A tumultuous week for Pinoys on social media

The past week was a tumultuous one for Filipino social media users, marked as it was with alternate waves of outrage and euphoria over viral events that went trending recently. Barely a month has passed since the tragic shooting of two teens in a Pampanga mall, when wounds were again opened after a disturbing video was 'leaked' to YouTube taken just after the shooting and apparently showing authorities just standing by as the victims lay dying. The video, whose owner is still unknown, first made the rounds on Facebook on a page dedicated to one of the teens, some of whom knew him personally. YouTube links eventually reached the greater population of Twitter and Facebook and, soon after, Social Media was brimming with sentiments of disgust and grief.

Manila a 'dump' and a 'disgrace' Englishman Geoffrey James Quartermaine Bastin's negative review of Manila was met with criticism from angry Filipinos who did not appreciate the blogger calling the Philippine capital a “dump." The blogger, who claimed he has worked "on-and-off" in the Philippines since 1991, criticized Manila and tagged it the “disgrace of South East Asia" after a recent visit left him irked and unimpressed. Starting with his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Bastin bashed the country's primary international gateway's "over-crowded" Departure Hall, toilets "that don't work", and even "over-boiled" coffee. Some people bashed Bastin in return, prompting him to write a follow-up that said, “Sorry if Filipinos are insulted, that wasn't my intention". Although many came to Manila’s defense, a good number of commenters noted that there “was some truth" to the entry. They welcomed the blog entry as constructive criticism. Christopher Lao is back On a positive note, things are looking up for UP Law Student Cristopher Lao after his infamous on-cam “I should have been informed" outburst earned him a starring role in insurance commercial for a local bank. Lao, who is now on Twitter (@iamchrislao), told GMA News Online: “Some good finally came out of this crisis. It became an opportunity. I can now pay for the tuition of my daughter." The video, where Lao played himself in a re-enactment of GMA reporter Jun Veneracion’s story about road safety, went viral again Thursday and put Lao back to the Twitter trending topic list —but this time, because of positive online chatter. As Twitter user and Sports analyst Mico Halili put it: “Chris Lao getting his own TVC re auto insurance is a nice twist to his story. Turning a predicament into productivity." The Azkals versus Nepal The Philippine Azkals, meanwhile, found a way to again dominate Twitterverse after it conquered Nepal in an international friendly, where the National booters dealt a team ranked 31 places higher a 4-0 blanking. ‘Go Azkals’ and Rob Gier both trended worldwide, but the Fil-Brit defender wasn’t the only star in the game as Phil Younghusband silenced critics with 2 goals that lifted the Azkals and gave the Philippines a possible boost in rankings. The 2nd goal came from Phil’s brother James, while newbie Matthew Hartmann struck at endgame to mark his first international goal. The other Social Media highlights this week:

1. Launching of Youtube Philippines
2. The release of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS5
3. Japan giving bloggers free tickets to the land of the rising sun to boost tourism
4. GMA Network’s ‘Think before you Click’ trended on Twitter during the airing of the documentary version of the campaign

— TJD, GMA News