An evening in Utrecht

NOTE: This post was lifted from uniffors.

An evening in Utrecht or What happened before JoMao found out about Binay’s visit to China and wrote a skit about it

(inspired by a post in the official CPP blog)

A very agitated Fr. Luigi Jalanjohnny burst into Chairman JoMao’s study: “Chairman! They got another one of our guys!”

Unruffled by Luigi’s sudden intrusion, Chairman JoMao calmly looked up from the pamphlet he was reading and replied, “Hmm…that’s three in two months.”

Luigi: (Still agitated) “Sobra na sila! They have to answer for this!”

JoMao: ” Calm down, take a deep breath, comrade Luigi. Let’s think this through.”

Luigi: “Okay.” (Takes a deep breath)

JoMao: “Alright, good. Now what do you suggest we do to get them out?”

Luigi: “Let’s claim they fall under that thing we worked out with the government.”

JoMao: “You mean the get out of jail card?”

Luigi: “Yun nga poh.”

JoMao: “Hmmm let me see…hand me a manifesto paper” (starts scribbling)

Luigi: “You’re going to write a manifesto?”

JoMao: “Wait! Let me finish!”

Luigi: “Sori, poh comrade sir!”

JoMao: “Here.” (Hands paper to Luigi) “Read it back to me!”

Luigi: “Dear Imperialist Puppet, The person in your custody is covered by our agreements. He is an NDF consultant from our peace panel whenever he is not collecting revolutionary taxes and ambushing enemies of the people. Let him go. Yours truly, JoMao.”

JoMao: “What do you think?”

Luigi: “I don’t know boss, it’s a letter not a manifesto. Maybe we should…”(JoMao interrupts)

JoMao: “Are you rejecting what I just wrote?”

Luigi: Kasi po…

JoMao: “Reaffirm or reject?”

Luigi: “Reaffirm, comrade sir!!”

JoMao: “Good. I like you and I don’t want to have to order you shot.”

Luigi: “Sir?”

JoMao: “Always reaffirm, never reject and you’ll live a long life.”

Luigi: “Yes comrade sir.”

JoMao: “Now why were they arrested?”

Luigi: “The military said they had outstanding warrants of arrest for murder.”

JoMao: “Eh, meron na palang warrant and they did not hide? They are so stupid!”

Luigi: “Oo nga poh, sir.”

JoMao: “Gago! They are heroes. How dare you call them stupid! You idiot!”

Luigi: “Yes comrade sir! I was only reaffirming what you said, poh.”

JoMao: “Then you’re stupid for reaffirming a joke.”

Luigi: “Yes sir I am stupid poh! Reaffirm, reject, I am so confused…”(sobs)

JoMao: “How long have we known each other?”

Luigi: “Sir?”

JoMao: “Never mind. Anything else?”

Luigi: “Sir?”

JoMao: “What is the real reason why you are here? Tell me!”

Luigi: “Yes comrade sir, may I borrow your DVD of Madame Mao’s movie?”

Joma: “For the love of Stalin! You’ve seen that movie a hundred times; don’t you ever tire of watching Jiang Jing do her revolutionary dance?”

Luigi: “But it’s about the revolution. And it’s very cultural.”

JoMao: “Then go read The Little Red Book.”

Luigi: “Last time na poh. Promise.”

JoMao: “Ok, the DVD is under my mattress. In the same pile as “Mrs. Hammer’s Popsickle” and “Commie Manyfisto: The confessions of a gay comrade.”

Luigi: “Thank you poh.” (Scurries to the chairman’s bedroom)

JoMao: “You’re welcome.” (Moaning sounds from bedroom.) “Leave my lotion and tissues alone!”

Re: Juana Change video

Just saw in the news that Juana Change did a below the belt vid on PNoy’s Porsche.

Juana Change is sensitive to the plight of the poor so she was outraged by PNoy’s Porsche.

I was outraged that she never caught the irony of crying over poverty and hunger while she ate her way to 400 pounds.

Jeezus, the price of basic commodities goes up every time her stomach rumbles!

