(For the full transcript, go to Gelo Lopez’s blog.)

First of all, let’s state the obvious. Revillame had every right to say whatever he felt he should say to defend himself. No problem there. We are all just exercising our rights to speak out.

On the matter of whether or not Revillame’s rant held valid points, well, that would entail a bit more analysis. If we are to listen carefully to his statement what he said can be broken down as follows:

• I have done nothing wrong.
• This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.
• I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.
• I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?

Let’s dissect these one by one.

I have done nothing wrong.

It really is debatable if Revillame did or did not commit child abuse. As far as I’m concerned that is an issue best left sorted out in a court of law. In case you want an intelligent argument against the accusation, you can find one over at Indolent Indio.

I can understand Revillame’s insistence that he committed nothing wrong. The main accusation, which has become the major basis for the current indignation bandwagon, is child abuse. It would be utterly stupid of him not to react to that.

However, I feel Revillame is deliberately avoiding one other issue, for which he is clearly guilty without question. I suspect he himself knows this. I’m talking about his apparent lack of good judgment and responsibility as an influential media personality. As was pointed out in my first blogpost about this issue:

It could have passed off as nothing serious, but Revillame’s misplaced thinking that it was cute of him to have the little boy repeat the performance over and over again clearly showed an absence of good judgment on his part.

As it is, Revillame seems to be glossing over this particular issue. It’s simply not correct of him to say that he did nothing wrong.

This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.

I don’t know if this whole thing was started by ABS-CBN or any specific group that has for its main goal the downfall of Willie Revillame. What I do know that I’m very sure of is that not everyone who expressed indignation over this issue is affiliated with ABS-CBN or any anti-Willie group.

I can only speak for myself. As a blogger, one of my advocacies has always been to get media to shape up. In fact, as early as the May 2010 elections, I have been writing about what I believe to be Philippine media’s tendency to make dumb people out of Filipinos.

It is actually quite dishonest of Revillame to make this out as nothing more than a concerted effort by groups with vested interests to bring him down. It is not.

Now in fairness to Revillame, it is possible that ABS-CBN is now riding on the issue. Well, I think Revillame shouldn’t worry about that too much. If ABS-CBN wants to get involved then so be it. The truth is ABS-CBN does have a lot to do with this issue considering the kind of crap programming it has been serving the Filipino people for some time now. Let’s not forget also that Revillame is largely an ABS-CBN creation.

Again, this issue is not just about the alleged child abuse. It is also about media responsibility, a fact that even TV5′s president Ray Espinosa and consumer goods company Unilever acknowledged.

1) To temporarily suspend effective Monday, April 11, 2011, our participation in all reality-based live game shows across all networks. This measure will be in place until we observe stricter and objective self-regulatory guidelines across networks and proper enforcement by the relevant government agencies of existing content regulations.

I think Revillame said it perfectly.

Kung sususpindihin niyo kami, suspindihin ninyong lahat yan.

I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.

There’s no denying the fact that Revillame is a very rich man. I can imagine that he can very well not do anything related to work anymore yet he’d still be comfortable many times over.

He does have a point when he said it is those in his production staff who stand to lose in case his show is taken off the air. I can’t say the same about his viewers though.

Contrary to what Revillame has been saying all these years, his program is not a public service endeavor. Just think about it. Of the hundreds if not thousands of people who line up to be part of his program’s live studio audience, how many of them really get money from Revillame? How much on average do they get? Is money distributed to them automatically or does it happen under some random or whimsical selection process?

Let’s acknowledge the fact that for the poor, the demographic which Revillame claims to be the main “beneficiary” of his program, a few thousand pesos is a big deal. Still, are they really being helped by this dole-out set up being promoted by Revillame?

Now assuming that Revillame is indeed doing a lot of good for his staff and his followers, doesn’t it then become more important for him to be more responsible and to keep out of trouble so he can continue his good deeds?

Revillame shouldn’t be blaming anyone for putting his program in danger of being taken off the air temporarily or permanently. He could have avoided this.

I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?

