April 2013
2 posts
Are social media helping improve telcos' CRM?
April 25, 2013
Unless you live under a rock or in North Korea, you should know that social is the way to go.
Social media - blogging, online social networking, and micro-blogging - have become so pervasive that it is almost unthinkable for a business entity - at least those who want to remain relevant - not to use them.
In telecom, social media have transformed not only business models but the...
Is PH telecom moving fast enough?
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | March 18, 2013
“Arangkada” is a Filipino word which roughly translates to “move fast” or “accelerate.” The Joint Foreign Chamber (JFC) in the Philippines chose this term to call its advocacy paper of recommendations that could potentially lead to job creation, foreign investment, and revenue. To achieve these outcomes, the JFC posits that the country must focus on fast...
January 2013
1 post
Philippines anti-cybercrime law 2.0
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | January 15, 2013
Transparent, participatory, and consultative — big words often used to describe democratic processes. Yet, they are almost always wanting or non-existent in real life. But in the Philippines, often cited for its unpredictable and unruly political system, a Senate bill was conceptualized and drafted based on those very principles.
The proposed...
November 2012
1 post
Buyouts and the battle for spectrum in PH
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | November 23, 2012
Buyouts and the battle for spectrum in PH
November 23, 2012
In this wireless world, Globe Telecom is taking a great leap of faith with its recent announcement that it plans to invest in fixed line provider, Bayan Telecommunications Inc.’s (Bayan). The Ayala-led telco is seeking to buy almost 100 percent of Bayan’s outstanding debts worth $200...
October 2012
2 posts
Cybercrime law in an SMS, Facebook nation
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | October 15, 2012
As Filipinos remembered the declaration of martial law 40 years ago last month—and the curtailment of many freedoms that it entailed—the incumbent president signed into law the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
If the barrage of opposition and flurry of protests online and offline were to be used as gauge, Republic Act 10175 is easily one of the...
..of Ones and Zeroes: How the Anti-Cybercrime Bill... →
This is one gem of an archived email message! This is the original proposed draft of Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PH-CERT) for a Cybercrime Prevention Act in the Philippines from 2003, sans the questionable provisions on online libel, cybersex, and the takedown power of the Department of Justice.
Also read their official statement on the current version of the recently approved...
September 2012
4 posts
Smart vs. Globe: It's about standards, silly
NTC should go further with QoS benchmarks.
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | September 26, 2012
Last week, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) released the results of its Quality of Service (QoS) benchmarking tests for the second quarter of this year.
The purpose of the testing was to measure the telcos’ cellular network performance based on “existing NTC prescribed minimum service...
ITU & Google partner in Public Data Explorer
Global ICT data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is now available through the Google Public Data Explorer (PDE). The platform not only gives quick access to the latest statistics on ICT, but also helps interpret and present them in a friendly format. Best of all, it’s free!
Below, I’ve extracted and compared three sets of stats among select Asian countries. Took...
The New Media, Society, & Politics in the...
Check out this latest FES publication by Dr. Raul Pertierra (2012), where my research work on cybercampaigning and political blogging in the Philippines are cited. :)
The New Media, Society, & Politics in the Philippines (2012)
Abstract:
The Philippines is a paradox. The country is one of the most democratic and liberal societies in Asia, with a long history of western institutions and...
Why Globe needs to do better
Outages further complicate attempts to compete with PLDT.
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | September 6, 2012
September did not start easy for the Philippines’ Globe Telecom, as they received a deluge of complaints from subscribers complaining about disrupted services in the southern parts of Metro Manila.
Globe then issued a statement September 3 attributing the problems in the cities of Las...
May 2012
1 post
Grace in Mono: Philippine internet, ICT lagging...
Can it ever catch up to its SEA neighbors?
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | May 15, 2012
In CNN’s recent Eye on the Philippines feature, it was fascinating to see the number of internet users right next to the population infographic. This is proof that access to ICT, especially the internet, is as important a statistic as any development indicator in today’s hyperconnected world.
The Internet World...
April 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Grace in Mono: Localizing the internet in the...
PHOpenIX must address critical issues before fostering interconnects.
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | April 24, 2012
In this interconnected world, no economy can grow without the internet. Several studies have shown that a 10% increase in broadband penetration could improve gross domestic product (GDP) and labor productivity, especially in low– and middle-income countries. But apart from access,...
4 tags
Grace in Mono: What govt can do for the IT-BPO...
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | April 12, 2012
The Philippines ICT industry recently made a great promise: by 2016, it will contribute as much as $50 billion in direct revenues, 70% of which would come from the IT-BPO industry.
It also promised a projected $150 billion in indirect investments in the economy, primarily through real estate, transport and telecommunications, banking, and taxes.
The...
March 2012
6 posts
2 tags
Grace in Mono: Philippines Department of ICT makes...
But after nearly a decade, it still hasn’t happened.