A family of four can eat three square meals just on the food stuck between her teeth!

And her heart bleeds for the hungry.

Sorry, I can’t stand bleeding hearts like Juana. Smacks too much of false piety, like GMA receiving communion. Besides, Juana Change looks like Frank Drilon in drag. Maybe that’s what bothers me more.

Coloma’s response is ripped apart by Totanes

PCOO head Sonny “Tatang” Coloma responds to Boo Chanco (see preceding post) and Ben Totanes, the man Tatang shafted, points out where the lies lie.

MAILBOX: Coloma reacts to Chanco column
(The Philippine Star) Updated November 28, 2010
Dear Sir:

On Aug. 16, 2010, we opened the official website and Social Networking Sites of President Benigno S. Aquino III. This was in consonance with the President’s mandate, as expressed in Executive Order No. 4 that created the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). The PCOO is mandated to establish a channel for citizen feedback.

For almost three months, the President’s Facebook account within the official website co-existed with the Noynoy Aquino campaign website that was established by Mr. Ben Totanes and Ms. Betty Abrantes.

On Nov. 8, 2010, we became aware that Facebook management had disabled the erstwhile campaign website and made possible the migration of a large number of its followers to the President’s official website. This action was taken by Facebook management to implement its policy stating that “only the official representative of an organization, business, celebrity, or band may create a Facebook Page.”(http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=904)

There is another policy of Facebook management which states clearly, “If you would like to create a Facebook presence for a celebrity or organization, and you are not officially authorized to do so, please create a Facebook group instead, as this may be created and maintained by any user.”

It is clear from the foregoing policies that Facebook management seeks to minimize confusion that may arise from the existence of more than one Official Facebook Fan Page for a public official – in this case, for President Aquino.

While it is true that the PCOO requested Facebook management to disable the campaign website and to enable the migration of a large number of the followers of the former campaign website, it must be emphasized that it was Facebook management – not the PCOO – that implemented these actions in accordance with its stated policies.

These policies were formulated by Facebook management in order to ensure discipline and orderly behavior by those who participate in social networking. Cyberspace is governed by democratic principles and Facebook management has taken responsibility to enforce its rules accordingly.

We recognize and honor the contribution of Ben Totanes, Betty Abrantes and all the volunteers who painstakingly established and grew the BSAIII Facebook Fan Page during the last campaign.

It is not true that “after the elections, Mr. Totanes offered the site to Coloma on the condition that reader comments will not be censored. Indeed, it contained critical comments of the Aquino administration, a feature that adds to the credibility of the website.” In fact, Mr. Totanes never made such an offer.

What he offered was for members of the PCOO New Media Team to serve as co-moderators. We did not agree to this offer for co-moderation where we had no administration rights on what may be allowed to be posted on the President’s Facebook fan page.

Our main concern was about the real possibility of confusion arising from official-looking postings that are actually not the official position of the President, but could have been made to appear official because an administrator posted it.

Evidently, Facebook management – after monitoring developments for almost three months – realized that indeed the continued co-existence of both the President’s official website and the campaign Facebook page may have sown confusion, thereby prompting its eventual decision to disable the campaign website.

It is also not true that the PCOO New Media Team screens out or censors negative comments. Anyone may visit the President’s website anytime and find out indeed negative comments are posted. During the aftermath of the Aug.23 hostage crisis, the President’s website was virtually deluged with negative comments. None of these were censored. Only the use of cuss words and profanity was curtailed, also in accordance with Facebook management policy.

We reiterate our willingness to continue working with Mr. Ben Totanes, Ms. Betty Abrantes and the volunteers that worked for President Aquino’s election.

We wish to emphasize that President Aquino’s official website is an inclusive page. We value the free expression of diverse opinions which, after all, is an essential element in a vibrant democracy like ours.

