January 24, 2006 · Posted in: Arroyo Impeachment, Governance, In the News

Stolen money stolen again?

WHERE is the money? As early as last year, the House oversight committee already suspected that the P38-billion Marcos wealth recovered from Swiss banks was slowly disappearing. The committee held a series of meetings from March to April 2005 to try to trace the whereabouts of the fund and to make sure that the P8 billion set aside for victims of Marcos’s human rights abuses was still intact.

Even then, farmers’ and human rights groups were concerned that the government was dipping its fingers into the Marcos fund, especially since it was first made available on January 30, 2004, just a few days before the presidential campaign started. One of the projects cited was the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program into which P544 million from the Marcos wealth was poured. When asked for a list of beneficiaries of the GMA Rice Program, the Department of Agriculture could not provide any.

Our report in September last year already pointed out that the Marcos wealth was tapped for the Arroyo campaign. The DA fund releases included over P1 billion that came from the portion of the Marcos money confiscated by the government. In April 2004, part of these funds were transferred from the Department of Land Reform to the DA. Up to now, the DA cannot account for these funds, including the P544 million in "seed assistance" and the P541 million to bankroll community irrigation projects.

News reports today are quoting Budget director Nora Oliveros as saying the money is practically gone and went mostly to paying salaries of Department of Agrarian Reform (since renamed Department of Land Reform) personnel. Yet in a hearing on April 13, 2005, Atanacia Guevarra, division chief of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) acknowledged that the bulk of the money, or 70 percent, is supposed to go to land acquisition while support services, including salaries, were to be taken from the remaining 30 percent.

An accounting of the Marcos funds has yet to be made available to Congress.

46 Responses to Stolen money stolen again?

Leo

January 24th, 2006 at 5:36 pm

Samakatwid yung salaping ninakaw ni Marcos sa taong bayan ay ninakaw muli ng administrasyon ni gma at ginamit sa kanyang sariling kapakanan. Lumalabas na doble magnanakaw ang administrasyon ni gma. Yung nakaw, ninakaw uli e talagang matinding kaasalan na ito. Tama ka Lt. San Juan, wala kang karapatang manatili sa loob ng kulungan. Gawin mo ang nararapat.

mowa

January 24th, 2006 at 7:49 pm

sa laki ng pera ng pilipinas san na napunta e walanghiyang buhay to kanda utut na pinoy sa pag hahanap ng makakain e kayo pa las vegas las vegas lang puta sobra ng lokohan to ..nagpapaka tanga na nga lang talaga tayong mga pinoy sa kasalukuyang gobyerno dapat sana kahit pano maraming mahihirap ang natulungan sa perang kinuha sa swiss gob.
gising na kayo !!!!

fandong

January 24th, 2006 at 8:12 pm

here is an entry at bulletproof vest. mahiya naman kayo

Proportionate Response
I tried hard to construct a proportionate response, but I have to admit I’ve never been in this spot before, so, proceeding without precedent, I have this story to tell:
As I loitered around National Bookstore waiting for my ride, I ran into a poster for a book, called “Hello, Garci? Political Humor in The Cellphone Age.” I tracked it down to see it shelved two covers wide on the eye level shelf in the humor category.

I glanced at the cover: author, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Here’s the cover:

As I thumb through the first few pages — I saw something that almost made my heart fall:

Of course, I was shocked. The acknowledgement goes on to say:

The contributions of these Web humorists round out this collection. Our thanks go to all of them and to the anonymous artist who did the komiks in the first chapter of this book. This series of comic strips show Gloria as Darna, but uses real photographs instead of drawings. It was passed on to us by email and although we did use our investigative skills, we failed to trace the author.
If you don’t know it yet, these komiks are from my blog.
Several things bother me about this:

1. Had they done the Google search I had inserted at the end of my komiks, keyword “bulletproof vest,” they would have found me. So much for investigative journalism when the answer’s right at your nose.
2. It would have been all okay, I guess, had the PCIJ asked for permission. But, not knowing the author, and without gaining permission from the author, they publish it anyway. It’s the first chapter of the book and the only part of the book that was printed in color (other than the cover).

3. On top of that, they placed an all rights reserved copyright on the book. Now, that’s just really dumb. I couldn’t even copyright the komiks myself because none of the photographs I used were permitted.

