“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your
sources.”Albert Einstein
By Alex P. Vidal
IF tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez were to be believed,
media should stop relying on Wikipedia as a source for any investigative
journalism.
As media researchers and deadline writers, we go to
Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia and written collaboratively by those who
use it, for quick references from time to time.
Wikipedia is designed as a special type of website to
make collaboration easy and called a wiki.
Since many people from all over the world are constantly
improving Wikipedia, thousands of changes are made every hour.
Thus data change from time to time and not permanent;
therefore, unreliable.
Former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel “Boy M”
Mejorada admitted before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing November 13
that he used Wikipedia as one of his sources in the P700-million Iloilo
Convention Center (ICC) project in Iloilo City.
Mejorada claimed the amount of the project rose from
P450 million to P700 million.
SPEECH
Senate President Franklin Drilon, according to Mejorada,
even mentioned that the project is worth P1 billion in his speech in the
opening of the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City in January this year.
When pressed by the panel that included committee chair
Teopisto Guingona III and fellow senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Nancy Binay to
show documents as evidence that the ICC is overpriced, Mejorada said he based
his findings from published reports, Wikipedia, whispers from experts who
requested anonymity, among other sources.
Jimenez chided Mejorada not to use Wikipedia in formal
discussions like the senate inquiry.
Jimenez warned that the problem with relying on
Wikipedia is that if 100 people read in the Wikipedia that the apple is square,
the same number of people will believe that the apple is really square.
Senator Serge Osmena agreed with Jimenez saying
Wikipedia is not like the Britannica Encyclopedia which is more reliable.
Binay said accusers of her father, Vice President
Jejomar Binay, had also invoked Wikipedia when they alleged that there was
overpricing in the construction of the Makati city hall parking building.
DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson exhorted
investigative journalists to ask them first so his office can provide the
information needed in the investigation.
Short in saying that the information he can give
is more reliable than what the Wikipedia can offer.
PROJECT
According to Wikipedia, the Iloilo Convention Center is
a P450-million project in the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City,
Philippines which is expected in to be completed in 2014.
“It will be built on a 1.7-hectare of lot in the
district of Mandurriao donated by the Megaworld Corp.
“The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone
Authority will allocate P200 million for the construction of the convention
center, while another P250 million will be sourced from the Priority
Development Assistance Fund of Senator Franklin Drilon.
“The state-of-the-art convention center designed by
architect William Coscoluella will be constructed based on a design inspired by
Iloilo’s Dinagyang and Paraw festivals. It will be a two-storey structure with
a total floor area of 6,400 square meters.
“The main hall on the ground floor will have a
3,700-seat capacity and 500-seat function rooms on the second floor.”
Drilon, meanwhile, did not actually inhibit himself in
the hearing as what he had announced earlier.
He appeared pissed off while answering questions from
Binay and Osmena.
REQUEST
Drilon admitted he was the one who requested for funds
of the project, partly funded by his Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP)
share.
He disclosed a "just in" information that the
Megaworld will release the complete papers for the deed of donation before the
year ends.
Mejorada, who filed plunder and graft raps against
Drilon, Jimenez, Singson and other DPWH officials alleging that “they
conspired” to overprice the ICC project, insisted there were violations in the
bidding processes, among other building procedures.
Mejorada, Liberal Party Iloilo provincial campaign
manager in the 2013 elections, was assisted by lawyer Eduardo Jalbuna.
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