The case of Hello Garci and other digitized

The case of ‘Hello Garci’ and other digitized ‘scandals!’: ICT and video anarchy in the Philippine context Maria F. Mangahas Department of Anthropology University of the Philippines Diliman Acknowledgements: Phil. ICT Research Network/IDRC, TWSC, SEASREP January 2010

OUTLINE Background: ‘Reconfiguring Piracy’ Texter, Consumer, ‘Produser’, Pirate ICT and the scandal phenomenon A Pinoy resemanticization of ‘scandal’ ‘Scandals!’ as objects Kinds of ‘scandals’ ‘Scandal’-making and the national imaginary The 'Hello Garci’ scandal and its sequels Jokemongering, ‘scandal’-mongering and ‘people power’ More current political ‘scandals’

MOBILE PHONES “Stone age gossip, new technology” “From scratching to speaking” “Mobile phones are re-creating the more natural, humane communication patterns of pre-industrial times” -Fox 2001 The gossip theory of language evolution: humans gossip because we don’t groom each other/social cohesion is maintained through constant grooming-R. Dunbar Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language) personal “communities” = 150 individuals Once population expands it becomes impossible for each member to maintain

Technology and the integral ‘accident’ The speed at which something Paul Virilio: happens may change its essential nature ‘globalization is the speed of light’ “In this Internet era without bounds and barriers, an upload of one triggers millions of downloads worldwide and it spreads in unknown scale and intensity to thousands and millions of cellphones. While there’s yet no international protocol that sanctions for deletion of files in an Internet populated by billions of websites, against these high technologies, “Baby” is totally helpless in preventing her own sex video from further spreading. ” (Monforte, ‘Heaven forbid’. Sept. 9, 2008)

“Edu Manzano, as we all know, has this impossible job of suppressing undesirable video in an age when digital material of whatever sort could be simply downloaded and copied endlessly in various media formats--like, I could be carrying contraband material in my miniscule flash drive. We live in an age of video anarchy. ” -Magno 2009 newspaper columnist, Philippine Star [emphasis added]

Scandal as an idea vs. ‘scandal!’ as an obj “actions or events involving certain kinds of transgressions which become known to others and are sufficiently serious to elicit a public response” Posted Ecomment: June 27, 2006 Image clip of the famous sex scandal from Cagayan de oro city (students from Xavier University) A nice 446. DAT file, 44 minutes (want a hard copy? ) , just

CALL CENTER ‘scandals!’ Real/ity ‘scandals’

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=92 h. Qpl. WFT 0&feature=related Real/ity ‘scandals’ Cebu Doctors scandal, can in rectum, leaked unc. . . 1, 298, 858 views yourtruthtube “ATENEO IMMERSION SCAND

Spoof ‘scandals’ (e. g. spoofs of sex scandals)

Search term: ‘gma scandal’ (Spoofs of Political scandals) a list of scandals under PGMA From posted comment on You. Tube [Accessed June 2009]: 1. NBN ZTE Scandal 2. Millions of bribe money to Congress Governors (October 2007) 3. Cheating in 2004 Elections (‘Hello G 4. Joc Bolante. Case (Fertilizer. Scam. P 5. Jose Pidal Bank Account (Unexplain Wealth, P 200 M) 6. Nani Perez Power Plant Deal ($2 M) 7. Use of Road User's Tax for Campaig 8. Billion Peso Macapagal Boulevard (Overprice of P 532 Million) 9. Juetengate (Illegal Numbers gamekic 10. Extra Judicial Killings

Non-’scandals!’

HELLO GARCI Manila Standard , June 16, 2005 “The explosive exchange that critics of the administration say is between the President and the Comelec official is the hottest commodity among infotech freaks, who have parlayed the illegally extracted phone conversation into ring tones and pirated CD reproductions that sell for P 5 on the sidewalks. ”

TEXTJOKES “I love GMA. I support GMA. I don’t want GMA to resign! Send ds 2 20 friends & in 3 days U will lose 20 friends. U will be sorry for ur lapse in judgment!” “Terrorists kidnapped GMA & demanded ransom money: “Pay P 500 M or we’ll set her on fire”. Bankrupt govt asked ppl 4 donations. So far donatns total 2 T liters of gasoline. ” “Clinton and GMA were clasmates, di ba? Clinton’s scandal had to do with a cigar. GMA’s scandal has to do with a Garci“

“Unlike most mainstream albums, these groups encourage others to spread the word (or music, as the case may be). “Puedeng piratahin” (‘Piracy allowed’). ” (Ito 2005)

‘Hello Garci’ vs. ‘The X-Tapes’ “Flop ang X tapes, walang bumili. ”. “. . . This is the funniest audio track I’ve ever heard…mas nakakatawa pa to sa mga SBC PAckers ni Rex Navarette o yung Iskul BUkol album nina Tito Vic and Joey…” The ‘X-tapes’ “It’s a shame para sa nag-doktor nitong tracks nito… Kung sino ka man… pinahiya mo ng husto ang mga pirata…” [comment to PCIJ posts].

‘HELLO GARCI SEQUEL’ “You are not only paying for the CD. You are also ensuring the future of these officers”. ” (Inquirer. March 14, 2006)

ABC-ZTE-FG! “back off” Back hoe

“The trading of jokes has apparently become a national pastime, and most everyone keeps track of the latest jokes as assiduously as he does the latest peso fluctuations or the price increases of commodities. Intelligence sources reveal that these jokes are apparently manufactured by a number of unlicensed joke factories…” “The jokes travel with the businessmen from Manila’s coffeeshops to the various cities of the country, and in fact are the first cargo unloaded from those PAL planes. They are logged to work by Makati employees aboard Love Buses, by students in their schoolbuses… These jokes constantly burn the telephone lines and end up in letters to friends and relatives abroad… -Maramba 1984, Ninoy Aquino: the Man, the Legend

"We have already seen the silence of the bedroom violated. With the arrival of camera phones and 24/7 mobile Internet, the time is fast approaching when secret backroom deals will be revealed to the public. Our political leaders may not fear us now. But soon they will. " (Chikiamco, Phil Daily Inquirer columnist)