DPWH and the Viral Photoshop Fiasco

If one would ask me about my top five favorite spot in Metro Manila I can assure Roxas Blvd. or the Baywalk would be on that list.

Nothing in the world can you see paradoxical mix of a beautiful sunset, a powerhouse embassy, polluted sea and a boulevard of broken dreams from lonely people, sluts and beggars rolled up into one setting in the very heart of the nation.

But now that the boulevard is damaged or destroyed by the lashing of typhoon Pedring last week I found an unexpected reason to still love the place.

Please take a close in the picture above.

The picture may look authentic at first sight but under the curious evil eye of the guy behind the blog quiapo.wordpress.com, you’ll likely say ‘hey this is photoshopped!’ Whoever edited and uploaded the picture sure needs more practice in the beautiful art of photoshop.So the rage against the ‘utak-wangwang’ on the internet begins. The photo was uploaded in facebook last week by a DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) insider probably to make sip-sip moves to the big shits. But what seemed to be a not-so-honest minor issue inside the department became a national scandal and well a now iconic comical object for photoshoppers like me.

DPWH’s lack of integrity on Photoshop fiasco

It has been a week after the most embarrassing photo of 3 officials (photoshopped and fabricated) circulated the cyberspace. Now, the photo concept has become viral with different versions for everyone to see.

The three DPWH officials namely, Undersecretary Romeo Momo, Director Rey Tagudando and District Engineer Mikunug Macud became instant celebrities and a trending topic in different social networking sites. The reason behind the popularity that turned out as a negative publicity? A faked photo allegedly posted by one of the agency’s staffer/ photographer.

In the photo released by the DPWH last week, it showed 3 of its officials conducting a survey/inspection in Roxas Boulevard after it was destructively hit by a typhoon. But instead of gaining praises from netizens, the said photo drew floods of criticisms for having been allegedly “Photoshopped”.

Even if the three officials were actually there and were doing their inspection, what made people criticize the post was the fact that DPWH faked the documentation of their work just so they can have the public’s approving nod. Regrettably, it turned out the other way around and netizens were just as mad even questioning the agency’s credibility especially when bigger projects with hefty budgets are at stake.

Some commented that the DPWH need not post how they are hunkering down to work. If they can fabricate a simple photo, how much more a government document.

Meanwhile, the chief of the DPWH Public Information Division, posted an apology on their Facebook account saying the photo “was not cleared yet before the staff posted it. But was already replaced.”

The three officials whose photo was publicized in cyberspace, since then, have appeared in different set-ups and have been subjected to ridicule. Some of which with Lolong the croc, as targets of the Angry Birds game, blond UP cheer dancers, as men in the moon, part of the Matrix and many more.

By : Jhoanna Mae Pareja