Superhero Movie Mistakes

I thought I'd take a break from the election campaign, and take a look at something close to my heart: comics!

I haven’t gotten to watch the new “Iron Man” movie; I’ll probably catch it tomorrow. While surfing, I came across this interesting post by Aaron Williams, the creator of the comic strips, Nodwick, Full Frontal Nerdity and PS238 about what he thinks are mistakes movie makers commit when trying to translate a comic book character onto the silver screen. I thought I’d add it here. Let me know what you think about it:

Excerpt from “Even superheroes make mistakes …”

Mistake the first: Too many villains. "Spider-Man 3" did this, as did "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin." Two hours just isn't enough time to flesh out a decent bad guy unless they're reprising a role from a previous film. Either you wind up not caring about any of them as threats, or one gets a decent amount of development and the other is about as interesting as a faceless hireling, but perhaps with a more interesting choice of outfit. For some reason, Batman's Two-Face seems to be destined for this second banana status.

Mistake the second: Abandoning the source material. This isn't a plea for movies to follow existing comic arcs to the letter, as that's pretty much impossible. What I'm talking about is losing the themes of characters that have been established, ways that they tick that makes them appealing. Rather than making the Phoenix in X-Men 3 a cosmic entity gone awry, they kind of made Jean Gray a more powerful version of herself with homicidal tendencies. In the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom went from being a rival of Reed Richards to... I'm not quite sure what they were shooting for, actually, but it didn't make me want to see more of him.

Mistake the third: Retelling the origin when you don't need to. If a comic has been adapted on TV and in films before and has a fan base that includes kids who believe the titular hero is real long beyond the time they think Santa Claus might not be, you don't need to retell the origin. Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man no longer ever need to have their origins retold. And even if a movie is about a more obscure hero, having a few lines from the person in spandex to another character explaining the high points can be enough.

Mistake the fourth: Not having someone for the hero to fight. See "Superman Returns" and Ang Lee's version of "The Hulk." Just like having too many villains can mess things up, not having one that the hero can go toe-to-toe with makes for a dull film, usually. I was hoping that "The Matrix: Revolutions," though disappointing, was giving me a taste of what a Superman film might contain. When Neo and Smith started hitting each other hard enough to send shockwaves over the city, I was thinking it'd be awesome if that were Superman and Darkseid.

Mistake the fifth: Starting serious and trending goofy. The Batman franchise did this, though it can be argued that giving the first movie to Tim Burton probably meant we'd hit "goofy" sooner rather than later. But there's a big difference between Burton's gothic-weird style and what appeared to be an attempt by later directors to capture the camp of the 1960's TV show. Similarly, the Superman films from Richard Donner gave us nuclear weapons and General Zod, but in later installments we ended up with Richard Pryor's computer and a solar-nuclear clone.

Election 2010: The Latest Pulse Asia Survey - A Review

With only ten days left before the elections, the newest survey results released by Pulse Asia show some interesting perceptions.

While Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino continues to lead the pack, former President and convicted (then pardoned) plunderer Joseph Estrada has pulled alongside erstwhile second placer Nacionalista Party (NP) Sen. Manny Villar. In the vice-presidential race, Estrada’s running mate Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay has surged ahead of NP bet Sen. Loren Legarda, and is a mere 9 percentage points away from Aquino’s running mate Sen. Mar Roxas.

It appears that all of the accusations and black propaganda tactics have finally caught up with Sen. Villar’s and his allies, and thus have brought down his ratings such that he is apparently running neck-and-neck with Estrada. The main problem here is that Villar has never answered any of the charges against him in the proper forum. His preferred tactic is to either take it to the court of public opinion by speaking to the media, which, of course, has no power to judge him, or simply dismiss the charges, labeling them as “old charges” without answering any of them. As a result, people have likely become suspicious of the NP bet, and his lowered rating reflects this.

A second problem is likely to be the flood of commercials extolling Villar. Not only have these ads opened him up to further scrutiny and attacks, as the one about his brother’s death has shown, the sheer amount of air time taken up have made people wonder at how much Villar has spent in his campaign and aren’t assuaged by Villar’s assurances that, if elected, he won’t use his office to recoup his election expenses.

