Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

September 8 is World Physical Therapy Day, as designated by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy. The theme for this year is Movement for Health.

The intention is that this day be used to recognise the work that physical therapists do for their patients and their community, and to support them in their efforts to promote the profession and to advance their clinical expertise.

This day marks the unity and solidarity of the physical therapy community from 101 countries around the world.

Celebration of the day is voluntary and activities & materials to celebrate the day are left to Member Organisations so that they can be developed to reflect key national priorities & messages.

Read more »

Download the toolkit of materials here.

Laro, Lapis at Libro Center for Learners will be conducting a series of seminars in the following months.

Seminar 1: Behavior Management
Sept 20, 2008 (1:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
Rooms 5 & 6
Walter Hogan Conference Center
ISO, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

Seminar 2: Academic Coaching
November 29, 2008 (1:00 pm-5:00 pm)
Walter Hogan Conference Center
ISO, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

Seminar 3: Emotion Coaching
January 24, 2009 (1:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
Walter Hogan Conference Center
ISO, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

Taken together, the seminars empower teachers, parents, and other involved adults to bring out the best in grade school children who have lost their desire for learning, or who are lagging behind in school. The seminars may also be taken individually to address specific requirements.

Resource Speaker
Dr. Rosario Margarita A. Aligada obtained her PhD in Education (major in Reading), her Master’s degree in Special Education, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Community Nutrition from the University of the Philippines. She is a Senior professorial lecturer of the College of Education (Graduate School) of Miriam College, and is a member of the advisory board and co-founder of the AD/HD Society of the Philippines. She heads Learning Inn, a Diagnostic and Therapy Center; and is Programs Officer of Eucharistiana Center for Special Children, a school for children with special educational needs.

Registration Fee
Special Price: One-time pre-registration (before Sept. 20) for all 3 seminars: Php1,200
Pre-registration per seminar: Php500.00
On-site registration per seminar: Php600.00

For inquiries, please contact Laro, Lapis at Libro, Inc. at:
110 Amang Rodriguez Jr., Ave, Dela Paz, Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. (632)915-5265, (63927)963-4587
email: larolapislibro@yahoo.com

Alternatively, you may also download their flyer here: Laro Seminar Series Flyer.

Bali offers a beachcomber endless choices. It is not just a beach…

• novice or expert surfers find its waves even as good as Hawaii, if not better

• party animals are spoilt with numerous bars, discos and entertainment houses including a Hard Rock Cafe

• you’ll never be homesick as Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Dunkin’ Donuts are mainstays of a Bali diet

• unlike the rest of Indonesia (the largest Muslim country in world), you will find pork and other non-Halal products in restaurant menu cards as the population is typically Hindu. They have “babi guling” as the counterpart of lechon baboy or suckling pig.

• there are many malls, convenience stores, supermarkets and department stores so basically you can live there forever without needing to leave the confines of the island and still enjoy the amenities of a small city

• transportation is not a problem as the island has its own international airport and seaport… taxis, motorcycles and bicycles are available in hourly, daily or even monthly rates

• the island also has the most stunning temples, pagodas, forest reserves and landscapes like rice terraces and volcanoes which are among the best in the whole of Indonesia

So… see you all after 5 days!

Two of the latest updates shared by the Autism Society Philippines (ASP) to its members are “Colors of Autism” and “ALYANA” – Now on YouTube.

Colors of Autism Spectrum
“Colors of Autism Spectrum” is a photo and painting exhibit aimed at promoting autism awareness according to ASP.

When & Where
August 29 to 31, 2008
The Block, SM North EDSA, Quezon City

Click here for related link.

…

Made within a span of two-and-a-half years, the film traces the history of autism in the Philippines dating back to the 1970s when awareness about the disability was practically nil. It shows the plight and the struggle of persons with autism, their families, and those involved in their lives, especially focusing on the experiences of Mothers in handling and coping up with the situation of having an autistic child.

Oral history in treatment, the filmmaker Ms. Mirana Medina takes the audience along with her in a personal quest to find out what autism really is, starting with the case of her grand niece Alyana, the only member of their family with autism.

Source: ASP

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has recently recognised new research on the effectiveness of the Alexander technique in dealing with chronic back pain.

