Poe’s fake news hearing is dogs barking up the wrong tree
Fake news hearing [Photo by Alex Nuevaespaña/PRIB via Rappler]
By Joe America
The Senate hearing on fake news has two thrusts.
- One group wants to put a stop to government lies.
- The other wants to stop citizens from embarrassing senators.
The first is important but the senators are going down the wrong path looking for a solution. They are going along with the second group in looking for a law that would punish people doing fake news. They are thinking about a registry for bloggers and a ban on anonymous news publishers. And punishment for government liars.
The hearing was set up to be an inquisition of Silient No More (SNM), a social media initiative to oppose government sponsored killings and incivility. SNM called seven senators ‘dogs’ for failing to vote for a resolution condemning the wanton killing of young people. The senators are angry over the use of the word ‘refused’ as in ‘refused to vote’ because they claim they were not properly advised of the resolution. Sponsors say otherwise, but SNM had nothing to do with that.
The whole thing is ridiculous. SNM is not a news site. Most ‘news sites’ on social media are not news sites. They are advocacies. Citizen advocacies. Calling them ‘news’ distorts the whole debate. News should be regulated, advocacies should not be, other than under existing laws banning libel, scams, and abuse.
And the Senate ought not be holding inquisitions of citizens who are doing nothing but representing their cause.
The ’cause’ of government ought to be honest management of public affairs. Government liars should be punished. Citizens ought not be punished because government is lying. Nor should senators be upset at being called ‘dogs’ because they missed a vote, for whatever reason. It is ridiculous to think that a citizen advocacy will NOT be loose with words. Citizens are operating real time with incomplete knowledge. They are passionate.
SNM has no journalists posted in the legislature. It’s a citizen, for cryin’ out loud.
Leave citizens alone. Don’t register them or demand they stop using fake names. UNLESS you think free speech is scary.
It was scary to the seven senators who got caught with their pants down. But that is a case of senatorial miscalculation, not citizen irresponsibility. Miscalculation because the majority is out of step with the public’s rising clamor for a return to civility and decency. The problem is that the majority has been skulking around in the shadows supporting the killing program with silence.
But SNM wasn’t having that. SNM wasn’t silent any more.
The senators got caught by their own moral depravity, not by missing a vote.
They should CONGRATULATE SNM for being a passionate advocate for civility and decency, not weep in their beer because they were shamed for being out of touch with the rising demand for good behavior from government.
New laws are not needed.
Senators need a moral conscience that keeps pace with citizen demands for civility and decency. A moral legislature would have stopped government lying long ago, without laws. A moral government would have taught citizens to read social media responsibily.
Regulation of advocacies is ridiculous. Free speech is the heartbeat of a thinking, vibrant nation. Educate the audience, don’t restrain the speakers. And in the name of decency, stop senate inquisitions of citizens.
Inquisitions are, y’know, what dogs would do.
******
Editor’s note: Photo changed 8:25 am, 10/11/2017
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Imagine that, dogs trying to remove the bark of a tree. Ridiculous.
Let us say I am not mad at Uson or Nieto,
Do they have a point when they said that they are bloggers and not from media?
Not when they are in the employ of the government especially when their blog focuses on government issues. Never mind if their blog is about travel, food and sex.
Thanks for that Olaf?
Thanks Olaf. ( not a question)
Blogs fall into several categories. They started as personal statements, then became money-makers, then developed as advocates or specialists. They are not news media, really. They are social media as they are internet based and public, in my opinion.
Thanks Joe.
These senators would be terrified of our (but not theirs, perhaps?) heroes, like Dr. Jose Rizal. He used fake names: Laong Laan and Dimasalang. Andres Bonifacio used May Pag-Asa and Agapito Bagumbayan. Marcelo Del Pilar used Plaridel. Pio Valenzuela was Madlang-Awa. Antonio Luna was Taga-Ilog. Mariano Ponce used Tikbalang, Naning and Katipulako. Were they alive today, of course. Hm. I wonder what sanctions they would impose on this league of extraordinary gentlemen.
Lapu Lapu would lop their heads. Thanks for the history lesson on fake names. I rather like mine, but get embarrassed when I sign an e-mail to my daughters in the US as “Joe”. I am more Joe than anyone else I suppose.