Secretary HERMINIO ‘SONNY’ COLOMA

Presidential Communications Operations Office

Sec. Coloma Admits Shutting Down 2.2M-Strong BSAIII Campaign Page
November 29, 2010
By Ben T

So, it is true. Sec. Coloma just confirmed having a hand in shutting down BSAIII on his reaction to Boo Chanco’s column on Philstar :

“While it is true that the PCOO requested Facebook management to disable the campaign website and to enable the migration of a large number of the followers of the former campaign website, it must be emphasized that it was Facebook management – not the PCOO – that implemented these actions in accordance with its stated policies.”
– Secretary HERMINIO ‘SONNY’ COLOMA, Presidential Communications Operations Office

Thank you for confirming it. This has been my suspicion all along. There was no way — NO WAY– that Facebook could have acted on their own. Someone officially representing the Office of the President must have had a hand in the internet equivalent of a crowd dispersal. Only instead of tear gas, they used their powerful positions in the government, and a computer keyboard.

To those who are not familiar with what happened, I and a co-admin started the Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III Facebook fanpage (BSAIII) in anticipation of then Sen. Aquino’s presidential bid in September 2009. We started it on our own initiative and advertised it using personal funds. By the time membership reached around 80K, we were contacted by the New Media Bureau (NMB) of Sen. Aquino and eventually became the OFFICIAL campaign page in October 2009. With the help of countless yellow army volunteers and members of NMB, it eventually grew to 1.3 million members by the time Sen. Aquino was sworn into office as the President of the Philippines. It was authenticated and approved by Facebook as an official page and recognized as such. It was recognized by Sen. Aquino as his campaign page, showing it on press conferences during the campaign on several occasions.

After President Aquino was sworn into office, we offered BSAIII to become the official page to the Communications team of President Aquino, which at that time was overseen by Maria Montelibano. It became the official page of the President for a brief period of time, until it was withdrawn by myself from the control of the administration because I felt that BSAIII was going to be used for other than a feedback forum, and I was slowly being taken off the communication loop. I still however offered it back to the PCOO, now headed by Sec. Coloma, with a proposal that I and my Admin team would handle the back end maintenance (graphics, look and feel, Admin assignments, etc) and the PCOO will have a team of Moderators that will handle content (announcements, status updates, photo uploads, deleting spam and inappropriate comments). I also proposed that my admin team will not be involved with delicate matters regarding issues of the government, but asked that comments by members not be filtered in any way as long as they were appropriately written.

I received a reply from one Sec. Coloma’s people, Jay Jaboneta (Head of New Media) a few days later:

“After meeting Sec. Coloma and USec. Syliangco today, we were given instructions to open a new Fan page.

We respect your decision to continue managing the existing page but since we need to have some formal structure and control in place so that people can be held accountable, we would need to create a page that will be managed by the government’s New Media team.”…

So they started the “Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy)” Page which grew to around 100K members until around Nov 8, 2010. Almost three months passed, and without any warning, on November 9, 2010, I received the following message from Facebook:

“Hello,

Your Page “Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III” has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening, or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook’s features could result in the permanent loss of your account.

If you need further assistance with this issue, please visit
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=page_disabled.

The Facebook Team”

I knew right there and then that someone with an official capacity requested Facebook to take down BSAIII. However, what was more apalling is they have managed to coerce Facebook into migrating most of the members of BSAIII — more than 1.4 million members — to the new page, which grew from around 100K to 1.5 million in just 2 days. Facebook has thousands of groups and pages. A good number of these have more than 1 million likes each, and a few has reached more than 10 million. Facebook will not turn its attention to a Page with ‘only’ 2.2 million members on their own, especially if that page has been previously authenticated by Facebook themselves. It would have needed some form of communication from the PCOO, which Sec. Coloma just confirmed.

Furthermore, searching Facebook for the keyword “Benigno Aquino” would reveal that there are a number of Facebook groups associated with that name. An American working at Facebook wouldn’t even know that “Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy)” and “Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III” are one and the same, how can he/she automatically merge them without consultation or collaboration with anyone at PCOO? If “confusion” was the main reason, why weren’t the several other Pages bearing the name “Noynoy Aquino” or “Benigno Aquino III” merged as well?