Study Findings
More than 500 patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain took part in the study over a year.

They were given either normal GP care (control), six sessions of massage, or six or 24 lessons on the Alexander technique. A doctor also prescribed half the patients in each group exercise.

Compared with the control group, all interventions showed ’significant’ reductions in days in pain at three months, but the benefits of massage did not last beyond that.

The study found that the Alexander technique and exercise were ‘helpful in the long term’.

Six lessons in the Alexander technique followed by exercise prescription were almost as effective as 24 lessons.

Read more »

Related Link:
Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain from the British Medical Journal

In journalism, it’s not enough–and worse, a disservice to the public–to just get the names, places, and events right. “Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context,” said the U.S.-based Committee of Concerned Journalists, explaining that journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. “Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything else is built–context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate. ” If we journalists barely know the background or context of what we are reporting, then how would we be able to present these issues clearly to the public?

Raging issues at present are the current peace situation in Mindanao and rising oil costs. Below are online articles and materials that could help journalists covering these issues gain better perspective and context to what they are reporting. Of course, non-journalists would also find the materials very useful.

Filipina journalist Raissa Robles of The South China Morning Post writes a comprehensive story on the current Mindanao issue, providing background on and context to the issue.

Gathering storm
Manila’s botched attempt at creating a southern Muslim homeland has inflamed religious tensions and raised the spectre of civil war
Raissa Robles
The South China Morning Post
Aug 26, 2008

A serious government miscalculation not only led to the eruption of violence in the southern Philippines, but it might also have raised the long-dormant spectre of civil war with religious overtones.

“I fear a civil war … I’m scared,” said prominent socialite-activist Precy Lopez-Psinakis this weekend.

In Cotabato City, after Friday prayers at the mosque, Nash Pangadapun expressed concern over text messages circulating in this Muslim heartland which revealed that some Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) commanders intended to attack Christian communities before September 1 - the onset of Ramadan, the Muslim period or fasting - should the military continue to shell their camps.

“It that happens, this could be a precursor to a civil war”, Mr Pangadapun, secretary general of the Muslim civil society group Maradeka, told The South China Morning Post.

Last week, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s top aide, executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, voiced concern over the rise of armed Christian vigilante groups. “At first glance, you might think we could allow them to fight the Milf. But what if civil war breaks out?” the former general said.

Read more here.

Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Central Committee, held a press conference last Aug. 23 with other MILF officials. The group’s views and claims were presented during the event. “As far as we are concerned, the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA – AD) is a final document, a done deal,” the MILF said.
The group said it “cannot allow renegotiation on the MOA–AD, which took both the MILF–GRP Peace Negotiating Panels four years and eight months to discuss and initialed through the superb facilitation of the Malaysian government. “

For details of the conference, please click here. Hat tip to Tita Ellen.

Some local reports on the oil problem have not provided the larger picture, how the current oil problem in the country are intricately connected with issues and problems in the international community.

Journalists and ordinary citizens closely following the oil issue may want to check out a pictorial representation of global consumption of oil using Google Earth. (Oh, while in Google Earth, you may also want to see a worrying animation of the effect of rising sea levels in the planet.)

The prominent education and research think-tank East-West Center has also just released a short analytical piece on several policy options to improve energy security in the Asia-Pacific.

Six steps toward increased energy security in the Asia Pacific region By Kang Wu, Fereidun Fesharaki, Sidney B. Westley and Widhyawan Prawiraatmadja
East-West Center
Aug. 25, 2008

Given the region’s growing populations, expanding transportation needs and rising expectations for a better standard of living, the demand for oil can only go up. The result is a steadily growing dependence on imported oil, largely from the volatile Middle East.

Oil production, consumption, and net surplus or deficit in major regions of the world, 2006 (million barrels per day). Source: BP (2007). Image from: East-West Center

This is no doubt cause for concern, but a number of policy options can help governments improve the security of their oil supplies and, in the long term, bring oil supply and demand into better alignment. The following policy measures could make a significant contribution to energy security in the region:

1. Initiate joint ventures with oil producers.
2. Improve the efficiency of domestic oil markets.
3. Build up strategic oil stocks.
4. Strengthen regional cooperation.
5. Reduce transportation bottlenecks.
6. Establish a regional oil futures market.

