right of reply

another sponsorship speech... again, raw and unedited. 

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My esteemed colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.  As Chairman of the Committee on Public Information, I have the privilege to sponsor House Bill No. _______, AN ACT GRANTING THE RIGHT OF REPLY AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION THEREOF, which has been approved by the Committee in substitution of House Bill Nos. 162 and 1001.

 

The proposed bill before you gives all persons, whether natural or juridical, the statutory Right of Reply when they are accused or criticized by the media in newspapers, magazines, newletters or other publications, or on programs and shows in television, on the radio, in websites or through any electronic device.

 

The State guarantees freedom of speech, of expression and of the press.  Yet the State, more importantly, also values the dignity of and guarantees full respect for every human person.

 

We must acknowledge the potent force of media in molding perceptions of people and inciting public opinion.  Media has the power to make or break a person through news items, criticisms, analysis, commentaries, features and exposés.  How many times have personalities and personas, both famous and unknown, been subject to what we know of as “trial by publicity?”  This bill seeks to grant the right of reply to persons, to offer to a person the opportunity to react to any information in the media that may have presented inaccurate facts about him and which information affects his personal rights. 

 

The public must be guaranteed a right of reply when mass media publishes false, inaccurate or misleading information or material about them.  After all, most victims of these inaccuracies and misinformation would only want to be allowed to present their side of the story or their point of view after the public have been presented with an inaccurate version of events.

 

Media cannot argue that this bill is adverse to the exercise of freedom of the press.  They forget that freedom of the press is a responsibility exercised by journalists on behalf of the public, and not a carte blanche license to trample on the rights of persons.  Media plays a very important role in the democratic process, but this role becomes muddled when badges of doubt and confusion are created in the minds of the people due to inaccurate or unfair information.

 

The right of reply is a demonstration of a commitment to truth and accuracy.  The right of reply encourages and promotes the best traditions of journalism.

As the philosopher Onora O’Neill pointed out:  “If powerful institutions are allowed to publish, circulate and promote material without indicating what is known and what is rumour; what is derived from a reputable source and what is invented, what is standard analysis and what is speculation; which sources may be knowledgeable and which are probably not, they damage our public culture and all our lives.”

We urge Congress to support us in the passage of this bill.  Thank you.

proposed advertisement regulation act of 2007

sponsorship speech for house bill 2811, to be delivered by Rep. B.M. Abante, Th.D., Chairman of the House Committee on Public Information

(raw and unedited)

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Good afternoon, my esteemed colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.  I am very privileged to sponsor this important piece of legislation, House Bill No. 2811, AN ACT PENALIZING ANY ADVERTISING AGENCY, TELEVISION OR RADIO STATION AND PUBLICATION WHICH EXPLOIT WOMEN AND GLORIFY SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ITS ADVERTISEMENTS, which the Committee on Public Information has strongly supported and approved.

Time and again I have risen to speak against the despicable and deplorable manner by which we treat our women in society.  Where women should be loved and adored, we see their almost naked bodies plastered in billboards all over the metropolis.  Where women should be protected and held in high esteem, we watch various TV commercials and read hundreds of newspaper and magazine ads which exploit the beauty, sexuality and femininity of our women.  

Using media as tool, advertisers indirectly push and influence what is shown and portrayed in media outfits who are more interested in delivering the market to advertisers rather than serve the needs of the public.  Instead of moral and social responsibility as their guiding principles, it is the gratification of the desires and prurient tastes of their audience that spur advertisers and media outfits.

The exploitation of women and female sexuality, and the glorification of sexual violence in advertisements have serious negative and far-reaching consequences for women.  Media – and the advertisers – forget that they are a very powerful and potent force in shaping the attitudes and behavior of society in today’s modern world.  Advertisers have a moral responsibility for what they want to push people to do.  They have a personal responsibility to foster the general well-being of society.

It is in this light that we propose the passage of the “Advertisement Regulation Act of 2007.”  There is an urgent need to regulate the proliferation of advertisements that exploit women and glorify sexual violence.  The bill seeks to prohibit advertising agencies, television and radio stations, and publications from printing, showing or broadcasting advertisements which exploit individuals and glorify sexual violence.

Truth in advertising does not mean seeing a half-naked woman telling you to buy a bottle of lotion or a piece of lingerie.  Truth in advertising should not connote young, pretty and sexy girls in skimpy attires offering products to the world at large. 