4. They, on the other hand, credit this copycat at Retzwerx who has a few one cell, really corny comics printed sporadically in the book. I don’t even want a link on my blog for this donkey.

My question now is, and I hope Sassy’s reading, what do I do? The PCIJ should know full well about copyright laws, and sadly, they disregard this to make a quick buck. Shouldn’t I get some of that?

By the way, if any of you have this book, I’d gladly sign it for you.

Posted by bvergara at 05:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

baycas

January 24th, 2006 at 9:05 pm

wow…

even “gloria komiks” or “gma komiks” as search queries will point to http://blog.622design.com/archives/2005_07.html .

mlq3, in his blog http://www.quezon.ph/blog/?p=593 , had cited the page http://blog.622design.com/archives/2005_07.html#000819 .

…and we’re speaking of stolen something in this thread…i’m sorry guys…

lokalokang matino

January 24th, 2006 at 9:49 pm

Lately, I heard only P8 billion is left of the fund. And she has the guts to name calling the press, the opposition, the critics anyone who dare cross her path ??!!!!! Kapal talaga, may gana pa siyang humarap sa TAONG BAYAN. gloria is trash, dirt,…I could not find a word to describe her, !!!!!! Makes me wonder how those generals continue to obey & salute her. What happens to HONOR, their VALUES?. Has gloria had their BALLS in her hands ? gloria is not the PEOPLE, She is not even elected by the people. She forced herself upon the FILIPINO people.

Time has come to for the military to STAND BY the FILIPINO PEOPLE, unless you enjoy sharing the LOOT with this little rat , then God help this nation!!!!

koj

January 24th, 2006 at 9:58 pm

double wow…

credit fandong for sharing…

jr_lad

January 24th, 2006 at 11:11 pm

i thought the money is still in an escrow account and cannot be touched by the government? unless there is a ruling from the sandigan bayan that indeed the money was an ill gotten wealth and once a ruling has been made part of it will go to the marcos human rights victims. how come the money is gone now? and how come the public is kept in the dark considering that the recovered marcos wealth is a hot issue? sobrang garapalan na ata yan.

Chabeli

January 25th, 2006 at 12:08 am

Graaaaaabe! The woman just has NO CONSCIENCE! Indeed, how long must a SQUATER in Malacanan like GMA go on? Is it enough that she has become synonymous to CHEATING, LYING and STEALING? Itapon na nga si GLU-RIA!

ryebosco

January 25th, 2006 at 2:08 am

How long should we remain idiotic and cowards? Should there ever be a true and absolute revolution to cleanse our society in the near future, we should do the following:

1. Gather all these corrupt devils in Luneta and have a Guillotine handy.

My late grandfather said, “The only way to change the Philippines is to kill the older, corrupt generation and leave the innocent children in the hands of the Americans.”

(I know a lot will disagree with the above observation; but let’s face it, 20 years after people power it has gotten worse. Don’t expect the corrupt few running this country to say, “Let’s change, let’s share the wealth, let’s make this nation prosperous.” America is not a perfect country but it sure as hell is the best in the world!)

Puro na lang katarantaduhan at pangloloko, bandaid na lang ng bandaid ang ginagawang solusyon. Bago ang lahat, dapat parusahan ang mga magnanakaw para umabante ang bansa.

January 25th, 2006 at 2:30 am

That’s a good one, Ryebosco!

However it is, whatever it is, IT IS THE PEOPLE who make a nation a good one or a bad one. Whether or not GLUE-RIA CHEATED, LIED AND STOLE, only the Filipinos can make the decision as to whether this will be tolerated or not. Lt. Trillanes was right on that one. The nation is were it is because its people allow it to be that way. Enough of the “Eh sino ang ipapalit kay Gloria?” Until we as a people accept that there is nobody to blame but ourselves for the sad state of the nation, we will not move forward. The power is in the people.

naykika

January 25th, 2006 at 3:39 am

Remember the great nation of USA didn’t get to where it is with out going thru the Bloody Revolution and some hundred years later the great Civil war. Up to this day the stigma of slavery still would not go away. Great Britain has gone thru worse and so is France. Canada, Australia and Few other nations are quite lucky they were born thru the suffering and labor of these three great nations. The Philippines should have learned from this, but refused. She too has experienced the Revolution, the War and the Civil war that is still going. Other nations rise from the ruins of these conflicts and set backs and learned from them and triumphantly march onward, we did learn much- only the spoils of them.