For explanation on these measures, as well as more information about the piece and authors, kindly click here.

Proven oil reserves at the end of 2006 (billions of barrels). Source: BP (2007). Note: Measurements of proven reserves are imprecise, because there is no globally accepted system to certify reserves, and reports from individual companies or countries cannot be verified. Image from East-West Center

Tools for Living Well is a joint project of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and the University of Ottawa, sponsored by Health Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada.

About the Project
Assistive devices can enable seniors and veterans to remain safe and active:

• A cane can allow people to continue to walk and maintain their leisure and fitness.
• Bath safety devices, including grab bars, non-slip bath mats, and bath seats can enhance safety and allow seniors continued independence when bathing or showering.
• Hip protectors can help prevent hip fractures if falls do occur.

Read more »

They have several pamphlets featuring the following:

• Hip Protectors
• Avoid falls while travelling
• Bath Seats
• Grab Bars
• Bath Mats
• Canes
• Have a safe home
• Funding for home modifications for seniors and veterans
• Protect yourself from falls
• Reduce your risk of falls
• Seniors are good for business

Source: Otworks.ca

information based from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/110460/Diosdado-Macapagal-International-Airport-gets-14-daily-flights-to-Thailand

The Philippine Association for Behavioral Analysis invites you to a two-day conference on August 28-29, 2008 at 9am to 4pm at the Institute of Social Order of the Ateneo de Manila University in Loyola Heights , Quezon City, Philippines. The theme for this month’s conference is Autism, ABA and Evidence-Based Practices: A Developmental Pediatrician’s Perspective.

PABA’s main speaker Dr. Linda Copeland M.D., F.A.A.P., B.C.B.A is a Board Certified Developmental Pediatrician & Behavior Analyst, Fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics, and awarded by Families for Early Autism Treatment (FEAT) 2002 Award for Excellence in Services for
Young Children with Autism.

Topics and Speakers

The Withdrawn Child: Is it Autism?
Dr. Linda Copeland

The Big Picture: Creating a Clear Picture of the Future
Anna Luchauco

The Pyramid Approach: Teaching Children with Autism
Maria Rosario Joaquin

There will be a panel discussion after the lectures.

For inquiries please call the PABA Conference Secretariat at (632) 722-0801 or fax (632) 7257610.

information based from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/110460/Diosdado-Macapagal-International-Airport-gets-14-daily-flights-to-Thailand

1st Asia-Pacific Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress

When & Where
9-11 December 2008
Bangkok, Thailand

Theme: “Community-based Inclusive Development: Persons with disabilities and their families”

The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Royal Thai Government welcome you to the 1st Asia-Pacific CBR Congress, 9-11 December 2008, at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok.

This will be the first opportunity for CBR implementers, policy-makers and representatives of disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) from all over the Asia-Pacific region to share the experiences, to form a network and to be updated with the new trends in CBR within the context of the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Click here for more information.

The University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences cordially invites you to its third module of their Certification Course in Manual Therapy. Topic is on the Thoracic Region: Manual Therapy Evaluation and Treatment Techniques.

When & Where
August 31, 2008
8AM to 5PM
Room 209 (Physical Therapy Skills Laboratory), Medicine Building
University of Santo Tomas
Espana, Manila, Philippines

Programme for Module 3
8:00AM – 10:00AM : Biomechanics of the Thorax
10:00AM – 10:20AM: Break
10:00AM -12:00NN : Form and Force Closure of the Thorax
12:00NN-1:00PM : Lunch Break
1:00PM – 3:00PM : Soft Tissue Manipulation of the Thorax
3:00PM - 3:20PM : Break
3:20PM -5:00PM : Thoracic Manipulation

Course Presentors
Valentin C. Dones III, MSPT, PTRP, DMS, COMT
Leomil P. Adriano, MSPTc, PTRP, DMS, PTAc

Registration Fee: Php 2,000 per module

Slots are limited to only 30 per module so early registration is encouraged. For further inquiries, please call (632) 4061611 local 8454/8455 and look for Trina, Janine, Pau or Donald or send an email to k3nalb@gmail.com.

Here is an important announcement from the organizers of the First North Luzon Child Care Development Convention, which will be held on 22 August 2008 in Dagupan, Philippines.

Medialink Events Management after its momentous success in bringing the Information Communication Technology Congress in the region last February will once again launch a new informative and the latest symposium on child care entitled The 1st North Luzon Child Care
Development Convention with the theme “Awareness and Early Detection of Child Developmental Delays for a Healthier Environment” which will be held on the 22nd of August 2008 from 9AM to 5PM at Dagupan Peoples Astrodome. This one-day event has lined up key lectures from doctors, prominent leaders and advocates on early child care development and child behavioral disabilities.

This seminar is highly interactive which will prepare attendees to pursue and maintain global competitiveness in the field of child care development. It explores the current and future directions in
assessing child with behavioral concerns, cognitive and motor delays, causes of behavioral disabilities, promoting awareness on AD/HD and autism cases in the world and the intervention that the community can do for the affected individuals.

This seminar desires to empower the front liners of child care which includes the parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, therapists, health care assistants, social workers, care givers and even school
administrators.

In line with this, we would like to invite you, your faculty and your students’ parents to take a significant part of this event. We assure you that this event will be worth their time and effort.
Your presence will make the event a bigger success. Thank you for your steadfast support. More power and God bless!

Respectfully yours,
Kharmina B. Velasco
Events Chairman
0927-688-8106/ 075-5162114

24-30 August 2008 is Speech Pathology Week in Australia. This year’s theme is: ‘Communication: More than just words’.

Speech Pathology Week will showcase the speech pathology profession and highlight how timely and specialist intervention from a speech pathologist can assist individuals and their families.

What is a Speech Pathologist?

According to Speech Pathology Australia…

A speech pathologist has been trained to assess and treat people who have a communication disability.
Speech pathologists complete a degree at university which encompasses all aspects of communication including speech, writing, reading, signs, symbols and gestures. Speech pathologists also work with people who have difficulties swallowing food and drink. Speech pathologists or speech-language pathologists were formerly known as speech therapists. They are different from speech and drama teachers.

Source: Speech Pathology Australia

When & Where
November 7 & 8, 2008
Boston/Natick, MA
Pre-symposium Workshop - November 6, 2008

“Interweaving the Cognitive Disabilities Model with other Intervention Models”

Program Highlights

Featured Guest Speaker: Joan Toglia, PH.D., OTR

Dr. Toglia is Associate Professor and Program Director of the Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY and a Professional Associate in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical Center. With over 25 years of expertise, Dr. Toglia has published and presented nationally and internationally on perceptual cognitive rehabilitation.

“Looking through a Different Lens: Dynamic Assessment and the Multicontext Treatment Approach”

Dr. Toglia’s presentation will describe the theoretical assumptions, methods and characteristics of dynamic assessment and the multicontext approach with clinical applications and research implications for persons with schizophrenia, dementia and brain injury. Comparisons will be drawn between this approach and the cognitive disability model.

Dr. Toglia’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion comparing the two models and sharing clinical applications that integrate aspects of both approaches.

Additional presentations and posters by OTs, PTs, and SLPs will address the interweaving of other practice and discipline-specific models with the cognitive disabilities model in clinical practice, education, and research in physical rehabilitation, geriatric, mental health contexts.

Click here for more information.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy will be holding the CSP Congress with “Moving physiotherapy forwards for patient health and well-being” as its theme for this year.

When and Where
17-18 October 2008
Manchester Central Convention Complex
Manchester, UK

What is Congress 2008?
This high-profile two-day event showcases the latest best practice, research, educational and professional developments in physiotherapy.

The programme features keynote speakers, a packed programme of lectures, workshops and debates as well as an extensive social programme.

Congress 2008 is structured around four programme strands: musculoskeletal, neurology, cardio-respiratory, and health, work and wellbeing.

For more information, click here.

For therapists who are working (and will be working ) in skilled nursing facilities, you encounter terms such as  Medicare RUG (Resource Utilization Group) level, reference periods, minutes, etc.  OT-Advantage.com has an article titled Capturing Minutes for Occupational Therapy Treatment featuring tips on maximizing time with patients while helping them reach quantitative results.

