THE difference between United States President Donald Trump and our very own President Digong Duterte is in the use of social media. Duterte admitted he has no Facebook account. "No I still do not know how to use Facebook. Somebody just give updates. I don't even know the meaning of tag me." (You commonly hear that whenever people take group-fies or selfies). Meanwhile, Trump will not allow a day without posting through the Twitter and issue a daily dose of sometimes sarcastic comments on issues and on some persons. That's why he oftentimes gets into trouble.
In this digital age, in the age of the millennials, the common saying is "speed is the name of the game." Pity people who are not literate with computers and modern gadgets. They are missing a lot. These gadgets are easy to learn. Let your grandchildren teach you. They are tech savvy. My grandson Choby Pelayo is my teacher. For writers in how to use them is a necessity. Sending my columns to this paper is being done by a mere flick of a finger through email. Same thing on my columns on Filipino Journal based in Manitoba, Canada published by my former UST Philosophy and Letters classmate Rod Cantiveros who is now based in Canada.
Retro. I remember when I was starting as a reporter. Those were the years when computers and today's gadgets were not in use. No fax machines either. There were teletype machines though, but were commonly used by wire agencies. You either send your stories by long distance through press collect, or go to the publication office and submit your stories. OMG. Sending your stories before the desk's deadline was a big problem for provincial correspondents. In instances where there were newsbreaks, we hurried up to nearest phone and begged operators to attend to our calls and give them priority.
The luckiest among us was the late Silvestre "Beteng" Songco who was given a quarter in Camp Olivas equipped with a two way radio and can easily connect to the desks of the Manila Times and Daily Mirror of the Roceses. But for other correspondents the likes of Tony Torres of Manila Bulletin, Ben Gamos of Times Journal, Fred Roxas of Philippine News Service, Ram Mercado and Butch Maglaqui of Philippines Herald, they were pleading all the time when big news were to be reported to their respective newspapers.
The second generation newsmen like me, Lino Sanchez Jr., Elmer Cato, Ody Fabian, Arthur Cabigting, Bong Lacson, Ding Cervantes and few others experienced what it was like to be a media person in those years. Those years before the cellfones and fax machines. The struggle just to have one story reach the deskman who sometimes loses patience because the telephone line was so garbled and nothing coming out but cricket sound. Yet they were the good old years. Nice to remember.
I wish to quote here what I read from Chit Santos' article when she addressed the millennials. 'To the young people who stand to inherit this world as we seniors, prepare to leave it, we'd like to pass on words of experience, if not wisdom, thoughts accumulated through the years, that may be useful to life in a shrinking new world'.
Tweets:
- Just like any other government agencies, the Office of the Ombudsman is not corrupt free.
- Angeles City Mayor Ed Pamintuan is a cross-functional person. Despite him in his senior years he attends many functions. He has to travel often as president of the League of City Mayors. The city is ever progressing due to management best practices.
- In his absence, the city is in good hands with Atty. Noy Pamintuan, the City Administrator and Kirk Galanza.