economic Affairs and Tourism on 1994. Due to the promising leadership he is performing, December of the same year he was elected National Chairperson of the ANC in Kwazulu-Natal. He was re-elected in the same position in 1996 election, and later in December 1997, he was elected Deputy President of the ANC. By 1999, he was appointed executive Deputy President of South Africa, carrying an air of the potential heir apparent of presidency of Thabo Mbeki.

Filing a rape case can be one of the techniques of an opposing party in attacking the very person of the leader of a certain group. An accused leader may probably be innocent at all. A very evident of using rape charges to hinder the possible tenure of a leader by someone else’s political objective is visible in the case of former Malaysian Deputy Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He was accused of sodomy and sex with five men by his former superior, the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was arrested and jailed in 1998, and by 2004 he was declared not guilty of the crime as it was overturned.

One of the former alleged victims, Dr. Munawar Anees, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, claimed that his testimony against Anwar was coerced by unnamed authorities as written in his personal journal called The Human Imperative.

Anwar is respected for his principle standpoint against corruption and for his competent administration of the Malaysian economy during the country’s financial crisis at its peak during his term. He was also regarded as one of the forefathers of the Asian Renaissance and a leading advocate of human rights. It was eminent that in the early 1990’s Anwar had been groomed for leadership to succeed Mahathir bin Mohamad. Periodically, Mohamad had been appointing Anwar to be acting Prime Minister, but their good relationship started to deteriorate when differences in administrative viewpoints set in.

Republic of Uganda’s retired Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye’s case shares similar ground of this kind of injustice and political trend. In fact his case was very apparent of such charges in assaulting his good public image. Besigye, an opposition leader of Forum for Democratic Change and also a February 2006 presidential candidate, was charged and arrested with rape and treason case. On March 07, 2006 he was cleared with the charges filed against him. Judge John Bosco Katutsi who resided the case stated that “the state has dismally failed to prove its case against the accused.” Besigye’s lawyers have seen government participation of the charges against him to disfigure his potential leadership, if not to keep him from running the presidency. The technique against him upset the vote he gained from the previous election, where he garnered only 37% vote against Muveni with 59% vote.

Besigye is known for his popularity and charisma among Uganda people. He was often viewed as the only viable candidate to won over Museveni for presidency during their first collision on 2001 election. Museveni was declared in the midst of violent incidents during the announcement of the result, on the belief that cheating strategies took place during the incidence mostly participated in by Museveni’s party. Besigye appealed to have the results nullified, but his request was refused when he was falsely accused of treason right after the 2001 elections.

This political trend also extends to other aspects of leadership. The Religious sector can also be influenced by this convenient form of character assault. Eliseo Soriano, a church leader of the Members Church of God International and a host of the international religious program, Ang Dating Daan (The Old path), was accused of rape by an excommunicated member of the sect. Daniel Veridiano, who later converted to another religious sect known for being strongly criticized by Soriano for their false teachings, sued Soriano for rape in September 2005. The case was shortly dismissed due to lack of evidence. The dismissed case was however filed again in higher court by the country’s Department of Justice Secretary, Raul Gonzales, who is not in anyway involved with the case.

Soriano is known for his principled teachings that he claims are mostly based on the bible. He became noted countrywide and eventually is catching up fame worldwide for his broadcasts in cyberspace and the international domain. He is remarkable for his frank and bold exposure of some religions’ questionable teachings and practices, all of which he declares are concealed forms of corruption toward their members financially and spiritually. Many religious sect leaders have attempted to gag him from broadcasting by fabricating charges of crimes against him, but these were eventually dismissed and cleared.

Soriano’s religious program was even recently awarded Most Informative Religious Program of the year by an internationally renowned Gawad Amerika Awards on November 18, 2006. Many of his supporters sense that this kind of achievement aggravates his enemies’ desire of wanting him dead.

If another effective leader is attempted to be shot down with a rape case by those opposed to his work, it will not be a surprise anymore. It has become a trend.