Capturing Minutes for Occupational Therapy Treatment

If you are an Occupational Therapy practitioner or even a Level II student at a skilled nursing facility, you have probably found it difficult to strike a balance between giving quality treatments in accordance with meeting a Medicare RUG (Resource Utilization Group) level.  Typically, when a patient is admitted to a skilled nursing facility from a hospital, and has Medicare coverage, the MDS coordinator sets reference periods.  If you are new to this area of practice, the reference periods are critical when establishing how many treatment minutes a client can/will receive for Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy. 

To give you a crash course with reference periods, there are different levels a patient can reach, dependent upon their therapy treatment minutes, nursing intervention (i.e., IV antibiotics), and the period of time the patient will be receiving these.  Furthermore, the assessment period becomes Medicare’s crystal ball.  They have preset reimbursement rates, given the set criteria.  For example, if the patient is receiving 150 minutes of therapy a day during a reference period, Medicare will reimburse accordingly.  If a patient is receiving 30 minutes of therapy combined (OT/PT/SLP) and IV antibiotics, Medicare will reimburse according to the designated RUG level as well.  Generally speaking, the more therapy treatment time the greater the reimbursement.

What becomes even more tricky is coordinating a patient’s medical status (e.g., patient is nauseated and cannot participate with therapy on the day of admit), the amount of time Occupational/Physical/Speech Therapy has to evaluate and treat the patient upon admission (evaluation minutes do not count), nursing assessment (e.g., wound care or IV antibiotics), and how all of this can be combined to determine a patient’s RUG level.  Usually, the MDS Coordinator and Rehabilitation Coordinator work together when setting assessment dates and the treating therapists assist in carrying out the plan. 

Now that you have a small background on what happens when a patient is admitted to a skilled nursing facility, it is time to tap into a frustrating area for Occupational Therapy practitioners.  Many times OT clinicians feel the pressure to see patients for 75 minutes of therapy a day, from their rehabilitation managers.  Rightfully, the patient’s Medicare coverage is paying your facility based on the reference period RUG level for the patient’s stay.  This is the key reason you cannot see a patient for 75 minutes a day during a reference period and then immediately taper them down to 30 minute treatment sessions a day.  This is a fraudulent act.  The reason being, the crystal ball that I previously mentioned, Medicare wants assessment periods set to pay for future dates of therapy.  If a patient was seen for 30 minutes a day by Occupational and Physical Therapy combined during a reference period, Medicare will pay that designated RUG amount for X amount of future days.

Read more »

Source: OT-Advantage.com

While reading online resources about the peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (the blog entries of Manolo Quezon and peace advocate Fr. Jun Mercado are particularly engaging), I am viewing some Youtube clips of old Bioman episodes.

I just realized that after more than 15 years, I still can’t get over with the death of Kc, the original Yellow 4.

From Youtube user bampam69:

It’s a good thing that Jun, who became the new Yellow 4, was as skilled as Kc.

Some Youtube commenters say that the new Yellow 4 is even better than the old one, especially when matched against Jun’s old rival, Farrahcat. Speaking of Farrahcat, do you know that the actress who played Farrahcat, Yukari Oshima, is Cynthia Luster?

Taken from Youtube user cscentrITV:

The episodes also remind me of the group project we did for visual literacy class under Prof. Isabel Kenny, about the gendered realities of news–how stereotypes of women are portrayed in the news. I still adore Bioman that’s for sure. But come to think of it, how come many–if not all–Super Sentai shows have male characters as lead? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall any Super Sentai show with female character as a lead. Is it because men are seen as better leaders than women? And that women are still seen as mere secondary leads, sidekicks, or love interests?

And what about the colors? How come female characters in Super Sentai shows typically have
yellow and pink as uniforms while the male ones usually have red, green, blue, or black uniforms?

(Bioman photo from http://www.supersentai.com)

There is new information for candidates who wish to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination in 2009.

OTR Examination:
Beginning January 2009, the OTR certification examination will consist of three (3) Simulation Test Items and 170 Multiple Choice Test Items.

COTA Examination:
The COTA examinations will continue to contain 200 multiple?choice items only.

Both the OTR and COTA examinations will remain 4 hours in duration.

To read more on this, click here.

