STATEMENT FROM THE FILIPINO PRESS CLUB-DUBAI

I'd like to share with you a forwarded message from the Women's Feature Service (WFS) e-group regarding the controversial articles written by Ms. Malu Fernandez. The following is the statement of the Filipino Press Club-Dubai.

Ms. Malu Fernandez's travel columns "From Boracay to Greece" (People Asia, June 2007) and "Am I being a diva? Or do you lack common sense?" (Manila Standard Online, July 30, 2007) continue to draw negative reactions from Filipinos here in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

While we, the Filipino Press Club in the UAE, believe in press freedom and the wide latitude given to writers in expressing their conscience, we believe that Ms. Fernandez and her editors overstepped the bounds of responsibility with these stories.

The incident recounted in her flight via Dubai to Manila in which she berated fellow Filipinos (who had already endured the misfortune of working away from their families) on board Emirates for wearing "cheap" perfumes had no significant bearing to her story.

This particular anecdote did not provide any form of entertainment, learning opportunity or even delightful trivia to the readers. To suggest all Dubai-based OFWs smell awful because they are unable to afford expensive perfumes like the one she's wearing is high-brow snobbery.

It is the same snobbery stamped on the psyche of some members of the Philippine society's elite that has caused the yawning gap between our rich and poor, and the economic exodus of which millions of us Filipinos have now become a part.

To enlighten Ms Fernandez and her editors, Consul General Maria Theresa Taguiang from the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi cited unofficial estimates (as of December 2006, submitted to the Philippine Congress) that there are now 250,000 Filipinos in the UAE. Of that figure, 24 percent are professional workers, 35 percent are skilled, 24 percent unskilled and 16.89 percent household workers (housemaids, personal drivers, nannies, cooks, tutors, gardeners, among other household staff).

More local as well as foreign companies in the UAE are employing Filipino workers because of their proficiency in English and admirable work ethics.

A print medium that aspires for relevance in today's competitive media world cannot hide under the skirt of press freedom for its licentiousness to insult a group of people. One's freedom to poke her fingers begins where someone else's nose begins.

Ms Fernandez's unrepentant response to the barrage of angry reactions from OFWs and their loved ones ("I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading"), simply adds fuel to the fire.

A nation like the Philippines that aspires for renewal and regeneration needs a responsible press with a high level of sensitivity to all sectors that comprise it.

We strongly demand that the publishers of People Asia and Manila Standard Today to take full responsibility and do the right thing: give Ms Fernandez and her editors a disciplinary action and apologise to the people insulted by these articles.

THE FILIPINO PRESS CLUB-DUBAI
(A mutual support group of Filipino professional journalists from the print, broadcast and web-based media in the United Arab Emirates)

Research Fund on the Internet's Social Impact

Professionals interested in studying the social impact of the Internet and related technology can apply for a research grant Oxford University's Internet Institute.

The Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford) invites applications from the global South to fill two places in its Civil Society Practitioners Programme.

This visitor programme is intended for Civil Society Practitioners of distinction or outstanding promise who wish to visit the Institute for a period of six weeks between February and December 2008, to undertake research concerning the social impact of the Internet and related ICTs. Visitors are expected to reside in Oxford during their stay, and to participate fully in the intellectual life of the Institute. The successful applicants will receive:

A subsistence allowance of 3800 GBP (7500 USD) to cover research expenses and living costs during their stay in Oxford
A travel grant of up to 1000 GBP (2000 USD) for travel to and from the UK
Applications will ideally be submitted by Civil Society Practitioners in or from the global South, active in the areas of freedom of expression, media reform, media justice, and communications and information policy in the globalized context of the Internet.

Read more about it here.

Bethlehem Film Festival

Here's an announcement from the International Journalists' Network:

Filmmakers worldwide have the chance to participate in the Bethlehem International Student Film Festival (BISFF), scheduled for November 29 to December 2 in the West Bank. Entry deadline: October 1.

The festival accepts short films or videos less than 30 minutes long in the following categories: documentary, narrative, experimental, and animation. Films should explore the festival’s theme for this year: “Land, Peoples and Identities.”

All entries must be subtitled in English and should have been produced no earlier than 2005. First prize is worth US$1,500, second is $1000, and third is $500.

For more information, contact Muayad Alayan at BISFF@annadwa.org or visit http://www.bethlehemmedia.net/festival2007.htm.

Dean Luis Teodoro: Outstanding Journalism Professor

This may be a belated post but I'd like to congratulate my former professor, Dean Luis Teodoro, for recently emerging as one of the four teachers awarded by Bato Balani Foundation, Inc., for his outstanding work as a journalism professor at the UP College of Mass Communication.

Sir, thank you for inspiring me and thousands of your students with your dedication and passion for ethical journalism. Mabuhay po kayo!

It was his former student, Prof. Danilo Arao, who nominated him for the award. Here's Prof. Arao's nomination, copied from his site:

What makes Prof. Luis Teodoro a great teacher? (Please cite specific examples)

Prof. Teodoro is an outstanding educator not only because his past and current students say so but also because he is a recognized practitioner in the discipline he teaches. It is imperative for a journalism educator to practice the profession to establish one’s credibility to his or her students, as well as share practical, relevant and up-to-date information to them. I won’t be where I am now were it not for the teachings of Prof. Teodoro. He has instilled in me the importance of journalism in national development and the need to write about the things that matter, mindful of the professional and ethical standards of the chosen profession. As may be gleaned from his compilation of testimonials written by his former students, friends and colleagues, he not only teaches, for example, Journalism standards and ethics but also maintains their highest standards as he goes about his work as a journalist. One may get several specific instances of his being a great teacher by reading the attached compilation of testimonials titled “What I Remember Most About LVT.”

How does Prof. Luis Teodoro employ innovation, resourcefulness, and creativity in his teaching? (Please cite specific examples)

Unlike other professors who rely mainly on books, audio-visual materials and other academic and journalistic outputs to teach Journalism, he can complement textbook knowledge with what goes on in the field since he is in close contact with other respected journalists, aside from the fact that he is a journalist himself. He would often share with his students how he does data gathering, analysis and actual writing of his well-read column pieces. It was Prof. Teodoro who said that the difference between a college instructor and professor is that “an instructor instructs and a professor professes.” Not surprisingly, he professes his views on the national situation without imposing them on students and a healthy debate normally happens in his classes. He encourages students to speak their mind.

How does Prof. Luis Teodoro exhibit dedication and commitment to the teaching profession? (Please cite specific examples)

His appointment as dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication for two terms (1994-1997; 1997-2000) is a recognition of his outstanding performance as a professor. Given his track record, he could have made more money by joining big media organizations but he has chosen to remain as an underpaid teacher of the premier state university, remaining ever humble despite his stellar career as a journalist and professor. He has also accepted the demanding tasks of assessing government policies related to tertiary journalism education by being chair of the CHED Technical Committee on Journalism Education. Prof. Teodoro was the one who facilitated the funding for my project to gather journalism educators nationwide in the historic First National Conference of Journalism Educators in December 2006. He is also unwavering in his support for the founding congress of the Association of Journalism Educators of the Philippines which we hope to organize within the year. Prof. Teodoro therefore has a vision not only to make journalism education better at UP where he teaches but at the national level. For this and so much more, he should be recognized for his selfless efforts through the years.

Read more about the winners here