Philippine News
FEBRUARY 28, 2014 FRIDAY 8
E-mail of skater’s mom seeking help ended up as spam? BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer
“The possibility offered was that it went to the spam [folder].” Junk mailbox
AN E-MAIL seeking financial assistance for Michael Christian Martinez, the country’s first athlete in the Winter Olympics’ figure skating competition, might have ended up in Malacañang’s virtual trash bin or spam folder. At least, that’s the reason offered by Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, whose Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) handles the e-mail address, op@president.gov.ph. Coloma claimed his office did not receive the e-mail sent to that address by the mother of Martinez, who drew praises for his inspiring story and strong finish at the XXII OlympicWinter Games being held in Sochi, Russia. In a newspaper report, Martinez’s mother, Maria Teresa, sought assistance in the e-mail on how President Aquino could be told about her 17-year-old son’s upcoming stint at the Olympics. The same message was purportedly sent to “three other officials of the Philippine News Agency” based on e-mail addresses in the government website. Backed by private donors, Martinez went on to place 19th among 34 contestants, garnering a cumulative score of 184.25 points. “I verified with my staff in charge of the website and according to the report, that email message was not received,” Coloma told reporters in Filipino.
PC Magazine Encyclopedia defines the spam folder as “the location for storing unwanted e-mail as determined by a spam filter.” A spam folder is also called a “junk folder” or “junk mailbox.” “Spam folders are created by mail servers as well as by the user’s e-mail program. In some mail programs, the messages in the spam folder can be sorted and viewed by the spam filter’s rating, which is a percentage of confidence that the message is junk,” PC Magazine Encyclopedia said. It, however, said that “messages with lower ratings, such as below 50 percent, can be reviewed more carefully to be sure they are not legitimate.” Coloma said his staff, “by protocol,” would not touch messages in the spam folder “because they have implications in the security of the entire website.” The PCOO is described in its website as the “lead communications arm of the government and a vehicle of understanding for a well-informed and enlightened citizenry.” One of its two missions is “to serve as a tool for informing, educating, enlightening the citizenry about matters of national importance for inspiring the citizenry to deepen their civic engagement.” Daily monitoring
Coloma said his staff checked the e-mail “every day” and referred concerns to appropriate government agencies for “specific action.”
Michael Christian Martinez, ranked fifth in the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, was the first skater ever to represent the Philippines in the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. PHOTO FROM MICHAEL CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
Asked what the government usually did with sent e-mails, he said: “I believe there’s an acknowledgment and updating process regarding this.” Seeking to put the issue behind, Coloma said: “Even then, we’re not technical in our approach here.” “The whole country knows, the whole world knows how good Mr. Michael Martinez is,” he said. “There’s a ground swell of support, which, as we have previously stated, we hope will generate enough momentum for him to qualify for the next Olympics.” “Even if he’s still young, he’s good, and he has a big potential to become an Olympic medalist,” he said. “In a sport that is not popular here, he has natural skill and ability that can earn more honor for the country.” House resolution
Lawmakers also heaped praises on Martinez but added
that he deserved support from the national government. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman Jr., one of the lawmakers who filed a resolution commending Martinez for his achievement, said he was saddened by stories of the struggle of the skater’s family to finance his dream of competing in the Olympics. “I believe, more than felicitations, he deserves the government’s full support in succeeding forays. It is disheartening to hear about his family’s financial sacrifices, just to fund his training for theWinter Games campaign,” Lagman said in a statement. He noted that the private sector had come through for Martinez by giving him financial support, but he said the government should not rely on the private sector to help its talented athletes. “The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) must be the primary and biggest source
of funding for developing and championing our athletes. It is the PSC’s duty and mandate to fund and support promising athletes like Michael Christian Martinez,” he said. He said the PSC should understand that it was in a position to support the country’s resurgence in sports since its athletes have been making waves. In the resolution, Lagman commended Martinez’s achievement given that he grew up in a tropical country and practiced his skill in a shopping mall’s skating rink. Despite the limitations, including the prohibitive cost of training, he went on to earn medals, the lawmaker said. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said he hoped for more future success for Martinez. ■ With a report from Leila B. Salaverria
US admiral says China’s 9-dash line not valid BY NIKKO DIZON AND TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer CHINA’S SO-CALLED ninedash line, which encompasses around 90 percent of the South China Sea, including Philippine territories, has even the commander of the United States Navy baffled. “I don’t understand (its)
foundation. It’s almost like I woke up one day and somebody said, ‘so what is that, that’s the nine-dash line…I (ask) what’s the nine-dash line and that’s about all that it is, a nine-dash line,” said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the US Chief of Naval Operations, in a forum last week at the National Defense College of the Philippines. Greenert was in the country on a four-day official visit,
which included a meeting with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Philippine military officials. Greenert said China’s Ushaped nine-dash line on its ancient maps that claims most of the South China Sea—a major international shipping route— was not based on any international laws or agreements. He echoed the Feb. 5 statement of Assistant Secretary of State www.canadianinquirer.net
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny Russel to the US House committee on foreign affairs that China’s nine-dash line was not based on international law. It was the strongest statement yet the US had made against the controversial Chinese claim. “We look at it and, fine, that is interesting,” said Greenert. “It doesn’t appear to have a relevant foundation that we
describe geography, international agreements, international norms, international policy that we can base it on. So we just look at it with a sort of interest right now,” Greenert said. At the forum, Greenert also said the US would help the Philippines, as provided for under treaties between the two countries, should China forcibly take over the island of Pagasa in the Kalayaan island group. ■