Quoted below is an excerpt of the latest news by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).  A survey has revealed that there have been an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years.  The lack of “tummy time” was noted to be the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

LACK OF TIME ON TUMMY SHOWN TO HINDER ACHIEVEMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES, SAY PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
APTA Recommendations In Line with National Survey Findings

ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 6, 2008 — The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging parents and caregivers to ensure that babies get enough “tummy time” throughout the day while they are awake and supervised, in light of a recent survey of therapists who say they’ve noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much time on their backs while awake.

In the national survey of 400 pediatric physical and occupational therapists, conducted on behalf of Pathways Awareness, a non-profit group dedicated to early detection of motor delays in children, two-thirds of those surveyed say they’ve seen an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years. The survey was conducted with the assistance of APTA’s Section on Pediatrics and the Neuro-Development Treatment Association (NDTA).

Those physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that the lack of “tummy time,” or the amount of time infants spend lying on their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

APTA spokesperson Judy Towne Jennings, PT, MA, a physical therapist and researcher from Fairfield, Ohio, said, “We have seen first-hand what the lack of tummy time can mean for a baby: developmental, cognitive, and organizational skills delays, eye-tracking problems, and behavioral issues, to name just some complications.” She added, “New parents are told of the importance of babies sleeping on their backs to avoid SIDS, but they are not always informed about the importance of tummy time.”

Jennings explains that because new parents now use car seats that also serve as infant carriers - many of which fasten directly into strollers and swings without having to remove the baby from the seat — this generation of babies spends prolonged periods of time in one position. She recommends that awake babies be placed in a variety of positions, including on their tummies, as soon as they return home from the hospital. “Ideally, babies should be placed on their tummies after every nap, diaper change and feeding, starting with 1-2 minutes,” she said. Jennings is co-author of the research, “Conveying the Message about Optimal Infant Positions,” Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, Volume 25, Number 3, 2005.

Read more »

Whew. I’m back blogging. I just hope I would be able to blog on a more frequent basis this time.

Anyway, ANC’s Media in Focus tackled last night the rampant practice of plagiarism in journalism, basing on the story I did for the the May-June 2008 issue of the PJR Reports. I was invited to be a guest for the episode, but because I had a class on visual literacy under Prof. Isabel Kenny that time (more on my MA Journalism classes at the Ateneo de Manila University in future posts), I declined and referred other people as guests instead.

In case you have not read this, here’s my story on plagiarism.

Plagiarists
The Vampire Chroniclers
by Hector Bryant L. Macale
May-June 2008
PJR Reports

In the age of Web 2.0, when computers and the Internet have become necessary research and writing tools for reporters, any one can plagiarize by using online search and copy-and-paste technology. But this convenience is a double edged sword: the same tools can also be used to detect plagiarism.

Investigative journalist Alecks Pabico found that out one Sunday. Since he had been writing about the generics drug law for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Pabico kept himself updated on the issue through Google Alerts. A useful tool that journalists can use to monitor issues, Google Alerts can send anyone information on whatever topic s/he wants through e-mail.

Click here for more. Or better yet, read the same article posted on the Eye on Ethics blog. The blog carries the two sidebars of the article, unlike the PJR Reports site which only carried the sidebar on tips regarding plagiarism.

Not only does the Eye on Ethics blog carry the two sidebars (one on the tips and the other views by journalists and media educators on the articles in question). More importantly, it carries the links of the articles so you can compare the articles for yourself and decide whether they were actually plagiarized.

Here’s how Eye on Ethics continued my two paragraphs above:

“One item from Google Alerts caught Pabico’s attention: a special report on the issue from The Manila Times posted online that same day, Feb. 3. He was surprised that the Times report contained sentences and quotes that were eerily familiar. Pabico found that the Times report as well as an accompanying story had lifted several portions of a story he did on the generics law almost two years ago. The stories contained several paragraphs nearly identical with portions of Pabico’s September 2006 report. Even several of the quotes in his story two years ago were in the Times stories.”

One colleague told me that the article has provoked some discussions in the press community regarding plagiarism. Some mass communication students were also asking my views regarding the subject. I think the article just shows that, despite the existence of rules against plagiarism in the Journalist’s Code of Ethics and newsroom ethics manuals, there is not enough discussion within the press on what constitutes plagiarism and how news organizations sanction journalists guilty of plagiarizing.

In this age of Web 2.0, when tons of information are available online and copy-and-paste technology is a common practice not just by journalists but other people as well, the issue of plagiarism in journalism needs to be revisited, Philippine Daily Inquirer lifestyle sub-editor Lito Zulueta tells me in an interview while doing the story. The newsroom guidelines regarding plagiarism were created before the advent of Internet, Zulueta says.

Some comments on the plagiarism story posted on Eye on Ethics are very interesting. “Beautiful article,” writes Eliza, a journalism graduate who dabbles in fiction writing. “This article shows that apparently there is no such thing as a ‘one-time plagiarist’. Investigations into cases like these should be done as thoroughly as possible.”

Another reader, Frank, asks: “It’s been consciously taught in the classrooms that plagiarism is and will not be tolerated. How about in the newsrooms, when everyday, editors and reporters alike are faced with deadlines? Do newrooms teach this?” PJR Reports editor Luis Teodoro replies: “They used to. But I seriously doubt if it happens on a regular basis nowadays, among other reasons because the new technologies have reduced opportunities for personal interaction–i.e., reporters send in their stories via fax or e-mail and in many cases don’t have the opportunity to interact with editors.”

UP journalism professor and Philippine Journalism Review managing editor Danilo Arao and Asahi Shimbun reporter Anthony Ian “Tonyo” Cruz, whom I interviewed for the story, also posted the story on their blogs (Prof. Arao’s entry here, Tonyo’s here). When the Media in Focus’s guest coordinator asked for my help on who to guest for the episode last night, I recommended Sir Luis, Prof. Arao, and Tonyo. Thank God they all decided to appear on the “Word Theft” episode.

The hour-long episode was very engaging not only because I wrote the story. More importantly, plagiarism is an issue that strikes at the heart of the ethical values we hold dear in journalism: truth-telling. If we journalists cannot uphold the value of truth-telling when we report, how can we claim credibility and integrity? How can we gain the trust and loyalty of the citizens? How can we claim that we are doing a great service to the public, whom we are supposed to serve? Doesn’t journalism exist, as Kovach and Rosenstiel clearly elucidated in their definitive book Elements of Journalism, to provide the public accurate, honest, and comprehensive information on issues they need to know in order to effectively self-govern?

Plagiarism, of course, is not a problem endemic only to journalism. How many times have we heard from the academe horror stories of students, from high school to postgraduate levels, submitting papers and projects plagiarized, some even completely sourced from–gasp!–Wikipedia?

Anyway, I feel that the hour-long Media in Focus episode was still not enough to comprehensively discuss various issues related to plagiarism–although Sir Luis, Prof. Arao, and Tonyo adequately explained some of the core issues, including the element of deception when someone copies a quote, sentence, or paragraph without proper attribution. The Media in Focus episode also happened when there were questions of alleged plagiarism over a piece written by a local lifestyle columnist (more on this case a bit later).

At a time when the role of traditional journalism in today’s world is being questioned–some even predicting the eventual demise of mainstream media–journalists should prove why society still needs them. “I know full well how hard it is to defend traditional journalism today. The right and the left join in a critique that says there is no such thing as an unbiased, nonpartisan journalist and that only the despicable MSM, mainstream media, refuse to admit it. The failures of established news organizations justifiably lead to public skepticism,” writes American journalist and educator Samuel Freedman (the link of which I got from my media ethics class under Prof. Chay Hofileña). “When we fall short of our own professional standards, we lend support to the cynical or naïve presumption that journalism is something anybody can do.”

(Photo above from http://www.pandemiclabs.com)

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), Inc. will be holding it’s 14th Annual State Regulatory Conference with “The State of Continuing Competency” as its theme.

This year’s conference features speakers covering a variety of topics, including:
• Effective Rule Writing
• Renewal Requirements for Professional Licensure and Certification
• The Central Principle of Balance in Health Care Regulation
• A Multi-Faceted Approach to Continuing Competency and Competency Assessment
• Top Recent Regulatory Cases
• Challenges to the Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice
• NBCOT Overview: A Statistical and Content Update

When & Where
Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

For more information, you may download the conference brochure here.