It might seem a distasteful assertion to some, including myself, but it cannot be denied that Revillame raised a valid point. But what Revillame failed to realize is that if being charitable comes to him naturally then it shouldn’t matter whether or not his program exists. If he has the means and he feels like doing it then he can continue using his wealth to help others. It’s as simple as that.

Well, okay, let’s acknowledge that fact that Revillame was just so offended he felt compelled to get back at his detractors specifically those among his colleagues in the industry. Again that is his right.

I now wonder what Jim Paredes, Aiza Seguerra, Agot Isidro and the others that Revillame identified have to say about that.

PinoyBuzz wrote something interesting in his article Willing Revillame Goes On Leave After Advertisers Pull-Out.

But, what I do hope for is that the outrage movement that was sparked by the sexually suggestive dancing of a six year old didn’t come to be just because of a shared hatred for Willy Revillame.

Indeed, this whole indignation bandwagon should be motivated by something bigger than mere contempt for Revillame. The television host is just one person. There are much bigger fish to fry such as the whole broadcasting industry.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Revillame continue his work as a television host as long as he makes some major adjustments. I sincerely hope he would spend the next two weeks in serious reflection. He already has the influence. He might as well use that for something that would benefit an even bigger number of people in ways that go beyond providing a diversion and a few thousand pesos that wouldn’t even last a week.

Here’s a portion of Willy Revillame’s monologue:

Ngayon po, nakipagusap po ako sa presidente ng  TV5, Atty Rey Espinosa. Nagusap kami na hanggang ngayon na lang po ako sa Willing Willie. Magpapahinga na muna po ako, hindi po ako magpapaalam. Starting po today ang live namin , bukas ho nakatape na po kami. Lalabas ho yon mapapanood niyo. Starting ho ng Monday hanggang Holy Week, pagiisipan ko ho kung ako po ay babalik pa sa industriyang ito. Bigyan niyo lang po muna ako ngpagkakataon sa sarili ko. Masyado ho akong binintangan ng binintangan ng wala ho akong ginawang masama sa akin. Sa mga tao hong gumawa niyan sa aki, ang isipin niyo yung mga matanda na nasa labas, mga bata, mga mahihirap sa labas. Wag ako. Instrumento lang ako ng mga tao. Wag niyo akong kainggitan dahil hindi ako lumalabas ng ibang lugar. Lagi lang ako nandito sa studio na to sa bahay ko o nakikipagpaligsahan sa inyo. Kung kayo ang magaling, magaling kayo. Basta ang puso ko, nandito sa mga mahihirap.

Willy Revillame goes on leave after advertiser pull-out

Somewhere in the monologue, Willy Revillame threatened to sue all those who bashed him on twitter.

Tsaka yung mga tumitira sa akin sa twitter., kung idedemanda ka ng TV5, idedemanda rin kita. Magdedemandahan tayo. Idedemanda ko lahat ng tumira sa akin sa Twitter, lahat ng personal. Tandaan nyo yan.

The monologue, or rant, came after more advertisers announced that they would be suspending advertising on the program.

There’s some rah-rahing going on because it would seem that the movement to chastise Willy Revillame has succeeded in certain respects.

I don’t know if anybody has started printing a shirt that says “In my country, everyone is a hero” (a reference to the hurrah-for-me-I-am-a-hero-for-tweeting-blogging about Ondoy).  But I do hope no one attempts to “brand” the movement as his or hers and then tries to sell his expertise at creating massive online movements (a reference to Big Bad Bloggers and fake digital PR God-men/shamans).

Then again, if we are to take the point of view that the online campaign sparked by the sexually suggestive dancing of a six year old on Willing Willy has succeeded, I’d like to ask: How exactly did it succeed?

Is it because the letter writing campaign to advertisers and government agencies resulted in the advertising pull out?  Is it because Willy Revillame, in a way, acknowledged that he is vulnerable to an advertising pull-out?  Is it because, also, that advertisers have responded in the way that they have?

I really have no way to gauge if any of the answers we can give to these questions are going to be right or wrong.

But, what I do hope for is that the outrage movement that was sparked by the sexually suggestive dancing of a six year old didn’t come to be just because of a shared hatred for Willy Revillame.