Rizalist

January 25th, 2006 at 5:49 am

Alecks, Just a comment to Baycas and Fandong about the Komiks kerfuffle–

CUT-N-PASTE is the Internet’s greatest vice and universal habit.

After the fourth or fifth time I got mad, and then flattered, by accidentally discovering an essay or two of mine published as someone else’s work (no attribution, no editing!) I decided that it goes with the territory and adopted the policy of donating everything on my blog to the PUBLIC DOMAIN. Besides, it is the MEMES that are more important, ultimately, than the AUTHOR.

If you really want to make money on your online work — you have to rely on advertising, not royalties! A blog is just a billboard on the information superhighway. When you publish a blog full of your original drawings or writings, it is the moral equivalent of going to a public place and displaying your work for all to see. Now if someone happens to cruise by and take a snapshot of your work, and prints said photograph in a book without attributing it to you, is that illegal or in violation of copyright laws? Maybe. But it’s certainly impolite and unethical if intentional. But apparently PCIJ did make a search, though strangely ineffective, to discover the artist’s identity.

Now, of course I do sympathize with the artist in the fact that SOMEONE else is apparently making money on his work. Under our IPR law, COPYRIGHT is a right that is inherent in the act of creation..

It does not require the creator of a work, no matter what its artistic or literary value, to even register for copyright, though that helps if you intend to enforce your copyright. This is a right to PREVENT others from using your original work for any purpose of which you do not explicitly approve. But enforcement is tough in a naturally promiscuous medium like the Web.

There is of course, one complication. The komiks are described as using photos–I assume these are collages with bubble speak items. But where did the artist get the photos? Are they screengrabs too, or photos of others’ photos? Did the artist take those photos himself or properly attribute them, if not?

ATTRIBUTION of material found on the Web is also not foolproof: you can never be sure it is correct!

Finally, anyone who publishes a blog, WANTS to be read, wants to be seen, wants to be imitated! I guess if you don’t want to be plagiarized — publish in a medium that no one reads.

DJB
Philippine Commentary
(still ad-free, all Public Domain)

tomas tinio

January 25th, 2006 at 6:35 am

Kailan kaya matatapos ang dada at magsisimula ang aksyon? Of course, meron na ring mga aksyon. Pero kailan kaya maaabot yung tipping point? Kailan kaya kakalusin yung bigas dahil nag-uumapaw na yung salop?

January 25th, 2006 at 9:15 am

Chabeli
You’re correct to say “Enough of the “Eh sino ang ipapalit kay Gloria?”
(A STATEMENT invented by BLIND gloria arroyo followers.) In fact, I find it the a most unforgive-able stupid statement. Imagine, a nation with over 80million people having no alternative to gloria? WHAT A STUPID RATIONAL!!! Do these people mean that IF gloria dies, we die or they die too? Our future is brighter without gloria and her ilks. The negative setbacks for ousting gloria is temporary compare to the seemingly endless corruption, arrogance and hopelessliness while she’s around.

Buti pa si gloria,laki benepisyo nakuha sa recovered funds samantalang yung tunay na beneficiaries, hayun naka-tingin pa rin sa langit,nag-aantay ng biyaya na wla pa lang darating dahil na-ibulsa na pala ng economistang daga sa palasyo.

What are the bishops waiting for? The glaring truth of corruption and mis-governance are flashing right in their faces. Today truth has 2 versions, the gloria-bunye ENVELOPmental TRUTH and the REAL TRUTH. Some military men favors the gloria -bunye truth for ovbious reasons, never mind HONOR and VALUES.

The bishops are having the council meeting this days, let us pray, these men in robes find the road to the REAL TRUTH. THE BISHOPS should stop circling around the real issues. Puro parinig lang kay gloria ang kaya nila, are their BALLS in gloria’s hand too? Why dont they hit the nail on the head!!! Are they being taken cared of GENUINO of the money making machine PAGCOR CASINO?

Time to unite, my dear countrymen!!!

dagatbigas

January 25th, 2006 at 11:01 am

In March 2004, then DAR officer-in-charge Jose Mari Ponce signed a Memorandum of Agreement with then Agriculture Sec. Cito Lorenzo to use P544 million pesos from the Marcos wealth.

