Author: Julian Alejandro

Jasmine Mania, etc.

American Idol finalist Jasmine Trias is in Manila and the local media cannot get enough of her as big businesses like McDonald’s and Smart are earning big bucks as they further fan a “Jasmin mania” phenomenon (The telecom company even had its name mentioned in the captions Trias’ front-page photos on the newspapers).

Because she’s a Filipino-American, Jasmine became an instant hit in the Philippines. That the local media cannot get enough of her is a clear manifestation of our fixation with Fil-foreigners.

General

Casino in Chinatown

The Filipino Chinese community led by Teresita Ang-See vehemently opposes the setting up of a casino in the Chinatown area in Manila. They held a really last month in front of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s “VIP Club” casino to protest what they called a “casino-building spree.”

“This is a call not only for the Binondo and Sta. Cruz areas. This is for Filipinos nationwide. The government plans to set up more casinos nationwide,” Tribune newspaper quoted Citizens Action Against Crime chairman Teresita Ang-See in this report.

General

Cellphone theft

Last month, cell phone thieves killed Today assistant business editor Jose Luis Villanueva after he refused to give up his Nokia 7610. I later learned from a reporter friend who worked with Jose Luis in the information technology beat that the cell phone was just lent to him by a Smart Communications so he could review the new Nokia model’s features and write about it.

A day earlier before Jose Luis met such a sade fate, GMA Iloilo newscaster Chris Misajon was shot by cell phone robbers after he tried to fight the attackers. He died a two days later while being treated in a hospital.

Earlier victims of cell phone thieves even included a priest, as reported last week by “Imbestigador ng Bayan” segment of GMA-7’s 24 Oras newscast.

Movies and Television

Name Game

I read somewhere that a villain in Krystala–ABS-CBN’s new fantasy series–is called “Haribon,” which is the name of an environmental organization. Incidentally, the owners of the network is also running an enviromental task force called Bantay-Kalikasan. Hmmmmm…

Internet

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Human Rights Movies and Television

Those Shampoo Beauties

A group of sexy starlets stripped in a pictorial held in front of a Catholic Church in Manila. This attracted the attention of an excited crowd. The police arrived to arrest them. The city council later declared them “persona non grata.” Reports say charges of grave scandal were filed in court against them.

The controversial shampoo beauties–Ivory Ibanez, Jeanette Joaquin, Kat de Santos, Kuhdet Honasan, Mikaela Monteverde, Palmolive Palma, Pantene Palomino, Rejoice Rivera–are now invoking freedom of expression.

History People Politics and Elections

In Imelda’s World…

Did you see GMA-7 reporter Tina Panganiban Perez’s interview with Imelda Marcos last night?

From that interview, we could conclude that in Imelda’s world, the following are inalienable truth:

Martial Law gave us not only freedom, justice, and democracy but also dignity and identity.
The dictator’s reign was peaceful.
Imelda was never extravagant.
Martial Law was one of the greatest periods in Philippine history.

On the other hand, these are fiction: