Hello?!?… Department of Tourism Folks, WHERE ARE THE ANSWERS TO MY SIMPLE QUESTIONS POSED 17 DAYS AGO???

After, I first wrote this post, regarding the possible plagiarism of a marketmanila post, I wrote Secretary Jimenez and several undersecretaries at the Department of Tourism. The Secretary, a day or two later, apparently issued a memo to DOT emplouyees to remind them to ensure that they do not plagiarize materials. I also received an email from the Secretary’s Chief of Staff, Atty. Kaw which I published in my second post on the matter.

I was more than happy to wait a reasonable interval for a proper and comprehensive response, but wrote this follow-up post after a member of the DOT staff was quoted in by GMA News appearing to make light of the matter soon after I published my first post.

After waiting patiently for a week, more than enough time to get to “the bottom of things” and answer the questions I had posed… I sent Atty. Kaw this email on November 9, 2011:

“Dear Atty. Kaw,

A full week has passed since I first emailed regarding the issue of a possible plagiarized article.

Surely that would have been sufficient time to locate the outside contractor, supplier, and identify the writer and get to the bottom of the issue.

Please let me know what the status of the inquiry is so we can put the issue to rest, after all stealing is stealing, EVEN if the stolen item is eventually returned. And in this case, the stolen article was merely taken down after two+ years on the net.

Thank you.

(Marketman)”

I received this reply from Atty. Kaw on the same day, 9 November 2011:

“Dear (Marketman):

Thank you for the reminder below. Was really intending to email you our findings, but urgent work and pressing commitements have unfortunately eaten up my time. Just to share with you, we’ll be having the meetings of the Tourism Congress, an organization of industry stakeholders that we have been trying to unite the last 2-3 months since the Secretary and I assumed office last September. The meetings will be this Thursday and Friday and their unity is crucial to the future of tourism in our country.

In any case, I have already received reports from the previously contracted web administrator and from our own IT team. Will be sharing with you the content of those reports. With your kind indulgence, please give me until on or before Friday to email you my findings.

As always, thank you for your patience and kind understanding.

Best regards,
Eugene Kaw
—–
Atty.EUGENE T. KAW
Sent from my BlackBerry® via Globe”

The only reasonable interpretation of this email is that a response was forthcoming “on or before Friday” or November 11, 2011, two days later. He claimed to already have all of the information necessary in order to formulate the Department’s reply, but was busy on other more important business.

Well, Friday, November 11 came and went, so did the 12th, the 13th, the 14th and so on until the end of business today, the 18th or a full week later, and still there is no answer. Ridiculous. It’s bad enough the questions of plagiarism are rather simple — in other words, did someone STEAL or NOT STEAL materials from marketmanila, and did the DOT publish those materials publicly and left them up AVAILABLE to the PUBLIC for several years among other basic questions… I realize in the scheme of things this is a minor issue. But stealing is stealing. And at least have the balls to admit if that was indeed the case.

And in the news today… Secretary Jimenez is reported as thinking the key to increasing tourist arrivals and “changing the game” is simply to use the social networking sites and the fabulously warm and generous Filipino demeanor, spirit and hospitality (yup, let’s not highlight inadequate infrastructure, high hotel rates, lack of rooms in the right places, petty theft and scams, pathetic airports and gateways, expensive transportation, whole regions that are blacklisted by foreign governments, unsafe tourist buses, taxis and interisland ferries, etc., etc.)??? If I have time tomorrow before a lengthy journey, I may write a post on my personal opinions with respect to that. In the meantime, can I just have some answers to my questions, please?

P.S. In the last few weeks, Marketman/Zubuchon has been magnanimous regardless of the current unanswered questions. First, in a request from the DOT to host a visiting Taiwanese television program who sent several celebrities and crew to film lechons roasting for a travel segment to be televised in Taiwan, Hong Kong & Southern China, we agreed to what was supposed to be a quick visit to our production facilities. An hour or two turned into 4-5 hours of filming, disrupting our normal operations, AND since they were still around by lunchtime, we hosted them for lunch at one of our restaurants where they continued to film and EAT.

Several days later, at the DOT Visayas Head’s request, I agreed to meet with her and staff for lunch, also at Zubuchon, and while she proferred apologies for the plagiarism issue, we mostly spent lunch brainstorming ideas for how to improve tourism in Cebu and the Visayas, a pleasant exchange.

Then several days later, at the request of DOT Manila, we were again asked to host visiting American guests from Tennessee who wanted to see lechons roasting (for a special event in May in Tennessee where they are having a Filipino festival) for which Mrs. MM spent a lunch and some time touring the group. They also ate at Zubuchon.

So you see, I DO KNOW HOW TO DO MY PART TO PROMOTE our wonderful country and am happy to do so. Now if only our bureaucrats figured out how not to screw that up… TSK. TSK.

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45 Responses

  1. And we wonder why our country is in deep sh*t??? If government agencies with resources can hardly ‘solve’ a pretty straightforward case, how can it even hope to solve our massive economic problems? I feel sad that integrity is not given importance at the DOT… I take back what i said that Sec Jimenez was an inspired choice…

  2. Congratulations to you and Mrs MM for doing your best to promote the Philippines. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if MM had been the Secretary of Tourism instead? There will surely be a lot of heads rolling but at least things will get done. I think it’s the toughest job to head the Tourism post in the Philippines. While Sec Jimenez may have the heart and mind to promote the country, but if the people around him are not doing their darnedest to be honest, efficient, competent, then the Philippines will continue to be the “kulelat” in the Southeast Asian region.

  3. Ive been an avid follower of this blog and i always loved your articles about food, but this rant about the same issue is getting too old. I know from the past that you have never been petty and vindictive, even magnanimous in all your previous (mild) rantings. It makes me wonder if your recent(media) recognition as the premier food blogger in the country has gotten to your head. The way i see it, this ongoing rant is bordering on petulance, like a spoiled brat lashing out for more attention. The DOT has given you your due apologies, no less than the secretary has acknowledged their fault over national media, what more do you ask for? Please….enough of this now….for everyone of your fan’s sake….. And lets get back to regular programming.

  4. tess, you are entitled to your opinion. And if the issue seems “old” to you, simply skip the posts on it, or simply find another blog to read. But in MY opinion, the questions have NOT been answered. Who was the writer who copied the article, who was the outside firm that worked with the DOT, why was the page up for several years and what are they going to do about it??? Apologizing for inconvenience does not explain and make up for intellectual theft. And it was the DOT that had the last communication promising a full explanation, which they did not send by the promised date. I merely seek the conclusion to the issue, as I have for several of my rants in the past like airline, real estate, banking, photo-napping, plagiarism ones, etc. The good press for ZUBUCHON that I recently wrote about has nothing to do with it. If you have read this blog for several years, you would have known that the blog was already “in the press” with nearly a full page article with colored photos in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on April 14, 2005, less than 6 months after I wrote my first post, and with less than 100 posts total on the blog. It has, fortunately, continued to garner good press coverage, despite my never wanting to go public nor promote my own name. I have NEVER made a single centavo from this blog in the form of advertising, endorsements, product placements, etc. hence it is ridiculous to think that the press coverage has any influence on what I write about. Perhaps it would do you well to read some of my “full on rants”, not just the “mild rants” to see exactly what I am getting at. And thus far, NOT A SINGLE RANT has ever been taken down, withdrawn or dramatically altered because it was found to be factually incorrect.

    Furthermore, you may wish to read this 6 year old post warning folks against copyright infringement, which is something that I have been vocal about for years, well before the frequent episodes of plagiarism in the local press came to light, or folks stealing content for their speeches, or justices copying legal work for their decisions, etc. And finally, this is my blog, so please DO NOT presume to tell me (nor speak for “everyone [sic] of your fan’s [sic] sake”) when to get back to “regular programming”… there is more than enough in my archives regarding FOOD to keep you busy as I sincerely doubt you have read nearly 2,800+ posts on the matter. But rants are a SUB-CATEGORY of this blog and always have been. So if I were you, and didn’t like rants, then just skip them. Just as I am free to write what I would like to write about, you are free to ignore it. Simple as that.

