Being a journalist has its advantages and disadvantages.  You get to meet a lot of people and most of them blossom into true friendship.  The disadvantage is some don't realize the boundaries of work and friendship.  They tend to mix things up and sets limitations.

I have gained a lot of friends and have lost some.  A friend of mine who passed away many years ago gave me the best definition of friendship.  According to this friend of mine, a true friend is someone who will allow you to grow despite the relationship.  A true friend is someone who is always there for you but does not dictate or impose his/her belief into you.  A true friend is all about trust and not control.  A true friend is someone who values and treasures your opinion and philosophy in life.  It may be something he/she does not agree, but will respect it.

I've written a lot of articles about the information technology industry - its technology, the companies and the personalities involved in it.  My only problem is I am too frank, honest and straightforward.  I will write about anything that I believe is good or bad for the industry, and I always stand by my stories.  If I write something good about someone or a company, I will seldom hear the words "Thank You" which I always say is really unnecessary.  But if I write something bad or is against the belief of a company, expect the worst from them.  More often than not, they will question your motives and the worst of them all, they will even question your friendship.  Where is justice in this world?

In my weekly column "Digital Citizens" (Manila Bulletin TechNews - Every Wednesday), there is a section there called "A Secret No More" where I reveal some of the deepest and darkest secrets of the people and companies surrounding I.T.  Friends or not, I will write about them.  There are Two (2) reasons why I do this:  One, just for fun.  Two, an indirect way of telling those involved the things they're doing wrong in the hope that they will rectify it.  Only your true friends will dare say the truth even if it hurts and I only have good intentions.

If you're an avid follower of my "A Secret No More" section, you may have noticed that there was never a time I revealed who my subjects were - the name of the person and name of the company.  I make it a point to protect the identity of my subjects.  Even my editor has no idea about it.  My friends always received a "No Comment" response from me everytime curiosity takes over them.

Last Wednesday (September 21, 2005), I wrote about an I.T. company that has been reported to be backing out from its commitment.  The company name and other commitment specifics were not mentioned.  I simply said that Professionalism in business is very important.  That a Yes is a Yes, and a No is a No.  There is no such thing as a Yes now and a No later.  I don't think anyone of us would want to do business with someone who doesn't honor his or her words.

Companies started to call my editor to verify if my section was referring to them or not.  My editor can only give them an "I don't know" reply since as I've said, my editor don't have a single inkling about who my subjects are.  A topic we always argue about because my editor wants to know (maybe to check if my reports are true) and I refused to budge.  I would like to thank those companies who called, because in a way, you have given credence to my story.  Just a tip, do not verify a blind-item story because you will become a suspect.  Something that will give me a reason to investigate.  But this I assure you, all my stories and revelations are true.

To my surprise, there is this one company who did not only verify but said a mouthful about the incident - that they're mad/angry about my article and started to question my friendship with them.   That my action is not proper since they have supported most if not all of my project/endeavors.  Hush my dear friends.  Before you add insult to injury, try to manage your anger and implement your crisis management skills if you have any.  Why are you being paranoid and panicky over a blind-item story.  Do you think you're the company that I am referring to?  The more you talk, the more you are incriminating yourself.

First, let me just say that I have maintained the secrecy of my revelations.  Never did I say that it was you.  Now, if you're admitting and you're very sure that it was your company that has been backing-out from commitments, then it was your own decision and not mine.  Second, let me thank you for all your support, but that does not give you the right to prevent me from writing what I think is right or wrong.  In other words, your support does not and will not make me your puppet.  I will appreciate it if you will continue supporting my projects but let us make one thing clear first - support me because you believe in my endeavors and not a way to control me to follow your wishes.  You cannot afford me and "I am not for sale".

To this company who have been backing out from its commitment, I am sure you're wondering how I came to know about your wrongdoing.  Let me tell you this:  According to reports, 70% of threats or vulnerabilities are internal and 30% are external.  Read between the lines my friends.  If you didn't do anything wrong, then yours truly will have nothing to write about.  I have nothing against your company, what you did was just wrong.  Very wrong. 

Just to give you some updates my dear readers.  I heard that this company has been taking steps to fix and remedy the problems that they have created.  Finally, they have come to their senses that they should honor their commitments no matter what.  Very good my friends, that is the right thing to do and that is how professionals do business.  Don't you just feel great that you can be called professionals and honorable again?  Keep it that way please.  Congratulations for a job well done.

If you want to know more about the latest, the facts and the other side of I.T., make it a habit to read Manila Bulletin's TechNews every Monday and Wednesday.  At MB TechNews, we don't just report the news, our stories LIVES -  We LISTEN.  We INFORM.  We VERIFY.  We ENTERTAIN.  WE SHARE.  Thank you for your trust and support.  We promise you better and juicier stories. 

Am logging off.  God Bless us all!!!

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