Dutertismo Should Address—Not Contribute to— the Climate of Impunity

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In an effort to prevent rhetoric from becoming reality in respecting rights, here is a Statement of Concern from the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA):

  

Though it is still two weeks before President-elect Rodrigo Duterte is formally proclaimed as the country’s next Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief, his electoral victory has been apparent early on, just a few days after the close of the May 9^th polls.

His victory is unprecedented in many ways, and there will be another time to assess his landslide victory for its substance as well as its symbolic value. But for now, it may be time to investigate his recent rhetoric and how it relates to how this hints of an emergent reality where human rights may be under threat.

It could be argued that any words and actions emanating from Mr. Duterte as presumptive President are not yet technically “official” statements. However given the nature of his eventual office, and the gravity of the themes being addressed, his words even now are—and should be—received as signals of what is to become. Using an IT-based metaphor, his past statements hint at a sort of “source code” for the “operating system” of his incoming Administration. Supporters of the President-elect assume just as much: “This is who Duterte is, and what you see is what you get”.

Many citizens of goodwill do assume that an initial public familiarization period with any new leader—especially one as unorthodox as him—deserves some time. Surely, some leeway for a “honeymoon period” is expected between the President-elect and the nation, even for skeptics or non-supporters who have always been uncomfortable with his alleged link to local death squads and summary executions in Davao.

History Turns the Lens on Asia’s Best Shutterbugs

Wazzup Pilipinas!

13 amateur photographers give it their best shot to be crowned champion  for the Third Time with New Season of Photo Face-Off.

After two successful seasons, A+E Networks Asia’s original production Photo Face-Off is set to return on HISTORY for season three. Currently in production, viewers in the region can look forward to the five episode series’ premiere later this year.

Award-winning resident professional photographer Justin Mott is back to take on a new group of amateur photographers who will compete against him, and each other, for the top prize. For the third consecutive year, Canon will be the series’ presenting sponsor, in association with Silk Air. This season’s pool of talented photographers are vying for an overseas trip to the Canon Photo Clinic, a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera + Canon Red Line Professional Backpack and the opportunity to photograph a red carpet event for A+E Networks.

Besides picking up valuable photography tips from the region’s leading experts, viewers will also experience some of Southeast Asia’s most unique activities and exotic locales. From capturing a figure skater in action, to styling and shooting an album cover for a popular local band, this year’s challenges will be more exciting than ever.

Globe Fires Up 130 Sites Using the 2600 MHz Spectrum in Visayas, Mindanao

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom continue to charge ahead and utilized company's additional allocation in the 2600 MHz spectrum for 130 sites in Visayas and Mindanao, providing customers in those regions with additional network capacities to support growing demand for bandwidth.

The company’s additional allocation in the 2600 MHz band forms part of the resources that Globe recently acquired following a joint purchase of San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunication assets.

Joel Agustin, Globe Senior Vice President for Program Governance, Network Technical Group, said the company is planning to use the 2600 MHz band in more sites in line with efforts to immediately put to use frequencies that were previously underutilized to improve the broadband data experience of its customers.

The 2600MHz spectrum is well placed for increasing network capacities using the state-of-the art LTE technology. While lower frequencies such as the 700MHz band provide better signal penetration and offering stronger indoor coverage, the higher frequencies, such as the 2600MHz band, provide additional capacity for broadband data, Agustin said.

“This is particularly beneficial for our customers especially since they now demand more bandwidth capacities in light of their growing inclination for multi-media content. In fact, to fully realize the benefits of the 2600 MHz frequency, the 130 sites where we deployed the additional spectrum is just an initial rollout and we plan to fire up a substantial number of our sites in this band,” he said.

According to Agustin, Globe will also continue to rollout the Carrier Aggregation technology by using the company's spectrum allocations. An important component of the LTE-Advanced, the Carrier Aggregation technology will provide higher peak data rates and better broadband data experience, he said. Globe acquired half of San Miguel’s assets in an effort to harmonize spectrum assets and unlock the benefits of underutilized frequencies previously held by San Miguel.