Joseph Morong is not a journalist but a transcriptionist

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Journalism 101: "If someone says it's raining & another person says it's dry, it's not your job to quote them both. Your job is to look out the fucking window and find out which is true."

GMA 7 and Joseph Morong are trending because of the "fact check"issue in tweeting.

It’s ironic that Joseph Morong has Fact or Fake show in GMA 7, but didnt bother to do fact check.

Maybe they are told to relay the news raw as it was and fact checking will be later seen in this program. 

Let us collectively call out Joseph Morong and GMA News for not providing immediate context and fact-checks to Duterte’s tirades when his MPC colleagues have done so. You don’t deserve to be called journalists — you are mere transcribers, mere parrots.

Journalists are those who fish the truth from the sea of lies. 

To be clear, we are not "cancelling" Joseph Morong. That's unfair and illogical. What we ask is that the media be more critical when reporting official claims and stop being an unwilling arm of this admin's propaganda infrastructure.

The past few years have been an information war. When the police and the vigilantes killed thousands of individuals in the war on drugs—a term which we easily accepted—the media rushed to the scene, reported the mutilation and bloodbath, tallied the stats like in a computer game.

But very few dared to question the official reports, to make a stand on natl TV on the dehumanization of the poor. They aired the president's bold speeches, but interviewed the orphans merely as "the other side" of the story.

The press can no longer sustain this complicity.

It's quite sad but truth really hurts. Despite our demanding to a more dissenting media we should have, it is also hard to grasp what they are dealing with. Gambling themselves to a dangerous environment just to give us timely news about that matter is already a commending one.

But that doesn't mean the media will just keep an eye on that, do nothing about it. If there is something they are lacking for, is their job to serve us speak the truth to power. They must be our helping hand to call out their lapses as we demand better leadership.

Journalism as a discipline of verification, should have the commitment to verification and accuracy. Thus, we should also include fact-checks to one's statement. We are a journalist not a transcriptionist.

As part of our professional identity, we should seek for the truth because it values and legitimizes the journalist's social role as 'detective for the people'.

As a journalist, media disciple and future media practitioner, we don't need to censor such statements as this will make our industry to be more vulnerable from being cut out and suppressed as a self-governing institution and as the Fourth Estate.

You're the fourth estate, not someone in power to silence (or in your words censor) anyone. kailangan ng masinsinang usapan dito sa role ng peryodista sa isang post-modern age. the (lie)vestream will always be broadcasted, but who will broadcast the truth?

Democracy doesn't mean neutrality. If the President lies, it's your job to denounce it.

According to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel from their book "The Elements of Journalism", the first element of good journalism is: 

Personally i like how Kovach and Rosentiel’s elements of journalism still stand true today. My amateur assessment of news tells me that news media is fixated on being a record of daily events. We can go a step higher and give people useful and true facts. 

The whole livestream + transcript will most likely be available on state channels. what networks can now do is work on processing that raw info into something that citizens can actually use for their self governance.

Vice President Leni.Robredo denies tweeting " Where is the President?"

With respect, no one asked Joseph Morong to censor the palace creatures. All that is asked is that we do not just put direct quotes without counterchecking it with the available evidence. 

I know he is not the enemy, but direct quotes is insufficient to hold them to account.

Is Joseph Morong scared to ruin whatever friendship/good working relationship he has with Roque and this administration?

Journalistic objectivity, in of itself is a good virtue. But like any other virtue, it needs context. 

Case in point, honesty is a good virtue in of itself. Pero pag nakasalubong mo ba si  Jessica Soho sa office sasabihin mo ba, Maam Jess, honestly mataba ka po.

di ba hindi?? kasi contextually, hindi yun magandang ugali. 

Contextually, gina-gago na yung mga kababayan mo with fake claims pero yung tone of reporting nyo is forcing neutrality stance parin. Gising GMA dami nyong taga-UP diyan, tapos ganyan.

Lemme just say that Pia Ranada is gold standard when it comes to tweet reporting 

I remember when Duterte confronted her in front of all the media and our queen Pia did not crumble at all. Duterte has always been afraid of women. Hanggang ngayon, takot si Duterte sa babae. 