Finally, the number of black propaganda tactics, particularly the bogus psychiatric reports on Sen. Aquino, which have been attributed to NP sources, have backfired badly on the NP camp, especially since Villar and his allies, as well as pro-administration media personalities such as the Philippine Star’s Carmen Pedrosa and the Inquirer’s Belinda Olivares-Cunanan, have made constant reference to these reports despite the fact that these have been proven to be bogus. The people have seen through these tactics and are disgusted by them; hence, the lowered ratings of Villar.

It’s more than a little disturbing, though, that the main beneficiaries of Villar’s drop are Estrada and Binay, who both exemplify corruption and traditional politics to the hilt. However, this is not surprising, as both Estrada and Villar claim the masses as their support. Their surge is an indication that we Filipinos have not learned our lessons and are willing to vote in a leader who has proven to be corrupt.

At the same time, it’s curious that Sen. Aquino has not really gained much, only an insignificant 2% in the Pulse Asia survey. It is an indicator that not everyone is taken in by the Aquino glamour, and have legitimate questions about Aquino’s competence as a political leader, given his lackluster legislative record. This should provide some motivation for Aquino and his camp to redouble their efforts to present a concrete and comprehensive program of national recovery.

As for the rest of the pack, it appears that Villar’s drop in the ratings have not really benefitted them. Administration bet Gilbert Teodoro has remained steady at 7% for the past three months, although, admittedly, a good number of people I know are favoring him despite his connection to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I can’t say that I blame them, considering that Teodoro has more or less maintained the high road in his campaign, preferring to talk about his plans for office rather than hit back at his opponents.

There is still a rather significant part of the survey population (9%) who remain undecided, and, if this reflects the pulse of the country, that 9% could provide the swing vote that may raise the tail-enders and make them appear more of a political force, or, more likely, come election day, the undecided will spread out and simply solidify the candidate’s positions.

While the survey results do give an indicator of people’s preferences, we should not let ourselves be swayed by these results, and continue to base our decisions on who would be the best suited to lead our country to a bright future. Otherwise, we will only have ourselves to blame if the undeserving wind up winning.

Election 2010: Media as Black Propaganda Units

It looks like the issue of Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate’s mental health isn’t going to easily go away, as it appears that those determined to overhaul his commanding lead have gone to the extreme in order to tarnish Senator Noynoy Aquino’s reputation.

Last Saturday, Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa came out with a story that claimed that Noynoy’s late father, Sen. Ninoy Aquino, had sought psychiatric help for his son. Her alleged source was a person who supposedly got the story from the doctor who had apparently checked Noynoy back in Boston; the doctor in question has already passed away.

Pedrosa’s source claimed that Ninoy Aquino was worried about his son’s apparent lack of drive, and had him checked out by the late doctor. Pedrosa then uses the story as her proof that Noynoy is unfit to become president.

It should be noted that Pedrosa has long been considered to be one of the columnists who has been rabidly pro-administration, and is not above twisting the facts or even fabricating them in order to fit her narrow world view.

LP senatorial candidate Dr. Martin Bautista took issue with Pedrosa's article, and, in his rejoinder in the Star today, he castigates Pedrosa for coming out with a column based on "hearsay, rumors, insinuations based on no substantial or even factual basis." He then takes Pedrosa to task for basing her column on a "single unconfirmed statement supposedly made by Ninoy more than a quarter of a century ago".

He also notes that Pedrosa's own half brother apparently had his own psychological problems as a boy, but managed to get over them and function normally when he grew up. Bautista then claims that Noynoy is "perfectly fit to carry out the duties of the Philippine presidency.

It's also interesting to note that fellow pro-administration columnist Belinda Olivares-Cunanan praises Pedrosa, and in her column today, states, "Pedrosa is a very competent writer and in corroborating evidence from various sources, like what she did in her “Untold Story” about Imelda Marcos, she has few equals. Pedrosa also has the advantage of having lived in exile abroad for many years, and thus was able to establish a vast network of contacts there. Above all, she has solid integrity as a writer, so no one can say she’s a paid hack."

What Olivares-Cunanan overlooks is that Pedrosa has been guilty of plagiarism at least twice in the past, and has never admitted to committing it, unlike businessman Manny Pangilinan, who, although the plagiarism wasn't even his doing, took responsibility for it. How can a person who cannot admit she has done something wrong be said to have integrity?

Of course, Olivares-Cunanan is yet another columnist who is unabashedly pro-administration, and her own assessment of Pedrosa's competence is akin to Adolf Hitler complimenting Benito Mussolini.

