Diliman Diary Blog: 01.30.2012 (UP No Longer Leftist)

The atmosphere inside UP Diliman has changed over the past few years. Since the tuition fee increase, it has been observed that membership in leftist organizations has dwindled. The political atmosphere is unlike before and the new breed is now accused by the leftist to be lax and apathetic.

It seems however that the former “activists” in UP Diliman should learn one thing from the current students inside UP Diliman. We should all learn that there are different forms of activism and hitting the streets with red banners is not the only way to fight the system or to fight something (not necessarily the system). Not going to a rally doesn’t make any UP student less of an Isko or Iska because a real Iskolar ng Bayan should be presenting solutions to a problem and not make things worse. (Photo via obamaism.blogspot.com)

(Sigrid Salucop)

UP Diliman Fishball, Isaw Unsafe

Photo via sentinelpatricio.wordpress.com

The Department of Science and Technology and the Center for International Migration and Development say UP Diliman's street food are unsafe. CIM food safety consultant Dietmar Speckmaier said that the results of the tests conducted in UP Diliman, Davao, CDO, and Laguna are "basically the same". Speckmaier cautioned the public regarding the consumption of street food in these areas as well as other places that sell local fare like isaw, fishballs, kwek-kwek, etc.

The initial findings showed significant amounts of salmonella and E.coli -the amount confirmed to be large enough to make people sick. In an interview, Speckmaier made it clear that CIM is "not trying to destroy the food street vendors sector" but is "trying to groom this sector".

CIM is said to be eyeing a food safety training program for street vendors for the sector to be able to comply with sanitation standards.

Diliman Diary blog: 01.25.2012

Marxism is a joke. Its bankrupt philosophies ended up enslaving millions of people, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia, and resulted in untold numbers of deaths worldwide through spin-off sub-ideologies resulting in massacres such as the derivative Cultural Revolution(via Maoism), Cambodian Killing Fields and the Bolshevist massacres of the White Russians.

And was it not Marx himself who coined the slogan, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program? It is from this slogan that the Socialist states' model of centralized socialist planning started which resulted in the deprivation of the masses, while members of the Communist Party apparatchik lived in obscene luxury. Meantime the wealth of the Socialist nations was exported for hard currency, rather than uplifting the well-being of their peoples.

There has been no successful socialist state that I can think of in the modern era that I can think of that has succeeded in uplifting the quality of life of its people. On the contrary, it is worldwide socialism, and not capitalism that has been dumped into the dustbin of history.

The PKP and the CPP-NPA have been around for most of the last century in this country, and they have never come close to attaining their so-called strategic offensive stage (perhaps the closest was between 1983 to 1986). Even in this country it is clear that people want something else than what socialism has to offer.

It of course behooved Marx to undermine the authority of the established church (in this case, the Catholic Church, since he was German), since he regarded this institution as being a competitor for hearts and minds, and thus power of the masses. It is important to understand the motivation of this author in writing the way that he did.

The Catholic Church is a living, organic entity, obviously made up of fallible human beings. But if the Church was so bankrupt, it would have fallen by the wayside of Marxism, Leninism, Maoism, etcetera two thousand years ago. It never has. Scientific Materialism, or even dialectical maeterialism can never adequately satisfy the human being's intrinsic hunger for faith and God.

It is impossible to reduce the component parts of the DNA molecule, for example to mere physics and chemistry. It is so obvious that there is something that animates mere matter that science itself has been unable to explain. Put another way, "Although a DNA molecule cannot exist without physical properties, these properties are constrained by higher level ordering principles." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism). That higher level principle is God himself.

And so some of us continue to believe in the primacy of the Catholic Church: exploitative though it has been; obscene and immoral as it can be. It has admittedly been an albatross around our necks in this country for many centuries, as has been vividly described by Jose P. Rizal in his Noli and Fili. But going back in time, minus the doctrine and the dogma of centuries, the power of the Church, especially the early Church, harkens back to the faith of simple fishermen which Jesus liked to a rock or a foundation. In Matthew 16:18 scripture says that Jesus told Peter: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church."