Channeling American journalists where they include the truth. We need more of this.

If it isn’t too much to ask, don’t just be a recorder of news (we appreciate this). However, there are so many people who believe that what they read is true and don’t bother checking. I believe you can do better.

Yung mga hindi kinaya ang standard ng journalism napunta sa MMDA at DENR. 

Was amazed pa kay Joseph Morong a few months back na "nahahabol" niya yung words in transcribing. Now, I just saw the fine line between transcribing and journalism.

A tale of two tweets, one coverage. One has context. The other one is just parroting the speaker, may update pero walang sustansya.

Naging puppy na talaga siya ng mga sinungaling, and it’s the lady who has the balls. 

Take notes from Pia Ranada please and fact-check while tweeting.

The people are worried that you are just a stenographer for the government.

You are in a capacity to discern truth and lambast lies. The President is using the media to stir extreme polarity at the expense of the VP. If no one's going to fact check, then everything will always be in his favor.

Instead of just quoting Duterte, you also put a disclaimer that what he is saying is NOT right. Whether he says that to VP Leni or to anyone does NOT make it right.

It's a scary country we live in, but we need to call out people who do wrong. Please help out.

Is it just me or is Joseph Morong becoming more and more of a mouthpiece of this administration?

Both Pia Ranada (Rappler) and Joseph Morong (GMA News) are members of the malacañang press corps, but they deliver news differently. this infamous senator sends a lot of photos, it's a matter of choosing. one chose to show his face. TATLO PA HA.

Pero sa totoo lang minsan iniisip ko kung dede es ka ba. Just being honest, DEMOKRASYA tayo.

Making Digs as his cover photo speaks a lot, no? 

Thank you Rappler, ABS-CBN, and Inquirer for fact-checking and debunking Tatay’s rambling speech. 

Thank you, Joseph Morong, for providing the transcript. 

Joseph Morong lost his credibility from the moment he tweeted this.

Dusit Thani Maldives launches new range of local experiences

Wazzup Pilipinas!

To deliver meaningful connections for guests while promoting responsible tourism, 

Dusit Thani Maldives launches new range of local experiences

Resort’s ‘Dusit Safeeru’ (Cultural Ambassadors) have been trained to take the Maldivian experience to another level by sharing knowledge of the country’s culture, history, environment and cuisine in special activities designed to create long-lasting memories for international visitors.

Dusit Thani Maldives, a luxury Thai-inspired resort on Mudhdhoo Island in Baa Atoll, has introduced a new range of local experiences specially created to give guests a deeper understanding of the country and its unique heritage, customs and traditions.


As part of the initiative, 10 of the resort’s local employees have been appointed as Dusit Safeeru (cultural ambassadors). Each Dusit Safeeru completed a series of lessons in history and culture with renowned Maldivian scholars and local elders before joining together to create several activities which guests can join to learn fascinating facts about the Maldives.


The activities include, amongst others, a complimentary sunset cruise to learn more about the various surrounding islands, spot dolphins and flying fish, and discover the lesser-known features of traditional dhoni boats; a weekly cultural interactive presentation about Mudhdhoo island and the history, culture and music and sports scene of the Maldives; a Maldivian Fisherman Night featuring the country’s best-loved dishes, such as Valho Mas, with a workshop on how to enjoy locally grown, and famously hot, Mirus chilli (which has a Scoville heat grading of around 250,000). The latter will also feature a Bodu Beru drumming session with local musicians. Dusit Safeeru will be on hand to explain the meaning of the songs.


“With heritage dating back as early as 300 BC, and with a culture heavily shaped by Indian, Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Persian, Indonesian and even African influences, the Maldives is a truly fascinating destination for guests to explore and experience,” said Mr Abbas Ibrahim, Chief Dusit Safeeru, Dusit Thani Maldives. “The Dusit Safeeru initiative gives locals like me the chance to transfer our knowledge and wisdom to our guests to make their stay more meaningful, enriched and exciting. We are delighted to have this opportunity to entertain them with stories of our island culture and traditions while helping to promote responsible and sustainable tourism too.”