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | March 19, 2012
In this age of cloud computing, BPO and e-“everything,” having a separate Department of ICT (DICT) should make sense. But, in the Philippines, where proposed legislation to create one has been dragging for nearly a decade, this logic is still being challenged.
Last December optimism began to...
4 tags
P-Noy: A Click Away From Every Pinoy? A Review of...
By Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos
Asian Politics & Policy Journal, Volume 4, Issue 1, pages 134–137, January 2012
In a democracy like the Philippines, where elections are marred by a slow, manual counting process, the May 10, 2010 election offered new hope through automation. In this historic election that used precinct count optical scan machines, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was...
PLDT Q4 profit shrinks 87%
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | March 09, 2012
telecomasia.net
The Philippines’ PLDT revealed this week that its Q411 net profit fell 87% year-on-year to 1.1 billion pesos.
The company had already reported declining Q1 to Q3 revenues from its traditional call and text messaging services, which it attributed to “bucket” and “unlimited” type offers.
At a press conference, the country’s...
Revising the Limits for the Unlimited →
Matt Spaccarelli sued AT&T in small-claims court after his iPhone’s data speeds were slowed. A judge ruled in his favor last Friday.
“Some of the nation’s largest wireless phone companies, like AT&T and Verizon, use a process called throttling to slow down customers who exceed data limits — even if they have unlimited data plans.”
Read the full article at The New York...
February 2012
1 post
Two Simple Steps to Take Control Over Google's New... →
Did you know that Google recently changed its privacy policy? As Mashable explains, “… instead of treating your YouTube, Gmail and Google+ accounts as separate entities, Google now sees you as just one user. That should make it easier to target you with relevant ads.”
Some have started to question the legality and propriety of the new policy.
“France’s official...
3 tags
Grace in Mono: No turning back from unlimited data...
Grace Mirandilla-Santos | February 22, 2012
Telcos should learn an important lesson about consumers in the Philippines: Filipinos want to have their cake, and eat it, too.
What was supposed to be an uneventful Friday in the online community last week was disrupted when Twitter suddenly went abuzz with reports that Globe Telecom, Inc., the Philippines’ second largest telco, was going to end its...
4 tags
PLDT-Digitel Merger: Changing the Game for the...
It‘s a quarter past midnight, but Pilo and his wife, Elena, are just starting their day. While Pilo is busy loading their freshly harvested lettuce onto their jeep, Elena exchanges text messages with their runner, Jun, at the bus terminal downtown. She asked Jun to reserve a space for them at the 1 A.M. bus. Jun texts her back. He forewarns her that there are more loaders today than the...
January 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Study says "Blog Therapy for Teenagers" →
Excerpt:
“Research has long backed the therapeutic value of diary-keeping for teenage girls and boys. But according to a new study, when teenagers detail their woes onto a blog, the therapeutic value is even greater. Blogging, it seems, can be good for you.
The study, published in the journal Psychological Services and conducted by Meyran Boniel-Nissim and Azy Barak, psychology...
5 tags
"A New Era Has Come": Web Attacks Follow U.S....
On Thursday (Jan 19), U.S. federal authorities shut down Megaupload, a hugely popular file-sharing site, on charges of copyright infringement and conspiracy in money laundering. This came just a day after civil protests in the U.S., including blackouts of several popular websites worldwide, like Google and Wikipedia, over proposed anti-piracy bills, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and...
December 2011
1 post
4 tags
SIRCA: RP Politics & Social Media Website
Thanks to SIRCA, we set up the FLIPISM (Filipino Political, ICTs, and Social Media) website to share the outputs of our Filipino political blogosphere study. The site is envisioned to be a repository of research and feature articles, commentaries, and studies that look into how ICTs, including mobile technology, internet, and social media, are used in Philippine politics.
About the Content...
November 2011
2 posts
Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic...
Manila, 21 November 2011 — The Asia Foundation released the groundbreaking book, Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic Policy Reform in the Philippines, which recounts the political battles of five highly regarded reforms: introducing competition and liberalization in sea transport, civil aviation, and telecommunications; instituting the privatization of water service in Metro...
Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality
The Asia Foundation - Philippines, with support from USAID and AusAID, will be launching a book, Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality, on November 21, 2011, 6:30 PM at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City. I managed this project and authored the chapter on telecommunications liberalization. The book recounts the political battles of five highly regarded reforms: introducing competition and...
July 2011
5 posts
5 tags
Of Tablets, Kindles, and Nokia 3200s: How We Talk...
For an ICT researcher, I’m slow to adopt the latest technology. My laptop is a 2.5-year old Toshiba Satellite L100 and my mobile phone is a 4-year old (don’t ask what model) … that I use for calling, texting, and taking occasional photos. But with the tablet and smart phone explosion, it has come to a point when I can no longer bluff my way into catching up with all the...
Grace notes...
that it’s high time to change the name of her blog because of the many TV shows with titles that resemble “Talk Points.”