Ay! Joe! How I wish that bolo-weilding hero were alive and with us today. But we will not be dismayed, for we have a mightier weapon than his rust prone blade: our words, set upon (electronic, albeit) paper.
Then get out there and slice and dice! hahaha
Republic Act 53 or the Press Freedom Law was authored by a man the Spaniards once jailed for writing certain things: Senator https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Sotto
The grandson of the Sotto Act author puts him to shame in many ways.
My, my. I think a lot of todays legislators shame their family names. When decency arrives, we’ll have to petition to have some streets renamed.
They don’t care because the whole family is in the politic business……..pass the anti dynasty bill please…and before i forget the FOI.
Yes, Sen. President Pimentel comes to mind. Angara? The exception is PNOY, his parents could be smiling and saying from above, well done my son, you have done exceeding well considering the combined MAD (Marcos, Arroyo, Duterte) black propaganda and historical revisionism…
Dr. Jose Rizal fought Spaniards using pen and paper. Now, our president is afraid even to hold a pen. Can not sign the waiver.
The PH Inquisition has begun. A blogger who identifies with LP and a follower of VP Leni Robredo is an example. Willyn Trabajador who goes by the nom de guerre “Lyn Ouvier”on Facebook was outed and harrassed by pro-Duterte trolls. She is now in hot water because of a post in her account about a bomb threat and a plot to assassinate PRD. She claims that her FB account had been hacked and she was framed.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/182252-lyn-ouvrier-willyn-trabajador-criminal-complaint
PAB of Pinoy Ako Blog is going through harrassment by pro-Duterte trolls right now and is being ridiculed for using a pseudonym. She also reports that someone is trying to hack her accounts. She sent a cry for help today.
https://twitter.com/pinoyakoblog?lang=en
Cocoy Dayao had to create another FB account and start from scratch.
Evil people in government these days, which is the point of the blog I suppose. They have unleashed their own dogs.
Poe should convene a senate inquiry Khayri Woulfe – willyn Trabajador case.
It is a sad day in a democratic country when citizens have to hide because of harassment; in the exercise of their right to free expression. It is a sad day when the state not only condones but encourages such venality, like putting up a Citizen’s National Guard to suppress dissent. This is the fall of democracy … if we let it.
So what can we do to protect the bloggers? I am reminded of a certain Kurt Russell movie, Spartacus. There was this scene when the slaves were defeated and the Romans were demanding who Spartacus was. And everyone, despite knowing they will be crucified, stood up and claimed that they are Spartacus. For the full scene, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOCsNrzlV2k&feature=youtu.be
Of course, this is a difficult thing to do. The slaves knew that speaking out will mean their deaths … and gruesome ones at that.
But then … nobody claimed that freedom is easy. In the end, we must (maybe) console ourselves with the hope that history will give us justice, even if/when we perish doing the right thing.
The world remembers Spartacus (and Kirk Douglas, of course) — we barely know who Marcus Licinius Crassus is, and even if we know him , we know him as a villain — not a hero 🙂
The President and his trolls are operating under the assumption that they could do anything they want under the cloak of immunity. The trolls are empowered because they think of themselves as an extension of the president and his supposedly immunity from suit. Not so, says people who know the law. The president could be prosecuted and hauled to jail for crimes against humanity.
“Heads of state have no immunity for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, as established in the Nuremberg judgment [PDF] and the Pinochet decision in Regina v. Bartle. Such “exception” is tantamount to according impunity to sitting presidents for these most egregious forms of international crimes. It’s incompatible with jus cogens or peremptory norms of customary international law.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/848478/palace-duterte-immune-from-suit
http://www.jurist.org/forum/2017/10/perfecto-caparas-president-duterte.php
I don’t think Duterte will get charged by anyone domestically. It’s strange. The legal system lacks lincoln lawyers, and the judges have no moral conscience.
At least the Ombudsman will have some ammunition against the harassment involving their investigation of PRD. I am also hoping that the IBP will make a stand like they did during the Arroyo’s administration. This time they have a pressing obligation to the uphold the Constitution and the rights of the People of the Philippines as well the legal means to stop EJKs and the suppression of dissent.
IBP does seem more law-centered than most institutions, and is a welcome voice as far as I can tell.