I hope that, finally, those who know better are actually going out of their way and teaching those who don’t know better that it isn’t all right to be treated crudely in exchange for a few thousand pesos… that decency should be a hallmark of all TV shows… that pandering to base and vulgar tastes shouldn’t be the norm for marketing TV shows…

More importantly, that the media industry here in the Philippines should LIFT people up, rather than, as Willy Revillame says, dragging them down.

There are some companies actively targeting the youth market. Visit their offices and you will see that most of the people attending their seminars are kids as young as 16 years old.

Starting kids early in business is good but there’s a problem in this particular situation. What if the companies I described above are actually engaged in an unethical and possibly illegal scheme?

On the surface, the marketing approach of these companies seem harmless. They market to kids specifically college students because they see this demographic as “hyperactive.” According to their analysis of the market, college-level kids are the best group to market to because they spread information fast and they are very interested in making extra money.

I’m not buying it. I can see there’s something devious going on here. In my opinion, these companies are actually exploiting the fact that kids are much easier to convince with promises of easy cash. In short, these companies are out to dupe these kids.

I would suggest that the parents of these kids find time to help their children figure out what’s going on.

I’ve checked out these companies and I saw a number of red flags. For starters, their products are overpriced and their starter kits are padded to compensate for headhunting fees.

I’m confident an honest-to-goodness review of these companies’ operations would support my assessment. Unfortunately, until such a review is conducted these companies would just continue to operate.

A CALL TO MY FELLOW ARTISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
by Monique Wilson on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 12:12am

The debate is no longer whether it was child abuse or not. The facts are plain to see. No one with a sense of respect for another human being can dispute that. The discourse now is how we, as Filipinos, as artists involved in the same industry that created Willy and shows like his, could have allowed this to go on for as long as it has. And what is our individual and collective participation in it?

Let’s talk honestly about our TV networks. The culprit now is TV5 – with its’ blatant lack of decency by even hiring someone like Willy Revillame – a callous, insensitive individual who preys on the needs of poor, uneducated Filipinos. They hired him for ratings and money at the expense of the integrity, dignity and self-respect of the most vulnerable in our society. Now wasn’t channel 2 guilty of the very same thing? Let’s observe very closely many other game shows and reality shows across all the networks – can we not deduce very overt similarities? That networks are propelled by greed – ratings, money? Is there really, in all honesty, a local network, that can claim they put human values above all that? I don’t think so. I turn on the television to watch local shows and I feel uncomfortable. We have news reports that are horrifyingly biased and sensationalist, we have noon- time variety shows that exploit women and insult our intelligence, we have talk shows that are intrusive, subjective and tasteless – the list goes on and on. I am not saying, of course, that all shows fall beneath our standards of human decency – there are some TV shows that go against the grain, break the boundaries and give us quality – but they are so few. Even how the networks create the demarcation lines – A and B for middle and upper class, C and D for lower class? What kind of senseless segregating is that? It’s like saying, depending on what “class” you belong to, you cannot “appreciate” certain kinds of shows. This insults me as it should insult everybody. This is one of the roots of the problem. ALL our TV networks dumb down audiences in one way or the other. They keep the lines segregated. TV, like any other cultural form – and let’s face it, TV has become our common culture in the Philippines – should be used to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE, AWAKEN. But when you see shows like “Willing Willie” – and many other similar shows – they do the opposite. They dumb down audiences. They disempower them by creating a mendicant society with game shows that promise “quick money”. They keep them dependent on hand- outs, instead of creating opportunities for them to build skills. There is nothing inspiring about this.

