MANILA, Philippines – Priest-turned-governor Ed Panlilio launched his blog this weekend to promote good governance.

With help from the Bloggers’ Kapihan, a group of Filipino bloggers, and his own people in Pampanga, Panlilio initiated his virtual conversation with constituents and the youth.

Read the full news article here and Erwin’s personal thoughts about it here.

Alternatively, click here to view the album.

Find Among Ed’s blog here.

Photo credits should go to Bloggers Kapihan/Mark Baul.

Here is another slideshow (from Tonyo and Juli):

Shari also posted photos here, here and here.

With much optimism for youth involvement in shaping the conscience of the nation, Gov. Panlilio, more popularly known as Among Ed, led the launching of his blogsite (www.amonged.org/blog) before a young crowd from the Manila-based Bloggers’ Kapihan and the Pampanga Youth Council. The event was held on June 7 (Saturday) at the Executive House of the Pampanga Provincial Capitol.

In the forum that preceded the launching, Jhay Rocas, a Bloggers’ Kapihan Crew and youth leader from De La Salle University-Dasmariñas spoke on blogging for good governance. “While good governance is a relatively new concept in Philippine politics and we have yet to really experience it,” he said, “we get glimpses of it every now and then in leaders like Among Ed. With the emergence of a new media (through blogging and the net), we now have greater access to information and people are more free to express their opinions and sentiments.” He added that the internet is not just for entertainment and recreation but also for involvement in serious matters like good governance. Angelica Guevarra, a youth leader from the Pampanga Youth Council also spoke on responsible citizenship.

Among Ed’s blogsite project was conceptualized in April as soon as the priest-turned-governor’s campaign website went off-line. In response to public clamor for news and updates about Among Ed and his leadership of Pampanga, volunteers from the Creative Team and the Kapampangan Marangal. Inc. (KMI) worked to transform the campaign website to a more dynamic and interactive site

“Blogging has, in recent years, emerged as a primary means of self-expression among individuals all over the world, most especially the youth. It is an excellent way of getting people to reflect and discern on matters affecting their lives. The idea of maximizing its potentials to influence others about important concerns such as politics and social development is fast gaining ground in the midst of various crises confronting societies here and elsewhere. It is essential for the one who governs and the ones being governed to communicate and engage in a frequent dialogue to make good governance happen,” says KMI Executive Director Averell Laquindanum. Among Ed is believed to be the first Governor in the country to open and launch a blogsite.

Yesterday’s launching was a joint undertaking of KMI and the Provincial Capitol, in cooperation with Bloggers’ Kapihan, Pampanga Youth Council, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., and the University of the Assumption. (KMI)

Bloggers’ Kapihan will participate and help in the launching of Pampanga Governor Among Ed Panlilio’s blog this Saturday.

The blog will be a platform to promote good governance in the province. Among Ed will also report his accomplishments as governor of Pampanga

Bloggers, journalists, students and other interested individuals and groups are encouraged to join the activity.

Free transportation and food will be provided to thirty (30) Manila-based bloggers. If you’re interested in joining the trip to Pampanga, please email mongpalatino@gmail.com.

(Itinerary, options for the tour, and program on the next page)

Itinerary:

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. - Assembly time for Manila-based bloggers (Pick-up point: Petron gas station, Philcoa, Q.C. - near entrance to UP Diliman)

8:30 a.m. – Departure for the City of San Fernando
10:00 – Arrival at the Capitol; Start of the Forum
12:00 – Lunch at the Capitol
1:00 – Start of Tour

Options for the Tour:

A)
1st Stop – Betis Church
2nd Stop – Betis Crafts
3rd Stop – Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies

B)
1st Stop – Juan D. Nepomuceno Center for Kapampangan Studies
2nd Stop – Porac Quarry Sites/Courtesy Call and Dialogue with Manibaug Barangay Council re: Quarrying

5:00 p.m. – Departure for Manila
Drop-off Point: Trinoma Mall, Q.C.