The amount that could have been used to redistribute lands to tenants and landless farmers and to provide much needed support services to AR beneficiaries was realigned to fund the HRCP. Bulk of the amount was released on April 28, less than two weeks before the May 11 elections.

The Marcos wealth funds were reportedly intended to purchase seeds to cover 453,333 hectares. However, the report of DA showed two different but lower figures: that hybrid seeds were distributed only in 208,342 hectares as reported by Dr. Leo Gonzales during the PhilRice R and D Assessment and 316,114 hectares as reported in the DA F1 cultivation terminal report.

An accounting indeed of the Marcos Wealth fund has to be made available; how was the stolen money get stolen, again?

Sheila Coronel

January 25th, 2006 at 11:38 am

When we were putting the book together in August and wanted to use the Darna cartoon, we tried our best to find Bulletproof Vest. I emailed two people who sent me copies of the cartoon, asking for the source, but they both said they didn’t know. I also made a couple of phone calls to those I thought may know, but they came back as clueless as I was. Finally, I did Google Bulletproof Vest in August, but at that time, all the links I got were on bulletproof vests, the thing you wear for protection. I did not find any link to the Bulletproof Vest blog. Perhaps it was down at that time or was not as high up on the Google list as it is now.

We acted in good faith. We did not pass off the cartoon as our own, as shown in the excerpt Bulletproof Vest himself citres from the Hello Garci book shows. We even mentioned that we did try to find the author of the cartoon. Apparently, our investigative skills are not as good as we thought.

We got in touch with the other bloggers/webmasters whose work we featured. I emailed Retzwerz, but didn’t get a response. But since the work was attributed to his site, we decided to go with it. We got permission from Hot Manila and Professional Heckler to use their work and offered modest compensation. They happily gave us permission. If we had no intention of respecting copyright, we would not have bothered.

The PCIJ has had its work published over and over, sometimes with permission, sometimes without, but we don’t generally mind as long as the work is attributed to us. We know how it feels to be on the receiving end. We didn’t think Bulletproof Vest would mind, as we did not claim authorship of the cartoon or of most everything else in that book

The copyright notice is routine. All books published have this. It is to protect not only us but the contributors. Our policy has always been that we do not grant permission to republish work (including photographs) that is not originally ours. We refer them to the authors of the work themselves. We have no intention of claiming copyright rights for work that is not ours. The copyright covers the entire collection and the effort we had invested to put all those jokes and cartoons together. The collection was intended to be a celebration of Pinoy political humor, not a showcase of PCIJ’s work.

Maybe our mistake was in not continuing our search for Bulletproof Vest after the book was published. We had hoped that Bulletproof Vest would email us (our address, after all, is in the book). We would like to make amends by offering the same compensation we offered others and by putting an insert in the copies of the book still with us to explain the lapse.

fencesitter

January 25th, 2006 at 11:42 am

off topic:

for all of us who put trust in your work (PCIJ) may you please have the time and courage to answer what is being claimed by Happy of bullet proof vest on the supposed “stolen” comic strip that are included in the book you are selling.

I think he has a point there.

January 25th, 2006 at 12:45 pm

sori, i posted before reading the above post.
at least i know now your side of the story.

bote

January 25th, 2006 at 2:42 pm

jeez djb! are you saying that it’s ok ‘coz it seems like everyone is doing it anyway? i’ll condone your act ‘coz you’re a friend, but i’ll condemn you if you were otherwise?

ms. sheila: bloggerdotcom can help too, if you really wanted to. besides, mlq3 claimed that he informed you of who was behind that komiks. suffice it to say, what you wrote is just an excuse.

January 25th, 2006 at 3:03 pm

Bote, the main intent of that message was not to make excuses. I was trying to make amends. We are willing to put inserts clarifying authorship, etc. I am not saying that because everyone is doing it, it’s ok I was saying that since much of what is on the Net is in the public domain and since the comic strip has been circulated via emai, then obviously dissemination of the work without acknowledgment was already taking place even prior to our book. Bulletproof Vest himself says that the photographs he used in the comic strip were similarly in the public domain–he had no express permission to post them. Copyright issues here are fuzzy. As I said in my message, we are not asserting copyright over the original work in the Hello Garci book; our copyright is only on the effort we made to put the book together. Bulletproof Vest is right to complain about the lack of acknowledgment, this is why we are offering to make it up to him.