It appears that administration hacks such as Olivares-Cunanan and Pedrosa have been suborned in order to create the impression that there is something wrong with the LP candidate, which is parallel to the black propaganda tactics being perpetrated by the camp of Aquino's main rival Nacionalista Party (NP) candidate Manny Villar. It is this combination which is strengthening suspicion of a collusion between Arroyo and Villar, the so-called "Villarroyo" connection.

It's important for us readers to be aware of how our media outfits are subtly influencing our perceptions of the candidates, and ignore those news items that are patently false or biased. It's likely that the frequency and the depth of the propaganda is going to increase as we approach the important date, so we have to continue to remain alert to these depredations, and, if possible, expose these charlatans for the hacks that they are.

Election 2010: Black Propaganda and Noynoy's Dilemma

As we approach Election Day, it appears that the dirty tricks and underhanded tactics just keep coming, as desperate candidates and their allies resort to any and every means in order to attack each other.

The latest salvo is that of another so-called psychiatric report on Liberal Party (LP) candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino. This time, the report, which was supposedly done in 1979 by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, S.J., was presented by an identified supporter of Nacionalista Party (NP) Sen. Manny Villar.

Once more, however, it was proven to be a false report, as Fr. Bulatao’s signature on the report was markedly different from the signature on his official statement denying having done any such report. Moreover, the psychiatric report looked as if it was released by a hospital or mental institution, something the Ateneo de Manila University, where Fr. Bulatao was a psychology professor, is not.

It’s interesting to note that despite the fact that both reports (the first being supposedly done by Fr. Carmelo Caluag, and proven to be false) have not been proven to be true, the Villar camp, along with pro-GMA columnists, have mentioned and used the reports as factual, which brings forth the question as to who has been behind these bogus reports.

The problem with black propaganda, which I believe both reports are, is that it can readily backfire on the purveyors. As it has been shown that the ones releasing these reports have come from the NP side, it’s more than possible that being found out is partly responsible for Villar’s drop in the survey ratings. Add that to the fact that Villar has never squarely faced any of the accusations, particularly about the C-5 extension and his involvement in Vista Land, against him, and it’s clear that Villar and his allies should probably try to take a different tack in their campaign if they want to emerge victorious come May 10.

* * *

On a related note, it’s not enough for Sen. Aquino and his followers to keep on using the “Villarroyo” line in order to win. In fact, since no concrete proof, only insinuations and suspicions, has been presented to prove the connection between Sen. Villar and President Arroyo, the whole tactic is yet another form of black propaganda.

It’s clear that not everyone is happy about Aquino’s lack of legislative record, and, I, for one, would like to see some concrete plans from the LP aside from taking vengeance on Arroyo. One blogger, in fact, correctly points out that Aquino has not really achieved anything substantial in his more than a dozen years in Congress.

It’s also clear, however, that the reason why Aquino is leading in the surveys is that people are looking for someone to have faith and trust in, and people are willing to overlook Aquino’s lack of accomplishments in order to bring some semblance of honor back to the Presidency.

Still, it appears that Aquino should begin focusing more on what he plans to do if he is actually elected (note that surveys, while fairly accurate, can be misleading) rather than harping on what charges will be filed against Arroyo or questioning Villar’s supposedly questionable poor roots. Otherwise, people may be reminded of what he lacks and vote for someone else come May 10.

* * *

Villar's mother and sisters have come out in his defense. While I would've liked to have written about it, this post says everything I would have wanted to say about the matter. Do go over and read it, as it's very well-thought out.

Election 2010: Quick Thoughts

Just some quick observations on minor matters:

I find it strange that Sarah Geronimo sings in her jingle for Nacionalista Party (NP) vice-presidential candidate Loren Legarda that Legarda doesn’t leave anyone behind, when, if we look at her political record, leaving is a skill of which Legarda is an expert. From EDSA II to Fernando Poe Jr., to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) to Manny Villar, Legarda is the consummate political butterfly, whose apparent objective is to ally herself with whom she believes she will benefit from the most.

* * *

Last Saturday’s edition of the Manila Bulletin was rather disturbing. On the front page was the face of controversial acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra, and the headline, “Agra to Probe Self”. Unfortunately for me, the first level of meaning contained in the headline left me with a feeling of grossness. I mean, what is Agra going find down there? That he’s just one big asshole?

