Online Monitors

Looking for context
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) posted a report in its blog last Feb. 9 about the luxury cars owned by some congressmen.
“If you want to see the latest and the most powerful vehicles the car industry has to offer, visit the parking lot of the House of Representatives,” PCIJ deputy executive director Jaileen Jimeno posted. “Lawmakers show they have an impeccable—and expensive—taste in cars.” Her report carried photos of the luxury cars (link).
The report did tell its readers that some congressmen, if not most of them, have luxury cars, indicating an extravagant lifestyle that is in  stark contrast to the widespread poverty in the country. But the report failed to answer the all-important question: Were the cars bought using public funds? Were these cars a result of the congressmen’s corrupt practices?
The report did not get the side of the congressmen either. If getting them to explain their side was hard, the PCIJ could have cited its own findings on the lifestyles of congressmen which was the subject of one of its books, The Rulemakers.
Jimeno wrote a follow-up on the issue on Feb. 21, which tried to provide context and meaning  to her earlier report (link). The follow-up story reported on the assets and liabilities of more congressmen who have luxury cars. But the crucial question remained unanswered: “Were these cars bought using taxpayers’ money?”

The President’s generals
The Feb. 2 post of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) should help settle the issue behind the allegation that the Arroyo administration has become increasingly militarized. The post gave the number and the list of former high-ranking military and police officials now occupying civilian positions in the government.
Based on a paper released last year by the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), a public policy center, the PCIJ said that the Arroyo government “has shown itself to be more ‘military-friendly’” than the Ramos and other post-Marcos administrations. According to CenPEG, the Arroyo administration has continued to pack the Cabinet and the top civilian bureaucracy with ‘civilianized’ ex-generals and other senior military-police officers (“A continuing preference for ex-generals”).

Know your candidates
Online readers who are looking for reports about the 2007 elections may want to go to the Philippine Daily Inquirer site, which has a special elections section. Aside from election-related stories, “Eleksyon 2007” has interview podcasts with various candidates (the section currently has podcasts with several senatorial bets). Profiles of candidates are available online as well as news clips (link).

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