By the way, Manolo told me after the book came out, not before.

January 25th, 2006 at 3:30 pm

ay ms. sheila, you were informed nonetheless.

January 25th, 2006 at 5:49 pm

The Hello Garci jokebook was launched on October 25 and I received information about the Bulletproof Vest website from Manolo about that time. Unfortunately, due to pressing concerns, including multiple lawsuits filed against our blog since October, I was not able to give full attention to the information Manolo had given me. This is why I have offered to make amends for this lapse and have been in touch privately with Happy Vergara about the matter.

January 25th, 2006 at 8:21 pm

ano ba ito, kung hinde pa kayo kalampagin, hinde kayo gagalaw, nakakahiya talaga. siguro tama ang iba niyong critics, pera pera lang ito. di na bali ang credibility. i am very disappointed. pero di bale, mababawasan na naman ang aking babasahin. di na masasayang ang oras ko

January 25th, 2006 at 9:49 pm

this is yet another of the “yema balls” and “pinoy big blogger” give-credit-to-where-credit-is-due thing…

we can talk of the “really hurting” internet plagiarism, internet thievery, internet image-snatching, etc., etc…

we can also “preach” of the ethics of internet use and misuse…

and much so with the “judge not lest ye be judged” sermon of the righteous (‘cause i wasn’t “happy” NOT to be given credit by bulletproof vest on the “gma komiks” google search in http://blog.622design.com/weblog/ ).

reading on several threads regarding this issue (some have really good points, mind you…“kampi dito, kampi doon”)…in fairness to both parties (pcij and bulletproof vest), i highly suggest that you put this issue in a new blog entry here.

we are “living” in the world wide web and everything is possible…“cut-and-paste” is the term and probably true NETIQUETTE won’t really be imposed. the last thing we need is a war on blogs…i still believe in “all’s well that ends well.”

happy, no harm done…pcij, please make amends…baycas, shut up already!

January 25th, 2006 at 10:16 pm

DJB, sir, you are right on the “cut-and-paste” vice and habit.

January 26th, 2006 at 12:22 am

fandong, dapat humingi ka ng porsiyento kay happy vergara. kung di dahil sa yo hindi nakarating sa pcij na meron palang naghihimutok na ibang tao diyan. but come to think of it, madali namang tawagin ang atension ng pcij (katulad ng ginawa mo). maybe masyado lang mahiyain ang taong eto. nagkaroon ka pa tuloy ng pagkakataong makapuntos laban sa pcij which i think matagal mo ng minimithi. big deal!

anyway, pcij has admitted its lapse in judgment already and is making amends. so, what’s the fuzz really?

DJB has made a very interesting point also.

January 26th, 2006 at 10:18 am

I just wish, fellow bloggers should respect others by not bringing personal issues here.

Of course I read Fandongs complaint on pcij. I read it to the end and all the entries he sent.

Ms. Shiela Coronel don’t be upset, the guy is just kulang sa pansin, the last line of his 1st comment/complaint TELLS IT ALL:
“By the way, if any of you have this book, I’d gladly sign it for you.”
( CUT AND PASTED).

I could have stayed away from the fandongs issue but, the guy is just too full of himself. Am sorry for this observation, but that’s how I see it>

Rizalist has the right advise :

“Finally, anyone who publishes a blog, WANTS to be read, wants to be seen, wants to be imitated! I guess if you don’t want to be plagiarized — publish in a medium that no one reads.” (CUT and PASTED)

January 26th, 2006 at 10:36 am

kalokokang matino, you got it wrong. yong statement na “By the way, if any of you have this book, I’d gladly sign it for you” ay kay happy yon. di sa akin. sino ba ang too full of himself? ako? si happy? or ikaw na can not understand the issues at hand? sayang binasa mo pa naman lahat, pero wala kang na understand. basahin mo uli

January 26th, 2006 at 11:59 am

To fandong,

The followiing are cut and paste material:

“ano ba ito, kung hinde pa kayo kalampagin, hinde kayo gagalaw, nakakahiya talaga. siguro tama ang iba niyong critics, pera pera lang ito. di na bali ang credibility. i am very disappointed. pero di bale, mababawasan na naman ang aking babasahin. di na masasayang ang oras ko”

