Below is the statement of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication professors on Gloriagate scandal and the controversial National Telecommunications Commission press release, discouraging the media from airing the supposedly wiretapped tapes.
This statement was signed by 18 faculty members of theUP CMC led by Dean Nicanor G. Tiongson. For verification, please call Prof. Danilo A. Arao (Chair, Department of Journalism) at 920-6852 or (0917) 833-ARAO.
Looks like the Gloriagate scandal is spawning a cyberspace revolution. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism blog, Inside PCIJ, was the first to upload the entire Gloriagate tapes. It has become the premier site for the coverage of this scandal rocking the presidentcy.
Meanwhile, consumer group TXTPower’s site has been enjoying massive traffic since it started to offer Hello Garci ringtones for download. It has since uploaded different Hello Garci versions. Now, there’s even a new site called HelloGARCI.com. The domain name means “Hello! Greatest Archive of Ringtones in Cellphone Industry.” Creative, huh?!
Our kababayan Robert Tarongoy is now free. He was abducted by armed men in Iraq November last year.
The President herself announced this good news earlier today. She was very happy, and as we’ve learned later on, was really telling the truth.
“The Cardinal, who had been confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center since Sunday (June 19), succumbed to multiple organ failure secondary to sepsis at 6:15 a.m.,” a news release from the Archdiocesan Office of Communications said.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines President Archbishop Fernando Capalla expressed the bishops’ sadness over the death of Sin, whom he described as a friend and brother.
The Hello Garci ring tone has new versions, including an “Ice Ice Garci” and “Without Me Garci.” You may download them at the TXTPower site.
Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Manuel L Quezon III on June 16 posted on his blog his stand on the Gloriagate tapes. Manolo is political analyst, columnist, and blogger. A grandson of a former president, he is also a chronicler of the history of the presidency. He used to work as President Arroyo’s speechwriter, then as a technical assistant, and eventually as a presidential assistant. He left his work in Malacañang after the President went against her earlier statement that she would not run in 2004.
