Erwin Tulfo: Sensationalist Moron

It is no secret that the "journalist" Erwin Tulfo is a sensationalist moron. This is not a matter of debate, not with numerous libel convictions under his belt. Quite frankly, it would be amazing enough that he's still allowed to go about writing "news," but then I realize I'm in the Philippines and things here suck. Case in point: Erwin Tulfo, a convicted libel journalist that could make the paparazzi seem tame by comparison, is still allowed a column in a newspaper. Granted, it happens to be a tabloid, but still.

I've read the "account" he wrote, mind you. Quite funny, if you ask me. Still, it does come down to his usual sensationalist drivel. He mentions boxes of evidence. Of course the cops would have "evidence" by the box, they took our desktop computers, laptop computers, our servers, and even an LCD TV, you moron. How else would the cops, who gleefully used and took various personal items that happened to be in our workplace, haul them out of our office unjustly? In shopping bags? Let's not forget them taking cables, pliers, various tools for technical support, and even security cameras.

Setting up a computer shop, guys? Or do you just need the cash to support for multiple mistresses that you know you can't afford on your meager salaries? Don't be surprised if the NBI website suddenly gets an upgrade sometime in the near future. Those computers had Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and whatever else they might need to give the site a face-lift, from what I'm told.

(On a somewhat related note: No, I don't really expect the company to get our stuff back. If the company does, it'll likely be damaged beyond repair. It's how the crooks known as the National Bureau of Investigation works, don't you know?)

His article also has an intriguing detail that I can't help but question. You see, the raid conducted by the NBI was done with the assumption that we were using illegal software. Were we? Wouldn't know, seeing as how all we ever seem to use is Ubuntu (a free distribution of Linux) and various free open-source programs. You know, the kind you can buy in various locations? The cheap computer programs that most everyone installs on their home computers. That's the reason the NBI gave, anyway. Yet, despite this fact, he makes references to completely different accusations. Stuff about selling prescription drugs, spamming, credit card fraud, and somesuch garbage. Most intriguing, really. See, none of those things were mentioned as the reason for the raid when the NBI came barging in. So where'd he get the info, hmm?

Now, Ascend Asia does operate an online pharmaceutical website. Incidentally, said website is down since the NBI took our servers. So naturally, we would be selling prescription medications to US citizens. Credit card fraud? Last I heard, we regularly fired anyone caught doing that. It's kind of standard call center procedure, folks. Spamming? Oh, that's a tough one. I'm not sure we stock any delicious canned meat products here. Oh, wait, the moron's talking about e-mail spam, which is an entirely subjective thing. One man's advertising is another man's spam, after all. But as far as I know, we don't spam. And I'd know, considering I work in the department that would theoretically be best-equipped to spam.

He also has the gall - the gall! - to question why the higher-ups of the company were not detained. Okay, so how do you detain the higher-ups of a company when they're overseas, in the US? How about the local ones, he points out. There's evidence, he says. Again, what evidence? They're computers, you sensationalist dipshit. Any evidence of wrongdoing (assuming there is any) would be found on them, and they took close to 100 computers. You think you'll get that kind of information out of that many PCs in one night?

On a related note, they did put people to keep an eye out on one of the local bosses. And no, not even the NBI people keeping an eye on him knew why they had to. He wasn't even "armed and dangerous," like they were told.

But, despite all the logic pointing to Erwin Tulfo being the sensationalist tabloid "journalist" that he is, people will not believe the truth. This is the Philippines, after all. People would prefer to dismiss logic and common sense than deny the possibility that sensationalist, libelous crap is actually false. Go figure.

Of course, he might be in the pocket of one Karl Chua. Who knows?

Post Update

So, here I am, fresh back from that meeting I mentioned in my last post. What happened?

Short story? Some guy was pissed he got fired for stealing money from the customers.

Long story? It all began with a guy who had some middle or lower-management position that was using said position to, basically, get money from the company and the customers of the sales agents. Got fired because he was too stupid to get caught, the moron. So now he's trying to get back at the company for justly firing him. Turns out, he has connections with the cops - which explains the rather excessive raid.

The raid's story itself was rather interesting from how it was told to me. Cops with big guns kicking sliding doors down, holding people and questioning them about things completely unrelated to the apparent charges they said. They took everything, I'm told. Even personal items like someone's jacket, and one truly unlucky guy lost his personal laptop.

Now, work resumes tomorrow. Theoretically, we will attempt to continue as normal. Theoretically.

We'll see.

Note:
Oddly enough, I'm not angry about this at all. I actually don't really care. What I'm mildly annoyed about is that I wasted two vacation days when I wouldn't have needed to report for work anyway.

Job Security

Someone once told me that you can believe as much as you like about what your employer tells you, just never believe anything he says regarding "job security." I see now that she had a very good point.

Recent circumstances have made me suspect there really is no such thing as job security, and even in situations where you're likely not to lose your job, you're still in more danger of becoming unemployed than you can readily imagine. Or accept, one would assume.

Anyway.

I think about this now because, well...because it fits perfectly. Later on today, I will be heading into a "meeting" related to work, and will be meeting with people from work. About as much as a gathering of the members of a small department with their relevant supervisors in a small area would count as a "meeting" of any business sort. What is said there could determine whether or not I still have a job, or if it will simply fade into nothingness sometime soon. Not sure.

It all comes down to unexpected events cropping up and having unexpected effects. It is no secret that the NBI (the local rip-off of the FBI, because everything here is a rip-off of something) has conducted raids on my office before. Something about child porn or piracy or somesuch garbage. It is no secret that, come morning, it had become business as usual for us. We'd hear about it from the ones that went home late, laugh, and continue on. So I find it distinctly alarming that such a case is not applying this time.

We've been raided before, but we've never been informed that we wouldn't have to show up for work because of it before. I find this alarming, as do some of the other co-workers of mine that I've talked to. It is most uncharacteristic behavior, and the relative silence behind it does not enforce any confidence in me.

They're hiding something, naturally. Everybody hides something. And I don't like the implications it might have on my current status.

I don't like keeping my hopes up (I never have, come to think of it), and I've already assumed the worst. All I really need now is some sort of confirmation, verbal or otherwise.

Quantom Of Solace

Yes, I recently watched the latest James Bond movie. Sadly, I left it a little...underwhelmed. Maybe I'm growing soft, or maybe I'm just tired of watching explosions and gunfights, but I just couldn't bring myself to get into the film. Objectively, it was a good movie, and a good Bond film. But for me, personally? I yawned. Twice.

In other news, I love Magic Workstation. All the cards in the game (even up to the latest expansion), but none of the hassle or cost. Just as long as you can find people willing to play with you.

So I Watched...

High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

Fun movie. Not as good as the first one, but definitely much better than the second one. I approve. Although I was kind of hoping of a better ending for Ashley Tisdale's character, Sharpay. She was easily more entertaining than Gabriella, but oddly, I didn't like her as much as I liked Kelsi. But as always, the music is good. I wouldn't expect anything less than that, really.