Darn. I am fascinated with my new discovery of widgets! I know this craze has started since the generation of the Internet world, but my interest to widgets has just occurred as of this writing!

Darn. Now I am eagerly wanting to find out new and interesting widgets to be displayed in the side bar of this site.

Darn. I want a calendar widget, the one that boldens the dates when you have written a blog on them.

Darn! I need back up!

(L-R): Miss Philippines-Air: Michelle Martha Braun (Aklan), Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism and Miss PAGCOR: Adie Adelantar (Victorias City),  Miss Philippines-Water: Miss Philippines-Earth 2009: Sandra Seifert (Negros Occidental), Miss Philippines-Fire and Miss Science and Technology: Patricia Marie Tumulak (Quezon City), Miss Philippines-Water: Catherine Loyola (Fil. Sydney)

The recently concluded Coronation Night of Miss Philippines-Earth 2009 which was held at the The Arena Entertainment and Recreational Center of the People, San Juan City on May 10, 2009 glorifies the Reigning Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism 2009 and Miss PAGCOR 2009, Grizelda Enis “Adie” Adelantar.

Adie, to her friends, is very kind and sweet. Way back our freshie year in UP Diliman (Centerfold, Kalayaan Residence Hall), she used to be the “ate” of everyone else. Ever since, she has already that role-model image to all of her friends and colleagues. She is a very diverse woman. She loves to participate in events for a cause (she was one of the UP Corp of Sponsors), she loves to dance (she participated in the Cheerdance competition that was organized by UP Pep Squad), she speaks so well (when aspiring men court her, she politely turns them down explaining that she has priorities), she loves to do so many things, she just can’t help it! But, above all these, she’s a colleague, a friend, and a sister to every Centerfold lady (Go UNGASTIG!).

American Influences in the Philippine Theater .The first decade of American colonialism was marked by suppressed nationalism. As Filipinos look for escape to ease the feeling of being colonized by another country, the theater served as the most convenient outlet. This was the era of seditious and nationalist theater when playwrights and actors ran the risk of arrest and prosecution because of dramas such as Walang Sugat, Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas, Hindi aco Patay, and Tanikalang Ginto by Juan Abad. Some of the zarzuelas written by Juan Abad, “Mabuhay ang Filipinas!” was staged at the National Theater on May 17, 1900; Mapanglaw na Pagkakaalaala,” at the Universal Theater that same year; “Manila-Olongapo,” the product of his imprisonment in Olongapo, and at the Zorrilla Theater in June 1901, “Bulaklak ng Smapaloc” and excited the minds of native theater-goers. Other early writers include Aurelio Tolentino, Pascual Poblete, Pedro Paterno, Hermogenes Ilagan, Severino Reyes whose works reveal patriotism and the resentment to American’s rule, the plans to overthrow it and uprising and freedom. In June 1902, Severino Reyes established the Gran Compania de Zarzuela Tagala which was responsible for the reforms that made native drama as delightful experience.

The era also showed an active audience as two kinds of plays appeared. The acted plays which were circulated in manuscript form and the published pieces which were printed in principal papers of Manila like El Renacimiento, La Patria, Grito del Pueblo, and Kapatid ng Bayan. Riggs called the published plays more than serial poems in dialog but plays full of anathema and hate fully expressed in execrating and cursing the American government thereby urging the people to exterminate the government and even the friars.

A Contemporary Philippine Theater. Theater in post-zarzuela period was mainly in English, written products of the educational system installed by the Americans in 1901, and performed principally in school and university setting. English plays were indications of the first attempts for Americans to influence the Philippine theater. Soon after, theaters began to distance itself from the mass majority; English-speaking urban and school communities became the major audiences. As American motion pictures thrive, the theater fought a losing battle as audiences began to lose interest in it. The Americans were somewhat successful in diffusing Western cultural standards throughout the country.