So ano pang ginagawa mo rito, I thought you’re gone, So you’re wasting you’re time here. Dont say things you can’t do.
GOOD BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 26th, 2006 at 1:27 pm

hehehe, nakana mo lokalokang matino. i thought nawala na si fandong.

anyway, what’s really the issue at hand? violation of copyright law? may kaso nga ba talaga? as what miss shiela coronel mentioned the comics strip was circulated via email and bulletproof vest took it from the public domain also. having done this, do you think this will hold in court when somebody claims his personal property was used without his approval?

well, to give you an example, if people here can still remember the case filed by abs-cbn against gma network (these are giant corporations). the complaint was about the footage of abs-cbn covering the former Iraqi hostage angelo de la cruz when he was freed. abs-cbn cited that there was a violation on the part of gma network because the latter did not ask permission from abs-cbn regarding usage of its own footage. gma network countered that they took the footage from another news agency (reuters to be exact). so what’s the court’s verdict? Not Guilty! gma network was cleared from any wrong doing. the court accepted the arguments of gma. do we see any similarity here? looks like but not on the magnitude. but while gma network did not acknowledge any wrongdoing regarding usage of another station’s property, here, pcij has acknowledged the lapses made and is willing to make amends even offering compensation. yet some people here are making a big deal out of it.

my point here is very simple, why should pcij apologize and explain to people here in this blog? it’s between them and that person. what’s our take in here? nothing. miss coronel has stated already that they have communicated with the person. it’s just between them and that person. sa madaling sabi wala tayong paki!

so again, what’s the fuzz really?

January 26th, 2006 at 5:33 pm

i think, jr.lad, pcij must explain because there are a lot of people like me who believe and trust pcij when it comes to genuine information. if they will be marked with “stolen information” , their credibility is at stake. So there is really a need for them to give their side of the story.

freewheel

January 26th, 2006 at 9:55 pm

fencesitter;

shiela c. had gone lengths explaining pcij side. if tis not too much to ask, may i ask how happy v. came out with the comic material-strip in question. no malice intended.

i would rather have this issue settled peacefully, free of ill feelings among the parties concerned (including interested bloggers) at the near end.

January 26th, 2006 at 11:23 pm

To freewheel,

CORRECT KA DYAN!!!! PLUS 50 POINTS!!!

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, PEACE BE WITH US!!!

Two Centavos Worth » Blog Archive » Corruption in the Philippines: Where Does It End?

January 27th, 2006 at 4:55 am

[…] The Republic of the Philippines is rated as the third most corrupt country in the world, after Indonesia and Vietnam. This article from the PCIJ Blog, Stolen money stolen again? seeks answers to one of the latest questions. WHERE is the money? As early as last year, the House oversight committee already suspected that the P38-billion [Fernand] Marcos wealth recovered from Swiss banks was slowly disappearing. The committee held a series of meetings from March to April 2005 to try to trace the whereabouts of the fund and to make sure that the P8 billion set aside for victims of Marcos’s human rights abuses was still intact. […]

» Blog Archive » Corruption in the Philippines: Where Does It End?

January 27th, 2006 at 5:07 am

January 27th, 2006 at 9:24 am

gma also has gone length with that “i’m sorry” speech….
did ms. sheila explicitly express her remorse???

same banana, different peel!!!

eyesWideopen2

January 27th, 2006 at 9:39 am

TO those who are misinformed.

in my humble opinion, you are both misinformed. you might visit happy’s site and read the threads.

and i believe, you better understand what explicitly express her remorse means.

TO PCIJ… I salute you guys!!! because even if some people here are so…. well, i’d rather say… MISINFORMED… their posts are still allowed.

perhaps to let them realize soon that they are so MISINFORMED.

😛

thanks MS. SHIELA.

January 27th, 2006 at 10:14 am

Corruption is no longer a dreaded word. It now becomes a way of life. If you’re looking for that Marcos Loot you can’t find it in few places. It was spread among the wide divide. Just about everyone into the Game. It is now synonymous with once making an honest living. A sad state of what has the country befallen

January 27th, 2006 at 10:22 am

To fellow bloggers:
It’s very healthy and incouraging to discuss and debate issues affecting our country, we can agree and disagree more base on our beliefs and perhaps affiliation, BUT PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let us focus on the issue at hand.