It is on the strength of this phrase that some of us recognize the primordial primacy of the Catholic Church over derivative sects.

But going back to dialectical materialism, let us not forget that the Communists, once they had imprisoned and murdered the Orthodox priests in their native Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Catholic priests in East Germany, Poland and so on also banned all forms of "superstitious" rituals, worship of religious icons, saints, etcetera. Once they had done this, they had to invent their own empty meaningless rituals, which is itself a criticism of dialectical materialism which sought "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness."

Marxism had the opportunity to provide so-called "real happiness" to the people of Poland, East Germany, Romania, USSR which fell like dominoes at the hands of the disgruntled masses whom their masters claimed they were serving.

The bottom-line is this: People are hungry for faith. They want to believe in a force larger than themselves. They want to believe in a God: because neither ideology nor wealth, nor any other form of materialism is enough to satisfy this intrinsic hunger. This is why the Communist regimes were toppled. This is why people still go to Church. This is why Communism cannot succeed in this country.

And focusing on the issue that truly matters, as in what is worth living and dying for, we are faced with the historical reality and the simple truth that, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4).

(Chanda Shahani)

Celebrating The Chinese New Year With Manny O. Wines

by Sigrid Salucop 

A flood of women in red gowns and men wearing the same color greeted the Manny O. party upon our arrival at the Manila Hotel. The event started with the traditional dragon dance while guests sipped Manny O’s red wine and snacked on dumplings. While the Philippines’ King of Talk Boy Abunda was happily hosting the event with Feng Shui expert Marites Allen, we spotted Manila’s mayor Alfredo Lim, members of the glitterati, and a few celebrities.  

From L-R Princess Tishreen Mariam I. Bahjin from the Royal House of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, Sigrid Salucop, and Manny O. Wines' Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan

The Chinese New Year is an important event in the Philippines’ Chinese community and is also welcomed with a grand festivity among many Filipinos. While Allen talked about the Year of the Water Dragon, those who were not intently listening to her Feng Shui advice started reading the Horoscope Forecast for 2012 that Allen wrote.

The Chinese New Year celebration also known as the Spring Festival in Mainland China has been brought to the Philippines by Chinese traders centuries ago. The festival itself has been around for centuries and involves several myths and traditions. In the case of the Manila Hotel celebration however, the festivity was a good mix of modern elegance and Chinese rituals.

From L-R Rachelle Ann de Guman, Princess Tishreen, Boy Abunda, Sigrid Salucop

The King of Talk Boy Abunda and Manny O. Wines' Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan

After the dragon dance and dividing the participants according to their animal year groups guests drank more wine courtesy of Manny O. The merrymaking continued and while we were on our way to the hotel’s parking lot, we took the chance of taking a few photos with Boy Abunda while Manny O. Wines’ Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan discussed a few things with the talk show host. It seems there’s nothing better than starting the Chinese New Year right by doing business.

At the parking lot, guests were given a balloon each. The balloons served as messengers to the heavens for the wishes of the people who participated in the celebration. Before the clock struck 12:01 however, we chanted the Tibetan Mantra of Chenrezi Om Mani Padme Hum. The mantra either sung out loud or silently invokes the blessings and attention of the benevolent Chenrezig –the deity of compassion. According to experts, these four words cannot be translated into one simple phrase  but it does invoke all the teachings of Buddhism.  The usual explanation however involves the growth of a lotus flower and how wonderful it is that it can still look beautiful even if it grows from muddy water. 

The balloons were released at exactly 12:01 on January 23, 2011

Hundreds of wishes aim for the sky

Still holding a wine glass filled with Manny O.’s finest wine, I chanted with over a hundred people before we finally released the balloons to the heavens. We were all facing the southeast –the direction where according to Marites Allen, wealth and happiness will be coming from this year. Like any other New Year’s celebration, we greeted the Chinese New Year with fireworks.

