Special Interest « Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Music and the machines

by Paolo Santos

I’M NOT quite a fan of techno, to be honest. It’s just a preference issue. I believe that watching an artist fully express himself only through voice and guitar is such an amazing experience. Yet I also know that there are now more opportunities to express oneself through music because of new technology. Today a musician can always go back to basics, but with the new technology, he can also move forward.

Read more... | Posted Friday, March 14th, 2008

Soundtrack of a nation

DO WE have anything we can rightfully call Filipino music these days? Right now, anything written by a Filipino, whether in English or Filipino or Bisaya or other dialects, is labeled as such. But the quality of our music now pales in comparison to what we used to churn out in the past.

Like everything else in our planet, Filipino music evolves. It moves with the times, adapts to changes, is influenced by its environment. Filipino music, you see, is about what we feel as a nation, what we are going through, and what we hope will happen. Culture is about how you live; you cannot separate a writer from his environment.

Read more... | Posted Wednesday, March 5th, 2008

Make (beautiful) noise

SO we’re just a couple of weeks away from Holy Week, and music might not exactly be the regular topic of choice during Lent. Then again, we do have the tradition of the pasyon during cuaresma — which just goes to show that even a week without some kind of music would be hard for Pinoys, and even if not all of us are gifted with enough talent to carry a tune or play an instrument. Of course, many of us are contented just to listen, but the urge to belt out along with the professionals is simply too much for some to resist (alas).

Read more... | Posted Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Enhancing the ‘electronic’ in e-commerce

by Alecks P. Pabico

AN ONLINE business may have been more apt for Senate star witness Rodolfo ‘Jun’ Lozada, an engineer and self-described IT expert who somehow wound up heading a state-owned forestry firm. Then again, with the country’s electronic commerce (e-commerce) economy still lingering at the bottom, it’s not surprising that Lozada chose to worry about propagating tuba-tuba and jatropha instead of, say, selling roses online.

Read more... | Posted Thursday, February 28th, 2008

The making of a master carver

by Jaileen F. Jimeno

NO ONE visits Paete without being awed by the artistry and industry of its people. Even Jose Rizal’s Noli Mi Tangere mentioned the town’s woodcarving shops and the masterpieces created in these.

“Maraming malalandi ang kamay rito dahil maliit ang espasyo ng aming bayan (Our town is so small people have learned how to be creative with their hands),” says woodcarver Justino ‘Paloy’ Cagayat Jr. says, explaining why he and his townmates are artistically inclined.

Read more... | Posted Friday, February 8th, 2008

How not to carve a future

by Jaileen F. Jimeno

PAETE, Laguna — Woodcarver Justino ‘Paloy’ Cagayat Jr. still remembers a time when the kabaret (honky-tonk joint) directly across his shop had some 200 “entertainers.” At that time, too, he recalls, numerous fires hit many carving shops because workers were just too busy to sweep wood shavings off floors and have proper cigarette breaks. To Cagayat, this town’s then new, racy form of entertainment and the fires were indicators of Paete’s wealth — and of the insatiable demand for its products.

Read more... | Posted Friday, February 8th, 2008

Crossborder

Even in Singapore, Pinoy artists are bankable

by Prime Sarmiento

SINGAPORE — Twelve years ago, Francisco ‘Kiko’ Escora was already happy when a painting of his fetched P3,000 at an exhibit in Manila. But today Escora must be ecstatic; his works are being snapped up not only in his home country, where they now average P70,000 a piece, but also in places like Singapore, where Escora paintings are bought for S$4,000 each, or a cool hundred grand based on a P30:S$1 conversion.

Read more... | Posted Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

Video

Gambling nation

by Alecks P. Pabico

ARE Filipinos natural-born gamblers? Marvin Castell and Joel Tanchuco, economics professors at the De La Salle University, posed this question in a paper they wrote in 2004 on what they described as a “habitual and pervasive social activity” among Pinoys.

Read more... | Posted Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

Game on–or off?

by Isa Lorenzo

THE SCREAMING is constant, but no one seems to mind. In fact, the contestants are encouraged to scream round after round, as boxes containing thousands of pesos and big prizes light up. The screams, however, are the same thing over and over again: “Give me some money!!!”

When it debuted on GMA-7 last October, “Whammy” was an instant hit, shooting to the top spot in daytime ratings. The mechanics are simple: three contestants take turns at a sort of digital roulette, yelling “go” or “stop” whenever they please. The idea is to pick up as much cash and prizes as possible, while avoiding getting the dreaded red demon known as the “Whammy.”

Read more... | Posted Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Podcast

Name that toxin

by Isa Lorenzo

WHETHER it’s beer, stress, or too much sleep, there is a form of poison present in the lives of many of us.

We asked people to name their poisons, be it stress, negativity, or a set of squabbling parents. You’d be surprised at what they had to say.

Read more... | Posted Friday, December 7th, 2007

Special Interest