Metro Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and is also the country’s economic, and political center. That’s why a common mistake we Manileños make—including yours truly—is to practically ignore the rest of the country. At least we partially address this shortcoming through Style Cebu. But that still leaves out the southern region of Mindanao.
Which we shouldn’t. Because the bloggers in Mindanao are quite an active and passionate bunch. In fact, you should watch out for the 2007 Mindanao Blog Awards, which will be the cornerstone event of the 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit. We should follow the example of Andrew dela Serna, the man behind Ratified.org. He’s shared his creative talents to come up with the logo you see above, featuring the distinctively Mindanaoan icon known as the vinta.
A shout out goes to the people behind Davao Blogspace and Mindanao Bloggers, two websites that show that there’s more to the Philippines than just Metro Manila. Here’s to making sure all the bases are covered, and for providing a new challenge for us: giving all Filipino voices their due consideration, wherever they be based.
Noemi—who enjoys the rare distinction of being a parent who’s actually more techie than her daughter—is serious about redefining Filipina online. So serious in fact, that she along with Dine and Lorna started a blog devoted to this worthy cause. To quote:
The word “Filipina” on the internet showcases websites that are top-heavy on her physical attributes, dating availability, or marriage suitability. What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing and everything.
If you google or yahoo search the word, “Indian,” there is no reference to an Indian woman in the first 10 results. Likewise with the word, “American” or “Russian.” No woman-related entry either. Type “Filipino.” Chances are that the prominent entry you will find on the first page showcases the keywords, “Filipino girls, Filipina dating, Philippine women.” Search for “Filipina.” You’ll most likely notice that six out of 10 sites are NOT devoted to the advancement and accomplishments of the Filipina.
The Filipina of the Future deserves a more empowered, diverse image online. Multiple, complex, and whole.
This is definitely not the first advocacy blog. In fact, one of this network’s principles is to showcase the Filipino voice. Nevertheless, I’d like to hear what you think of the Filipina campaign and the blog itself. Could it possibly affect real change? Personally, The Filipina Images can be a great resource for anyone who wants to join in. And that alone is already enough reason for me to call it useful.
The deadline for the Proudly Pinoy logo design contest is less than two days away.
The winner of this project, inspired by Proudly South African, will score Php 10,000. And most probably the gratitude of Filipinos everywhere. To enter, come up with an original logo that you think best expresses Philippine pride online. Which means your entry must be designed for posting on websites or blogs. Deadline of submission is on 11:59 pm, July 11, 2007, Philippine Time (GMT +8).
I can’t wait to see the winning logo. If it’s good enough, we might just post it on our blogs. Check out ProudlyPinoy.org for more details, and to see the competition.
I’m loving Gang Badoy’s photo essay. It’s a varied, if decidedly affluent, showcase of Philippine society.
You have musicians, photographers, a footsal fanatic, a comedian, a marine biologist, a beauty queen, a human rights advocate, and even the scion of a powerful political family. All are members of Rock Ed Philippines, an organization that’s all about “rocking society through alternative education.” Clearly, thanks to our past, the Philippines isn’t homogenous one bit.
There is a point to this focus on the fortunate, something that has to do with Rock Ed’s mission is to improve the Philippines by ending poverty: Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a month since we launched Vista Pinas, written by Eugene. Coincidentally (or not), Eugene just came up with something cool, and related to the “technology tourist” theme of his blog on the BBN. It’s a simple yet powerful app that asks the question: How much of the Philippines have you visited?
Introducing Lakbayan, a web-app that makes it easy to find out your answer to the question. Just specify how much you’ve visited certain parts of the country, with replies ranging from “Never set foot here” to “I live / have lived here.” Then Lakbayan will generate a color-coded map of the Philippines that visually represents how much of the country you’ve seen. Like this:
I’m jealous of Andrew dela Serna. Not because he was able to score the domain Ratified.Org, and definitely not because of the website’s cool minimalist theme.
I’m jealous of Andrew dela Serna and his website because it showcases the Top 100 of the Philippine Blogosphere with the help of Technorati and Feedburner. Which I consider an accurate gauge because the amount of link love you get and the number of people subscribed to your blog really shows how popular it is. Or as Aileen Apolo of Google says: “I think it also means that you are relevant and that you are connecting to a certain base of people.”
There are some useful bells and whistles included in the package. There’s of course a tag-cloud (this is something based on Technorati after all). A search function makes it easy to find a particular blog and its ranking on the list. In case you’re a Filipino and you find your blog hasn’t been “ratified,” then use the contact form to give the ratified.org team a shoutout.
Jonas Diego, our blogger over at The Comic Blurb, is a wacky man. So when I received an IM from him showing off his company’s (IAS) new online project, I knew it would be something special.
And boy, he didn’t disappoint! I give you: The Challege of the Super-Duper Friends!
This video is 80% Filipino-made. Which means I can easily say here’s to good ol’ Filipino creativity!