    BUT, if you had any INTEGRITY at all, to back up your expressed opinions in your comment above, perhaps you wouldn’t have left a spurious email address (iamabitchfrombhills@yahoo.com) and probably not your real name (most commenters don’t volunteer their last names) along with your comment. I allowed the comment in, specifically to respond to it. At first I thought beverlyhills, what Antipolo? or Hollywood? but Benguet??? :)

  5. Thanks Mr. MM for standing up for your rights. By invoking the ‘di na bale’ and ‘hayaan mo na’ attitude, we allow subsequent chipping away of our consumer & ‘producer’ rights (‘human rights’ are a bit extreme in this case, and too PC). The stories are too many and the results tragically translate to why we put up with the kind of government we have.

    In a tangential topic, there’s an ongoing search for the Ultimate Pinoy Blogger from Sooo Pinoy (check Facebook). Your readers see you as the de-facto UPB, but you will probably not sign up for this. Can we then ask permission to sign up on your behalf?

    Good luck on the fight. The govt has tangled with the wrong man! Sec. Jimenez, be our guest! ;-)

  6. hiddendragon, hahaha, I must be one of the last dinosaurs without a facebook. As for Sooo Pinoy, I think it was a promotion of Unilever (folks, correct this if I am mistaken) and the Tourism Department and in many of the top dishes they featured, they used shortcut stuff like mixes, msg laden flavorings, etc. I thought it was offensive at the time, to suggest that the best food we had to offer was the stuff that HAD to incorporate the shortcuts rather than do it the proper way… However, I have NOTHING against commercial mixes, etc. and feel folks have every right to use them. It’s just sad that when you promote your own cuisine, you don’t do it by offering the most genuine, honest, flavorful, real, local version of the dish. If you look at the top dishes in that promotion, they closely mirror the dishes in the Top 10 list that I featured on this blog many years ago. So in a nutshell, no, I don’t think marketmanila would like to be listed as an ultimate blogger in that particular contest… But thanks for asking. :)

    For example, in their version of chicken inasal, use knorr liquid seasoning, see recipe here. Or for Crispy Pata, use Knorr Oyster Sauce, recipe here. Or for sinigang, Knorr Tamarind Soup Base, recipe here. And so on for seven more dishes. So you get the drift. Not my schtick. And how sad that these are the kind of recipes that we promote instead of using real tamarind, etc. Where are all the food preservationists and purists in the country? Why haven’t any of them spoken up???. Is this where we see our cuisine in a few years time, totally dependent on packaged and msg laden shortcuts to flavor? Bummer.

  7. OMG another fishpan award candidate. Just want to say ” she”(Tess Aguirre) or whoever she might be, doesn’t speak for me. I personally would like to know too the answers to your simple questions. And i think we are on regular programming.

  8. A snippet of the post is seen on the home page, you may or may not choose to read it if you find the topic “old”. Pure common sense.

    I don’t comment that often when it comes to food posts (i’m too busy salivating or researching about the featured food/resto), but plagiarism and copyright violation happen to be my top most pet peeves. I don’t know, I just find it really irritating that people would just be nonchalant about this sort of thing. Remember that it is still a form of theft/stealing. This attitude about letting people steal your ideas is much like how we’re OK with corrupt government officials thieving their way into the country’s resources. Do we really accept these things as a norm? Maybe that’s the reason why we are still in a constant rut whatever administration we’re in. Thieves go thriving because people are so “mahabaging loob” and never get to successfully persecute offenders just because the story gets old overtime.

    Keep doing what you’re doing MM! :)

  9. @tess aguirre – SHUT UP! you are not speaking for us regular readers of marketmanila.
    you don’t like what’s posted, get out and go somewhere else. it’s a free world.

  10. hi MM! this was my comment for and from your post of 17 days ago …
    i’m opting to post the same.

    PITS, MANILA says:

    SORRY, MM … I AM AMUSED! THIS REMINDS ME OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE WITH MATERIALS PULLED FROM THAT PLACE IN RECTO. THEY HAVE TO PAY PEOPLE TO DO THEIR WORK, AND CLAIM THE WORK TO BE THEIR OWN …

    MESSAGE TO TRINADELRO: HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO TALK ABOUT FILIPINO FOOD? EVEN IF YOU DON’T COOK, THERE’S BOUND TO BE THINGS YOU CAN SAY ABOUT THEM …

  11. @ tess aguirre … hi! i would like to know as much as MM wants to know. hopefully, he’ll get the answers, and soon!