And now, we can all rant and rave, but unless we do something concrete about our rage – we will just be passive bystanders. Sometimes it does seem insurmountable and overwhelming because the problem is huge. But we can play our part. We can do just ONE thing. That is better than doing nothing at all. Whether that be creating an online petition to deliver to TV5, CRH or DSWD, or whether we boycott the sponsors of the show/s, or write letters to all our newspapers, or make your voices heard with your local congress representatives and let them know this is unacceptable to you. I think we all need to take a good, long, hard look at our local shows – and if we feel they exploit our fellow Filipinos, whether they be children or women – then we MUST boycott the sponsors that enable them. Boycotts are effective. They hit where it has a tangible monetary, economic effect. That is how apartheid South Africa crumbled. That is what is supporting the Palestinians right to self-determination with the BDS campaign now. In the process we need to look at what we ourselves value. If we expect people to treat us with respect, decency, integrity and dignity – we must INSIST and DEMAND that everyone else should be treated in the same way. And as artists, our responsibility is GREATER. We are part of this problem. When we remain silent, we allow this to continue. When we turn a blind eye, our apathy also abuses the vulnerable in our society. When we don’t demand artistic excellence in our fields and settle for mediocre entertainment, we are just as bad as the networks who just do things for profit. As artists, we must REFUSE to play. We must DEMAND more from our industry.

So this is a call to my fellow artists from television, film and theatre. Please let your voices be heard. Don’t sit on the fence because you fear you won’t be given work. It is this fear that networks also rely on to keep their machineries in place – machineries that not only lack some very basic human values, but also aesthetics. We keep saying Filipinos artists are world class – well let’s prove it now. There are international standards we must insist on when it comes to our local entertainment industry – film, theatre, tv, etc – why should we settle for anything less? We are part of the creation of our artistic culture – we must protect it and demand more for it. We must not allow it to be used for the continued exploitation of our fellow Filipinos.

Art and culture have value in our society.

They awaken minds

They nurture thought

They inspire courage

They open up compassion

They give us possibilities

They excavate the texture of humanity

They teach us humility and love

They open paths

They give us freedom to explore

They teach us how to listen

They keep us connected

They allow us to take in

They teach us to be involved

to defy

to demand

to be full

to live

to stay awake

to be present…..in the moment.

But most of all

They demand that we SERVE.

So please don’t waste these possibilities with your silence.

It may be difficult to establish a clear correlation between many of our country’s ills and the influence of broadcast media especially television, but it’s quite clear even to the casual observer that most TV programs today do not promote proper values and that can certainly pose a problem down the road.

Take the case of the ever-popular show of Willie Revillame. What does it provide its viewers, really? Obviously, it’s all entertainment.

Now the problem isn’t so much that Willing Willie showcases nothing but entertainment. People do need the occasional diversion from life’s more serious aspects. The problem really is the crassness of it all.

Of course, those who enjoy this type of entertainment could easily argue that there are all kinds of entertainment. There’s high brow like ballet, theater and classical music and there’s the more pedestrian ones like game shows, reality shows, and showbiz gossip programs. Different products for different markets. Fair enough.

The problem really is when the medium becomes dominated — in terms of number and prominence — by programs that offer no real value to the public. Just check how many educational programs there are compared with the number of Willing Willie-style variety shows, telenovelas and showbiz talk shows. The difference is quite glaring. Consider too that even local TV news and so-called current affairs and public service shows are also becoming more showbizy by the minute as special emphasis is now being given more to sob stories and feel-good dramatics rather than real, useful information.

The concerned TV networks should really take a step back and reassess their purpose and role in our society. Are they here to turn us into smarter, thinking people or are they here to make us dumb? Are they going to raise the bar or are they going to lower it even further?

The answer to that last question is actually quite obvious. Just consider the latest booboo involving the 6-year old boy named Jan-Jan who was repeatedly made to perform a dance that is quite questionable as a talent showcase for a child.

It could have passed off as nothing serious, but Revillame’s misplaced thinking that it was cute of him to have the little boy repeat the performance over and over again clearly showed an absence of good judgment on his part. As expected, not a few people were compelled to raise a howl over the whole thing.

It can be assumed that the local TV industry is made up of adults so there’s probably no more need to elaborate on why this Jan-Jan controversy should prompt its executives to rethink what they’re doing. In case they still fail to realize what’s wrong, the following video should help them figure it out.

