Pacific Planholders Unite and Blog!

April 23, 2005

I ran across this entry on the PCIJ blog about Pacific Plan holders who have organized themselves and set up a blog in the process called Pacific Plans - Broken Dreams. They’ve complained about the lack of media coverage and have revealed GMA’s close relationship with Ambassador Yuchengco.

For me, this development tells us a few things: First and foremost, people don’t set up websites anymore. They blog. With a variety of tools and free options out there, blogging is the easiest and fastest mode to getting yourself published on-line.

Second, blogs can be used as a focal point for thousands of users with a cause. This virtual tool might be able to make things happen in real space — in much the same way SMS forced a sitting President from office. But I noticed that the Pacific Plans blog is run by people calling themselves PEP and PEP349 thereby raising the possibility that these were the same folks who participated in the Pepsi 349 issue some years back. How unfortunate to have bought a softdrink bottle with a 349 tansan and an educational plan from Pacific Plans.    

Third, this experience will inform us if blogs can become a way to get mindshare in traditional media. Will the newspapers follow this blog and make reports on that basis? Of course, the anonymous nature of this particular blog might raise concerns with journalists who have a healthy fear of kuryente. So, it might just be something that will lose relevance. After all, anonymity doesn’t build up credibility. If you want people to listen, you have to identify yourself. 

All in all, I’m happy about this. I’ve always believed more people should blog for all sorts of reasons from the idiotic, to the political, to the sublime. I want to see blogs have a positive social impact in our country. With the elections 2 years away, we might just see blogging and bloggers take a more active political role as well — shaping opinion and helping us make our choices. So, to those unfortunate Pacific Plan folks, I salute you. Mabuhay kayo!

iBlog - The First Philippine Blogging Summit

The U.P. Law Internet & Society Program will be hosting the first Philippine blogging summit entitled “iBlog” on May 7, 2005 at the UP NISMED, UP Campus.  This is a FREE event but registration at the iBlog website is required. There will be a whole-day conference featuring CICT Commissioner Dondi Mapa, The Sassy Lawyer, Yugatech, Dean Alfar,  the PCIJ Bloggers and many more.   More details about the event will be posted at the iBlog website.