After the beautiful fireworks display, we headed back inside the hotel to partake in the festivity's prosperity dinner. Before the sumptuous meal however, each table had to mix the prosperity salad for good luck. The prosperity dinner is an important part of the celebration because the dishes symbolize luck, wealth, and longevity for the new year. The buffet included an array of sumptuous dishes such as Dried Fried Shrimp Glazed with Almonds, Steamed Garoupa Fillet in Brown Sauce, and of course, Tikoy or Nian Gao. 

The prosperity salad is a mix of pomelo, dried cranberries, nuts, sliced mangoes in clam sauce, carrots, cucumbers and a sprinkling of black and white pepper among other ingredients.

The auspicious meal was prepared by Manila Hotel's Executive Chinese Chef Sun Bing

Manny O. Wines is a major sponsor of the grand festivity at the Manila Hotel held January 22-23, 2012. An award-winning company, Manny O. Wines brought home 8 major awards from Hong Kong’s International Wine competition last November 2011.

Salvador P. Lopez conference highlights U.P.'s current problems

By Chanda Shahani

A conference on the achievements and times of U.P. President Salvador P. Lopez held on January 19, 2012 at Faculty Center, U.P. Diliman highlighted the current problems now currently being faced by the University of the Philippines (U.P.) System.

The conference, entitled the Salvador P. Lopez Centennial Academic Conference dwelled on several themes which were relevant during S.P. Lopez's term of office as U.P. President from 1969 to 1975, and which have applicability to the situation facing the U.P. System even today.

U.P. President Pascual makes comparisons between his term and that of of former President Lopez

Speaking at the conference, U.P. President Alfredo E. Pascual said that his term began in 2010 as the 20th U.P. President. He said that the challenges facing former President Lopez were vastly different compared to today's job of managing a university system which, "as massive as U.P. is, is never easy."

He said that the idea of a U.P. System was originally conceptualized by S.P. Lopez in 1969 and that it was meant to be one overarching entity made up of organized but separate entities.

He said that the four pillars referred to by S.P. Lopez in running a university were still valid today. He said these four pillars were:

• Accessibility
• Democratization
• Relevance
• Autonomy

He said that the inspiration for creating a U.P. System was inspired by the University of California System with its flagship campus being U.C. Berkeley, which was roughly analogous to U.P. Diliman.

Pascual said the U.P. System was trying to develop linkages with various UC units, and that he was already in discussion with UC Berkeley's Health Sciences System wherein they are trying to develop a joint research institute with U.P.

He said that his administration faced challenges "unheard of in the time of S.P. Lopez." He pointed out that the U.P. System was made up of seven (7) constituent universities and one (1) autonomous college

Pascual narrated that the U.P. System itself "was tsked to ensure that all autonomous units develop to maximum completion." He pointed out that the differeent U.P. units were in different stages of development, with U.P. Manila, Diliman and Los Baños being the most favored.

He said that the overall vision was to equalize the standards throughout the U.P. System. Consequentially, and as a symbolic move, he said that since the graduates of the different constituent universities should be of the same caliber, that U.P.'s plan was to remove the name of the constituent universities from all of U.P.'s diplomas as a "symbolic move."

Unifying standards and quality assurance

President Pascual said that it was imprtant for U.P. to ensure a system-wide implementation of quality assurance. However, potential problems existed with the autonomy of U.P. units which "is an issue that is fraught with danger," he said.

He said the existence of different university councils among the different U.P. constituent unversities compounded the problem of standards. "There is no formal system at the system level at unifying reforms, for example, of the General Education Program," he said, adding that the value of general education is seen in conferences on education that he has attended all over Asia.

To unify the actions of the U.P. System, you must rely on the oneness of vision among its officials, he said.