Going back to the reaction of Sec. Coloma to Boo Chanco’s column, there are several items I would like to clarify:

1. Sec. Coloma made it sound like Facebook was the one who initiated the disabling of BSAIII, while in fact the PCOO was the one who requested it, and Facebook just acted upon that request.

2. He also cited the following Facebook policy: “There is another policy of Facebook management which states clearly, ‘If you would like to create a Facebook presence for a celebrity or organization, and you are not officially authorized to do so, please create a Facebook group instead, as this may be created and maintained by any user.’ “

He seems to conveniently forget that BSAIII became the official campaign page for then Sen. Aquino. It was authenticated by Facebook and it was used by the campaign as the official Facebook page. It was even presented by PNoy himself on a few press conferences during the campaign. So why then would Sec. Coloma imply that I should have started a Facebook Group instead, when all Facebook policies were satisfied during that time as I was authorized to do so?

3. Lastly, contrary to Sec. Coloma’s statement, I did offer BSAIII back to Sec. Coloma’s office with one of the conditions being the comments made by the people should not be censored. In fact, my exact words to his people were: “We should not control or delete any type of opinion coming from the people. I would like them to be left on the wall or on the blog, as long as the comment/opinion is constructive and not lewd or derogatory”.

It is interesting to note that the PCOO probably committed the biggest human rights violation in cyber history, and at the very least, created an international incident by dispersing 2.2 million people living in different countries across the globe. I’m not just talking about Filipinos in the Philippines here. In October 9, 2010, BSAIII had 1.7M members living in the Philippines, 86K in the U.S., 37K in Saudi Arabia, 28K in UAE, 22K in Canada, 11K in the UK and rest scattered in many other countries. How fast can you say American Civil Liberties Union?

Ben Totanes
Tracy, California

What happened to Sec. Coloma?

Coloma must prove to the Commission on Appointments that he is no reincarnation of Goebbels who will use our money to promote a personal cult of P-Noy the way the folks during Ate Glue’s time did.

Is Coloma’s social media strategy dead?
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star)

Sabi ko na… hindi nila kaya! When I was listening to Secretary Sonny Coloma as he made his presentation on this administration’s social media strategy during the PRSP Congress a couple of months ago, I knew he was promising more than he is capable of delivering. He also made the mistake of thinking that they were able to utilize social media well during the election campaign. The truth is, social media merely reflected a national clamor for change that incidentally benefited their candidate.

Take a look at them now… a lot of the major stumbles of this administration can be attributed to its failure to engage social media properly. Social media creamed them during the Luneta carnage. There is the Mislang tweet. Now there is the Kay Ganda non launch. Anyone who is active in social media today must have noticed that the administration is practically absent in the furious debates on issues in sites like Facebook.

Frankly, I do not understand what has happened to Sonny Coloma. He now seems to think and even acts like a bullycrat or a bully of a bureaucrat. Power seems to have gotten into his head. He isn’t the same Sonny Coloma I used to know. The old Sonny Coloma wouldn’t, for instance, resort to closing down an otherwise supportive private sector website and hijacking its followers out of fear that free discussions of issues may prove problematic to the Palace’s party line.

Officially, Coloma denies he had anything to do with Facebook’s trashing of a BSA III Facebook Fan page with over two million fans. But Facebook wouldn’t have taken down the website without the instigation of the President’s staff.

The Facebook site in question was the initiative of California-based computer professional, Ben Totanes, and fellow online volunteer Betty Abrantes. The BSA3 Fanpage (at the now-defunct URL http://www.facebook.com/noynoy.aquino) was created in 2009 initially meant to show support for the presidential bid of Noynoy. I even signed up for this one.

After the election, Totanes offered the site to Coloma on the condition that reader comments will not be censored. Indeed, it contained critical comments of the Aquino administration, a feature that adds to the credibility of the website.

In fact, this free discussion of issues in social media was exactly what Coloma said would be the basis of the Aquino administration’s social media policy. The Totanes website would have been an excellent means of reaching out to everyone and giving the Palace a good feel of what people are thinking, something which Coloma told his PRSP audience is his objective.