The new title, Grace Notes, gets inspiration from, well, my nickname. It can be used to start a sentence, as I illustrate above. It also reflects the nature of this blog: my personal notes on anything that I find interesting, relevant, or worth sharing. In...
5 tags
What good is an ASEAN Facebook, Twitter, and...
Here’s another interesting case of governments eager to “harness the power of technology”, to use the most popular social media, like Facebook and Twitter, and to promote discussions through blogs, all with the good intention of effectively engaging their citizens. A simple note on using online media. If people don’t have anything to say offline (face-to-face),...
Watchawarewolves:
The UP CINEASTES’ STUDIO brings the films of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival to the University of the Philippines Diliman. Catch these films running for two weeks at UP Film Center’s CINE ADARNA this coming JULY 26-29 and AUGUST 2-5, 2011. Don’t miss the chance to meet the directors of these films!
Cinemalaya Goes UP Facebook Page The UP Cineastes’ Studio...
2 tags
PNoy abolishes Commision on ICT -- What now?
In case you missed it, President Benigno S. Aquino III (PNoy) signed Executive Order No. 47 on June 23, 2011 abolishing the Commission on ICT (CICT) and transferring it as an ICT Office (ICTO) under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). A month ago, DOST surprised many ICT observers when it expressed it’s opposition to the creation of a Department of ICT at a senate hearing. EO...
June 2011
3 posts
9 tags
10 tags
“Telconopoly”: From Research to Practice
“Telconopoly: Overthrowing the Shadow of Regulatory Capture and Opportunism in Philippine Telecomunications through Interconnection and an Effective Government Competition Policy” is a paper written by University of the Philippines law student Marcelino Veloso III, which eventually led to the formation of a telecom consumer advocacy group, TXTm8 (read: Textmate). The paper won the Professor...
April 2011
1 post
8 tags
Public Forum on the PLDT-Digitel Deal, April 11,...
It cannot be denied that the country’s telecommunications sector continues to be one of the most dynamic in the Philippine economy. Aside from being immensely profitable, it is one of the sectors in which citizens and consumers, who comprise a market of more than 90% of the population, have very personal stakes, for who does not have a mobile phone in this age of information and...
March 2011
4 posts
5 tags
5 tags
A-List Filipino Political Bloggers & Readers
A-List Filipino Political Bloggers & Readers (2011)
Who are they?
Why do they write/read political blogs?
How do they feel about political actors, institutions, and processes?
What is the nature and level of their engagement in political activities?
The study was carried out by Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos from Feb 2009 to August 2010 with the aid of a SIRCA grant from IDRC Canada and...
February 2011
7 posts
5 tags
5 tags
5 tags
Twitter as the voice of the people?
In June 2010, micro-blogging site* Twitter reported having 190 million users tweeting 65 million times a day. Next month, turns five. There has been much talk about its increasing role in critical, historical conjunctures—with contributions ranging from providing quick news bites to giving a voice to the unheard peoples of the world. But, it has to be remembered, that the impact of any...
“I just think that whenever we appropriate the phrase, “a triumph for social...”
– (via marocharim)
5 tags
Why Filipinos Blog About Politics
Why do Filipino bloggers write about politics? For writing’s sake? To vent and complain? To merely inform or to influence opinion?
Find out in the forum, “The Filipino Blogosphere and Political Participation,” on Feb 26 (Sat) 10am at the UP Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) Case Room. I’ll be presenting the results of my...
October 2010
1 post
The Anthropology of New Media in the Philippines
The Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila releases Dr. Raul Pertierra’s latest book. Download a copy from the IPC website, free of charge!
My study on cybercampaigning is cited in the book, a part of which reads:
Mirandilla (2009) has looked at the role of the new media in the campaign strategies of major politicians. While their use of the new media is growing in...
September 2010
1 post
Facebook and Twitter as revolution makers?
To call something a “Twitter revolution this”, a “Facebook uprising that” is pretty common these days. But, do social networking and micro-blogging sites really provide the tipping point that define the outcome of political/social events or do they merely create a perception that an entire country or the whole world is somewhat “participating” in...
July 2010
3 posts
Budget and status of funds of RP local govt...
Sec. Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently declared that his main focus would be empowering the local governments. And what better way to do that than by first making local government agencies accountable for how they spend their budget. On July 22, the status of funds by various agencies under the DILG were posted on the DILG website. This is an...
2 tags
Official Gazette 24/7 (Updated) →
The Office of the President’s website is now up and running, and is called the Official Gazette. What does this mean? That the op.gov.ph and gov.ph websites now serve as a medium for “publishing” laws. Does this bear any impact on the common citizen? Yes.
Atty. Oli Reyes of Law Innovations Philippines discusses the legal implications of having the Official Gazette available...
The OP's Online Oblivion and the Message it Brings
Websites are a country’s window to the world. It is a tool for tourism that allows a peek into what a nation has to offer and a tool for public relations—both to its citizens and the world—that gives a government the means to project a desired image. In the developed world, websites used for political posturing have been studied extensively for the past decades. In the...