They already started defending Morales and the Ombudsman’s Office in the media. They might kick it up a notch if PRD does not heed their advice.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/627733/ibp-head-creation-of-body-to-probe-ombudsman-constitutionally-suspect/story/
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/04/17/ombudsman-has-right-duty-to-investigate-public-officials-says-ibp
The President does not have real immunity from criminal prosecution for genocide, war crimes, and other crimes against humanity penalized under Republic Act 9851
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/184112-ombudsman-power-probe-president-duterte-mass-murders
Perpetrators of horrendous crimes are considered enemies of humanity, and can be tried and punished anywhere in the world by virtue of the principle of universal jurisdiction
https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/184113-investigating-duterte-pinochet-nuremberg-precedents
But getting it done is a different matter.
True, with the way DU30 is destroying the supposedly independent institutions, it’s like an impossible dream.
Some FB friends are wondering why the LP is not helping Atty. Jude and Trillanes in his case vs Du30 and his henchmen @ the ICC. Atty. Jude remarked that he is not enamored with LP, DAP and Corona impeachment, and trial (where he is all admiration for Marcos, Joker and Santiago). I had a civil exchange with him in his wall, in the end, I told him we had different positions then but have a common aspiration now and that is to end this government’s dictatorial and murderous tendencies.
I truly wonder at the lack of support of the LP for Trillanes and the ICC case filed vs, Duterte. Are they not members of the committee investigating the BOC where Trillanes is fighting all by his lonesome? Others are wondering, too as shown by this FB exchanges at Atty. Jude Sabio’s wall:
Jude Sabio: Unang una, hindi naman ako tauhan ng LP at sa totoo lang nung inimpeach nina pnoy si cj corona nang walang sapat na dahilan ay nawala na ang gana ko sa LP, at nasundan pa nung nadeklarang iligal ang PDAF at DAP at nagkaso pa nga ako sa ombudsman re PDAF.
Mary Grace P. Gonzales: With all due respect Atty. Jude Sabio may sapat na dahilan ang impeachment kay former CJ Corona. His first deadly “sin” is his acceptance of a midnight appointment ruled by the Arroyo SC appointees as constitutional effectively reversing an existing jurisprudence on the matter (The Narvasa SC has already ruled on that)..How many times should an SC flip flop on constitutional matters? His nondeclaration of his properties in his SALN is another deadly sin, as proven in the IC trial. How many times will they rewrite the constitution by their ruling (on JPE, on Erap, etc.) Anyways, that’s water under the bridge now, and I appreciate the role you are doing in going to the ICC to file criminal charges against this foul-mouthed president. Good luck, Atty. May God bless you.
Jude Sabio Mary grace i do respect your view, but thats how i view on what happened to corona, it was a political hatchet job undertaken by pnoy and company, that was and still is my sentiment up to now; the so- called midnight appointment is doubtful because the judiciary is not supposed to be covered by that rule
Jude Sabio The problem really is politics, gma appointed corona, pnoy dislikes gma, so pnoy hated corona, then he was impeached by LP, i watched with pain that political spectacle, i lauded sen joker, miriam santiago and marcos for voting against impeachment; i hope nxt time that political fiasco can be prevented to maintain the independence of the judiciary
Marc Lezaron I really don’t feel their support for Sen Trillanes. Not on the duterte bank accounts, customs meth smuggling, ex death squad testimonies and the ICC case.
Parang ngayon lang sila pumasok ng malakas sa fake news issue kasi Sen Risa will be hit on kidnapping and Sen drilon on his cousin’s supposed druglord status
Mary Grace P. Gonzales As I have stated, that’s water under the bridge now, Atty. Jude. over and done with. we may differ in the way we look at things then, but agree on the current issues now
Jude Sabio Marc, hindi ko masasagot yan dahil hindi talaga ako LP eh, siguro may sariling political strategy sila, di ko alam kung ano, as of now, pareho ang pananaw at prinsipyo ko sa kay sen trillanes, at tingin ko tama ang ginagawa nyang pag laban direkta kay duterte, at yan rin ang aking ginagawa, duterte must be hit directly head on especially his direct criminal liability for the death squad killings
Marc Lezaron As for corona. Yes I think it was political in the end. But I think pnoy was right to go extra judicial. Ganun ang Philippine corruption. Sa sobrang tanda at lalim ng ugat hindi maaring by-the-book lagi
Long missing from LP is a sense of outrage. MLQ3 made a comment in his article yesterday, something along the lines of “Aquino chose reason over emotion” and lost the middle class. And LP persists with reason, not connecting with anyone.