(There was an embedded video here, but the one who uploaded it on YouTube has changed the settings to private. The video showed an adult teaching two children how to gyrate like Jan-Jan. That video was embedded here to stress the point that unacceptable behavior shown on TV are emulated by some people, both by children and adults.)

Now, do we even need to wonder why even Jan-Jan’s family didn’t feel offended by any of this?

(Update: Willie Revillame issued an “apology” last night. Click on the link to see the video.)

I’m convinced that this is the wrong approach if the intention is to get more people to watch the news or to boost their news programs’ credibility. The way I understand it credibility is a result of consistent and excellent work. It’s not the other way around.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the local TV networks are not really after credibility. Maybe the target is just popularity. That makes sense after all most people here seem to equate popularity with credibility. Just consider the fact that in Philippine-style elections the most popular almost always wins.

So what’s the problem with using the personality-approach in promoting the news? For one, it smacks of show business, which is something this country doesn’t need more of. Giving the public more personalities to ogle at won’t do anyone any good. What they need — even if they may not necessarily want it — is better information.

Speaking of show business, it should be pointed out that there’s a lot of showbiz fakery going on in TV news. Here’s a classic from overseas.

This sort of thing also happens here. Next time there’s a live TV report about a big storm, take note of the reporter’s appearance. He/she will most likely be dripping wet. Keep an eye out too for the news anchors in the studio. Some of them like to wear rain clothes on such occasions as if there’s also rain inside the studio.

Of course, none of these crazy antics can compare to the ultimate fakery of all: Some news anchors don’t really know what they’re talking about. Not surprising since, with the exception of at least one, most of these anchors are just pretty faces who also happen to know how to project credibility while reading from a teleprompter.

Well, projecting credibility seems to be a big deal for TV news. I wonder though if this personality-centered approach would help correct the perception that TV news is the most stupid among the three traditional news media sources (TV, radio, print).

In case you’re wondering, here are the most common points against TV news:

(from: http://www.abacon.com/stovall/lecture09presentation/sld003.htm)

too short, too shallow

pictures drive a story

superficial over substance

clichés in writing, reporting

Now let’s take a look at each one.

Too Short, Too Shallow
In this regard, the problem really is the medium. The average TV news report runs from about 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Seriously, can anyone really provide substantial reporting with such a limitation?

Pictures drive a story
It’s bad enough that TV news is driven by pictures or video to be exact, but now much of that video highlights not the story but the reporter. Making oneself the story seems to be the in-thing nowadays among TV reporters.

Superficial over substance
I suspect at some point in TV news history someone said, “Hey, it’s called an idiot box anyway so we might as well make our reports idiotic.”

But seriously, consider the fact that in TV news the structure of the reports are based on what is called “dramatic unity.”

(from: http://www.ablongman.com/stovall6e/chp07/chp07.html)
Dramatic unity — The most common story structure for the broadcast news story is dramatic unity with its three parts: climax, cause and effect. Students should also understand the importance of an attention-getting lead in making sure that listeners hear and understand their stories. Such leads require a deft touch on the part of the writer. They may look easy to produce at first glance, but they are more difficult to do well than they appear.

The problem with this is that the most dramatic detail isn’t always the most important.

Cliches in writing, reporting
This one’s pretty obvious. Just listen to the closing sentences of TV news reports. One sports news reporter is particularly notorious in this regard. In most of his reports on Manny Pacquiao’s boxing matches he always says something like, “ngunit ang pinakamatinding sandata ni Manny ay ang kanyang puso.”

I asked a friend who used to work in the TV news industry what she thinks of the observation that TV news is the most stupid. Surprisingly, she said it’s true. She even sent me an email enumerating some reasons she says contribute to the stupidity.

thought i’d share this…

local tv news is stupid. allow me to enumerate some reasons:

1. in general people who apply for tv news on-cam work do so not because they want to be serious journalists. they just want to see their faces on tv and hopefully become famous. that is their main motivation.

2. most people who apply for the position of tv reporter have mass comm or other related degrees. writing and other “journalistic” skills are not at all honed in such courses given their generalized scope. it is not unusual to see a newbie tv reporter being deployed to cover complicated senate session or court hearings.

