Skip to main content

Freedom of Speech

"DE LIMA: FREEDOM OF SPEECH NOT LICENSE TO RUIN CREDIBILITY"(sic).  I could not agree more!  I would just like to understand though whether this statement is really unadulterated or is it just another attempt at bending “morality” where it is convenient.

I seem to remember not long ago the same senator effectively smearing the credibility of some of her colleagues in the government and its institutions, all the while exercising her constitutional right to “Freedom of Speech.”  I have heard claims coming from this Senator about how sure she is that President Duterte is behind DDS and EJK.  In fact, she is so sure that she’s even gone to great lengths of humoring international media with interviews and clamoring for international intervention on our domestic affairs, including imposing sanctions on our nation, all because of the ongoing “government-inspired” EJK.  I have also heard her say, and she is definitely sure about it too, about DOJ fabricating lies and stories against her.  Then there are also statements from her destroying the credibility of witnesses against her, long before they can even be heard.  According to her, some have even been tortured to say things against her -- even before they can ever speak.  All these have resulted to the smearing of our credibility as a sovereign nation spoken under the premise of "Freedom of Speech" and amplified so greatly and sensationally by no other than the media.

This is not to take sides.  The administration has also done its fair share of abusing “Freedom of Speech,” all too conveniently to their advantage, again with the help of the media.  What I am simply just trying to point out here is that freedom of speech is indeed not a license to ruin anyone’s credibility.  Anyone who advocates this, especially at the national and international stage, should “PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH!”

As for the media outlets, it is becoming more and more obvious that you are always there wherever there is news that presents an opportunity to be sensationalized.  This story is a proof, particularly in the Philippines, that you have outlived your relevance to the society.  The media has been relegated to nothing more than an established institution trying so hard to keep up with what’s trending on social media to maintain its perceived relevance.  The model of “yellow press,” that has arguably played a major role in the Spanish-American War as well as all the other modern-day conflicts like the middle-eastern wars, has now come back biting the media in the ass.  You have played the “sensationalism” card to practically every news article you publish to build up hype and controversy so it sells more.  It has been the model followed for more than a century now.  Well, guess what?  Social Media has beaten you in your own game.  If you really want to maintain relevance, stop playing “yellow journalism” and stop jumping in on the social media bandwagon – social media is our space, not yours! 

There is just too much good news out there that is getting buried in all the noise, due mainly to the media over-sensationalizing irrelevant issues.  Go out there and check the pulse of the Filipino community first hand.  The Filipino expat workforce feels better supported and more at peace.  There are no more incidents of “laglag bala,” no more incidents of ransacked “balik-bayan boxes,” no more cumbersome requirements of OEC for OFWs returning to their job sites. “Bayanihan” is very much alive.  Local and national governments, including the public, are more proactive and cooperative during calamity preparations.  More relief goods are being distributed at times of calamities even before international relief aids reach our shores.  More and more Filipinos are saying that the streets are safer.  The number of petty crimes has gone down according to the data from PNP.  Filipino employees in the tens of thousands have already been regularized in recent weeks.  The businesses are booming.  More and more investments are being pledged.  People in the business community remain very hopeful and positive in the Philippines and the economic environment it provides.  Filipinos feel more empowered, are more hopeful and are voluntarily embracing a more disciplined and dignified way of life.  More and more parents are taking responsibility, forcibly or otherwise, on the upbringing and of the future of their children.   Even the younger generations are now finding inspiration and hope for a better tomorrow.  Most importantly, illegal drugs no longer litter our streets.  With all these things that take center stage on the social media airwaves, I cannot help but ask, where the hell are all these in actual media reports?  Does the media really honestly believe that this report, "DE LIMA: FREEDOM OF SPEECH NOT LICENSE TO RUIN CREDIBILITY" actually deserves more airtime than all accomplishments the government, collectively, has achieved in the last 100 days or so?  If you do, then you deserve a Pulitzer Prize in recognition of your embodiment of the ideals of “yellow journalism,” made famous by the great Joseph Pulitzer himself.

Nowadays, you really cannot tell which reports to believe or not.  But at least in the Philippines, one thing is very clear -- change is happening.  The government is cleaning, or at least appears to be cleaning, its own backyard of corruption.  The law enforcement is weeding its own ranks of scalawags.  Heck, even the drug rings are clearing their own houses of loose assets viewed as potential liabilities – a cleaning project that compounds the numbers reported as extra-judicial killings.  Do these changes really point towards a better Philippines, or a far worse one?  Will it usher a new era of peace and development in our country, or will it completely completely suck us in to a black hole of total  and utter insignificance?  Only time will tell.  We have to give these changes time to unfold, if we want to truly see where they take us.  Until then, we can never truly know.  But this I know for sure -- any time and effort put into spring cleaning can only result to something good.  Many Filipinos would swear that they already feel the benefits of it and it’s only just begun.  Maybe it is time media does a spring cleaning of its own.  And maybe, just maybe, it gets back to the path of relevance.


Comments

Post a Comment

What people are reading...