Of course, the actual meaning of the headline is something different, but still something to puke about. He’s going to review his own decision? After he ordered his prosecutors to beg the court to release two of the Ampatuans involved in the Maguindanao massacre? I doubt that anything substantial will come out of that probe.

When I took a look online, I noted that whoever fixes the Bulletin’s website made a significant change to the printed headline. Online, the story was headlined “Agra to Probe Own Decision”, which of course is a lot clearer, and less disturbing than what assaulted readers last Saturday.

Election 2010: The NP-NPC Coalition: A Sham?

Even before the Supreme Court put a temporary stop to the supposed coalition of the Nacionalista Party (NP) and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), there were a number of details that exposed the coalition as an apparent sham.

Detail #1: If there was a merger between the NP and the NPC, why was TV host and former Senator Tito Sotto, a card-carrying NPC member, left out of the NP Senatorial ticket? So far, the only NPC members I know who have claimed that there was a merger are Senator Loren Legarda, NP candidate Manny Villar’s running mate, and Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian.

Detail #2: A number of prominent NPC members, such as Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio and Atty. Sixto Brillantes, disavowed any knowledge of the merger, and, as such, were angered by Gatchalian’s threats against NPC members who did not support the merger. And, of course, the reason why a number of NPC members were not aware of the merger was because:

Detail #3: NPC patriarch Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco, through his son, Rep. Mark Cojuangco, has stressed that the NPC will be neutral in the upcoming elections, and that NPC members are free to support any presidential candidate, except for Cojuangco’s estranged nephew, Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro.

The last detail is the big fly in the ointment as far as the NP-NPC merger is concerned. Danding Cojuangco is the founder of the NPC, and he has dictated the moves of the NPC since its inception. By stating that the NPC is neutral, Cojuangco gives the lie to Legarda and Gatchalian’s words and threats.

The reason why the merger is crucial for Villar and Legarda is that, by merging, the coalition’s candidates would surpass that of the Liberal Party (LP), making the NP-NPC the dominant minority party, entitling it to a copy of the election returns, which will give them a firsthand look at the election results. If the Supreme Court should rule against the NP-NPC coalition, the LP, which filed the complaint against the coalition, will remain the dominant minority.

A question to ask would be how much involvement did the NP have in concocting this apparent sham. If the NP’s fingers are caught in this pie, it would be yet another deception that it has tried to foist on the public. If this is the case, it should raise questions about how much we, the voting public, should trust Senators Manny Villar and Legarda.

Maguindanao Massacre: Agra's Resolution

Before acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra absolved Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Mamasapano Mayor Akmad Ampatuan of involvement in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre, I had thought that former Justice Secretary and current Presidential Legal Adviser Raul Gonzalez was the worst Justice Secretary the Philippines has ever had.

It looks like I will have to revise my belief on the matter.

In a stunning turn of events, Secretary Agra released a resolution last Saturday that the two Ampatuans had nothing to do with the mass murder of 57 civilians last November 23, and ordered government prosecutors to remove the two from the charge sheet. He claimed to have based his decision on Governor Ampatuan’s presentation of evidence, which he said “consisted of plane tickets and cell phone records that showed that he (Ampatuan) was not in Maguindanao at the time of the massacre.” As for Mayor Akmad Ampatuan, Agra claimed that the mayor was not included in the charge sheet of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the police, and, like the other Ampatuan, he had an alibi which placed him elsewhere when the massacre took place.

The public reaction, predictably, was that of outrage, considering that the massacre is the worst case of election-related violence in the country. The families of the victims cried foul and, with the apparent release of the Ampatuans, feared for their lives, as the two could undoubtedly take steps to silence witnesses and threaten the families into backing out of the case. The media, whose members were among those killed, assailed Agra’s resolution, calling into question the secretary’s competence. The victims’ lawyers, notably Atty. Harry Roque, questioned the strength of the Ampatuans’ alibis, stating that an alibi is the weakest defense in a criminal case, and threatened to file a disbarment case against Secretary Agra.

Even Agra’s own government prosecutors publicly questioned their secretary’s resolution, and said that they would not comply with Agra’s order. They also questioned the haste by which Agra came to the decision, noting that he would have had to sift through a ream of documents in order to determine his decision. In reaction, Agra threatened to remove the prosecutors from the case, which then prompted a ceasefire order from Malacanang for the two sides to not take their fight to the media.

