A couple of days ago, I got hooked up into this person that I see on the news everyday.
I know I got hooked up because I started googling..
And yes, we’ve met. And now, I’ve developed a HEALTHY OBSESSION.
You are my HEALTHY OBSESSION. 
Background: Patricia Evangelista wrote on Philippine Daily Inquirer an article entitled: The Morality of Bong Revilla. Without surprise, the ‘gentleman of the senate’ replied. Here it is,
1 June 2009
MS. LETTY JIMENEZ-MAGSANOC
Editor in Chief
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MS. PATRICIA EVANGELISTA
Columnist, “Method To Madness”
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Madames:
This is with regard to the column “Method to Madness: The morality of Sen. Bong Revilla”, published in page A13 of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on 31 May 2009.
It is with deep regret that I convey my disappointment on the over-all condescending tone of the literature which I believe is based on false premises.
It is true that Senator Revilla, since 1986 when he first played a role in a motion picture, has been cast to portray the brusko and barako types. This however does not mean that Bong Revilla is each and every character that he has played as the column would suggest. You see, Senator Revilla has developed to become one of the most respected institutions in the local film industry not for the roles he has depicted on the screen, but for who he really is behind the camera – an emphatic, caring, and concerned individual who will always go out on a limb to help those who are willing to take his help.
Because of what has been written, I am now convinced that Bong Revilla is a better actor than what others credit him to be, especially now that presumably very educated people have been convinced that the persona he represents onscreen is who he really is, failing to distinguish between the roles he plays and his person off-camera. We should not confuse Bong Revilla with Leon, with Alyas Pogi, with Crisval, nor with any of the over seventy characters he portrayed in over two decades.
I personally expected these criticisms to surface even before Senator Revilla delivered his privilege speech. In fact, I expected worse, knowing how prominent, influential and financially capable the personalities involved are. The Senator shared these apprehensions, but regardless, decided to take a stand throwing caution to the wind.
What is saddening is that as the matter develops, it seems that public attention is systematically being diverted from the root cause, the real culprits of the whole “Hayden Kho Hidden Camera” brouhaha, so that Dr. Kho and his fellow perpetrators could recede to the shadows of obscurity.
Now it has become an issue about Bong Revilla and not about the hapless women in the over forty videos who were videotaped without their consent. Now, the issue is transforming to be about the messenger and no longer about the message. Now, the public is being led to believe in and sympathize with the plight of the evil-doer just because he is being defended by a recognized Women’s Rights activist, and at the same time, is also being led to condemn the victim just because her cause is being carried by an actor whose motion picture image is a barako.
We, as responsible citizens, and I as a parent, should not allow this to happen. We must look beyond the smoke and mirrors and realize what is absolute – the victim and the perpetrator. This is what is important. We must not make the mistake of turning the victim into the perpetrator. If we allow this to happen, then we will be sending the wrong signal to other victims. We will be imparting the message that justice may no longer be had, and that it would be better for victims to remain silent and secluded instead of embarking on a quest to vindicate themselves from the wrong done them.
It is true that Bong Revilla is not perfect, neither am I, nor anyone else for that matter. We do not and can never claim perfection. This should however not keep anyone of us, despite our faults and imperfections, from striving to do good things, to do what is right, and to stand up for it. We must always keep in mind that evil can only triumph if good people choose to do nothing. If all waits for the faultless, perfect, and untarnished to act, then nothing good will be done, for the perfect being exists only in our ideals and in our faith.
I am sure that we are all striving for justice so we should all work together so that justice is served.
Thank you very much. I am hoping, in the spirit of fair-play and responsible journalism and the Code of Ethics of Journalists of the Philippine Press Institute, that this reply be published in toto with the same prominence as the original literature.
More power to you and your publication.
Very truly yours,
F. ROBERT A. MORALEDA
Head for Public Relations
Office of Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.
I don’t want to tangle with the diehard fans of Manny and Martin, especially since the former brought honor to the country and the latter is a popular balladeer whom I happen to like. However, the time and energy spent debating on whether these two gentlemen should be exempt from existing policy shows what is wrong with governance in this country.
When celebrities ignore international health protocol
As members of the global community, we cooperate with international protocol on the appropriate steps required to contain the possibility of a pandemic. The responsible institution at the global level is the World Health Organization which tracks the movement of deadly viruses which travel from one country to another. WHO issues advisories on the latest developments in dreaded diseases and recommends appropriate steps to member countries. In unusual circumstances such as the desire of Manny Pacquiao to return home from a country where the feared flu variant has already been tracked, WHO issues advisories on request of governments. Recipients of these advisories generally comply. After all, it is for the protection of the global family.
There should be no debate on whether advisories issued by WHO should be complied with. Yet the entire country spent days furiously debating on whether Manny should come home or not. Manny decided to ignore the advisory, to the delight of his millions of admirers.
The agency most knowledgeable and responsible for implementing health advisories is obviously the Department of Health. Nevertheless, we had the spectacle of the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources making snide remarks about the efforts of the Secretary of Health to convince Manny to cooperate. Matters of health are the field of expertise of the health secretary . Disparaging remarks by other responsible officials encourage the ordinary citizens to likewise ignore public policy.
Exempting pop idols from the law on the Philippine national anthem.
Debates have been going on about the way pop idols sing the national anthem during mass events like boxing bouts. Unlike most countries, the Philippines has a law specifying the tempo at which the anthem is to be sang. The anthem was originally composed as a march and the law specifies that it should be sang as a march.
Proponents advocating a strict marching tempo for the national anthem have long squirmed, shut their ears, and winced whenever pop singers sing it like a ballad. The singers’ voices crack as they make birit and turn flat as they attempt high notes. They even forget the lyrics of the anthem.
The simmering debate came to a head when Martin Nievera did his personal version of the national anthem. Those who defended Martin insisted that his version was beautiful while critics insisted that it is time to implement the law. I like Martin the singer. I believe, however, that his version is too far out, especially the last part.
The practice of making pop idols sing the national anthem imitates what is being done in countries like the United States. I don’t think they have the same law as ours, though.
Pop singers precisely become idols because they develop their own unique singing style and sing personally-styled versions of musical hits. Thus, they sing the national anthems of their countries in different, individual styles. Sometimes the results are beautiful; oftentimes, anthems are mangled beyond recognition.
Musical artistry and the marching tempo
Defenders say that pop artists have to sing the national anthem with full freedom of expression. Insisting that they sing to a martial tempo will deprive them of individuality and style, they say.
Not so. Any singer worth his salt and his vocal chords can sing a song in martial tempo and still inject his unique voice and personal style. After all, there are many ways of interpreting a marching song. Some portions can be sung softly or loudly. A vocal artist can vary the tones of his voice and convey anger, sadness, joy and courage. He can use his voice to inspire without changing the tempo. Of course, it is very challenging, but that is what artistry is all about.
Try asking several professional singers to render the national anthem in strict martial tempo. For sure, they will sound different and each one will be unique. Give it a try!
Policy by exemption?
Whenever a policy is declared, the immediate reaction is to insist that popular idols, be they boxers, singers, movie stars, and even government officials should be exempted. We have a saying that no one is above the law; yet, we insist that idols may not comply even as they place the health of the country at risk or break a long existing law.
No wonder we demand exemption for government officials from our laws on corruption and accountability!
–> This post is from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/05/10/09/manny-and-martin-policy-exception-leonor-magtolis-briones
