Writ of Habeas Data Forum

   

A public forum on the writ of habeas data was held February 1, 2008 at the Supreme Court of the Philippines with Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno as Keynote Speaker.

With AIJC as one of the organizers, the forum highlighted the high court’s commitment to protect the constitutional rights of every Filipino by providing legal mechanisms and human rights tools like the writ of habeas data.

The Supreme Court En Banc has issued the Rule on the Writ of Habeas Data which took effect on February 2, 2008. The writ is defined as a “remedy available to any person whose right to privacy in life, liberty or security is violated or threatened by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual entity engaged in the gathering, collecting or storing of data or information regarding the person, family, home and correspondence of the aggrieved party.”

The forum, which also marked the Philippine Constitution Day, was attended by print and broadcast media executives, officers of the Philippine Press Institute and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (association of Philippine broadcasters), policy and opinion makers from government, business and industry, civil society, and the academe.

On the issue of privileged communication raised by some members of the Philippine media, the Chief Justice explained that the Supreme Court’s limited power cannot diminish substantive rights. He said that the court should have preliminary hearing on the secrecy of information which impinge on national security. He assured the audience that there are built-in mechanisms to address the issue.

UNESCO National Commission Communication Committee Chair Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid raised UNESCO’s concern for public domain and what legal remedy is available when information is withheld and when right to information is violated.

Representatives of the Philippine military welcomed the enforcement of the Writ of the Habeas Data as it would facilitate their  task. They explained that the Writ is beneficial for them because it provides a proper forum where cases can be filed and heard. The Chief Justice clarified that the Writ protects people from “the gathering of erroneous data, not from the gathering of data per se.

Other organizers of the forum were the SC-Public Information Office, UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Philippines National Committee, USAID, The Asia Foundation and Hanns Seidel Foundation.

       
   
FRB Receives Hildegard Award

AIJC president emeritus and senior adviser Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid was conferred the Hildegard Awards for Outstanding Women in Media and Communication by St. Scholastica’s College on February 27.

She was cited for her excellent achievements in mass media and communication education which she has utilized as an empowering tool to promote the common good. 

On its second year, the Awards is a tribute to outstanding women of this generation who have utilized their influence to advocate for social reforms. It is named after  Benedictine nun Hildegard von Bingen of Germany who was an expert in religion, music, medicine, geology, biology, physiology and the environment in the 12th century.

Other 2008 Hildegard awardees were  Women’s Feature Service, McCaan-Erickson Philippines CEO Emily Abrera, and Philippine National Red Cross volunteer Rosa Rosal.

       
 
 

Braid talks on Paradigm Shifts in Learning To Educators

“Today, more than ever in the past, there is need to examine how research and new knowledge can be applied in solving the problems of society,” Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid, AIJC president emeritus and senior adviser, told educators at the International Research Conference on Research.

Held at the West Visayas State University on February 27-29, the conference  aimed to come up with a response to the challenges of globalization.

Dr. Braid underscored the need “to focus on re-education of teachers so that they would be better equipped to respond to the many complex challenges of society.” She explained that while others call it re-engineering, re-focusing is actually a paradigm shift in learning, encompassing content, methodology and processes which are involved in acquiring or disseminating knowledge.

Citing various learning philosophies such as constructivism, Freire’s  pedagogy of learning and Illich’s learning environment, among others, Dr. Braid proposed a paradigm shift in education to enable students at all levels to participate in development in the 21st century.

She talked of a shift to learning that is intersectoral and multidisciplinary, experiential and community-oriented, constructivist and characterized by critical thinking, balanced in mix of knowledge, attitudes and skills, and self-learning with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as delivery system.

“Today, we have at our command, resources that would enable us to make this shift,” Dr. Braid said as she cited the new ICTs as empowering tools. These are tools which allow the viewer, receiver and the public to participate in generating ideas for the good of all Filipinos.

“The school has moved to the community just as the centric mass media are now becoming demassified,” Dr. Braid concluded.
 
       
 

AIJC offers technical writing course

Do you want to write reports that satisfy clients and bring in more business? The Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication is offering the Effective Technical Writing Course on March 13-14, 2008 at the Hope Center, Aurora Milestone Tower, 1045 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City (fronting PSBA and beside Good Shepherd Convent).

The highly participatory and experiential two-day workshop is designed for secretaries, executive assistants, information officers and other interested staff who want to enhance their knowledge and skills in technical writing. The resource persons will cover techniques and formats in preparing and presenting various technical reports and popularized materials. They will also discuss common grammatical errors, principles of clear and effective writing, preparing feasibility studies, and packaging technical reports.

Registration fee is P7,000 per person inclusive of meals, training kit and certificate of completion. A special rate of P6,500 is offered to those who will  register on or before February 29.  For group discount and inquiry, please call  724-4564 or 727-9067 or text 0905-337-4144 or 0920-947-5536.
 
       
 
Passing….

Our hearts grieve with the passing of Billy Balbastro, AIJC alumnus, lawyer, writer, entertainer, friend.

Billy will be remembered for giving dignity and professionalism to entertainment writing. He went beyond reporting, chronicling and the juicy gossip into encouraging readers’ participation which facilitated solutions to issues and problems affecting individuals and families.