Program:

• Audio-visual Presentation on Pampanga and the Panlilio Administration’s accomplishments to date
• Pampanga Politics and Good Governance – Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio
• Responsible Citizenship and Today’s Youth – Ms. Angelica Guevarra, Youth Leader
• Blogging for Good Governance – Mr. Jhay Rocas, Bloggers’ Kapihan crew and student leader from De La Salle University - Dasmariñas
• Launching of Among Ed’s Blogsite
• Open Forum

At the moment, I won’t link to these bloggers and their posts (because I’m sure you know them and they know themselves). What is important for me is to say that the Pinoy blogosphere aristocracy are just behaving as expected: aristocratic and elitist. Some would cry “repression!” only when its their own voices that are being muffled or muzzled. Some would gladly lay down a virtual red carpet for their own online writing projects on Philippine issues, but would demean the efforts of others. At other times, these clowns cry for “democracy” when all they really want to say is “listen to me only” or “listen to me first”. Some are fans of a near-total absence of online accountability. As to the threat of repression, the question of the need to fight repression is set aside by insinuations that the new ones may be inviting harm all by themselves (ain’t that the same “blame the victim” outlook which they also detest in posts elsewhere).

The entire post is at TonyoCruz.com.

He is now blogging at www.jlozada.com, and his first entry is a message to the Filipino youth.

Special thanks goes to Dohn Nalumen Jr., the Kape Tasyo staff, and the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines.

Below are media reports on the event:

• Jun Lozada launches blog aimed at youth
  by Erwin Oliva, INQUIRER.net

• Lozada brings fight to cyberspace, launches blog
  by Trina Lagura, abs-cbnNEWS.com

There will be free coffee and wifi. You may bring your friends.

Samahan ninyo kami sa Sabado, May 31, 2008, 1pm sa Kape Tasyo sa Anonas, Quezon City sa blog launch ni Jun Lozada.

Sa Hunyo 7 naman, 30 bloggers ang dadalhin ng Bloggers’ Kapihan sa Among Ed blog launch. May libreng sakay, pagkain at pamamasyal sa Pampanga para sa mga sasama.

Abangan dito sa BK website ang kumpletong detalye ng mga gawaing iyan. Samantala, paki-markahan na ang inyong kalendaryo para muli namin kayong makadaupang-palad sa susunod na dalawang Sabado.

In his sharing with bloggers, Ocampo stressed that “Filipinos are not frustrated over People Power 2, but with the dismal and disappointing regime that came to power.”

He said that the source of frustration is that “People Power 2 was a fight against corrupt and immoral governance, but we were given a worse government by the very persons who composed the new government.”

Ocampo said that the “if ever People Power resulted in bad governance, we cannot blame the people who took part in the uprising. It remains an alternative way of instituting change.”

“People Power as a concept is always relevant,” Ocampo said, adding that “It remains a mechanism for people to express their sentiments when institutional processes fail them.”

The discussion was “liveblogged” on http://bloggerskapihan.com and on Twitter for the benefit of those who were not able to attend.

Cristina Palabay, who was president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines during the 2001 uprising, said that Arroyo completely ignored the “youth agenda” that was presented to her when she was still vice president and in the middle of the then-raging anti-Estrada protests.

Using a photo presentation, Palabay recounted the various contributions of student and youth groups to the ouster of Estrada but said that “almost everybody will agree that we were all betrayed by Arroyo when she became president”.

Palabay said that young people and the public did not expect some of those who joined the anti-Estrada marches and demonstrations to “turn into demons worse than our enemy then” referring to Arroyo and those who were later absorbed into her cabinet.

Bloggers Kapihan crew members Ederic Eder of Tinig.com and Tonyo Cruz of TXTPower also joined the discussions, relating the use of texting, chat, and websites in efforts to unseat Estrada.

Jester-in-Exile, who donned his jester’s hat, stressed the participation of unorganized professionals who went to Edsa in 2001.

The discussion closed the Blog Action Week that urged bloggers to write about People Power 2.

See some photos at Penguin Tales.

More photos to be uploaded on my Flickr account tomorrow.