But once in power, Coloma’s brain started operating differently. He refused the offer of Totanes, then put up the Palace’s own website and someone in his staff must have told Facebook that Totanes is operating an unauthorized BSA3 website and must be shut down. In the aftermath, the recently established official Aquino Fan page managed by Coloma experienced a sudden and as yet unexplained jump in the number of its fans, fueling suspicions that the closed Fan page’s fans were hijacked, GMANews.TV reported.

According to Totanes, when the BSA3 Fan page was earlier adopted as Aquino’s official campaign page, it had some 80,000 Fans. The number of Fans grew to 2.2 million when it was shut down, Totanes told GMANews.TV.

Totanes said it was the same Vicente Romano III of DOT’s Kay Ganda fame, who as the head of Aquino’s New Media Bureau, asked if the site could be used to support to the Aquino campaign. But it is the same Romano who allegedly recommended that the Fan page be shut down after the election. That shows a total lack of understanding of what makes social media tick.

As far as Totanes is concerned, it was the Aquino administration that instigated the closure of the BSA3 Fan page. Totanes told GMANEWS.TV that Facebook doesn’t just close down a Page without an official and authenticated request. “Based on what I heard from our friends in the campaign and people in the know in Malacañang, the Communications Team ordered the BSA3 Fan page to be taken down. They also requested Facebook to transfer most of the Page’s members to the new ‘Official’ Page without their consent).”

It is such a waste. The privately run BSA3 site is an ideal forum with a decent size and reach. It is ideal for democratic debate and feedback… something P-Noy has often enough said, he wants to encourage during his watch. In fairness to P-Noy, he was reported to have been unhappy about how Totanes was treated by Coloma. But P-Noy must show his sincerity in wanting democratic debates in public forums including social media by having a good talk with Sonny Coloma and setting him straight.

Maybe too, the Commission on Appointments who will pass on Coloma’s appointment could explore further if he intends to run the propaganda arm of government as if Hitler was his boss. We shouldn’t be paying scarce tax money for something that works against our democratic principles. Coloma must prove to the Commission on Appointments that he is no reincarnation of Goebbels who will use our money to promote a personal cult of P-Noy the way the folks during Ate Glue’s time did.

Petition for resignation of Sec. Coloma

Petition for resignation of Sec. Coloma and the renewal of honesty and decency in the Presidential Communication Team

http://www.petitiononline.com/cb456789/petition.html

The volunteers of the 2010 campaign of President Benigno S. Aquino III are disillusioned over the termination of the Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III Facebook Page., which was clearly instigated by Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, Undersecretary George Siliangco, and Amvic Taruc.

The Facebook Page, with over two million Aquino supporters was a vital tool during our campaign for conveying our message for decency and trustworthiness in government. The page allowed President Aquino to be the third most liked politician in the world during the most crucial times of the 2010 presidential elections. It was our hope that the page would continue to serve the public after the campaign by promoting dialogue between President Aquino and the people who trusted and voted Aquino, and whom he claims to be the “boss” he serves.

It is hence a source of frustration and regret that President Aquino’s appointed officials have now shut down our most potent medium to communicate our concerns and opinions on national matters to him. According to Facebook, the page was closed because it was reported to have “attacked an individual or group”, referring to President Aquino. There have been many criticisms in the Facebook page and President Aquino has not always been the target. His opponents during the elections received worse reproof, but they did not ask for the termination of the page because they understood these are not attacks, but the results of a vibrant Filipino democracy.

The, reactions, criticisms, and discourse in the closed Facebook Page are necessary for its check and balance function, and as an avenue for social equality. The page allowed every member—whether pro- or anti-Aquino, rich or poor, etc.—to have an opinion heard. We therefore view Sec. Coloma’s act as an attack on the democracy that Ninoy Aquino sacrificed his life for, that Tita Cory fought, and that we volunteers tirelessly worked for during and after the presidential elections.