He said that he would invoke Article 50 of the U.P. Code which gives the U.P. President the blanket discretion to modify any resolution of any body of the university in order to ensure that any collegial decisions made by lower-ranking bodies were consistent with U.P.'s overall vision.

U.P. Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma highlights UPD's problems

Speaking also at the conference, U.P. Diliman Chancellor Caesar saloma said that UPD has 136 degree programs offering the Ph.D. degree but only 73 Ph.D. graduates are produced by UPD every year. In other words, there are more programs than there are graduates. He traced this to the iffy quality of mentoring now in place in UPD and said this has to improve.

Chancellor Saloma said that U.P. Diliman has 1535 faculty members, but that only 528 or 36% of them had Ph.D.'s Of the existing Ph.D. holders, 46% of them were 56 years old and above; meaning that close to half were nearing retirement age.

The bottom-line is that there is a shortage of Ph.D.'s now in the UPD faculty, and aggressive measures will have to be undertaken to improve these numbers in order for UPD to remain a leading educational institution in the country.

He also said the Philippine population had increased by 20 million from 1999 to 2010, which resultd in more pressures being put on U.P. to provide more services, but without a corresponding increase in budget. He said that U.P. thus had a potent argument to increase government subsidies given the huge impact of population pressures on U.P, to provide more services.

Open forum, a former Faculty Regent questions U.P.'s policy on Corporatization

During the open forum with President Pascual, former Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo agreed with President Pascual that U.P. was on the right track to continue ensuring academic excellence, democratic governance and academic freedom.

However, Professor Taguiwalo expressed concern with U.P.'s policy of increasing "corporatization," which played into the hands of neoliberal advocates who wanted public universities such as U.P. to be subjected to market forces rather than as universities with a public character. She asked how the U.P. President would address this concern.

Answering Professor Taguiwalo's question, President Pascual said that U.P., did not have professionals among its administrators, unlike some other universities. He said all the supervisors of the university were derived from the faculty; and this helped ensure the university's public character.

President Pascual said that he came from the enviornment of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) where the faculty there were jealous of safeguarding their role in running the affairs of the institute; rather thanletting professional managers call the shots.

But President Pascual was firm in advocating what he said was a global trend of increasing corporatization that U.P. could not escape. He said that U.P. should instead strive "to create its own brand" of corporatization with the overall consensus of its faculty.

U.P. President highlights significant issues in U.P.'s financing

By Chanda Shahani

There is a worldwide trend that points to declining support by governments for education; and the University of the Philippines (U.P.) System needs to take concerte steps to address this reality in the Philippines, said U.P. President Alfredo E. Pascual.

Speaking on January 19, 2012 at the Salvador P. Lopez Centennial Academic Conference held at Faculty Center, U.P. Diliman, Pascual said that while U.P. needs to intensify its campaign for more subsidy from the national government, there were other steps that U.P. must and should implement to bolster its finances.

These are:

• Develop U.P.'s land grant and other properties, such as the U.P.-AyalaLand technohub located along Comonwealth Avenue in Diliman Quezon City. Pascual said that since the U.p. Charter of 2008 (R.A. 9500) said that all U.P.'s land grants were for the use of the national university; the revenue derived from leasingout U.p. lands to Ayala Land, Inc., were meant for the entire national university, and not just U.P. Diliman alone. The same concept would apply to other U.P. lands outside U.P. Diliman. Any revenues derived from such would go towards the funds of the U.P. System which were held collectively, he said. He said the reason for this was that the level of endowmenets varied across constituent units; depending on accident and history, not design.
• With regards to Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or "pork barrel" initiatives of congress, he said that that at least PhP 6.2 billion were allocated to U.P. in previous General Appropriations Acts (GAA) in Congress, but were not fully released to U.P. It was time that U.P., reclaimed these lost funds, he said.
• He said that grants, endowmenets and scholarships should be coordinated through common fund raising efforts in order to maximize targets.
• General alumni support needed to be tapped, he said. A spirit of giving among the alumni needed to be strenghtned, Pascual said.
• Overhead costs needed to be brought down even further. One way that this could be done was to foster the development of the e-U.P. software and hardware system where both payrolls and procurement needs across the U.P. System could be consolidated for greater economies of scale and efficiencies.
• He also said that U.P. had to find ays and means to maximize trust funds and earnings and thus pool resources under the control of one individual system. "It's better to have one portfolio in order to diversify risks and maximize returns," he said. He said that U.P. could easilyt double its earnings from its combined trust and other funds which totalled about PhP 10 billion.
• He also said that U.P. needed to start harnessing the provisions of the U.P. Charter where it should take advantage of the fact that it was zero VAT rated. This means that U.P. does not have to pay 12% Value Added Tax in such diverse expenses such as electricity and purchase of construction materials or services.