  12. She? or maybe a He? have the guts to tell you what to do!! i basically go to your blogs for floral arrangements to get inspired,Recipe to cook what i miss most back home,travels to places that you been ,quite a few times..i have traveled to places, that you inspired me to go..all in all.. things i learned ..i have enough educations,,to know what its in for me on this blog..i benefited on this site without costing me a penny..You have a lot of following due to the facts that you are for real!! if I don’t like to read any specific topic ,i omit them. Whoever you are T.A. you choices are yours.Jealous? Now if there is a rant and roll, i go for that too..because I LOVE MM detailed explanations:):)

  13. Dear Mr. (Marketman):

    Please be informed that I’ve already sent you an email last Nov. 11 as committed to you. For your benefit and the benefit of your readers, allow me to reproduce below my email to you with the date and time stamp of November 11, 2011 / 9:59 PM. I resent it this morning in case you didn’t get the same last November 11. It was sent to your xxxx@xxxxxx.com.

    May I also take this opportunity to appeal to you and your readers not to make hasty generalizations. We hope that the explanation that I emailed and re-emailed to you will shed light on the matter at hand.

    Again, as indicated below and in my email to you, we would be more than happy to discuss this matter with you in person if you wish.

    For your info and reference.

    Thanks.

    Atty. Eugene T. Kaw
    Assistant Secretary & Chief of Staff
    Office of the Secretary
    Department of Tourism

    ———- Forwarded message ———-
    From: Eugene Kaw
    Date: Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 9:59 PM
    Subject: DOT Findings on the Alleged Plagiarism of Mr. xxxxxxxxxx Online Article on the DOT Website
    To: xxxxx@xxxxxx.com
    Cc: “Sec. Mon Jimenez” , “Asec. Benito C. Bengzon Jr.” , rcanizal@tourism.gov.ph, ren.sapitan.dot@gmail.com, Eugene Kaw

    11 November 2011

    MR. (MARKETMAN)
    http://www.marketmanila.com

    Dear Mr. (Marketman):

    Pursuant to the instructions below of the Tourism Secretary, and as committed to you, this is to provide you with our findings on the alleged plagiarism of your online article that was unfortunately and inadvertently associated with the website of the Department of Tourism (DOT) during its test and trial run some 3 years ago, and not during the present time.

    “Trinadelro”

    At the outset, this is to clearly state for the record that, upon careful and exhaustive check with DOT’s Administration and Personnel Division, there is no person in DOT by the name of “Katrina del Rosario” (Note: As named in your blog by some online commentators) or “Trinadelro,” either past or present, and whether as regular, temporary, contractual, or casual employee. Such person is likewise not connected with any of the DOT’s attached agencies.

    Immediate Directive from Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez

    It may also please you to know that because of this incident, and apart from his directive below, Secretary Mon Jimenez immediately issued a directive reminding all DOT personnel against the offense and crime of Plagiarism, which is essentially “Copyright Infringement” under Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise known as the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines” and to always be circumspect and exercise due diligence in the drafting or writing of DOT articles, communications, write-ups, and the like, either in the internet or in hard copy, to ensure that all written materials coming from or identified with the DOT are originally written and/or they contain proper citation or attribution of sources.

    On the Alleged Plagiarism

    On the alleged plagiarism of your online article, we wish to respectfully inform you that the alleged plagiarized article and feature that was inadvertently associated with the DOT website during its test and trial run has been removed and deleted some 3 years ago, when the website was turned over to the DOT by Soluziona, Inc (now Indra) — DOT’s web developer then — for regular maintenance and administration, after the project was completed.

    Based on the report from our Information Technology Division (ITD), the said article, feature and webpage was suggested and provided by Indra during the preparation and initial test runs for the new design of the DOT’s website. Upon the turnover of the website to DOT for its review, DOT deemed it necessary and prudent to delete the supposed article of “trinadelro,” along with other articles, precisely because some of the articles that were suggested or provided did not have proper or complete attribution or citation of sources.