Secretary Coloma moreover added insult to injury by not informing the page’s fans that they will be transferred to his own Pnoy Page. This is obviously a case of deception as Coloma is tricking the volunteers to believe that they are still supporting the same page. A number of comments have also been banned from the Coloma page perhaps because the administrators mean to continue covering up criticisms. What Secretary Coloma fails to see is that these comments are real opinions by real people who matter. What his Communication Team fails to learn is that it cannot merely sidestep or put down real issues much like the way Sec. Coloma called false the calls of Hongkong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to President Aquino. Concealing people’s opinions in propaganda will not solve problems. Deliberately blocking attempts by people to be heard is a vile injustice and the most damaging form of censorship.

Therefore we gather our voices so that Secretary Coloma may hear loud and clear: Please resign. The time of propaganda and side-stepping answers is over. Let us remind you of the oath you wrote that we all swore on: “Pilipino ako namamanata na tutulong sa ating pamunuan sa pagtataguyod ng marangal na pamamahala, sa pagpapalakas ng isang lipunang makatarungan, at sa pagpapatingkad ng ating demokrasya.”

When we swore on this oath, we were not merely making another propaganda line or slogan for an audience to swallow. It was a promise we made to the people and to ourselves, a vow that we will stand guard so that decency and honesty could be brought back to government, so that justice could thrive in society, and that our “Bagong Pilipinas” would beget a true democracy for every Filipino. Secretary Coloma, you have broken your own oath.

We also call on the Commission on Appointments: If Sec. Coloma continues to ignore our voices, and stick with his communication strategy of propaganda and censorship, we request that you investigate every detail of Sec. Coloma’s Communication Team, including personnel such as George Siliangco and Amvic Taruc for their involvement in the termination of the Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III page and in other propaganda activities.

To President Aquino: We continue to support your agenda for change and transparency in government. However, we cannot condone the deceitful ways of your Communications Team that stage-manage the instruments of democracy that your parents fought and sacrificed for.

To the Filipino people and to the other Aquino volunteers: Please accept our sincerest apologies for Secretary Coloma’s act. May this petition prove that we will not hesitate to fight for what is right and just even if a former ally becomes the enemy of our movement for decency and trustworthiness.

Sincerely,

Volunteers of the Aquino Presidential Campaign

How has Sonny Coloma been spending P1B? Let’s ask Conrado de Quiros. Oh wait, we can’t. But we can look at records

 

Oh St. Conrad, you moralizing hypocrite. Did you rage with self-righteous fury at the junketeers who padded PNoy’s US delegation? No, of course not. Why, is it because the junketeers came from Coloma’s department and you were afraid Maria Montelibano would rip you a new asshole? As someone who knows the real Conrad said, “He’s been ranting about the P200M the DBM allocated to Ricky Carandang’s office but not even a peep about the more than P1B that Sonny Coloma got.”  Added my source after he noticed the quizzical looks of me and friends, “It’s because he owes someone for the appointment of his brother as President of SSS.”

Money makes the world go round and columnists go blind

 
 

Conrado de Quiros is so bothered by the 200-million budget for Carandang he just had to write about it. What he forgets to write about is his friend’s 1-billion budget. Here’s why.

It’s a sin to tell a lie

 
 

Regarding the RH Bill, the CBCP, through pro-GMA Bishop Aniceto, recently declared that the President should listen to the Church the way his mother, Cory Aquino, listened to the Church all the time. But who really listens to whom? Looks like GMA and CBCP are playing tit-for-tat.

Bad Company: Part 1

 
 

So far, the ES has displayed little awareness of the weight of his own office. His very first act as ES, writing this new administration’s first Executive Order was so flawed it took no time for critics to trash it like a soiled paper napkin.

Who’s holding the government hostage?

 
 

It’s no secret XXX wants XXX’s job. The XXXwas a compromise between the warring factions (between the reformers and the retarders) — so that both groups would be on hand (one to fuck up and play politics, the other to clean up after the fuck ups) to service the president’s needs. Negotiations upon negotiations occurred between the groups to form what the XXX is now. So why is it fucked up beyond repair? And who are the XXXs?