"U.P. is not immune to the problems of other higher institutions," Pascual said, adding that "The annual amounts given by the government to U.P. are not enough for U.P. to develop and grow."

Doctor Love: Women Are From Venus, Men Are From Mars

While a 20-something guy friend is talking about getting laid, 20-something me is being emotional. These are two different things of course and one is not related to the other but it made me realize how different men and women are even if some women and some men have commonalities. 

A German magazine I read published a scientific study months ago, the study said that we are related to apes –now this is hardly surprising news but what the scientists found is that women and men are more related to apes than to each other. Is it really true that women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Under these circumstances how does one even find the right person to be with if men and women are so different? It is no wonder that some men date other men while some women marry each other. 

On Thinking Too Much

Women have a tendency to think too much when it comes to their relationships –Why hasn’t he called? Why hasn’t he emailed? Does he still love me?

A man would say that there is really nothing to decipher since men are used to straight talk and they will tell you if they like you or if they don’t but often there are grey areas and these are the areas that women dread. These grey areas drive us to ask ourselves a number of questions we cannot answer. One has to remember however that often, women jump into conclusions and often, we just end up hurting ourselves.

If he hasn’t booked the next date or hasn’t sent you an email, he is most definitely not that into you. Do you remember that movie of the same title? There are bits of information women can learn from that movie. If he doesn’t return your calls, it may be better to just leave him be. If he really likes you or love you for that matter, he will do something about it. Don’t go around pushing him or fighting for a spot in his heart because if you have to fight for a spot then it is probably not worth it.

When it comes to how men think, women must understand that men process information in a different manner. Women are global thinkers and take into consideration all sorts of information. Men on the other hand have a tendency to work on a problem repeatedly rather than addressing it all at once. Now these are just tendencies and are not absolute.

Cheaters Never Win?

Men and women are different through and through and I am not just talking about the birds and the bees. According to statistics, 60% of Filipino men cheat on their wives. This study was done in the mid-90s, it must be much worse now. The latter part of that sentence has no supporting evidence though so let's focus on what we know.  

Women cheat too but did you know that being emotionally attached to someone else is also defined as cheating by some women? 

Under Philippine law, a married woman can go to jail if she is seen holding hands with a man other than her husband while a man cheating on his wife must be caught in the act so that the wife can file charges against him. In the Philippines, both in matrimony and in politics, cheaters seem to win.

Tell Me How You Feel

Women are more verbal than men. If you remember Tarzan saying to Jane, “Me Tarzan, you Jane” this practically explains it all. Only very few men can tell you how they really feel. Women on the other hand can voice their emotions pretty easily.

Physical, Biological

No one would argue about the physical differences between men and women. Our physical differences have functional advantages and of course survival value. Men have body strength, have thicker skin that rarely bruise and they have thicker skulls too. This means that calling a man thick-headed is not at all far fetched. 

Men are built for physical confrontation that is why they are more reckless than women. Women on the other hand have more neurons and can access both the left and the right sides of their brains. This is the explanation on why women can multitask while men (who only have access to one side of their brains) have a tendency to solve problems one step at a time. 