It does seem strange that, despite the fact that probably cause had apparently been established, Secretary Agra took it upon himself to decide the innocence of the two Ampatuans. Shouldn't it have gone through the court proceedings? I guess it's up to the court to decide whether or not to heed Agra's resolution.

In reaction to the outrage, Secretary Agra rather arrogantly noted that he was Justice Secretary and it was his decision; if they want to change it, they should try to take over his position. He also said that the silence of the President meant that she probably approved of his actions.

Malacanang spokespersons, predictably, denied any influence being used to clear the Ampatuans, despite the fact that the Ampatuans were considered to be close to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, especially for having ‘delivered’ Maguindanao votes to her and her candidates in the 2004 and 2007 elections.In fact, early on in the aftermath of the massacre, (now former) deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo stated that the President would not abandon her friends "just because they're in this situation". While that statement got Fajardo fired as a spokesperson, it still resounds in a lot of people's minds, and this resolution only strengthens that perception.

The timing of the release, coming very close to the May 2010 elections, is also very suspicious, creating the impression in some that the Ampatuans will once more be used to ‘deliver’ votes for chosen administration candidates.

Another theory that has been raised is the possibility that Governor Ampatuan was planning to speak out on his family’s involvement in electoral cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections. The release, supposedly, was meant to keep him silent about such.

The Agra resolution is just yet another scandal in which the Arroyo administration has embroiled itself. If Secretary Agra doesn’t reverse his decision, it’s likely that the outrage can only fuel anti-administration sentiment, which will likely translate itself in the upcoming elections.

At the same time, we can only pray for the victims that they will eventually receive justice. It just won’t happen in this administration, from the looks of it.

For Closure: Fr. Nebres' Letter on Manny Pangilinan's Resignation

In the wake of Manny Pangilinan's "irrevocable" resignation, I am pleased that the Ateneo has acted correctly by allowing Mr. Pangilinan his dignity and accepting the resignation.

I thought I'd publish the letter of Fr. Bienvenido Nebres S.J., the University President, that provides some much-needed closure to the case.

Message of Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J., to the Ateneo de Manila community

date posted: 2010-04-19 00:25:11

I received with deepest regret the letter of Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan on Friday, April 16, confirming his “resignation from the Board of Trustees of the Ateneo with immediate effect” and, “for the sake of completeness and of good order, ... relinquishing the honorary degree which the university has bestowed on (him) last 26^th March.”

As his letter indicated, he did this because of his concern over the division that this matter was causing in the university, of which he has “no desire to see ... happen or be an accessory.” He adds that it is his “sincerest hope that the ... controversy develop closure soon.”

In the Special School Forum of the Loyola Schools on Friday, April 16, I went through a brief history of the events leading up to the Board of Trustees meeting and the framework of our decision not to accept the resignation of Mr. Pangilinan. I apologized that, because of the rush of events, we were not able to fully meet and consult with the faculty. I acknowledged that I and the board failed to appreciate fully a key issue articulated by the office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, namely that,

“one aspect that may have needed consideration in the BOT decision is the hurt felt by the Ateneo community as a consequence of the objective act committed. Without judging the actual appreciation of the case by the BOT, it is our view that the statement issued communicating the decision, while expressing clearly and rightfully the humane understanding of the situation of the subject involved, did not sufficiently communicate appreciation of the effect of the act on the Ateneo community. As such, it may not have been sufficient in moving the community towards a satisfactory restoration of balance, fairness and harmony.”

I also said that we have since recognized this failing and that many of us have been meeting to seek to address this issue. The school forum on Friday was a key step in addressing this and other issues. The deep concern of the faculty was on questions raised by ourselves, by students and others on how this affects our value of academic integrity. The discussion engaged the question as well as the challenge of explaining to ourselves and to students the nuances of understanding this value in different and complex situations. The faculty articulated that their statement was never about Mr. Pangilinan, and in fact reiterated their respect for his honorable act, but was more about the process of how the board arrived at their decision. The forum also expressed its deep appreciation of Mr. Pangilinan for all that he has been and done for the Ateneo and our country and for his humility and magnanimity in this whole matter.

I would like to thank all who participated in the forum and express my appreciation for the openness and respect for one another. While differences do remain, I believe that we moved forward in reaching out to one another and that we can address our issues as colleagues who care very much about the Ateneo. I also believe that it was the wish of all in the school forum that we, the Board of Trustees included, dialogue and work together in a spirit of openness to bring about closure, healing and greater caring so we can continue to effectively carry on our mission for the Ateneo and for our country. This is also the deepest desire expressed by Mr. Pangilinan in his letter of April 16.