    Accordingly, in the final version of the website in early 2009, the ITD removed such particular page in the menu on “Plan a trip/What to do.” Unfortunately and inadvertently, however, despite its deletion, the particular page remained in the web server, which has enabled those who have kept and maintained the old web link to the article to continually view it, and also became viewable or searchable to the online community. Thus, it would appear to them that the same is still on the DOT website as a feature. To date, the ITD had already permanently removed the file from the web server so that the same article will no longer be mistakenly associated with the DOT.

    Explanation of the Former DOT Website Developer

    Moreover, and as part of our investigation, our ITD staff closely coordinated with Indra to determine the identity of “trinadelro” so that the appropriate action can be undertaken. Indra provided the following explanation, which in part stated that:

    “The article in question was used by our development team as part of format testing of the DOT website. It was picked up as a sample article from the internet. Assuming that the article was in order, our development team in fact followed proper attribution by recognizing the article’s purported author “trinadelro.” The team was unaware that the article had apparently been plagiarized from Marketman’s article.

    We categorically declare that said author “trinadelro” is neither a current nor past employee of Indra. We further declare that we have no existing connection with this individual.”

    For your reference, please find attached herewith a copy of the letter dated 4 November 2011 of Mr. Rain See, Indra’s Public Administration Market Head, to our Director Rolando Canizal of the Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research, and Information Management. Considering, however, that the letter of Mr. See to Director Canizal is private communication, may we respectfully request that the same be not shared publicly, online or otherwise, as the same is not a public document.

    Conclusion

    Inasmuch as we would have wanted to assist you in pursuing punitive measures against this “trinadelro” for the alleged plagiarism of your article, such person is and was not and never connected with the DOT. Additionally, we are also unable to determine the person’s identity with exactitude through the pseudo name “trinadelro” alone.

    In closing, allow me to categorically and unequivocally state that the alleged plagiarism of your article did not come from the DOT or any of our staff and personnel. Kindly also allow me to clarify and reiterate that notwithstanding the fact that the inadvertent association of the DOT with the alleged plagiarized article was discovered only recently, the same was done or committed some 3 years ago, and not during the present term of Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez.

    Be that as it may, we regret that the same was even unfortunately and inadvertently associated with the DOT. For that reason, we would like to convey our sincerest apologies for whatever inconvenience that DOT’s inadvertent association with the alleged plagiarism of your online article may have caused, especially as we are unable to find or determine the culprit. Those notwithstanding, we shall continue with our efforts on helping you find out the real identity of this “trinadelro” and/or locating him or her. Should we be able to determine his or her identity or discover his or her whereabouts, we shall let you know immediately and without delay.

    We trust that you will find the foregoing findings sufficient and in order. Should you have any question or clarification on the foregoing, we would be more than happy to discuss the same with you in person.

    We wish you well and continued success in your blogs. We hope that despite this unfortunate experience, you will continue to write about our beautiful country.

    Thank you and best regards.

    Very truly yours,

    Atty. EUGENE T. KAW
    Assistant Secretary & Chief of Staff
    Office of the Secretary
    Department of Tourism
    T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita Manila
    —————————————————
    Privacy and Confidentiality Notice: This communication and any attachment herein are intended to be confidential, protected by the Philippine Constitution and Civil Code of the Philippines as private communication & correspondence, subject to intellectual property laws, and for the exclusive use of the addressee. If you’re not the addressee, you’re notified that disclosure, retention, dissemination, copying, alteration and distribution of this communication and/or any attachment, or any part thereof or information therein, are strictly prohibited. If you receive this communication and any attachments in error, kindly notify the sender by telephone, fax or e-mail, and delete this communication and all attachments immediately and return to the sender all hard copies. Any opinion or statement contained in this e-mail is solely that of the author and subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of Tourism. Thank you.
    ——————————————–

  14. I guess DOT did they are good at “outsourcing”.
    Imagine na lang if the same DOT guys who did the website also made lechon for the american tourists

  15. I will be commenting on Atty. Kaw’s response in an upcoming post. And no, I did not receive the email sent last November 11, 2011 at 9:59pm, nor was it anywhere to be found in my spam folder. I did, however, receive the email this morning, to the same email address as the one used last November 11, 2011. I appreciate the response, but it leaves more questions than answers…

  16. Hay MM, i think they (dot) will not admit any liability or mistake.. Goodness, they do not even know who they are outsourcing the work to?! I think that is the curse we pinoys have, to contend with inefficient government service..