Now this leads us to solving problems –any problem for that matter. Psychologist Michael G. Conner found that if one places a group of teenage boys and a group of teenage girls in a maze, the two groups would be solving the problem in a different manner. According to Conner, the boys build a chain of command and in this particular study, the boys explored the maze through the use of scouts. The girls on the other hand did not establish a chain of command and explored the maze together. Relationships among girls have a tendency to be co-equal and the use of collective intelligence is enforced.

The conclusion? We might be different but we can still get along..or not. Agree to disagree maybe? 

Photos via 

desicomments.com

guardian.co.uk

weird-websites.info

Questions? Comments? Reactions? 

You may email Doctor Love at

dr.lovebytes@gmail.com

DCAAP in Diliman on February 9 to 10, 2011

There will be a 2-day-training for technical writing on February 9 to 10 at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. The event, organized by the Development Center for Asia Africa Pacific (DCAAP) will be given certificates of completion.

To join, you may send an email to info.dcaap@yahoo.com or to dcaapintl@gmail.com. You may also contact (632) 926-9522. You would have to pay a Php 2000 fee.

DCAAP, a global consulting firm that organizes research and development programs in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific based in Manila has already helped a number of organizations in 43 countries not only in Asia and Africa but also Europe. The organization also provides inter-country research as well as study tours and consultancy.

UP Diliman Calls For Justice

The Online Community Newspaper of the University of the Philippines Diliman calls on President Benigno Aquino III to defend the rights of UP students and its faculty members especially those who were detained, the ones who have gone missing and the ones who were killed because of their political affiliations.

The arrest of UP Diliman students and professors is hardly surprising news but through the years, the rights of individuals have been trampled on while government officials and the mainstream media turned a blind eye. Those who studied in the University of the Philippines Diliman already know that calling for justice and holding protests to call on government officials is almost an everyday occurrence.   

The University’s commitment to be a catalyst in Philippine politics and in the Philippine society has maligned the University’s reputation though. Today, it is no secret that the Philippine military brands anyone from UP as very left-wing even if not everyone from the University is a leftist.

E-Cigarettes, Smoking, and Addictive Personalities

By Sigrid Salucop

Photo via publichealthforums.com

We’ve heard this a lot of times before –smoking is bad for you but those who are addicted to smoking just can’t kick the habit. From nicotine patches to chewing candy to pills to quitting cold turkey, what other choices does a smoker have?

Addictive Personality and Smoking

A report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism titled “Alcohol and Tobacco” says that heavy smokers usually have addictive personalities and that most heavy smokers are likely to abuse alcohol as well.

Another study back in 2007 has found a link between other addictions and smoking. Carolyn Schaefer Placko’s study on smoking revealed that 70% of alcoholics are also chain smokers. Six years before these studies were done, an article on addictive personality was published in the Encyclopedia of Psychology stating that people who get addicted easily use their addiction to soothe anxiety and to drown uncomfortable emotions. If this is the case, is there a possibility for a smoker to quit smoking through therapy? There is no clear cut answer to this question because experts believe that a smoker would have to have the will to stop smoking because if he or she does not want to stop smoking, therapy won’t work. Commitment is a very important thing when an individual chooses to go through therapy.

E-cigarette Review: Is it time to switch?

Photo via e-cigarettez.blogspot.com

E-health cigarette, an electronic cigarette brand sold in the Philippines holds a promise for those who would like to quit smoking. E-cigarettes became popular in the Philippines when many Starbucks branches within the metro banned smoking in their premises.

In the Diliman area alone, many Starbucks patrons in the coffee shop’s Matalino branch started using e-cigarettes inside the café just days after the issuance of the ban. Although these cigarettes look cool, they aren’t like the real thing.

The first thing one would notice is that it is more difficult to suck that nicotine out of the e-cigarette compared to smoking real cigarettes. There is an advantage of having an e-cigarette though because you can finally smoke in air conditioned places without having to worry about non-smokers getting annoyed by you.