3. very little “writing” discipline is observed in tv news. grammar rules even in tagalog newscasts are practically ignored. this can be attributed to the fact that most script editors do not even bother to review the rules before they unleash their “editing” prowess on the reports submitted to them. this lack of “writing” discipline in the TV newsroom leads to the propagation of wrong writing rules invented by script editors who haven’t even heard of a dangling modifier.

4. in tv news, soundbyte is king. this antiquated rule forces the whole tv news production team to use short, keyword-centric phrases from their interviews. unfortunately, such phrases are usually just motherhood statements.

Interestingly, a recent study shows a link between a popular TV news source and misinformation in the United States.

(from http://www.alternet.org/story/149193/study_confirms_that_fox_news_makes_you_stupid/)

Yet another study has been released proving that watching Fox News is detrimental to your intelligence. World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. What’s more, the study shows that greater exposure to Fox News increases misinformation.

You can find the full survey report here.

So what’s the point of this rant? I have only two major points to make. The first one I address to the bigshots running the various TV news departments. If you really want to provide public service through information, please do better work. Focus on improving your output not on turning your reporters and news anchors into celebrities.

My second point is for the viewers. Don’t rely too much on TV news for information. Make sure to get additional information from other sources and use critical thinking in analyzing what you see and hear.

Actually, there’s a third point and it’s for both the TV news people and the viewing public.

Popularity Is Not Credibility.

The Aquino Administration’s policy of adding two years to basic education was the topic of the Editorial Writing Exercise I gave to 40 students from several elementary schools in Quezon City on September 25, 2010 at Cubao Elementary School.

Most were opposed to the idea. Some were in favor of it while a few were undecided. Those opposed do so only on the ground of the additional financial expense on families who send their kids to public schools or private schools. Those in favor said they want to learn more and be better prepared for high school and college studies. The undecided have mixed feelings because of the pros and cons of the policy.

But when I asked the ‘opposed’ group what if the government is able to find ways to help families cope with the additional expense, they said they would be in favor of the added two years. Those in favor say staying in school is worth the expense because they learn more.

It really is as simple as that. If the Aquino Administration wants opposition to its plan to be reduced or to vanish, it just has to find ways to make sure that families get to have the funds they need to spend for schooling expenses.

Government intervention can be in the form of an expanded and more effective Conditional Cash Transfer program. More scholarships, even for those students whose grades are just average to above average. Livelihood programs for Parents-Teachers Associations. Create more jobs. Help more entrepreneurs at the community level., so these entrepreneurs can create jobs.

To give the education agenda a big boost, I suggest the issuance of at least P200 billion to P300 billion pesos worth of Education Bonds to address most of the logistics and resources problems.

On the additional two years, my suggestion is to have a Junior College level added right after high school. How? Have the State Universities and Colleges and Private Colleges and Universities build-operate-and transfer the Junior Colleges. Use part of the Education Bonds to finance the BOT of the Junior Colleges. Then transfer the Junior Colleges to the Department of Education to make them officially part of the basic education subsystem. Issue addressed in two to three years.

Another way to make it possible for families to have more money to spend on education: start the school calendar in January instead of June. Families will realize that the extra money they have during Christmas will be better spent if they are saved and then used for enrolment expenses in January. Families do not have extra money in August or September, so it does not make economics sense to start the school year in September as some have proposed.

Another idea on the financial aspect. Enact a law that will give a tax credit or additional tax exemption of P10,000 for every grade school or high school student the individual or corporate taxpayer sends to school. Yes, corporate taxpayer included so that the private business sector will be encouraged to set aside more funds for scholarship programs. Why P10,000? P50 pesos baon per day multiplied by 200 days of school.

I used to be involved in MLM. In fact I once took a one year break from my day job to concentrate on network marketing. I never really earned that much from it though. Nevertheless I found the whole experience quite enjoyable and educational.

So what did I learn? Quite a lot actually. But the most important is the idea that MLM is a legitimate business model that presents a very real opportunity for people to achieve financial freedom or to earn some extra cash.