The Filipino theater only returned to its vernacular in the 1960s, although more contemporary in perception and techniques. The theater traveled a long way before it again touched the lives of many Filipinos. Also, only in the 1960s when scholars like Nicanor Tiongson, Doreen Fernandez and Isagani Cruz have started to investigate indigenous forms of Filipino drama and made cultural studies a legitimate academic discipline .

The foundation of Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA in 1967 by Cecilia Guidote was the driving force behind the Philippine theater today. Fresh from studying in the West, she noted that the “national theater of the Philippines should embrace the capital, the cities, the towns and the barrios, of the islands and should be devoted primarily to the quest for a dramaturgy truly expressive of the Filipinos’ national culture.” The concept advocates a popular theater catering to all sectors of the society. This project of Guidote continued onwards with the Kalinangan Ensemble being the professional performing arm of PETA. The arm branched out to the communities, educational and industrial sectors and became not just an experimental theater but also a performing arts academy now known as the Central Institute of Theater Arts (CITAP), the country’s first and only theater academy as of 1989. In the 1970s, a network of people had been operating in the country with the objectives to counter the government-controlled culture and the rise of information media. Later 70s¸ actors and actresses were seen during marches and mass rallies performing to the street crowds as desire to overthrow Marcos dictator regime became more heated.

The objectives of PETA and the people behind it was one of the noblest acts in the history of theater arts. Behn Cervantes, an acclaimed dramatist and director affirmed that Philippine theater is for the audience. It must be and should not be the kind that travels and goes to the communities to perform, not just to entertain but to function as a factory of thought, a prompter of social conduct, an armor against despair and dullness and a trumpet of new philosophical, social religious and moral ideas.

As explained last issue, my concentration for the following two weeks will be on defining the roots of Philippine theater and how we have come up with what we now know as Philippine contemporary theater. As illustrated last week, the very form of theater we now have is the result of our experience as a people over centuries of struggle for freedom, hope and victory. Filipino art and drama in the pre-colonial setup, although not entirely known, was characterized by dances, rhythms and songs performed in remembrance of old rituals and traditions unique in the tribal communities. As for this week, forms of theater during the Spanish colonization will be further explained.

Spanish Conquest Era
Despite amateur, these dramatic plays and rituals attracted earlier Spanish missionaries during their visit in the island. The season of Spanish colonization enabled many other forms of theater to rise. Spanish conquistadores introduced a range of play-types, Iberian in origin and often Catholic in tendency to the archipelago. The religious plays and dramatizations (sinakulo, salubong, panunuluyan) and the komedyas (called Moro-Moro), puteje, and carillo were some of the fruit of Spanish influences in the theater art. On the one hand, Tagalog theaters include many adaptations of Spanish comedias and familiar Lenten stories or passion. One great example could be the cenakulo, in which Christ’s life before the Resurrection was portrayed and was performed approaching Holy Week in open fields and usually lasted several days and nights in succession but the play was often presented only at night. The panunuluyan was another type of drama presented every year during the Advent Season and dramatized Joseph and Mary’s search for a lodging on Christmas Eve.

To diffuse the literary culture among the natives, the most exalted work of the friars was the establishment of educational institutions in which theatrical presentations usually took place. The first play written by the Spaniards in Visayan dialect was staged in Bohol in 1609, in which actors and actresses were natives. A Jesuit named Jeronimo Perez had written in 1637, the first allegoric comedy of things, on the occasion of Genereal Corcuera’s conquest of Mindanao and was presented on July 5 of the same year. The next comedy was presented on January 1772 at Royal Palace of Manila.

On the other hand, unlike the religious plays like cenakulo and panunuluyan, the Moro-Moro was a little bit different. It was a kind of melodrama which according to Barrantes had its origin in a wild war dance executed by some four or six young Moros armed with gears to celebrate the baptism of their king Ali Mudin. Based on Spanish tales about heroic battles between Christian knights and Muslim Moors, the komedya was an action-filled play which contained a dose of romance and invariably ended in the defeat and baptism of the Moors. Moreover, corridos were legendary and religious poems which resemble the awits extravagant on foreign themes and were heavily interlarded with moralizing on Filipino people. The main theme of each story was usually the victory of Christians over the infidels with whom they have conflicts. Needless to say, these plays served as strategic vehicles of the Spanish missionaries to instruct, baptize natives and spread Christianity in the archipelago.