The illegal gloria regime has succesfully invented, implemented and institutionalised mis-information and division. Shall we allow this forum to be a victim of the same mis-information AND DIVISION ?

If we want to throw stones, throw it in the right direction >>> gloria macapagal arroyo, the mother of LIES, CHEATS, ARROGANT, USER, WIFE OF the employeer VICKY TOH, PHONE PAL of GARCILLANO.

THANK YOU PCIJ for this forum!!!

January 27th, 2006 at 10:31 am

Yesterday, I had the following letter delivered by hand to Benito Vergara, the author of the Bulletproof Vest blog.

The letter is an apology. The PCIJ does not claim infallibility. What is important is we acknowledge our mistakes and to make amends.

Let me say that the Hello Garci book was intended primarily to celebrate Pinoy political humor. We did not plagiarize anything because we never claimed authorship of anything in the collection.

Despite all the problems it has caused us, we have no regrets about publishing the book. Our sense of humor is our saving grace–and that is worth celebrating.

Dear Mr. Vergara,

I am writing to personally apologize to you for our failure to acknowledge your authorship of the Gloria-Darna comic strip that appeared in our collection of political humor entitled, Hello Garci? Hello Ma’am: Political Humor in the Cellphone Age.

The lapse was an inadvertent one and was not intended to cause you injury or harm. As I told you when we talked on the phone last night, it was just that we wanted to share your witty comic strip with as many people as possible. We thought that a book celebrating contemporary Pinoy humor would not be complete without it.

We would like to make amends for this lapse by issuing inserts in the book that identify your authorship of the comic strip. We are also providing you the same compensation we had provided the other contributors.

We would also like to clarify—and to put it formally in writing—that the copyright notice in the book does not mean that the PCIJ is claiming authorship of your work. As I told you last night, you retain the copyright to the comic strip and can do with it whatever you like. This is already recognized by law and we saw no need to clarify this matter in our copyright notice. All the other contributors to the book also know that PCIJ does not own their work.

I am sending you a package of PCIJ books so you have a sense of the other things we do. This is the first time something like this has happened to us and we are really sorry. We assure you it will not happen again.

We can have lunch or coffee if you wish to discuss this further or if you wish to know us better.

With warmest regards,

SHEILA S. CORONEL
Executive Director

January 27th, 2006 at 11:16 am

Ms. Shiela Coronel,
The courage to admit mistakes and heartfully say sorry for the omission is a trait worth emulating. You did it, CONGRATULATION!!!

LOKA-LOKA KA MAN, subalit MATINO, pasok ka sa bahay ni BIG BROTHER, tanggap ka sa AMERICAN IDOL, panalo ka sa TKO(eat bulaga) at SURVIVOR KA saa EXTRA CHALENGE!!!

Next topic please.

benign0

January 27th, 2006 at 11:26 am

Buti pa ako, I freely encourage anyone to lift stuff original to GetRealPhilippines.COM off my website as I indicate on the following text written at the bottom of the homepage of GetRealPhilippines.COM:

“Visitors are encouraged to lift material that is indigenous to this site as much as they want.
We would appreciate it, however, if webmasters who are fans of this site would link back to us.”

Check it out here!
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/1-00_intro.html

One can’t really blame Pinoys if they are swapang or madupang. After all, there are 80 million of us squeezed on an increasingly barren bunch of little tropical islands.

ha ha! 😀

January 27th, 2006 at 12:06 pm

benign0: of course you’ll do that. guys like you demands a certain degree of attention di ba? and, you equate that with relevance rin, di ba?

johnmarzan

January 30th, 2006 at 5:43 pm

benigno, shameless promoter ka talaga ng blog mo sa PEX at PCIJ. hindi ka ba man lang nahihiya sa ginagawa mo?

FilipinaMates BLOG

November 6th, 2006 at 4:18 am

cheap generators for sale

April 24th, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Thanks for a marvelous posting! I really enjoyed
reading it, you may be a great author. I will
always bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road.
I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great work, have a nice morning!

Stolen money stolen again?

46 Responses to Stolen money stolen again?

Comment Form

Read More