GRPundit

The collective stupidity of Filipino politicians seems to be nearing a point where they may all inadvertently kill the very goose that has been laying their golden eggs for the last half century. One thing that the trial of the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona might actually achieve is to whip all these bozos into a skirt-lifting frenzy that will ultimately result in every one of them revealing the wide array of colours of undergarments they wear to the public. This impeachment trial and the tactics of the prosecution can potentially disrupt a kind of détente amongst Filipino politicians; one that was underpinned by a tacit acknowledgement that any attempt to dig up dirt on the other will simply raise the spectre of a "hidden wealth armageddon" wherein the ensuing tit-for-tat unearthing of one another's treasure chests and skeletons-in-closets will assure the destruction of the veil that cloaks their collective parasitical hold on Philippine societ...

In recent weeks we've seen jargon like "social news network", "online journalist", "citizen journalists", and "crowdsourcing" coming into the quaint lingo of some "media practitioners" (hey, there's another one!). None of these are clearly defined in the context of the practice of journalism and, more importantly, none of these have added any significant clarity to the "debate" around the role of these media people in our overall journey towards becoming a more just society. For me it is quite simple. There are only three operational classes that describe how an information channel can operate: (1) Provide information (2) Seek to influence (3) Peddle influence News reporters do Item 1, columnists do Item 2, and publicists do Item 3. A "media practitioner" or channel can be one or a combination of the above three. How much more complicated can it be? The thing I find quite amusing about people like Maria Ressa...

Impeachment being denominated "political" does not mean that the role of media during such trials is–to Hofilena–to "enrage them or inspire them" for partisan ends. Impeachment is "political," because the accusers come from a body of politicians–elective representatives of the qualified electors in their respective districts–and the accused is a public officer charged with having abused or violated the public trust; hence, the penalty for the convicted officer handed down by another assembly of politicians, the Senate, is removal from an office of public trust and perpetual disqualification from holding public office thereafter. But even though the accusers and the judges are politicians and the trial itself is dubbed as "political"; the Senate Rules of Procedure on Impeachments (2011) clearly provide otherwise, since Senators–in their role as judges–are required to solemnly swear to or affirm that each one of them "will do impartial just...

Philippine "journalists" will never be taken seriously by people who actually think. 3 strikes already proved it: 1. Manila Peninsula "Media Kami!" fiasco ("journalists" openly siding with criminals). 2. Quirino Tour Bus foul-up ("journalists" ensuring that they had right-of-way, not the police). 3. This whole piss-wad impeachment "trial". It's more of a pillory now with the way the "journalists" cover it. "Journalists" are no different from pimps: they're more than willing to whore out the innocent facts to people willing to be taken for a ride, at the right price. ABS-CBN, the Inquirer, Philstar, and GMA already proved that – profit above all, no questions asked. ------------ Comment on Get Real Post at http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2012/01/medias-role-in-philippine-society-undermines-rather-than-strengthens-the-process-of-seeking-truth/comment-page-1/#comment-21298

Exciting times ahead. It will be quite entertaining watching so-called 'journalists' being grilled on the witness stand on national television. It's been revealed recently that "investigative journalist" Raissa Robles and "online journalist" Maritess Vitug wil be subpoenaed to testify for the prosecution in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. What is amusing is how the inclusion of these two "journalists" actually reveal even more how desperate the prosecution is. After all, what do Robles and Vitug bring to the table? As far as I know, nothing but sketchy circumstantial evidence ... Going further down the depth of the barrel, we found veteran “investigative reporter” Raissa Robles and “online journalist” Maritess Vitug scraping its bottom with their “reports” about the sketchy improprieties of Corona’s wife Mrs Cristina Corona and the “outrage” of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) awarding Mr Corona academic ...

I bristled at first when I began reading the recent article “ The show must go on ” of Inquirer.net "columnist" Patricia Evangelista. Her opening remarks are a sampling of some disturbing notions that may already be implanted in the heads of some our more dimwitted compatriots, a couple of which I highlight as follows... * * * Patricia Evangelista seems to assert that Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's "power to diminish the Judiciary" (if he does indeed possess it) is a good thing . If this is the nature of the "power" wielded by the chief of the Executive branch of the Philippine government, and if this is the intended outcome of the impeachment effort against the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the principles underlying this exercise that is gripping the nation today. We've been told by impeachment apologists for so long that the impeachment procedure is against the ...

Karen Jimeno on why she joined the defense team in a report on impeachment trial spokespersons published on the Inquirer.net ... Jimeno said she accepted the invitation from Corona’s lawyers to join the defense team because after reading the verified complaint and grounds for impeachment, “it didn’t seem to me that there was basis for the impeachment complaint.” She has taken on the job pro bono and has even postponed her honeymoon for it. Jimeno was wed to an American investment banker early this month. She considers it a “privilege” to have been given an opportunity “to take a stand for my principles and to stand behind the judicial department.” [ Full article here .] More on Karen Jimeno on Get Real Post here !