Before the middle of the 18^th century, there have been different kinds of comedies and dramatic presentations staged at various places in the country. The puteje was a dramatic presentation common among Chinese laborers in which characters were doll-like figures that appeared on the stage. Similarly, the carillo was a dramatic presentation in which characters consist of cardboard figures skillfully manipulated by persons who speak for the characters behind a white screen with a lighted lamp. The first carillo was presented in 1879; Navarro Peralta showed one on 1886 in Calle Magdalena and on 1893 on Calle Crespo. These were major entertainers during the times that no electricity was yet available. It was at this time that Filipinos began to experience seated as an audience in the dark as in a theater. During these times began to gain patrons, the elite and the commoner alike… “The well-heeled were brought by elegant carriages to teatro espanol while the others simply dressed, went on foot to teatro tagalo.” Sinibaldo de Mas, who was in Manila in 1841 witnessed how fond were the Filipinos in stage performances that some even had translated Spanish plays into the native tongue.

The formal buildings created for stage performances and other forms of public spectacles were an indication of the flourish of the theater arts. During the 1820s-1840s, only two theaters built in very light materials were recorded catering mainly to the indigenous inhabitants of Manila . At these times, Tondo primitive theater and Arroceros primitive theater already existed according to Juan Atayde. Although these theaters were built only for the Tagalog plays, occasionally Spanish plays were also presented there. From two, the theaters included to 26 from 1846 to 1896. According to history, 24 of the theaters were real structures adhoc for theater purposes dedicated for teatro espanol, tetaro tagalo or comedia clinica. Six of these were made of strong materials and devoted mainly to teatro espanol besides presentations of Italian opera, symphonies, concerts and on some rare occasions it became the setting of dramas and musical plays in English brought over by foreign theatrical companies. Built through power and proper financing, these theaters for the Spanish elite and upper social classes –– were characterized by elegance and strength. The teatro tagalo was erected in 1881 on Echague, Quiapo. Buenaventura’s study of theater in 50 years (between 1846-1896) saw that from 1887 towards the latter part of Spanish occupation, teatro Tagalog focused mainly on moro-moros, comedia fare and offered bilingual presentations and Spanish zarzuelas as well.

As other crowds began to notice the theater, the Chinese theatrical performances also tried to find for places where they could present their plays. Bonifacio traced the origin of Chinese theatrical performances in the Philippines, which started on 1866. On January 16, 1872, a Chinese opera dealing with the war between the Tartars and the Chinese was staged in Tondo Theater. However, the performance has failed to arouse sufficient interest among the Chinese audience because it was rendered in Mandarin Chinese which was not understood by the majority of the audience, who were largely Cantonese. In this stance, Chinese theater had no major influence on Filipino theater.

There were some instances in this period wherein the theater faced a number of problems. The lack of professional artists and problems on stage management was resolved by the coming in of fresh ideas in theater activity from Spanish artists and deportees. By the 1880s, improvements done in teatro espanol and Tagalog comedias – the backdrops and the sophistication of local talent and professionalism among them – were Spanish influenced. In the early decades of the period, principal roles and director’s posts for Spanish theater were filled by peninsulares and other imported foreign artists. By the 1880s, there was a turn, Philippine-born stage luminaries began to make their mark by filling principal roles creditably, winning popular acclaim, and securing their place in the hearts of the theater-going public. By 1896, there were enough professional actors and actresses for Spanish zarzuelas in Spanish and the usual moro-moro.