We urge Congress to support the passage of this bill.  Maraming salamat po.

taken, not borrowed

i have a thing about keeping my stuff personal.  read:  mine and mine alone.

i have been working for almost 10 years now, and of course, there are some worldly, material things i have which i have either saved up for or was really happy to purchase on sale.  because of their value to me, i consider them hands off to others. 

on my "do not touch without my permission" list:  my pencil collection, laptop, ipod, books, CDs, jewelry, perfume, cosmetics, clothes.  yes.  C-L-O-T-H-E-S.

the list is short.  super short.  so i wonder, i really wonder, why some people are too dense or too stupid to realize that when i mean "do not touch without my permission," i mean it with all my heart, soul and screaming mouth.

i come from a big family.  we all live in one house.  my parents, a sister and 5 brothers.  i bet you all can figure out which items match which family members.  and hell breaks loose every time i catch one or the other violating my simple rule. 

and tonight, when i got home from trinoma, i saw traces of yet another crime against my rule and my property.  this, considering, that i had gone to lengths to HIDE the thing, precisely because i did not want anyone else to even TRY to borrow it from me.

remind me to get a padlock tomorrow.  i swear this is the last straw.

legislating pornography

we are about to legislate what is "pornography", "obscene", "indecent".

no one is against it.  but right now, my personal beat is that it's really hard to legislate the definition of these terms.  even the Supreme Court refuses to make their own definitions, and only decides on pornography issues on a case to case basis.

there are 4 bills pending before the committee on public information, and another bill pending with the committee on revision of laws.  by mid-next week, we hope to pass the porno bill at the committee level. 

sana hindi half-baked.  sana mag-participate ng maayos ang mga stakeholders whom we invited to the technical working group meetings, kahit hindi sila nag-attend sa initial deliberation kanina.  yung baywalk bodies, nag-attend, sabi nila hindi pornographic or obscene or indecent ang ginagawa nila.  (alangan naman... haha.)

sabi nga ng mga abogado galing sa MTRCB, KBP at AdBoard, what is "pornographic", "obscene" or "indecent" will depend on the medium being used and contemporary Filipino values.  use the Miller v California test.  but that begs the question, kasi case to case basis nga e.

kung laging "it will depend," wag na nga i-legislate yan.  hayaan na natin ang PNP na ilusot lahat sa Art. 201 of the Revised Penal Code, o i-lusot ng media at mga defense lawyers nila sa "art."

Cong. Abante (holding a copy of RedHot magazine, showing a sexy hunk in briefs, with a really erect manhood):  Ikaw, Mr. De Guzman (gay manager ng Baywalk Bodies), tingin mo pornographic ito?
Mr. De Guzman:  Your Honor, hindi po.  That's art.
Cong. Abante:  Ah... So sinasabi mo na ang picture na to, parang Oblation sa UP?
Mr. De Guzman:  Ay, your Honor, hindi po yan parang Oblation.  Pero artistic po sila pareho.

ayos.

coffee addict on leave

a starbucks or seattle's best planner was supposed to make it to my top 10 christmas wish list, but i figured it was too "trivial" to be lumped together with a car, a plasma tv & a new laptop...  pwede pa sana if i wish for a new PDA phone. hehehe...

so why this special entry on coffee and planners? 

because for the first time since starbucks started with their planner christmas promo, i will be unable to complete my card.  scratch that.  i haven't even been able to stick any of those red coffee cup stickers on my card. not one.  this, considering that for the past years, i would already get to claim my planner on the 1st or 2nd week of december!

i can't drink coffee.  baby might come out as restless and as jittery as i.  or baby might come out before it's due.  kris said i can drink decaf, but what is coffee if it has no caffeine???  i have stayed away from starbucks since the confirmation, because i don't want to be tempted to drink my favorite white choco mocha.  (all the books say i can drink a cup or two of coffee a day.  but i'd rather not.)

my alternative planner is the petron planner, my 2nd loved planner.  but am not sure if this year, maila will be able to distribute the planners to us.

oh well... am just really sad about missing the planner this year.  and i hope that this entry serves as more than just a reading piece to manila-based friends and family, who might be kind enough to donate to me their hard-earned starbucks planner.

i will love you for the whole of 2008. promise. :)