I know that sounded a little too chirpy and somewhat corny like an overused motherhood statement. But seriously, as a business system, MLM shouldn’t be dismissed as easily as its evil twin, the pyramid scam.

To the newbie or casual observer it would appear that the two are one and the same. As a former networker who had the fortunate/unfortunate experience of attending more than enough business presentations by various companies including dubious ones, I am quite familiar with the inner workings of both systems and I can attest to the fact that MLM is a legitimate and ethical system while pyramiding is simply bad.

It’s really quite easy to make the mistake of assuming that they’re the same system. For one thing, networks formed under both systems take on the form of a triangle or pyramid with the one who enrolled first positioned on top and followed by a number of other people referred to us downlines who are also followed by other downlines below them.

I’d like to point out that this pyramid or triangle structure is not the dead giveaway of “scamminess” as many well-meaning but uninformed pundits think. There is nothing inherently wrong with the form. It is not even unique to MLM or pyramiding schemes.

The fact is the pyramid form is found in every imaginable organization. It’s how corporate organizations look like. Even the government follows this structure with the Head of State at the very top followed by other top level officials who are then followed by lower-ranked officials and so on and so forth. It can’t be stressed enough that there is nothing inherently wrong with the pyramid organizational structure.

What’s wrong with pyramid schemes anyway? The standard complaint is that, like the Ponzi scheme, pyramiding involves an unfair movement of money that puts members at the very bottom at a disadvantage. Moreso when there are no real products involved as this would leave those at the bottom with nothing to show for their investment. To illustrate, member A receives money from member B who then receives money from member C who is then left holding the empty bag unless someone else gets in to continue the cycle.

Unfortunately, in legitimate MLM, money moves in a similar fashion. The only difference is that there are products involved.

But then again most present-day pyramid scams also feature products.

(More to come in part two.)

Well Escudero’s plans remain a mystery even though he said he will reveal it after he reaches his 40th birthday, which he did just recently. So what’s causing the hold up? Apparently, unlike Senator Noynoy Aquino who even saw it fit to meet with former president Joseph Estrada while Ondoy was battering the country, Escudero would like to defer any talk of politics at this time. Here’s an excerpt from an Inquirer.net report:

Sen. Francis Escudero has decided to withhold any announcement about his political plans for the 2010 elections in deference to the crisis brought about by the damage wrought by two killer storms.“It’s not right to talk about politics while many of our people are still missing, have no houses to return to and have no food to eat,’’ Escudero said in a news conference on Monday.

I’m sure many people other than those belonging to his many fan clubs are eagerly awaiting his plans. I, for one, am interested in his ideas concerning education. My curiosity stems mainly from his past statements about this issue one of which is his supposed proposal to scrap certain math subjects from the school curriculum, which led many people to conclude that the senator is for a dumber Philippines. Escudero has since claimed that his ‘scrap math’ statement was taken out of context. Here’s an article from his own website:

Escudero reiterates need to review school curriculum, adopt multi-intelligence approach in education
July 3, 2009

“I believe our students will be better served by a broader vision of education, wherein teachers use different methodologies, exercises and activities to reach all students, not just those who excel at linguistic and logical intelligence, or mathematics. At the same time, developing a multiple-intelligence approach will justify a 10-year basic education since a 12-year transition seems difficult to do at this time,” he said.

This, as he clarified his proposal for the review of the basic education curriculum, saying he was misquoted in articles circulating in the Internet lambasting the proposal he raised in 2006.

Escudero said the articles quote “only part of our proposal, and not the whole picture,” particularly on the removal of certain advanced subjects such as Algebra and Trigonometry from the existing basic education curriculum.

“What we actually want is for advanced subjects like Algebra, Trigonometry, etc. to be removed from the basic curriculum, which means these subjects will still be retained in the curriculum not as core subjects but as electives which interested students can opt to take,” Escudero said.

“Why not let those with interest in mathematics or engineering take those advance courses as electives and not burden others students interested in other fields or disciplines to study these difficult subjects?” he added.

The senator said the proposal, which he filed as a bill at the House of Representatives in 2006, was intended to support the development of the multi-intelligence approach in education.

