User Agreement

By accessing and/or using TheLOBBYiST, user agrees to be bound by all of the terms of this Agreement (the "User Agreement"). TheLOBBYiST reserves the right to change the terms of this User Agreement or to modify any feature of this Service at any time, and user agrees to be bound by such changes. Any changes to this User Agreement shall become a part of this User Agreement and shall apply as soon as they are posted. The most current version of the User Agreement can be viewed here. User's use of this Service constitutes agreement to all such terms, conditions and policies. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features or functionality (including, without limitation, video and related projects) that augment or enhance the Service shall be subject to this User Agreement.

1. The name "The LOBBYiST" and all materials (including, but not limited to, directories, guides, news articles, captions, bylines, opinions, reviews, text, photographs, images, illustrations, trademarks, service marks, program codes and the like) are properties of The LOBBYiST or third-party content provider with whom The LOBBYiST has a syndication agreement, protected under the copyright laws of the Republic of the Philippines and other countries. User may view and download material from this site for personal, non-commercial home use only. If user wishes to reproduce, republish, distribute, or publicly perform or display materials from this site, user must first obtain written permission from The LOBBYiST.
   However, just as The LOBBYiST from time to time excerpts materials from other sources in order to support the various commentaries and writings contained herein, it respects the right of others to make "fair use" of the materials contained on The LOBBYiST; accordingly, user may from time to time excerpt and use materials set forth on this site, provided, that user must give the original author credit and such use must be for a non-commercial purpose only and not, for example, for re-sale.
2. User agrees not to use this site for sale, trade or other commercial purposes. User also may not post or transmit information or materials that would violate rights of any third party or which contains a virus or other harmful component.
3. User must abide by all additional copyright notices or restrictions contained in this Service. By posting or submitting content on or to the Service (regardless of the form or medium with respect to such content, whether text, videos, photographs, audio or otherwise), user is giving The LOBBYiST and its affiliates, agents, and third party contractors the right to display or publish such content on the Service and its affiliated publications (either in the form submitted or in the form of a derivative or adapted work), to store such content, and to distribute such content and use such content for promotional and marketing purposes. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, with respect to any video submissions to The LOBBYiST made by user from time to time, user understands and agrees that (unless user and The LOBBYiST agree otherwise) The LOBBYiST may, or may permit users to, based solely on functionality provided and enabled by The LOBBYiST website, compile, re-edit, adapt or modify user's video submission, or create derivative works therefrom, either on a stand-alone basis or in combination with other video submissions, and (unless user and The LOBBYiST agree otherwise) user shall have no rights with respect thereto and The LOBBYiST or its licensees shall be free to display and publish the same (as so compiled, re-edited, adapted, modified or derived) for any period.
4. User shall be solely responsible for his/her own submissions and the consequences of posting or publishing them. In connection with each submissions, user affirms, represents, and/or warrants that: (i) user owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and authorize The LOBBYiST to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to any and all such submissions to enable inclusion and use of such submissions in the manner contemplated by The LOBBYiST and this User Agreement; and (ii) user has the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in such submissions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of such submissions in the manner contemplated by The LOBBYiST and this User Agreement. In furtherance of the foregoing, user agrees that he/she will not: (i) submit material that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret or otherwise subject to third party proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights, unless user is the owner of such rights or have permission from their rightful owner to post the material and to grant The LOBBYiST all of the rights granted herein; (ii) publish falsehoods or misrepresentations that could damage The LOBBYiST or any third party; or (iii) submit material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, violate any law, or is otherwise inappropriate.
   The LOBBYiST reserves the right to remove or not publish submissions without prior notice.
5. The LOBBYiST may modify, suspend, discontinue or restrict the use of any portion of this site at any time and without notice or liability.
6. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall The LOBBYiST be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, materials from this site.
7. User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless The LOBBYiST and its affiliates, and their respective members, directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, and licensors, from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees, resulting from any violation by user of this Agreement. The LOBBYiST reserves the right to take over the exclusive defense of any claim for which it is entitled to indemnification under this Section. In such event, user shall provide The LOBBYiST with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by it.
8. This Service is available "AS IS." The LOBBYiST does not warrant that this Service will be uninterrupted or error-free. There may be delays, omissions, interruptions and inaccuracies in the news, information or other materials available through this Service. The LOBBYiST does not make any warranties, express or implied, including, without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to this Service or any information or goods that are available or advertised or sold through this Service. The LOBBYiST does not make any representations, nor does it endorse the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other material or database displayed, uploaded or distributed in this Service or available though links in this Service. The LOBBYiST reserves the right to correct any errors or omissions in this Service. Although The LOBBYiST intends to take reasonable steps to prevent the introduction of viruses, worms, "Trojan horses" or other destructive materials to this Service, it does not guarantee or warrant that this Service or materials that may be downloaded from this Service do not contain such destructive features. The LOBBYiST is not liable for any damages or harm attributable to such features. If user relies on this Service and any materials available through this Service, user does so solely at his/her own risk.
9. This Service may contain various combinations of text, images, audiovisual productions, opinions, statements, facts, articles, market data, stock quotes or other information created by The LOBBYiST or by Third Parties. Due to the number of sources from which content in this Service is obtained, and the inherent hazards of electronic distribution, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in such content. Accordingly, such content, including the market data, is for reference only and should not be relied upon for any purpose. Such content is not intended for the purpose of tax or investment advice and it does not advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment. Information created by Third Parties that user may access on the Service or through links is not adopted or endorsed by The LOBBYiST and remains the responsibility of such Third Parties.
10. This Agreement is effective until terminated by either party. User may terminate this agreement at any time by discontinuing use of the Service and destroying all materials obtained from it.
11. This Agreement supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications, written and/or oral.
12. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. By continuing to use the Service, user agrees to abide by the terms of this Agreement.