I ended my brief remarks to the school forum by asking that, as we address our very important concerns for the impact of these events on the Ateneo, we also “keep in mind the impact on a very good and honorable person.” Many commentators speak mainly of Mr. Pangilinan’s generous donations of buildings and endowments for the Ateneo. These are indeed many and very generous. As I expressed in my interview with the press last Monday, April 12, we are deeply grateful for them. They have made a very great contribution to the excellence of our academic and leadership formation. But, as I also said in that interview, what we value most is his leadership, his friendship, and his sincere desire to drive and help us be the best that we can be. He has pushed us to achieve in leadership programs, in the debate society, in the glee club, and in sports, so that, in excelling, we may not only bring pride to the Ateneo, but also help restore confidence and pride to our beloved country.

When I asked Mr. Pangilinan if he would reconsider his relinquishing of the honorary degree, he replied that he believed this was the best way to help make the healing process of a deep wound quicker and complete. On Saturday, April 17, the symbols of the honorary degree we conferred on him were returned to my office: his toga, diploma and the eagle sculpture of Kylo Chua.

In his brief interview on “TV Patrol” last Friday night, Mr. Pangilinan said that his resignation was “masakit . . . mahal ko naman ang Ateneo.” I would like to express my profound thanks to him for the manifestation of this love that he has had, and continues to have for the Ateneo, even in the midst of the personal pain of these recent events. For me personally, this has brought feelings both of deep sadness and deep gratitude.

It is my prayer that this same love we all have for the Ateneo will contribute to closure and to bringing about greater understanding and healing in our whole community.

I leave for Mexico City tomorrow to attend a meeting of Jesuit universities with our Father General. I ask for your prayers for that meeting. Above all, I ask for your prayers for our beloved community, for Mr. Pangilinan, and for myself.

BIENVENIDO F. NEBRES, S.J.

Hopefully, after this, both the school and Mr. Pangilinan can move on.

Manny Pangilinan and Plagiarism: The Story Continues

Plagiarism, according to the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the act of plagiarizing, which, according to the same dictionary, can be defined as "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source". It is basically idea or intellectual theft, and is a grave offense, especially in the academe. Students have been sanctioned, often expelled, for submitting work that isn't theirs to begin with.

To think that it is simple to avoid plagiarism; all one needs to do is to properly cite or acknowledge the source of what was copied. Of course, one doesn't submit a work that was, while properly cited, completely copied from somewhere else, but that's another story.

When businessman Manny Pangilinan gave a commencement speech to the recent Ateneo graduates, it was discovered that his speech contained several instances of plagiarism, taking portions of speeches from Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Conan O'Brien and Barack Obama. Shamefaced, Pangilinan apologized for the gaffe, and offered to resign as head of the Ateneo Board of Trustees (BOT). The BOT, led by Ateneo President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J., apparently convinced Pangilinan to stay on as BOT head.

Speaking for myself, I wasn't too happy with the Ateneo Board of Trustees' decision to convince businessman Manny Pangilinan not to resign as head of the Board. Considering that students have been expelled in the past for having committed plagiarism, I think that the BOT should have simply let Pangilinan step down and maintain his dignity.

Apparently, a number of Ateneo college faculty agree with this position, as they have come out with a response to the BOT's decision. I fully agree with the part of the statement which states, "Accepting Mr. Pangilinan's offer to retire does not diminish our regard for his person and for his contributions to society and to the University. Not accepting his offer to retire, on the other hand, seriously undermines the academic integrity of the Ateneo de Manila University."

As it is, it doesn't help Pangilinan that apparently a number of speeches that he has delivered in the past have been found to contain plagiarized portions as well. Katrina Stuart Santiago went back and examined some of Pangilinan's speeches, and found portions taken from speeches from U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Theodore Roosevelt, writer Stephen King, African-American leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Dr. Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Corporation. I wonder how Pangilinan's speechwriter is doing at the moment? Perhaps he or she should come out from hiding behind Manny Pangilinan, and take responsibility for putting his or her boss in a very precarious situation.