“I don’t think our graduates will lose their competitive edge if we remove these subjects from our basic curriculum. On the contrary, if we are able to focus on subjects and skills needed to be employable (while retaining core subjects such as English, Science, Mathematics, Philippine History and Active Citizenship, and the Arts), we will provide our graduates a good grasp of language, numeracy and other skills that are needed to be competitive in the global market,” he added.

Escudero said his track record in pursuing reforms in the education sector will speak for itself and prove his critics wrong.

As Sorsogon representative, Escudero authored Republic Act 9155, or the Governance of Basic Education Act, which transformed the name of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to the Department of Education (DepEd) and provided the overall framework for school head empowerment by strengthening their leadership roles and school-based management within the context of transparency and local accountability.

He also filed bills seeking to raise teachers’ salaries and benefits.

I think Escudero’s proposal will do more harm than good. Mathematics is a bane to many students but it is a field of study they ought to learn and appreciate. Making it an optional subject would only ensure that no student, except for the truly mathematically gifted and so inclined, will take it. In my opinion, high school students shouldn’t be given that choice. Instead of making mathematics an elective subject why not just make it more interesting much like how mathematician/columnist/author Qeena Lee-Chua does it.

Another one of Escudero’s education related statement is this

‘Across-the-board’ passing mark urged for typhoon-hit students
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:10:00 10/12/2009

Filed Under: Pepeng, Ondoy, Disasters (general), Education, Politics, Eleksyon 2010, Elections

MANILA, Philippines – An “across-the-board” passing grade for all students affected by recent typhoons has been proposed by a senator on Monday.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said this should be given to affected students in elementary, high school, and college levels since their schools were no longer “usable” and they could no longer catch up with their lessons.

“Ideklara nang pasado or across-the board-ipasa na lahat ng estudyante mula elementary, high school at college sa mga naapektuhang lugar [Students in the elementary, high school, and college levels in affected areas should be given a passing grade across-the-board],” Escudero said in an interview over “Umagang kay Ganda,” a morning show over ABS-CBN television network.

“If you notice, even in reliefe effortsof ABS-CBN, a lot of the youth helped when there were no classes. When classes resumed, only you were left,” Escudero told his hosts.

“What the youth will learn when they help, what the youth will learn in areas ravaged by the typhoons, these cannot be taught inside the classroom in one semester or even in a year,” he said in Filipino.

In a text message, Escudero explained that a passing grade for these students was the least that the government could do for them, “especially given the fact that they already learned a lot from this experience and the semester is almost over.”

He said the Department of Education can issue a directive on this, citing a similar incident during Edsa I.

“If I remember, this was done during Edsa I when there was no grade given to the students except “P” so that their average or grade won’t be affected,” Escudero said.

Instead of returning to school, the students should be tapped to help the victims of the calamity.

“We should tap youth power to help us get through this,” said the senator.

I seriously hope the Senator was just misquoted here. This proposal is just (I’m vocabulary-challenged so pardon my choice of word) idiotic. Oh well.

Anyway, BongV of Sanamagan gave this reaction.

OMG. He ought to be suggesting remedial classes. Deliver content online. He could have suggested that the Phil government seriously consider e-learning as an alternative measure. That way, students don’t have to be in the classrooms in Manila to be able to catch up. And the cost of deploying an online course is substantially less than constructing a new building and equipping it with chairs, blackboard, etc.

You see there are other options reason why I find it hard to understand why the good senator would pick the dumbest one. Oh wait! I almost forgot he does have a tendency to pander. Let’s double check.

Well, it is evident here:

“If you notice, even in relief effortsof ABS-CBN, a lot of the youth helped when there were no classes. When classes resumed, only you were left,” Escudero told his hosts.

And here:

In a text message, Escudero explained that a passing grade for these students was the least that the government could do for them, “especially given the fact that they already learned a lot from this experience and the semester is almost over.”

From the looks of it, Senator Escudero is just being his pandering self. And, this time he’s going after really very young kids. It’s either that or he’s really pushing for a dumber Philippines.