Luchi Cruz-Valdez, Unmasking that ABS-CBN’s Special Assignment

Writing as John Joseph Villareal, First published on Newsvine in 2007

Manila, Philippines – “Media has been getting a lot of negative publicity lately,” says Luchi Cruz-Valdez, during the press conference for the launching of Bandila sometime last year. On June 23, 2006, as Ayn Veronica de Jesus of The Manila Times reported, Cruz-Valdez added that many viewers had begun to turn away from watching the news because most items focus on political bickering, economic slump and national degradation. “We were feeding on that depression. We felt the time was right to do something,” she said.

Luchi Cruz-Valdez has been around in journalism for a couple of decades. She was known to be a part of GMA’s Probe Team before, but she left in 2001 for ABS-CBN after being offered a higher position in the company’s current affairs.

There’s not much information in cyberspace about this journalist, Luchi Cruz-Valdez. Once you Google her name, almost all results that appear are links to her segment in the defunct Special Assignment when she interviewed the Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) sect leader, Eliseo Soriano. This is the preacher Luchi Cruz-Valdez tried to destroy.

Special Assignment was a news feature show in ABS-CBN, hosted by Luchi Cruz-Valdez. It didn’t stay around long as the show suffered from poor rating. From the very title of the show, there’s an implication that featured news in there were assigned by some veiled taskmaster(s). The title is suggestive of a sinister ploy or order, the reason why it has to be called an assignment.

Cruz-Valdez is skilled in manipulating information to make herself appear favorable to those she is protecting or siding with. She has the skills in distorting data or doing some fractional approach. This means she simply picks up some parts of the whole thing and delivers it to the public viewers in a much skewed package.

The proof of these claims, she delivered personally when she was interviewed by an ABS-CBN correspondent Tessa Mauricio last September 20, 2007 posted in ABS-CBN Interactive. Cruz-Valdez personally claimed that they (ABS-CBN) were terribly affected when the rival station GMA came up with “Walang kinikilingan, walang pinuprotekatahan…” (Siding no one, protecting no one…) in their news flagship.

Obviously, she is aware that the company she’s working with has major business links with the Lopez’s clan like Meralco, Manila North Tollways Corporation, and other major companies. With the rival GMA’s news slogan, she said it is an attack to them as an implication that ABS-CBN news’ delivery is prone to biases for protecting the company’s interest.

Could this mean that ABS-CBN and Cruz-Valdez have stumbled upon a win/win strategy, by working together, as the lady journalist can do hack writing to protect the company’s affiliates?

She was working at the company for four years then before she hinted with admittance that they may be guilty of such, and that is why she had to call for staff and system overhaul. Obviously she was one of the main consenters, if not promoters, of disinformation in the company she is working with, for being the head of its current affairs team.

In the same interview with Mauricio, Luchi stated that “We wanted to be number 1… we want to keep the lead.” She had expressed that “we intend to grow the business outside the Philippines; we want to be a major regional source of news and information.”

Perhaps this could be one of the reasons that plummeted ABS-CBN’s true news credibility down to questionable proportions, when they compete at all costs for the sake of rank. There is suggestion that regardless of the nature of information they have gathered, when they do deliver, they make it intriguing enough for the viewers, resorting even to lies. The more they do this, the more viewers they attract, and the more they secure profits for the company.

In considering fair journalism, truth shall always be the commodity, not sensationalizing a certain issue. However, there’s a risk in the rating for being too honest to the public viewer – that there is nothing sensational in the news they are about to watch. Intrigue is juicier than the honest taste of truth. That appears so in the philosophy of Cruz-Valdez.

Intrigue is an all time enticer of interest to the public viewer, especially in this depressing period of the country’s economy. If intrigue will arouse the interest of the viewers; ratings will surely soar, regardless of whether the material to view in public is factual or simply fabricated lies to mar a certain personality.