  17. @DOT, what a pathetic alibi. That “resent” email is an amateurish and stupid ploy. As Alice would say: “curiouser and curiouser!”

  18. Atty. Kaw:

    Your third line, first paragraph should read “I re-sent…” instead of “I resent…”.
    Second line of your conclusion should read “pseudonym” not “pseudo name”.

    Carelessness in the use of digital communication is at the heart of this issue.

  19. lee, hahaha. I actually burst out laughing after reading that! Papa Ethan, I should contract you to proofread my fairly abominable grammar and spelling as well… :)

  20. Oh, why did the comment of tess aguirre sadden me???? now i really feel sorry for us pinoys…

    and what can i say about atty kaw’s reply? ah, so tragic that we have people in the government that do not understand the real meaning of integrity, theft, intellectual corruption… and the list goes on…

  21. Is it just me but does it sound like paghuhugas kamay? To summarize: we outsourced it so it’s not our fault.
    I also think that his claim that an email was sent last Nov 11 was BS. He probably just edited the timestamp when he pasted it here in your comments section.
    I commend you MM for being vigilant with following up on this. Even if this is minor compared to the other issues going on in our country (corruption, etc) I think that you’re doing the right thing. I just wish that more Filipinos would be the same and be vigilant with what’s happening in our country and government and make their displeasure with how things are going known. Masyado tayong’ bahala na’ at mapagpatawad.

  22. that is NOT a response at all! does nobody get the ideas of taking responsibility and “the buck stops here”?

    lee, as always…wala kang kupas!

  23. i agree with ami: isang malaking paghuhugas kamay ang ginawa ni atorni. sige na nga, atorni, kayo na ang busy! they can’t even trace trinadelros and how that text got there? really now.

    i too want to see this thing to its logical conclusion, not only because i enjoy it when marketman blows his top, but mainly because for the longest time, we have become used to government officials and others leaders whose credo seems to be “hayaan mo na, makakalimutan din nila yan. let’s just wait for it to blow over.”

    marketman for dot sec! :D

  24. With all the red tape in our government surely somebody signed or approved the test pages before they were actually ‘tested’? I am sure somebody got paid somewhere along the line and would have a cash voucher for services such as producing the format testing. That would be the person responsible. My sister-in-law works online as a writer and she says there is a program checker which sees if your material has similar content to another posted in the internet, sort of like when you google a question it pops up several sites with the same content. Good luck in your pursuit for answers!

  25. The article appeared on DOT promotion and the agency cannot identify nor locate the contributor ? What kind of @#$%^&* government is this!!!!!! Truly, the height of incompetence! I feel very, very sorry for our beautiful country…No wonder we are where we are now!

  26. lol on the statement of Indra

    “Assuming that the article was in order, our development team in fact followed proper attribution by recognizing the article’s purported author “trinadelro.” ”

    How could they put proper attribution without actually knowing who or what trinadelro is???
    or atleast provided a link to the purported author’s article.

    How they find it easy to put blame on trinadelro when they have accountability on their own. Somebody has put the article in and formatted it in DOTs layout.
    Why could somebody take responsibility and let this issue be closed and move on.

    Its just that feeling that the response has this (we did not do it) aura all over it.

    I think Atty Kaw is just the medium and should be credited with doing things in the proper quorum.

  27. I thought by reading the response, it would bring light to the situation or at least change my impression on how DOT handled this no-brainer of an issue (bad, really really bad). Instead it whacked around the bush so much I gave up reading mid-way through.

  28. Hi Marketman! I live in Tennessee and just got curious about the group from here that holds a Filipino festival. Where in TN, please? It may be somewhere close and I’d hate to miss it if they would be serving some lechon. :)

  29. I’m pretty sure Atty. Kaw and the DOT was hoping that MM would forget about it to avoid the trouble of trying so hard to save face.