In terms of health, switching from real cigarettes to the electronic version is a good thing because one can choose the nicotine content in the cartridges that they buy. Another way to finally get rid of nicotine addiction is to switch from nicotine cartridges to those that do not have nicotine.

If you have seen someone smoking an e-cigarette before, you would notice that there is still smoke coming from the user’s mouth. This is a good thing because it simulates the experience. However, chain smokers do not like it because of the smell. There is also a sweet after taste when one smokes an e-cigarette but this depends on the flavor one chooses.

If you work in an air conditioned place and then go out for a smoke, the contents of the cartridges will “melt” once you step outside. This is a minor disadvantage of course but if you get irritated by it, it is better not to switch.

For those who would like to save money in the long term, getting an e-cigarette today would be a good idea because you’d only be buying your cartridges instead of a P36 pack of Marlboros. The cartridges last a long time and one cartridge is equal to about 10 cigarettes.  

Although those who are addicted not only those who are addicted to cigarettes usually do not know how to stop the addiction, it may be time to look for other reasons other than your own health. 

#ItsMoreFunInDiliman

The Its More Fun in the Philippines ads circulating allover social networking sites Facebook and Twitter has inspired Twitter users from the University of the Philippines Diliman to make their own.

Photo by Jolly Estaris

Jogging #ItsMoreFunInDiliman –it is more fun indeed especially when stark naked frat boys are jogging around the Academic Oval as well.

Unfortunately, the photo above is the only “ad” for #ItsMoreFunInDiliman but the Diliman Diary suspects that UPD students are now editing some photos or even taking photos to add to the #ItsMoreFunInDiliman  hype.

If you are from the University of the Philippines Diliman, it might be time for you to get a short break from reviewing for your Midterms and take photos for #ItsMoreFunInDiliman.

Diliman Diary Blog: 12.06.2012

Social networking has given power to many internet users in terms of voicing their opinions. It has made a lot of things possible –getting a certain number of signatures for petitions became faster and people no longer had to directly spend money to communicate to anyone thanks to private messaging capabilities of social networking sites.

Although this freedom is being enjoyed completely in other parts of the world, in some countries, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned. We could say we are lucky really but just yesterday, in a country where mass media has so much freedom, a friend of mine was blocked by the news channel ANC just because he said the news they posted is irrelevant. He added in his comment however that this is hardly surprising because ANC is a corporate-owned news outlet and that it is only interested in getting ads in or sponsors and not necessarily give importance to news itself.

It seems that the media in the Philippines specifically ABS-CBN has a tendency to feed crap to the masses and also have the audacity to not broadcast news that would hurt their interests.

ABOUT US

The Diliman Diary is a bilingual online weblog that features stories in Diliman area in Filipino and English. It features everything from personal stories, technology, business, the arts, music, literature, theatre, film, politics, sports which impact the Diliman area and its netizens who may be located anywhere and in any time zone.If you want to submit comments, stories, pictures, poems, events, opinions or even the everyday happenings in your life then you may email us through our contact form. All submissions are considered the property of their respective submitters and no copyright infringements are intended.

Got a comment? A reaction? A statement to make? You can send an email to us at:dilimandiary@yahoo.com 

Attention: The Editor 

You Can Help Typhoon Sendong Victims

If you haven’t had the chance to help fellow Filipinos from the southern part of the country, you can do so today just by liking a page. 7 ELEVEN in partnership with Philippine Red Cross recently launched a campaign to send up 1 Million pesos to Typhoon Sendong victims in Northern Mindanao.

According to the page which one can view here, one “like” will be translated to P10.

Various companies both Philippine-based and multinational ones have been doing their own campaigns to send help in Northern Mindanao. Even small companies such as RareJob have sent over P400, 000. The said effort was a success thanks to its Filipino tutors, staff and the company’s CEO.