While it is clear that this whole mess is the fault of the speechwriter, it cannot be denied that Mr. Pangilinan has decided to take full responsibility for his actions. The Ateneo de Manila University BOT should decide whether it is worth sacrificing the school's academic integrity to keep Mr. Pangilinan as BOT head after all this. Because if it is, then what do we tell our students if they are caught plagiarizing? That they shouldn't be sanctioned because Manny Pangilinan wasn't? Is this what we want to see in the future?

Related Stories:

ABS-CBN's report on the controversy

Jessica Zafra's take on the mess

Election 2010: Undecided

I’m not really surprised that, according to a recent Pulse Asia survey, there appear to be more undecided voters at this point in the election campaign period. Given the manner by which the major players have been conducting their campaign, it’s easy to see why the voters are turned off by the constant negative campaigning.

The two main players in this campaign have been the Liberal Party (LP) and the Nacionalista Party (NP), whose candidates, Senator Noynoy Aquino for the LP and Senator Manny Villar for the NP, are the top two leaders, at least according to Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Station (SWS).

On Aquino and the LP’s side, they have been consistent on hammering away at Villar’s supposed roots, as he claims that he comes from the ranks of the poor. Public documents have come to light questioning Villar’s roots, making the NP presidential candidate appear to be less than truthful about his claims. At the same time, the LP has been accusing Villar of being the administration’s “secret candidate” and point to the defections of major administration players to Villar’s banner as proof of this. However, they haven’t really provided any clear proof of Villar’s alleged collaboration with the administration.

On Villar and the NP’s side, they brought up the issue of Hacienda Luisita, which is owned by Aquino’s family, and turned it into a major issue, although they have been less than forthcoming in answering Villar’s involvement in the C-5 extension controversy. At the same time, they raised questions about Aquino’s mental health, basing their accusations on a psychiatric report which has since then been proven to be of questionable quality, as the alleged sources have denied any involvement in its creation. Nevertheless, the NP candidates have called on Aquino, as well as other candidates (but, of course, focusing on Aquino, their main rival), to undergo psychiatric testing to prove his fitness to lead.

From my vantage point, it seems clear that both sides are engaging in black propaganda tactics, and Villar and his supporters are fooling no one by saying that they aren’t using such tactics. It is this use of black propaganda that is turning off voters, and causing them to hold off on making their final decision on whom to vote for.

The problem with all this negative campaigning is that it leaves little room to discuss serious issues about our national situation: how to alleviate the problems of poverty, how to harness and protect our natural resources, how to eliminate or at least minimize the corruption in government, and so forth. None of our candidates have really managed to get any concrete plans across, choosing instead to package their ideas in catchy but empty jingles and memorable but equally empty catchphrases. By doing so, the candidates are doing a disservice to our people by giving them a load of hot air.

With the number of undecided voters apparently on the rise, it’s likely that a good number of Filipinos will wait until the last minute before making their choice. In addition, with this developing situation, the survey leaders cannot be complacent and assure themselves of victory at this point, for if the number of undecided voters is large enough, this unknown quantity could swing the elections the way of the tail-enders, particularly those who have attempted to distance themselves from negative campaigning.

Various Issues: Manny Pangilinan and the Fake Aquino Report

It’s troubling that my school the Ateneo has become the focal point of controversy over the past two weeks, although the focus is mainly a connection problem.

The first arose when business mogul Manny V Pangilinan, an Ateneo alumnus himself, gave a commencement speech during the Ateneo college graduation rites, which turned out to have contained plagiarized excerpts from other commencement speeches given by celebrities Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, and Conan O’Brien, as well as U.S. President Barack Obama. It was embarrassing enough that Pangilinan offered to resign from his position as head of the Ateneo’s Board of Trustees.

What was commendable about Pangilinan is that he immediately took responsibility and apologized for the gaffe, which was most likely the work of his speechwriters, who are likely to be jobless after the debacle. He even shielded his writers from public ridicule, even though they were responsible for his public humiliation. That’s class for you.

The big question now is whether the Ateneo can afford to let Pangilinan go, considering that he has been instrumental in getting funding for a number of projects in the school.

The second controversy arose when an apparent psychiatric report about Liberal Party (LP) Noynoy Aquino, which was supposedly done by Fr. Carmelo Caluag in 1996, made the news on media giant ABS-CBN. The report talked about Aquino’s apparently being depressed over a break-up with his then girlfriend, and posed serious questions about the senator’s mental health.