The Dusit Safeeru project has been introduced as part of Dusit’s group-wide Dusit Care – Stay with Confidence programme, which includes a new range of services designed to go beyond heightened measures for health and safety to deliver additional convenience, experience and value for guests. Flexible check-in, anytime breakfast, contactless payment options, and the provision of healthy drinks and snacks on arrival are just some of the services offered as part of the programme.

Pacquiao says simple solution to flooding is to dredge rivers

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“It’s a no brainer. Kapag malalim ang ating mga ilog at mga estero, mas maiiwasan ng posibilidad na umagos ang tubig-baha papunta sa ating mga kabahayan,” Pacquiao said.

Yes, its part of the solution, together with reforestation, strict protection of forest from illegal logging, charcoal, mining, real state conversion. 

Reforestation is the primary solution. Kahit ilang dredging ang gawin mo if there are no forest cover, the mountains will erode and lumps of earth will cascade down rivers and become silted repeatedly. Therefore you being in the Senate must see to it that 50% of the budget of DENR should be dedicated to protection and rehabilitation of forest and watersheds. Not building synthetic white "Dolomite" sand beaches like that Manila Bay.

The rivers and other water ways are to be regularly dredged, and create a task force, a police-like organization exclusive to guard the rivers and esteros... and implement very strict rules and heavy penalty for all residences and establishments destroying, clogging, and polluting the water ways.

However, let's do the math and see if this is feasible or even practical. If we are to dredge the Cagayan Valley river (which is 505km long and about 150m wide on average) to increase depth by 10 more meters, that means removing a total of 757 million cubic meter of river material aggregates. Assuming the project is running in full swing and non-stop is able to remove 50k cubic meter of materials per day, it would take us 41 years to complete at total cost of around 151.5 billion. Yearly cost would be less than 1 percent of government annual revenue so it's certainly doable from cost perspective. However, removing 50k cm3 of materials a day from Cagayan Valley river would be almost logistically impossible. On the other hand, we probably don't have to dredge at that level as the total volume of water released by Magat dam that submerged Isabela and Cagayan was only around 400 million cm3 (around 6.5k cms) for 18hrs, so 5 meters deeper would cut it, but it would probably still take us 30 to 40 yrs to complete.

Pushing a simple logic of opinion cannot resolve the deep problems, the system, LGU's  and even national government might be the big sources of such mistakes. But contrary to that, the solution might be on their hand. Change the system, punish the greedy public officials who benifits the destruction of our mother natures and create a solid Laws to protect our mother land.

But see the fact that this senator could only offer just that. Simplistic solutions to complex problems are what this senator can offer. Kaya kailangan talaga matalino ang mga namumuno. Hinde puwede magandang kalooban lang. (Which I also doubt if he has). 

Perhaps the good senator can divert his pork barrel to build underground rivers? That would be a better idea.

Kaya next election yung nakakapag isip naman ang iboto natin. Mayaman naman yang si Pacquiao. Kung gusto talagang makatulong ay hindi na niya kailangan pang maging senador.

Let the ecological scientists and engineers make the study with full support and funding from the government.

Why not simply implement the existing laws concerning building of structures along the river banks, reforestation, etc? And more importantly,  assign DENR personnel who truly will protect the environment. 

The government should fix the drainage system problems. They should have a program to really trace kung saan na ang mga esteros na daluyan ng tubig at ibalik lahat yun as they are connected to the rivers and bays. Lahat ng clogged esteros and drainage should be repaired.

Also, to further emphasize, for the bigger problem the government should stop the illegal logging and to stop allowing businessmen to convert agricultural land to subdivisions. It is okay to develop the mountains as they can provide comfort and good for unwinding but most businesses are abusing as they destroy the mountains and forests but the government is not strictly regulating it. Ang dami pa ring nalakalusot.

We really need true , uncorruptible and armed forest rangers and  environmentalists who will safeguard our forest against evil politicians and greedy oligarchs.

Apart from the garbage, mud and silt from denuded mountains cause shallow rivers and other water pathways. Truly a no-brainer. Pero konting lalim pa ng pag iisip Manny. Go to the source of the problem - deforestation is caused by illegal logging, quarrying, and mining by irresponsible companies.