Now, declaring that media has been getting a lot of negative publicity lately, could the answer be in some media personality like Luchi Cruz-Valdez herself who is working not because of truth but because of the interest of the company’s ranking status?

Luchi Cruz-Valdez is a 20-year journalist who happens to believe in pornographic comics about the Ang Dating Daan sect leader, Eliseo Soriano. This comics was being discreetly scattered in public by Soriano’s spineless enemies especially the Iglesia ni Cristo, the church group that this preacher had exposed for many false beliefs including their belief of discrediting Jesus Christ as God but only a human. The obscene reading materials were obviously a ploy to destroy Soriano, popularly known as Bro. Eli.

These pornographic comics that contained lies of the supposed private life of Soriano, has no reported publishing house responsible for the printing or even just an author’s name in it. Using her defunct news program Special Assignment, Luchi Cruz-Valdez promoted the pornographic materials in the public viewer, rather than Soriano as he is.

“We intend to grow the business…” Luchi stated. Obviously, it’s all about business. Put a known public figure before the viewer, spice it up with the sensationalized issue that’s not even factual, make him felonious or controversial, and you will surely get a high-soaring rating. “The ratings are major, major factor,” Luchi added. Of course, the rating is a major factor for the show to run successfully. This is how this industry works.

Soriano is one of the known public figures who are very interesting to discuss as this can generate income for media industry. His popularity had reached international proportions. Naturally, fame-hungry mediocre personalities may ride along such popularity.

When you google this journalist’s name, the results that arise are not to her honest efforts in media work. They are the ones she did with her diabolical segment for the Ang Dating Daan leader. This is where her manipulative journalism became so evident to the public viewers. Luchi Cruz-Valdez didn’t know she was dealing with a very large group of consumers capable of bringing her company down. Just with one announcement, ABS-CBN could go down the drain if the Ang Dating Daan leader says “cut.” However, righteous that the man is, Bro. Eli plays it fair and square. He didn’t influence the consumer decisions of his members.

This might also be the segment where Luchi gathered public knowledge about her threatening presence in journalism. Scathing Soriano in national TV might be her biggest break for a wider audience from the long period of hibernating in the industry without making it big.

ABS-CBN might look at her as a respected public figure for the few awards she had gathered. This may also be a reason why the company trusted her that much. If that is the case, the thing is that this TV journalist mistakenly pounded on a public figure whose awards of merit in public service and ennoblement certainly towers over many times her diminutive awards. And yet, all she did was work on fabricated comics’ lies.

If awards and recognition are to indicate credibility, Soriano is obviously much credible than she is. Soriano’s commodity is truth and his interest is salvation. The most recent award he just received was credited to his international religious program, Ang Dating Daan, from Gawad Amerika Awards. He has a long list of awards as listed in the encyclopedia since he started broadcasting more than two decades ago.

Next time Luchi Cruz-Valdez will approach anyone of you, will you let her do her “Special Assignment” about you?#

 

Preacher-Blogger Soriano wins as Most Educational to Follow by international web awards

screenshot of Bro. Eli's blog bearing OWA award badge

Although his main work is in preaching the gospel right from the pulpit, a homegrown Filipino religious preacher was able to bring international honors for the Filipinos in the websphere.

Taking advantage of technology to preach, Bro. Eliseo Soriano developed a blog that assisted his work in terms of expounding on biblical truths and had reaped many readers far and wide, asking questions of diverse kinds related to salvation and beyond.

The blog of the host of the religious program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) was adjudged as the Most Educational to Follow in the recent 3rd Annual Open Web Awards (OWA) of Mashable on the 16th of December 2009.

Mashable reported that there were some 440,000 nominations with over 70,000 nominees. It also stated that they acquired 780,000 final votes. Out of 70,000 nominees, there came out only 50 total winners. Bro. Eli’s blog was chosen the best contender and defeated the 4 contenders in the Most Educational to Follow category.