“Benigno Aquino III alienated big players by taking a level playing field too seriously, anointing a successor perceived as a traitor to his class by his peers, offended the middle class by attempting to confront emotion with reason.”
Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/107799/racing-against-the-clock#ixzz4vG8qZi6O
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
There we go!!! Thanks.
The Age of reason has yet to come to PH. PNoy may have pushed for it before its time. What I do not understand is this: “anointing a successor perceived as a traitor to his class by his peers.” Is it because Mar is trying to lift the lives of the masa and the 10 percenter felt neglected?
Good question for MLQ3. Your guess seems to make the most sense. I personally think Roxas lost because of a Marcos/China inspired demolition job, and he responded to it with reason. I just don’t get a sense of rage from anyone LP, not President Aquino, not Roxas who tweets his travel pictures, not Bam Aquino who remains reserved and reasonable, like a computer. The only emotion comes from De Lima, Hontiveros, and Trillanes. Trillanes is best at stirring up popular attention via his field trips and confrontational statements. Hontiveros is a steaming pot and she is the person most likely to lead rallies. De Lima has little to lose because she is already in jail. Unfortunately, media can’t rally around her and she can’t lead rallies, lest they be mistaken for jailbreaks.
My tweet: “Re @mlq3 ‘s Inq article, I wonder when LP will figure out that reason alone is a losing strategy and they may need to attach some emotion.”
MLQ3’s response: “You credit LP too much with either cohesion or strategic thinking at this point. Has neither imho.”
@Joe,welcome.
@JP,
Maybe you are right, otherwise it is a big head scratcher.
MLQ3’s helicopter view of the situation, touching on a lot of elements is rather good, I believe. It includes the card played by China.
My own view is that the apparent timidity of LP is a case of examining a lot of “what ifs” including the matter of timing, and the fact that the stock of LP and associates have been greatly damaged by the Administration. One consideration is their probable view, at this time at least, that their outrage may be much outweighed by countermoves, resulting in a much worse situation.
I am gratified at MLQ3’s assessment which coincides with ours here that the military — under sane and cautious leadership of Delfin Lorenzana and Eduardo Año — is acting as some countervailing or stabilizing force.
You make good sense. Always pragmatics, for politicians based on popularity rather than principle. I would observe that there seems to be a split between LP accepting a majority role (in the house) and the views of the educated LP on line that are very hostile to the destruction of democracy and abetting of killings. I forwarded that observation to MLQ3 and will report if he responds.
But if I were educated LP, I might soon be a member of Magdalo or Akbayan.
JoeAm “That’s a bit of a problem then, because the LP PEOPLE seem not to be with the majority’s destruction of democracy and abetting killings.”
Stirrings “Assuming all LP — 5, 10, 20 or whatever is left of it — decide that the public need a better deal, how are they going to move? And when?”
MLQ3: “This is to misunderstand parties. They follow public opinion, they don’t lead it. Individual leaders can help mold and nudge opinion tho.”
MLQ3: “You can be sure that should public opinion move further, a rumbling to the exit by parties will be heard miles before election day.”
MLQ3: “What parties do is adapt. Success goes to the ones that adapt fastest by smelling changes in the wind not just earliest, but timing moves.”
*******
Partially disagree with the first MLQ3 quotes.
Political parties have platforms; in this, they lead.
Some of the planks in their platforms are populist; in this, they follow.
Some of the planks are expressions of the party’s political philosophy.
o Some of these expressions are progressive.
o Some of these expressions are retrogressive.
o Some do not have to do with popularity because the populace is not concerned with the issue.
I’m sure the character of political parties is country-dependent. Nevertheless, political parties are shaped by a vision, and the public follows that vision.
In this sense, it’s the public who adopt, and adapt to, the party.
*****
I think platforms in the PH are words looking for a place to rest and have no meaning. All platforms say essentially the same thing anyway. What they SHOULD be to promote a healthy democracy is a different matter. And I’d venture to guess that the public, in the Philippines, could not express how one political party differs from another, other than according to whom they back.