The period before the outbreak of Philippine revolution saw the development of the theater art in archipelago’s capital. Buenaventura notes that, “not only was there a proliferation of edifices and structures built solely for the theater purposes, but theater societies flourished as well. From the aficionado-type that they were in the 1840s and 1850s, theater and musical groups graduated into professional organizations with formal characters and by-laws.” Among the more notable ones were La Sociedad de Recreo, Liceo-Artistico-Lietrario de Manila, Union Artistica-Musical, Sociedad del Teatro Infantil de Dulumbayan and Compania Infantil de Trozo. The Union Artistica-Musical and the Liceo-Artisitic-Literatio were truly exceptional as the former counted a large membership and had for its main objectives the improvement of prefoseeional competence while the latter’s goal was to contribute to artistic education and the development of native talent. However, the Liceo experienced death as they faced divisions and lack of strong leadership among the organization.

The theater can be considered a life form in itself. Artists, directors and audience all gathered in what seemed to be a close encounter with life, in a sense that what is seen and heard in it has both the power and form to stimulate, transform or entertain a ceasing life.

With elements of the sound, lights, performances, the dances and the words in a staged theater combined altogether to create a perfect mix, the theater becomes the ‘expression of a nation’s soul’. It is not a kind of art but in it is a conglomeration of all the arts, one that is capable to stand and reflect a nation, a community or a people. A historian notes this to be a privilege to a theater artist who by “being aware of his ancestral roots and embracing the technology…humanism, as well as the serenity and spiritualism of his country” – serves in the sincere expression of the soul of a being or a nation.

Much more in the case of the Philippine theater that experienced the same birthing, yet understood its vicissitudes as it finds its place and identity in the rich Filipino culture through times. In this article, I will give a background on the existing literature on Philippine theater, tracing its history and forms, how it evolved to what it is now, and how authors and artists perceived the condition of the Philippine theater in our times today. I will target to answer this paper’s objectives by presenting the literature on Philippine theater historically – from the pre-colonial times, during the Spanish regime, came the American colonizers, to the contemporary theater. I will divide this paper into three parts, the first part of it I will expound now, the other two shall be elaborated on the next two weeks.

The roots of Filipino staging Not entirely known as theater, the dances, rhythms and songs performed in remembrance of old rituals and traditions unique in the tribal communities characterize the earlier forms of Filipino art and drama. Before the Western contacts, songs or awit along with verbal jousts in extemporaneous dodecasyllabic verses expressed in play-and-pretend situations were commonplace. Some of these were in the form of poetical contests in jests and riddles performed on the last day of burial like the duplo (also tibao) and the dalit, a passionate and eulogistic mourning prayer and an epic tale. Natives had drama/plays for the home such as sabalan, pananapatan and, karagatan, while others were intended for large crowds were found in rural communities like tagayan and pagbati, bayok bulaklakan, panyo palaran were found in rural communities (some even up to now).

As early as then, it did not give arts and drama a hard time to pave its way into the lives of the Filipinos. In fact, the unfolding of theater art founded solidly on the people’s inherent musicality and love of plays and spectacle. “The audiences chuckled at the comedian’s antics, reacted visibly to emotional scenes, and swayed to the rhythms of the tango and the can-can, all enjoying the show to the hilt”. A friar in one his letters attested that the audience not just watched actual presentations during feast of consequence but also the rehearsals. Even in the words of Rizal, he described the Filipino audience as a ‘deeply spectator of dramatic presentations’ who listens in silence to a song, gazes delighted at the dancing and mimicry and never hisses or applauds. When he finds the show interesting, he withdraws without disturbing the others and only at times when the actors embrace or kiss the actresses will he howl.

Few more days to go and it’s February. And on the fourteenth of the month, the world celebrates St. Valentine’s Day. But how do St. Valentine gives significance to mankind? Well, we all know the answer to this. This crazy thing we call love.

Maybe you are wondering why I begin to blabber about love, it’s not that I am romantically in love and involved now (because I am seriously not), but rather I decided to elaborate on this matter because I am fascinated with how the world actually celebrates Valentine’s Day in different ways.