The official blog of Soriano now bears the OWA winner’s badge along with the congratulatory remarks of the Mashable’s CEO, Pete Cashmore.

Bro. Eli’s blog, esoriano.wordpress.com, contains in-depth analysis, and studies of certain topics that are featured for discussion. Its uniqueness is the explanation of the blogger in the biblical and spiritual perspective which Soriano is most known for.

Over the years in his preaching, Bro. Soriano has earned many monickers such as The Most Sensible Preacher of our Time, the Phenomenal Preacher, Truthcaster, and the like. At the same time, he has earned many enemies for his exposing the truth about false beliefs. He is known for not having lost a single debate with pastors all over the world.

Bro. Soriano is the presiding minister of the Members Church of God International locally known as Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path). He is now focused in foreign shores particularly South America and reaches out to his congregation spanning six continents through satellite systems.

This was not the first time the blog had been awarded. Esoriano.wordpress.com was also declared as the Most Popular Website and had received as well the People’s Choice Award from Philippine Web Awards early this year. Bro. Eli’s official blog was launched on April 2007.

Mashable is an award-giving body that aims to recognize and award innovations in web technology. Its open web awards program is an online voting competition through partner websites. Mashable Open Web Awards is in its 3rd year this 2009.

This year the voting was done through Facebook and Twitter – the leading social networking sites today. Facebook and Twitter were among of the previous winners of the first OWA of Mashable, along with Youtube, iGoogle, and Digg.

A Sunday in the Life of Mr. Public Service

For most people, Sunday is a day of relaxation but for Kuya Daniel Razon, it’s another perfect day to spend it in service to the people.

. . .

Because of his humanitarian efforts, Kuya Daniel has been nominated to receive the National Thank You Day Award.  Other nominees include internationally-acclaimed boxer Manny Pacquiao, the late musician rapper Francis Magalona, Philippine comedy icon Dolphy, CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2009 Efren Peñaflorida, globally-recognized film director Brillante Mendoza, multi-faceted performer Lea Salonga. The late Cory Aquino received the award with 119 votes. Kuya Daniel got the second highest votes with 107.  Once again, thank you for all who voted for our dear Kuya Daniel.

Read full article at Kuya Daniel’s Fan Blog

Religious program in UHF turns 29 years in broadcast and reaching global audience

Manila, Philippines (11.04.09) – While households in many countries were busy preparing for their traditional Halloween and while the Philippines was then hit by a typhoon in northern regions during the 31st of October 2009, Members of the Church of GOD International (MCGI) have gathered for a different kind of celebration, and it was to celebrate the 29th anniversary of Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) in broadcasting.

MCGI members, the celebrators of the event, have gathered for the program’s celebration collaborating with their weekly thanksgiving course that MCGI is faithfully doing as preached by Bro. Eliseo Soriano, Presiding Minister of MCGI and the famed host of Ang Dating Daan program. MCGI members came together from different monitoring centers in the country and in abroad, having the Ang Dating Daan Convention Center, Apalit Pampanga as the host venue of the event.

Ang Dating Daan being a renowned religious program not only here in the Philippines but in many countries abroad, has received many awards and recognitions. In fact, it has been a recipient of 29 awards to this date, including that of Federation of Filipino Consumers, Inc., Development of Filipino Youth Inc., People Vision Magazine, National Biographic and Historical Research and the most recent Gawad Amerika Awards, citing the program as The Most Informative Religious Program in 2006. Its website angdatingdaan.org, bagged Philippine Web Awards’ The Most Popular Website for six consecutive years. Its segment “Biblia ang Sasagot, Itanong mo Kay Soriano” (The Bible shall answer, Ask Bro.Eli) has always been exceptional and never been imitated by other religious program.

After its opening prayer, the event had started with a greeting and inspirational remarks from Bro. Daniel Razon, Vice Presiding Minister of MCGI. He gladly mentioned before the congregation that there have been a total of 500 people who have been baptized from different chapters across the globe; in North America, South America and Latin America, and in Africa; while in the Philippines, there are newly baptized members from La Union, Davao del Sur jail, Leyte, Palawan and Apalit, Pampanga respectively.