    The “Wayback Machine” is an archive of cached webpages that have been crawled in the past. Here is the link for the partial url from DOT:
    https://wayback.archive.org/web/*/https://www.tourism.gov.ph/sitepages/*
    From the results, it _SEEMS_ that the “top 10 things to eat” page is not “web crawl-able” (no link could be traced to the home page) since no pages were crawled and archived in their 2009-2010 copies. From this “rookie investigation” of mine, at least that statement of Atty. Eugene Kaw appears to be “true”:
    (Maybe some readers are more adept at trying to uncover an “internet paper trail”?)

    “Accordingly, in the final version of the website in early 2009, the ITD removed such particular page in the menu on “Plan a trip/What to do.” Unfortunately and inadvertently, however, despite its deletion, the particular page remained in the web server, which has enabled those who have kept and maintained the old web link to the article to continually view it, and also became viewable or searchable to the online community. Thus, it would appear to them that the same is still on the DOT website as a feature. To date, the ITD had already permanently removed the file from the web server so that the same article will no longer be mistakenly associated with the DOT. ”

    I put “true” in double quotes because it would be close to impossible to prove or disprove on MM’s side since no proper steps we performed to properly establish that the page was not a “test page” as Atty. Kaw and the DOT seem to insist.
    On DOT’s side, they could conjure up some bogus “paper trail” just to satisfy MM.

    MM, as much as I would like to see justice served, it seems like a fruitless cause to continue at this point. You can’t officially sic your own lawyers even if you wanted to since you have no “proper evidence” and you’ll never in a million years get the DOT to man-up and admit that their copyright infringement. That’s why the DOT has Atty. Kaw in the first place; to legally get around having to admit any wrongdoing.

  30. Inadvertently associated with, careful and exhaustive check, appropriate action, punitive measures, etc. etc.

    Punong-puno naman ng ‘bureaucrat-ese” ang explanation ng DOT. Ganyan ata talaga kung walang masabi… ;)

  31. Hi MM – more than 15 years since my last ‘contact’ with Philippine government officials and I have to say, sadly, not a thing has changed.

    Nobody still takes responsibility/accountability. (Even if the job is outsourced, the one who researched and/or approved the subcontractor is accountable for the result and performance of the person/project.) No proper apologies.

    It is great that you are magnanimous in showcasing Zubuchon, which is reflective of Filipino hospitality and our culture but at the end of the day, business is business. Time equates to money and lost time equates to lost income (directly or indirectly).

    With initial exposure on AB’s NR, further publicity not just in the last months but in the forthcoming months, I suggest that a 2-3 hour window in the afternoon (1 or 2 days a week) be allocated for ‘tour/promotional’ visits (without meals).

    BTW, one of your Dragon traits is showing…relentless and will not give up until satisfied…;-)

  32. @tess aguirre – this is MM’s blog. is your name even on it? no. that said, he can do whatever he wants, post whatever he feels like. besides, do you even know the real consequences of plagiarism? guess not.

  33. I do not regularly comment on your posts MM mostly because I tend to lose my self whenever I read your food and travel posts. But, there’s really something when it comes to your rants that makes me want to also hurl a fish pan to these perpetrators.

    Atty Kaw – I don’t even know if you’ve read anything inside marketmanila, but it takes a decent man to own responsibility for his actions. May it be a contractor or not, the accountability still falls on the DOT. One of the reasons why our country fails in so many ways is that we keep on pointing fingers. As you’re the ones in position , own the responsibility and do what needs to be done. Stop beating around the bush as it fixes nothing.

    Tess Aguirre (or whoever you may be) – To each his own. Please don’t include other marketmanila readers on however you view MM’s rants. Some of us (including me) are rather fond of his rants (I actually await for his fish pan awards). This is MM’s blog and of course he’s entitled to post whatever he wants to post.

  34. @Tess: this is getting old to you? Or, is it just that you’re working at the DOT and it’s making work for you?

    What gets old to me is the rampant IP theft here in the Philippines.

    @MM: that’s quite a long non-response from the DOT. Would this have been nicer and simpler?

    Dear MM,

    I’m sorry about all the trouble. We have removed the offending pages. We will do our best to avoid such problems in the future.

    Sincerely,

    Secretary Kaw

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