It has already become a trademark during Valentine’s Day that we give flowers and chocolates to our loved ones – may it be our parents, our friends or our romantic partners. But do you know that flower-giving during this special day, more particularly rose-giving in some parts of the USA , may actually take a lot of interpretations? Americans say, the color of the roses tells you the kind of message they want to impart to the person they are handing the flowers. So that if you hand in white roses, it means you are truly in love with that person, red roses for passion, yellow roses are for friendship, and black roses, if it means goodbye.

But let us not be saddened with that tradition, after all we’re not all Americans, right? Let’s consider another country. Japan . The Japanese celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in a rather unique fashion. Women, take note, women give chocolates to men during this day. It has been their tradition that every February 14, women do something for their loved ones and in return, men are actually obligatory to give something to their women on the fourteenth of the next month, so that every March 14 is a celebration known as White Day because all men give chocolates to their partners, and these chocolates are actually wrapped in white boxes, that’s why it’s White Day.

Moreover, in Scotland , the singletons who are looking for partners can actually participate in their festival known as the Teh Festival. These single and unmarried men and ladies will have to write their names on a sheet of paper and drop it on the box they provide. The men will have to pick one rolled-paper on the box and whoever gets who, well, they can be partners for life.

See, people have various ways on celebrating this occasion. In other words, there are millions of ways on how to shape up or ship out of your relationship. It actually depends on how you deal with it. Traditions, personal perspectives, it doesn’t matter. That’s the very irony of love.

Yesterday morning, I was able to encounter a quote which I find it very captivating so I approached my father and asked him what his view on this quote is all about: “Do not put all your eggs in one basket.”

According to him, the quotation is sort of mixed or somewhat revised. He said, as far as his knowledge is concern, the quotation should either be: “Do not put all your mangoes in one basket,” or “Do not count your eggs upon hatch.” Either quotation, it has a moral in it.

All eggs should not be placed in one basket or else if one egg gets damaged, the process from eggs-hatching-to-chicks- may be altered. One, if the basket full of eggs is accidentally dropped down the floor or if this will be bumped to any harder surface than the basket with eggs, then for sure, many of the eggs will crack. If these will crack, eggs cannot be chicks anymore. Two, if one of the eggs in the basket is cracked and if the fluid (or the egg white and the egg yolk) of this egg spills over the rest of the eggs, then all the eggs that have been spilled by this fluid of this cracked egg will no longer be chicks anymore. Therefore limiting the option of the eggs to being “eggs” only and that these eggs can no longer be chicks.

I began thinking what this quote is all about or which among these three quotes could be best applicable to me. Then I realized that these three quotes are actually related to one another. On the first two sayings, “Do not put all your eggs in one basket,” versus “Do not put all your mangoes in one basket.” Well, aside from the fact that eggs and mangoes are both palatable, mangoes react very exactly like eggs. If a mango in a basket is rotten, the rest of the mangoes in the basket will also be rotten. Thus, I thought, eggs and mangoes are actually interchangeable that are both fit for the quotation. And on the saying, “Do not count your eggs upon hatch” with respect to the original saying “Do not put all your eggs in one basket,” well they’re two sayings with eggs as their subject. More than that, however, I realized, how can you in fact determine the good eggs, meaning the eggs in good condition and that shall turn into chicks soon, when there’s always a danger attached to these eggs every time you put all your eggs in just one basket? (Sigh). Actually, I’m just justifying everything to make these three quotations come out as one.

Nevertheless, whatever the confusion of these quotes, my father is right. It means one because its moral may all be related to life. Eggs or mangoes, whichever among the two, can be compared to us human beings. Humans are very influential to and with one another. If we live a life of hatred, anger, corruption or temptation, come to think of it, if you want to make your life miserable then let it alone be yours. Don’t blend and stain these people who want to live a simple and decent life. Let it alone be yours. Do not rot others just because you are already one. If you want to crack and break your life, let it alone be yours. Anyway, it’s your life, it’s your egg, don’t spoil the rest of us, don’t spoil me, no way.