Subsequently, Bro. Eli had greeted the congregation and acknowledged the support of the guests and viewers alike who patronized the program Ang Dating Daan.  Customarily, Bro. Eli preached a biblical topic for the thanksgiving of the MCGI congregants into two parts.

The anniversary presentation was celebrated with series of songs of praises by the MCGI members all around the globe. Some of the countries where MCGI chapters are situated and had participated are UAE, Australia, South American countries, as well as countries in Africa and Europe.

The celebration that the MCGI congregation held is a proof of its successful endeavor in propagating the Gospel in worldwide scope through its 29-year old program Ang Dating Daan. The program is presently being viewed in UNTV37 and the TOP channel in American and European countries. Bro. Eli’s preaching also extends into blogosphere through his official blog esoriano.wordpress.com (written by Elsie Morante and Robert Clarita Jr)

Ang Dating Daan: From humble beginnings to global broadcasting

Manila, Philippines (10.31.09) – Starting with just three persons to produce a radio-TV program, Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) that started way back in 1980 has reached its 29th year this 31st of October and is reaping hundreds of thousands of converts across the globe.

A religious program that not only dealt with God’s word, Ang Dating Daan is being hosted by Bro. Eliseo Soriano, himself as intriguing as the program that he hosts. Soriano is the Presiding Minister of Members of Church of God International (MCGI) and is highly in demand by the followers of this program but notorious to its opponents.

Not anymore a three-person production for having become sophisticated in its management, Ang Dating Daan has become a highly popular religious program today both locally and abroad. Now assisted with various media technologies, it has become possible for its scattered audience all over the globe to have a global celebration in their anniversary. It will be celebrated in multiple venues covering parts of six continents where MCGI has its chapters. As scheduled, it will have its live broadcast in UNTV 37 and live streaming in the Internet through untvweb.com.

The host venue will be in Apalit, Pampanga and it will accommodate participants from provinces in Luzon, while Araneta Coliseum, a dome that is able to accommodate 25 thousand people, will be for the participants of Metro Manila alone. The rest of the country will be able to monitor through the designated venues in every region, while the international chapters will accommodate the participants abroad.  The venues of the celebration will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for members and visitors alike, especially for the guests who are curious or long to hear Bro. Eli preaching live in the congregants.

Bro.Eli Soriano and Ang Dating Daan have been recipients of 29 awards and recognitions due to the remarkable feature of the host and of the program. The exceptionality of the program among its religious genre is the live question-and-answer segment, Biblia ang Sagot, Itanong Mo kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli).

True to its name, Biblia ang Sasagot, Itanong Mo Kay Soriano, the answer that Bro. Eli gives is strictly coming from the Scriptures. Federation of Filipino Consumers, Inc., Development of Filipino Youth Inc., People Vision Magazine, National Biographic and Historical Research and the most recent Gawad Amerika foundation are just few of the many groups that recognized and awarded Bro. Eli through the program due to his sincerity in rendering religious service to the public.

The host on the other hand is an avid supporter of public service programs in the country, explaining the many support from the public to him. Some of the groups that recognized his charitable efforts are the Municipality of Apalit, Municipal Social Welfare and Development, Province of Pampanga; Sons and Daughters of Charity, Fil-Asia Research Society, Inc., International Research and Communication Center Inc., United Group of Charities and Human Development, Inc., Child Assistance and Rehabilitation Entity, Inc., and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Region 3.

Bro. Soriano was also awarded as Outstanding Religious Leader by Philippines Brotherhood and Sisterhood Council, Inc., the Free Media Associations of the Philippines, the Philippines Media Research and Progress Report, Inc., the Fifth Edition People Magazine, the New Life on Family Development and Youth Council, Inc., the Asian Research for Unity of Filipino Citizenry, and the Philippine Experimental Educational Research Society, Inc.

