Borongan is not very near. You need to travel across different languages to get there. For the Philippine Information Agency to simply copy-paste my notes about eatables I experienced in Borongan, is contemptible.
Wednesday, Patch Salarzon, very eagle-eyed, alerted me about the PIA’s lifting of some pieces from my decade old article Borongan Appetit! and posting the same on their official website. This, from the country’s chief information arm no less!
And in the same exchange, she informed me of another bizarre findings: Eastern Samar’s website also has the same replication.
Nalintikan na. Literary heist upon literary heist.
I am not against dissemination, especially in the age of open source information. I am not contra knowledge distribution, especially in a world of fake news and misinformation.
What is sad is when people are too lazy to craft their own paper; too incapable for their own R and D; uncultured for acknowledgement of sources. Which is highly valued today amid cyberplagiarism.
And I am looking at you communications group.
You don’t even have the energy to arrange the piece in its rightful presentable way. You see, what you copied is formatted in a sort of an inscription. Meaning, the lines are actually subtitles. The images and the lines can’t go without the other.
Kokopya na nga lang.
Malate 
What do you expect from something under an umbrella agency that is known for peddling fake news and hiring people unfit for the job?
Thing is, most employees there made it because of “palakasan” and the “bata-bata” system. The writers there, having entered due to nepotism, have little to no experience in proper writing and citation – thus, the sloppy work.
Ganito kagrabe. Did not even bother to proofread.
I can well imagine how angry you feel. I’ve had photos stolen and uploaded for use on online stores. I also had a long health article changed and shortened losing some of the most important points for contra-indications (with my name as the author listed). No matter how many times I have contacted the new owners of the website, they still think the article ok and refuse to remove my name as the author (of the altered information).
I guess we all have to accept that once your write something online, anyone to steal it or change the wording and keep citing you as the author. The website ignorance and lack of integrity (and as you say, laziness in writing their own article) is something that happens regularly.
I am absurdly more amazed than upset. What we have here is a national government agency. If they are doing this intentionally, this is incredible. If they are doing this unintentionally, this is incredible.
I like the way you handled this ~ being amazed more than upset. I’ve had this happen with a couple of photos and, like you, I was a bit stunned with the question of ‘why?’ but with a government agency… 🙂
It’s unbelievable for an organization which has all the money, the means and the manpower to be incapable of elementary writing.
Laziness is a sad and dangerous disease. Cheers to a good week ahead.