People ask me of what I would want to become when I grow up. Surprisingly for them, my answer doesn’t usually fit to what they expected from a youth like me who has been part of politically-inclined families. They are expecting me to follow the footsteps of my father, at least. I have thought of that ever since, yes, but now that I have reached college wherein plans of the future have already been mapped at least not too sharp, I have realized that I want something new for myself. As I continue to unravel the cosmopolitan world, I have come to think that there’s a bigger world for me out there and there’s always a place allotted for me someday in that bigger world. I want to be a cosmopolite. I want to travel around the world. I am eager to discover new things about the wonders in life. And of course how can I forget, one of my top priorities, I always want to continue the legacy of my family – I want to serve the people in whatever way I can. And nevertheless, enjoy. I always want to live in a simple and happy life full of fun and excitement. I always dreamed of a family living in an undemanding lifestyle harmoniously. I always want life to be simply perfect. That’s why in my article for this issue, I’ve tried to research something fabulous on one of my favorite countries I plan to visit soon – Brazil. Below are some of the facts about this beautiful, close-to-nature, country.

Brazil with its capital Brasilia is located in the Eastern part of South America bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of almost two hundred million with an area of about eight million five hundred thousand square kilometers. That’s roughly twenty eight times as big as the Philippines. And olá (hello), Brazil is a Portuguese-speaking country. Now doubt Portuguese is one the top ten most popular languages in the world according to the census.

What’s interesting about this country is that this country is a bit like the Philippines.

Like us, Brazilians are very emotional and much attached with their families and friends. Before they make conversations, it is necessary for them to give a kiss on their cheeks (we call it beso-beso) or a handshake. Asking about the family’s background and how the family is going on is very important likewise. In that way, you show your deep concern for them.

Brazilians like coffee as much as we do. They are also very into coffee, and that they serve really strong coffee. These coffees are now served mostly during business transactions. When it comes to business dealings however, Brazilians are very particular with time so that when you make appointments with them, make it at least two weeks in advance. Never try to make impromptu calls at business or government offices. During meetings, Brazilians start on time (a very reflecting part for the Filipinos). Gift giving in doing business meetings is also usual in Brazil so that the host will have to give a present to her colleagues or if not he must buy lunch or dinner instead during or after the transaction.

An unfamiliar fact about its people is that they have this unique gesture that they do every time they express appreciation to someone; that is, Brazilians pinch their earlobes in front of the person they admire using their thumbs and forefingers. For what reason they’re doing this, I still don’t have a clue, but I’ll promise to know the reason behind this as soon as I interview a Brazilian the moment I’ll be in Brazil. I mean, we can always dream right? It’s the only thing left here on earth that is free, so just dream on.

Here’s more. If somebody asks you a question and you do not know what the answer is, just flick your fingertips underneath your chin. It indicates that you do not know the answer to the question. Imagine it and try doing it. Its fun and amazing realizing that we only see this in cartoons shows.

Before I close this article, I want leave some questions for reflection to help us realize what it takes to be a Filipino. What can we say about these Brazilians? How do they differ from us? Do we have “strange” qualities too that are exceptional in our culture? What are these? Are we proud of these traits and customs we have like the Brazilians do? Or do we, like most of us, forget our customs and traditions our ancestors passed on to us?

Adeus!

A question raised by one of my professors stroke my mind: What/who would you recommend or nominate as the Philippines’ national treasure?

I began thinking for a moment. And surprisingly, I didn’t reach to a point of wherein I must decide one among my list because apparently I didn’t have any choices written on my list. The only thing that came to my mind were the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) or the Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

The IPs (for a more politically correct term) compose ten percent of the total Filipino population or equivalent to fifteen million people of the ninety million Filipinos today. For a clearer picture, the IPs are our cultural tribes. Some of them are more commonly known by their ethnic groups: Ifugao, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Kalinga, Isneg, Tingguian, Bugkalot, Dumagat, Aeta, Ati, Mangyan, Manobo, Tagbanua, Teduray, Subanen, T’boli, Bagobo, and Higaonon and about a hundred other tribes.