The Philippine Bible Society also recognized Bro. Eli with his contribution to the publication as he is associated with them in distributing the printed Bible free to the attendees of the Bible Expositions that MCGI is conducting.

These merits are proof of the distinctiveness of the humble yet in-demand religious program and its congregants as an asset to the nation. Soriano is highly regarded for his leadership both in civic and religious grounds.

Bro. Eli, as he is more popularly called, is in his 45th year in ministerial service while the program, Ang Dating Daan, is in its 29th year.

The three-person production that started the program was composed of Bro. Eli Soriano as the main host, Mr. Daniel Razon, the Vice-Presiding Minister of MCGI as then director and video editor, and Ms. Luz Cruz as researcher and make-up artist.

Razon happens to be the host now of Good Morning Kuya in UNTV.

Ang Dating Daan started over the radio as a 30 minute religious program in DWWA  in 1980 and the TV program was launched in 1983 on IBC 13. Sequence of events prompted the program to move from station to station. It is currently being aired nationwide in UNTV 37, while it is being aired on TOP channel in the boundaries of United States and Europe.

Isang Araw Lang (Just One Day) movie exemplifies public-service call

With the recent achievements of the Filipino filmmakers in international scene and the box-office hit records of the Filipino movies in local cinemas it is just timely that the Movie Writers Workers Foundation (MWWF) is on set to be revived through the major support of the famed public-service program host of Good Morning Kuya, Mr. Daniel Razon.

Dennis Aguilar, in his Tabloid column, wrote that Mr. Razon will support MWWF just to keep it in service again. The foundation ceased its function for unavoidable reason as stated by Aguilar. The support of Razon brought joy to the entertainment press.

This endeavor if materialized promises help to boost the Philippine film industry and the people involved in it as beneficiaries.  It will benefit not just the people behind the film, but the promise that more quality films may be produced eventually.

This act of concern can be an addition to Razon’s project under his campaign of “Isang Araw Lang” (Just One Day), an advocacy he started in UNTV, his current home station. The fervent promotion of this advocacy extends ultimately into having it a film version, titled Isang Araw Lang as well.

Isang Araw Lang movie, which Razon himself starred and directed gives a visual exemplification of how his campaign can be carried out in reality. A protagonist of the film who carries the spirit of the advocacy, also named Daniel, lives for everyday while applying his principle of selflessness by helping various type of people approaching him to the extent of being misinterpreted by others and opposing him, yet remaining firm with his belief.

The film includes the talents of Arnel Ignacio, Emilio Garcia, Tony Arevalo, Ryan Ramos, Natasha Ledesma, Robert Miller, Arnel Ignacio, and Rey “PJ” Abellana.  Screenplay was written by TV and film director, Lito De Guzman.

If Dante Mendoza bagged the Best Director awards this year in the recent Cannes Film Festival through his film Kinatay, Daniel Razon is eyeing a different prize for his film and it is through the potential gross of the movie.

He stated that the sales ticket of the movie will augment to the financial needs of his public-service he had been operating like the Transient Homes in Manila and Pampanga, Free Bus and MRT Rides, Medical Missions, Free Legal Service, and the recent Scholarship Program for College.

Perhaps the message that Daniel Razon is trying to convey by making this film is that the intention and motivation of a filmmaker is equally important as the message that the very film promotes to the audience.  The movie didn’t exploit any explicit material to make it intriguing that made it a standout among other digital films’ themes that are rampant today.

Isang Araw Lang advocacy is a call to carry out good deeds to self and to others even just for one day especially for those who are in capacity to do greater things to others. This advocacy he called have started in his morning public service show  in UNTV.

Razon also promotes anti-piracy as he understands the worth of honest sales that means a lot to the team behind a movie or of an album, from the producers to the artists.

