Col. Fermin Javier, former executive director of the government's National Computer Center and now chairman of an IT consulting and training firm, said in a separate interview that political use of computers in the past, particularly during the Marcos era, was confined to supporting opinion polling and surveys. He said computers then were used only for computations to help analyze poll results. Since mass media was suppressed at the time, Mr. David said very few Filipinos knew what was really happening in the country. They found out the real score through Filipino relatives and friends who would send them betamax tapes of CNN's news coverage on the Philippines, he said. The scenario is so much different now, Mr. David noted, citing significant advancements in television and information technologies.
Technology compresses time and space.
The fact that the Internet defies size and location also made it easier for interest groups to present issues not only to a limited number of people but to a global audience. The local media picked up Stratfor's analysis as additional proof to the president's weakening leadership. Interestingly, Stratfor credits the Internet for its participation in Philippine politics. The Internet allows information to diffuse around the world. Stratfor can follow events in the Philippines and other countries in a way not possible before.