Personally, I consider the IPs the Philippines’ national treasure because they are the only group that were never shaken and influenced by the colonizers despite the spirited attempt by the conquerors. These IPs are the descendants of the original inhabitants of this archipelago who have somehow managed to resist centuries of colonization and in the process have retained their own customs, traditions and life ways.” This utmost concept of keeping the culture intact is for me a clear manifestation of bravery and nobility. They indeed are worth all our hails.

Our ancestors were once upon a time the only inhabitants on these islands, and as such even during those early times, already exhibited the attributes of independent states, namely: people, territory, government (through their customs and traditions and indigenous socio-political institutions), and sovereignty (for they were free and independent communities). In other words, they were already established way, way back before. Later, when they resisted Spanish colonization and refused to be subdued, they were called infidels, pagans, savages.

Under American rule, our predecessors had been called non-Christian tribes. In modern times, these IPs became known as cultural minorities, or tribal Filipinos. Only lately have they been lumped up in the generic term “indigenous cultural communities” of the Philippines.

Today, when one speaks of indigenous peoples, it is not so much about their beautiful story as peace-loving communities bound to Mother Nature and Father Spirit of the Universe; nor their talents and skills and accomplishments. For the term indigenous peoples has been made synonymous to oppression, exploitation, discrimination and poverty. They, whose ancestors were once the proud rulers of this land, are now the scum of the earth, the so-called poorest of the poor in the Philippines.

The IPs manifest the nobility of the Filipinos. It is therefore not right that we take these people for granted. Instead, let us value them, protect them and preserve them – their culture, their beliefs that were once all ours but are now only shared among a few. Let us not therefore allow the modern influences consume us and captivate our very identity as Filipinos.

A lot of the internet aficionados right now have been hooked up to creating and updating their daily blogs. Blogs, short for weblogs, are one of the latest craze this generation has been experimenting on. Examining its primary definition as defined by Wikipedia, a blog is “a type of website where entries are made, such as in a journal or diary, displayed in a reverse chronological order.” As expounded, blogs usually provide commentaries or news on a particular subject, such as current events on local and world arenas, politics, economics, or even up to the most interpersonal relationships of people.

The habit of blogging has propagated swiftly from 1997 (the year blogging was born) up to the present. If during the first three years of blogging, there were only about twenty to thirty blogs that were created, now, with the media promoting it, thousands of blogs are created every single day. The concept of blogging has boomed even in just a matter of years mainly due to the proliferation of free-weblog creation programs.

Its foremost use is to give information on certain topics the author is blogging. Blogs are meant as a medium for intellectual discussions, educational forums and business transactions. Therefore, in any of this event, blogs should be created responsibly. Proper decorum is the unwritten rule in this kind of set-up.

Now, our concept of blogs is even broadened therefore not just limiting on its fundamental function which is share information. It has become a means of entertainment – the main reason blogging has gain popularity. Blogging has become a hobby for people who find a great deal in interacting with the virtual world. It has also been used as a channel for self-expression. Bloggers (those who create blogs) have considered this fad their sort of diary or journal where they can write up to the most personal grounds they wish to share and be known to fellow bloggers down to the typical internet users. Since creating blogs over the net in these days are totally for free, the remaining issue left is on how responsible or not the bloggers are, how they use it efficiently or not. The very point here is that this tool of free expression will remain free and will remain yours if you value the dignity and privacy of others. True, because in this system of interaction with others, “personal dignity outweighs freedom of speech.” I’ve read an article about a Chinese professor who won a suit against a blog hosting site. The said professor won the lawsuit because the website refused to remove remarks, which he deemed foul, thus exploited his dignity as an individual. In response, the court ordered the said site to pay the complainant one thousand yuan. Also, the court ordered blogsites to practice accountability in blog postings, review every complaint received and delete any material considered offensive.

My opinion on this matter would be this: blog as long as you can and as long as you love to, but blog not just for blog’s sake but for the finest intentions one can attain without contravening other people’s personal discretion.