It was potentially damaging for Aquino. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. Having been a teacher in the Ateneo High School for 18 years, I can truthfully say that Fr. Caluag was our principal during that year that report was allegedly made, and that, as far as I know, psychology wasn’t one of Fr. Caluag’s specialties. Fr. Caluag himself came out with a statement denying that he had done the psychiatric analysis on Aquino.

It would be nice if the Ateneo can be spared from these controversies, but, then again, the school aims to build leaders, and unfortunately, controversies will always hound leaders. The challenge for those of us who have taken the task of molding these future leaders is to be able to inculcate the proper values, so that they can face these controversies with dignity and integrity.

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And now, Nacionalista Party (NP) bet Manny Villar, using the fake report as a basis, is challenging Noynoy to take a psychiatric test to prove his worthiness as the next leader of the Philippines. It’s interesting that he’s decided to take this tack, considering that, if ABS-CBN is to be believed, the fake report was given to them by sources from the NP itself.

It’s funny how the Villar and the NP, which has supposedly disavowed the use of black propaganda, have been creating issues to attempt to take down Aquino, who has been consistent in leading the surveys. Hacienda Luisita was an issue that the Remullas, NP stalwarts, raised in answer to the C-5 controversy that has hounded Villar. Now, Villar is raising the question of Aquino’s mental health, based on an unverified and possibly false report that was allegedly sent to ABS-CBN by Villar’s allies. The NP isn’t using black propaganda, and is taking a positive stance in the campaign, as NP vice-presidential bet Loren Legarda claims? Please.

By using the report and treating it as if it were a truthful document, Villar exposes his desperation to bring down Noynoy, since it appears that Villar is fast losing ground to the Aquino scion. In calling on Aquino to take a psychiatric test, Villar has shown that he himself will use any tactic, even black propaganda, in order to win.

Quick Bites

It’s been another hectic season for me, which is why it’s been a while since my last post. This one will just be some quick thoughts on various issues and news items.

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With the death of Philip Medel, it looks like the Nida Blanca murder case will move to the unsolved category, as Medel was the only possible link to solving the case. It will be recalled that Blanca, one of the Philippines’ foremost actresses, was found bloodied and battered in her car in November 2001, and that the prime suspect was Medel, who claimed that Blanca’s husband Rod Strunk ordered him to kill Blanca. Medel would then dramatically recant his testimony a few days later, claiming that he was forced to admit to the crime under torture. Strunk left the Philippines before he could be charged with any crime, and apparently committed suicide in 2007.

With both principal suspects dead, it’s unlikely that anyone will come forward with any evidence to prove their guilt. While Medel and Strunk are probably guilty of the crime, with their deaths, we will now never know the truth behind Blanca’s murder. I feel for Blanca’s family, that they will never be able to get any closure now on the matter.

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Whenever Senators Manny Villar and Loren Legarda, the Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearers, come out swinging at Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Senator Noynoy Aquino, I always take it with a grain of salt. Villar has challenged Aquino to “come clean” on Hacienda Luisita, while he himself has yet to address the issue of the C-5 controversy. Legarda, on the other hand, bewails what she calls “black propaganda” when the Liberal Party, among others, question the NP candidates’ values, about her being opportunistic. However, such has been the case for Legarda ever since she entered politics, as she has always flitted from party to party in order for her to get the best deal.

I do find it funny, though, that, during one LP sortie, Kris Aquino’s son, James, threw his support behind Villar, although it goes to show how saturated our airwaves are with Villar’s commercials.

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It’s interesting to note that, while the Philippine Daily Inquirer has exhaustively covered the apparent plagiarism of business mogul Manny Pangilinan’s commencement speech during the Ateneo graduation rites (which is a post about which I would dearly love to write), the Philippine Star’s only attention to the issue has been in two opinion columns. Domini Torrevillas dismisses it outright, calling it an “insignificant misstep”, which I disagree with, considering that Pangilinan was delivering the speech at an academic function, where he was awarded a doctor of humanities, honoris causa. How can that be insignificant?

Alex Magno is more objective, condemning the plagiarism, and correctly noting that the main fault lay with Pangilinan’s speechwriters, who are probably jobless right now. He also noted the seriousness of plagiarizing, since it destroys the credibility of one who commits it.

Considering that the Star has ignored the fact that one of their writers, Carmen Pedrosa, has been discovered to have plagiarized twice, I guess that the Star doesn’t consider plagiarism to be a big issue, and that a little intellectual theft is completely all right.