User Comments

The LOBBYiST never censors comments based on political or ideological considerations. It, however, reserves the right to edit or delete abusive and off-topic comments, those that use excessive foul language, or include ad hominem attacks.

The LOBBYiST shall employ the three-strike rule in moderating user comments on the site. On the first offense, moderators shall give warning to the offending party. On the second offense, moderators shall again warn the offending party and edit or delete abusive and off-topic comments, those that use excessive foul language, or those that include ad hominem attacks. On the third offense, moderators shall immediately disable and block the user's account.

Technical specifications: The LOBBYiST shall remove all HTML formatting in user comments to preserve page consistency. Further, user comments that include links to sites outside The LOBBYiST shall be governed by the Link Policy.

Blogger Rules

The LOBBYiST adopts the following rules for blogs and discussion boards:

Blog Rules (adapted from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism)

Stay on topic

• The topic of a blog entry is the topic for all comments pertaining to it.
• No meta-discussion. Meta-discussion is conversation about the conversation: about another person's commenting style, about the blog rules, about the moderator's decisions, etc. Don't talk about the blog on the blog. Any issues with the blog community or its moderation should be addressed privately to the moderator.
• No repeat posts. Double posts, or repetitive posting of the same points over and over, will not help your argument.

Do not abuse, harass, or defame

• No personal attacks. Insulting, attacking, or denigrating another community member are ad-hominem attacks, which weaken debate and are not allowed under any circumstances.
• No baiting or gloating. Repeated taunting, sexual come-ons, or competitive posts toward another user constitute harassment and will get you banned. The object is intelligent discourse, not scoring points.
• No defamatory speech. Denigration of or threats against any group of people due to their race, religion, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.

Do not spam

• No commercial messages. Any spam posts will be removed immediately.

Do not post copyrighted material

• You may post links to appropriate articles, but posting articles from other sources in their entirety violates our rules. Use your best judgment, since you agree to be held legally responsible for your own posts on this system, but if you must repost quotes or sentences, please credit the source.

Report trolls and spammers

• We always appreciate help in identifying blog abusers and comment spam. Email the moderator with any concerns.

Violations of any of these rules will result in removal of the offending comment(s). Repeat offenders will be banned from the community.

By registering to participate in The LOBBYiST, you agree that you will not post any messages that are abusive, threatening, or violative of any laws. The LOBBYiST has the right to remove, edit, move, or close any comment or thread for any reason.

All messages express the views of the author, and The LOBBYiST will not be held responsible for the content of any message.

Blogger's Code of Ethics (adapted from CyberJournalist.net)

Be Honest and Fair
Bloggers should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Bloggers should:

• Never plagiarize.
• Identify and link to sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
• Make certain that Weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of photos without disclosing what has been changed. Image enhancement is only acceptable for technical clarity. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Never publish information they know is inaccurate — and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it's in doubt.
• Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish factual information and commentary from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Minimize Harm
Ethical bloggers treat sources and subjects as human beings deserving of respect.

Bloggers should:

• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of information is not a license for arrogance.
• Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity. Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects, victims of sex crimes and criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Be Accountable
Bloggers should:

• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
• Explain each Weblog's mission and invite dialogue with the public over its content and the bloggers' conduct.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors. When accepting such information, disclose the favors.
• Expose unethical practices of other bloggers.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.