but i thought it quite timely to re-post this piece on the Manila International Literary Festival (MILF) 2011, while the PILF (yes, they changed Manila to Philippine) 2012 is happening. because i hear they were laughing as they wondered whether i would go this year (no), or if GMA News Online would send me (yes, but i said no).
because you know this year they take from prostitution and objectification of women, to sell Philippine literature. what fun.
notes on day 1 of the Cybercrime Law’s enforcement: or is gov’t paying attention?
1. no, because the senators who are now for amending it are only talking about the libel clause. that is not the only problem with this law.
2. no, because while i’ve done it for my social media accounts and other blogs, i know it is easy to ignore the blacked out sites and the blacked out profile pics and cover photos on twitter and FB. it is after all entirely possible that the government is thinking: yehey! no slogans and images that are painfully about us. black is good! also this: the blackout re SOPA and PIPA was powerful because the major sites (wikipedia, google) supported it. in the Philippines, the more powerful blackout would be of media sites (GMA, Inquirer, Philippine Star, ABS-CBN, Rappler), maybe of big business. the blackout of our individual blogs? it would just mean not having an alternative to those media sites. (more…)
on pages 648 to 650 of Juan Ponce Enrile, A Memoir (2012) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (and his editor Nelson Navarro and publisher ABS-CBN Publishing) falsely accuse my mother Angela Stuart-Santiago of writing “unpardonable falsehood” that was “meant intentionally and maliciously to tarnish <Enrile’s> name and <his> role in the 1986 EDSA Revolution. <Stuart-Santiago’s book> intended to portray me as a disresputable, despicable and a double-crosser.” <bad english not mine> (page 649).
does this count as defamation and libel? (more…)