Acts of Kindness

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in this small mid-western community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis factory closed, he'd been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home. It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country. He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He'd better get a move on. You know, he almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front...
Post a Comment
Read more

How the Poor Live

One day, a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” said the son. “So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have wall...
Post a Comment
Read more

The World is a Wonderful Place

A true story, happened in 1892 at Stanford University: An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. He and a friend decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education. They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck and the boys began to work to make the concert a success. The big day arrived. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque at the soonest possible. “No,” said Paderewski. “This is not acceptable.” He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys: “Here’s the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have...
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome to My Standpoint...

I am a Civil/Structural Engineer by education, a Quality Professional by profession, a wannabe-but-chose-not-to-be doctor, a frustrated programmer, a tech enthusiast, an avid sportsman, a hater, a lover, a friend, a son, a brother, a husband and a father. I love music, but music never really liked me -- and so does dancing. I love to write (at least I'd like to think so) but never found the time. I love to draw/paint, but again the busy everyday life took that away from me. The only things that stuck with me throughout the busy-ness of life would be my passion for Tennis, Judo, computers and just about anything that gets plugged in to an electric socket or gets powered by batteries (conventional or solar) -- children's toys included. :) Having said that, I guess I can summarily describe myself as a "Jack of trades, (and hopefully) master of some". I have always believed that knowing a little bit of everything is better than knowing everything about just one thi...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Really Matters in Life?

Mexican Fisherman Meets Harvard MBA  A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish. "How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked. "Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied. "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked. The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take sies...
Post a Comment
Read more

Never Judge

This is an old but very touching story that has been on the internet and chain e-mails for a while.  I am not sure how many of you have read the story, but here it goes: A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call ASAP, changed his clothes & went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy's father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled: "Why did you take all this time to come? Don't you know that my son's life is in danger? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?" The doctor smiled & said: "I am sorry, I wasn't in the hospital & I came as fast as I could after receiving the call...... And now, I wish you'd calm down so that I can do my work" "Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??" said the father angrily The doctor smiled ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quote of the Day

"Never ask for what you cannot give" This is my very own version of the golden rule.  In this time and age where material possesions have become the measure of a man's success, greed, selfishness and envy have become the main driver of every human dealings and decisions.  "Never ask for what you cannot give" does not focus on material things.  I will not ask for money if I have money to give in the first place.  Look beyond the material world and focus into what matters most -- the abstract, intangible things that make us human.  I am talking about respect, love, faith, kindness, passion, dedication, tolerance, and the list goes on. So the next time you ask a friend for kindness, or an enemy for forgiveness,  pause and ask yourself first before letting those words out... "Have I given enough of what I am about to ask for?" Never ask for what you cannot give and you will never go wrong.
Post a Comment
Read more

Halloween Laugh Trip

A bald man with a wooden leg gets invited to a Halloween Party. He doesn't know what costume to wear to hide his head and his leg, So he writes to a costume company to explain his problem. A few days later he received a parcel with the following note: Dear Sir, Please find enclosed a pirate's outfit. The spotted handkerchief will cover your bald head and, with your wooden leg, you will be just right as a pirate. Very truly yours, Acme Costume Co. The man thinks this is terrible because they have emphasized his wooden leg and so he writes a letter of complaint. A week goes by and he receives another parcel and a note, which says: Dear Sir, Please find enclosed a monk's costume. The long robe will cover your wooden leg and, with your bald head, you should really look the part. Very truly yours, Acme Costume Co. Now the man is really upset since they have gone from emphasizing his wooden leg to emphasizing his bald head, so again he writes the Company anoth...
Post a Comment
Read more

Quote of the Day

"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life" - Muhammad Ali A very inspiring thought from a man who rolled with the punches for a living, how you view life after years of taking blows and celebrating victories do change with time. It is the difference between your present and previous views of the world that defines you. Our perception of the world when we are young comes from the programming that we get from home. This programming protects us until we are prepared to face the world and experience it first-hand, with our very own sets of biological sensory gizmos. Every experience, good or bad, alters our acquired programming and transforms us into the person we are “meant to be” – our own unique self. Without disrespect to our parents who so lovingly and patiently ushered us to adulthood, if we are still stuck to the perception that they have programmed us as a child, I believe we have just wasted our years. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

#WeArePhilippines

Recently, we have seen a lot of political disorder in the Philippines that has literally divided, and continue to divide, our nation.  Majority of the government officials, who the Filipino people have chosen to represent their best interests, have misused the trust and the authority that the people have given them to further their individual (and that of their party’s) political interest.  This observation is not only directed at one person or one political party.  Parties and individuals have been hell-bent on criticizing anyone who sits on the other side of the fence.  Privilege speeches and press conferences, under the guise of “at the interest of the Filipino people” have been used to either discredit another official or to defend a “personal attack” directed at them by a member of the opposition.  This has fueled the nation’s divide and has distracted the Filipino people’s sight away from the positive things that currently unfolds right in front of us. O...
Post a Comment
Read more