Isang Araw Lang premiered in Meralco Theater on July 19, 2009 and in PICC Plenary Hall Pasay City on July 26, 2009. Movie tour in provinces and international venues is currently proceeding.

Just Like Charice: Natives of Foreign Lands embrace hard a Filipino teaching them of spirituality

Where have you been all our lives? They asked the man who seemed to know every nook and cranny of the Bible. But he belonged to a third-world country, one that is known for extreme poverty – material or moral – that racial slurs for the Filipino appear deserved and called for.

Although Filipino is one of the many races that are often victimized by racial slur of many countries that are economically superior, Filipinos abroad are continually creating phenomenal scenes and remarkable stories that challenge such claims from other races.

A very recent case of pinoy-bashing is courtesy of Chip Tsao, an editor of Hong Kong Magazine. He labeled the Philippines as “nation of servants”. Tsao, being self-claimed patriotic, explained in his column that the comment he made was due to his anger as he stumbled upon the news of Philippines claiming sovereignty over Spratly Islands. In his article he stated:

There are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working at US$3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

Tsao only saw a certain phase of facts about the country regarding the statistics of Filipinos working abroad as domestic helpers. The reason to work overseas could be attributed to the unsatisfying local wages of the workers in the country.

It can be remembered that early quarter of 2008, a Hollywood actress Teri Hatcher cited a line with racial slur against Filipino Doctors in a TV drama in which she starred. This too became a news sensation. These are just the most recent ones, not yet including other high and low profile cases of racial slur against Filipinos in the past.

But it seems that Filipinos would not easily yield to this pinoy-bashing trend as some Filipinos are making it successful in the international scene with their exceptional gifts, not to mention the fact that 8.6% in 1.515 million Filipinos abroad are professional and highly skilled workers, according to Philippines Today. This one, Tsao might have failed to see.

If many of Pinoys have reacted in such sore manner, others are showing swiftly how different Filipinos are and don’t deserve such disparaging remarks.

Read full story here: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-262583

Listening to the songs of Daniel Razon

ONE OF THE SIMPLE things I did on Holy Week, between visita iglesia and joining the early morning procession on Easter Sunday, was catching up on my readings and listening to my growing collection of unopened CD’s.

It was a shame, I thought, to keep on amassing those albums without even trying them on for size, or at least, giving each one of them the benefit of a first hearing. It was like giving each of those singers, known and unknown, established, promising or never mind, their so-called day in court.

One of the pleasant discoveries of Black Saturday, which was when I started playing the albums in the Love Songs division, was ‘Songs of Love’ by Kuya Daniel Razon.

The CD had been on my desk for sometime, but after finally playing it recently, was I glad I didn’t give it away as was customary. Razon, better known as a morning show anchor (Magandang Umaga Bayan and Unang Hirit), Good morning Kuya, and now, civic worker, has come up with his own renditions of seven well-known love songs plus an original composition called ‘The Promise’ (by Angelito de Guzman), theme song of UNTV in 2006.

Razon’s deep baritone glides through each of the eight cuts like a seasoned balladeer. He hits the vocal peaks and valleys with ease in numbers like ‘Just The Way You Are’, ‘In My Eyes’, ‘Out Here On My Own’, ‘All My Life’, ‘Lean On Me’. A tinge of drama gushes forth in She’s Out Of My Life and the classic dependable, What Matters Most.

Daniel Razon belongs to a new generation of media people who define their careers by the work they do for others. An excellent photographer (he’s a nephew of the famous society photographer, Bob Razon, he has also published a coffeetable book and mounted an exhibit entitled ‘In My Eyes’ recently), motorcycle addict and musician, Razon is also a civic worker who put up a shelter for poor workers in the city. The shelter is located along EDSA, near the gate of Philam Homes.

In his youth, Daniel Razon showed promise as a singer on the discovery program, Starbrighters, produced and hosted once upon a time by former movie writer and line producer, Boy C. De Guia. – Nestor Cuartero

Source: Tempo.Com.Ph