*******
PNoy’s Matuwid na Daan was a platform. And it had an uplifting meaning.
Kill! Kill! Kill! was a platform. And it had a dreadful meaning.
True, one can dismiss these as planks and not platforms. They would not be platforms in the Oz sense of having several planks.
But both these planks were not initially driven by public opinion. They were initiated by the candidates, and public opinion followed.
*****
What I don’t get is, if parties can lead, why LP is doing such a lousy job of it, and why Matuwid na Daan had such poor staying power. Also, I think Duterte was elected on the basis of star power, not platform. Parties SHOULD lead, I agree. But they don’t know how to bind people to principles, or Filipinos are not capable of relating to principles.
*******
I agree about Duterte winning by “star” – cough, cough – power. But he did lead which was my other point.
The short answer about political parties doing a lousy job: no sense of loyalty, honor, or duty.
(Sorry, I’m going to bandy these words until ears bleed.)
The Loyalty Triangle to the party construct is weak, and is overriden by the self and family constructs.
Only the Reds have been, more or less, consistent in their attachment to their ideology. They have made compromises, but have never forgotten their basic commitment to ideology.
*****
I may agree to the statement of “lack of cohesion” made by MLQ3 among the LP stalwarts, but individually it is debatable to say there is lack of strategic thinking. What is fair to say is that strategic thinking should first include the effort at cohesion of the stalwarts. And make sure as part of the strategy that there is no spy in their midst.
@Joe,
Any additional comments on your exchange with Manolo.
Is Manolo saying that the party dynamics here are normal or business as usual?
My take is, without an anti turncoatism law, all a party can do is adapt to the winds of change.
It seems to me he is saying that party dynamics are normal, for the Philippines. If the voice of the people gets loud enough, for democracy and human rights, we will see movement away from the Administration. It is not there yet. That said, do reflect on how many Reps did not show up for the P1,000 CHR vote, and note the hesitancy with which they rose in voting for the next step of impeachment for Sereno. Also note that there are no marches, no rallies other than quiet prayer meetings. So while Reps are getting nervous, there is no compelling voice, of the people, either.
edgar,
RE: In this sense, it’s the public who adopt, and adapt to, the party.
A possible variation:
A feedback loop. And also a case where circumstances may make things vary as to who initiates the loop.
*******
NHerrera, thanks. See my last post.
*****
@Joe,
Many Thanks!
The two smaller parties Joe mentioned have relatively clear directions:
1) Akbayan is Social Democratic (center-left) – in fact they get support from Germany’s Ebert Foundation with is close to the Social Democrats. Walden Bello is called “too liberal” by many old leftists – a typical criticism of Socialists or Communists towards Soc Dems.
2) Magdalo is center-right (as opposed to Duterte who is radical right-wing, i.e. fascist). There is also a fine line between right wing democratic and right-wing extremist, just like there are shades of Red on the left side.
3) Liberals are dead center of course. The pro-business course was recognizable and typical for liberal parties elsewhere in the world. There are liberal trapos of course…
Trapos are of course those who only care for their power. There are trapos in other countries as well, depending on the political culture they have to have at least one color and stick to it for a given time to not lose credibility completely. As Philippine society develops, there might be more of a clear preference of people for parties based on direction – instead of the old system of patronage, subservience against favors. Federalism might reverse that development, making people more dependent on the entitled once more. How everything will go, we will see.
There are of course power brokers and power players, they differ from trapos in that they play by the legal rules. Chancellor Kohl of Germany was one – so is Senator Drilon.
— finally it is parties that offer planks/platforms, but society must be able to accept them.
Societies where you need political favor to get a job or open a business are of course more conducive to trapo-style parties – whether Southern Italy before, or parts of the Balkans.
I’m going to establish a party that is called Akdalo, or Magbayan, that has socialist direction in caring for the people, and rightest in defending PH territory militarily and through alliances. It would be pro-business and pro-labor but keep restraints on foreign ownership so China does not buy the place.
*******
🙂 🙂 🙂
*****
Pardon my pessimistic assessment but what I see is the administration and the Senate’s push towards a one party system in PH. Something patterned after China’s CCP. I will not be surprised if further down the road, PDP will be the only political party left in PH.
The PH social/political structure is definitely going Chinese, but there is rising pushback. We’ll see . . .
Before I am very pro-National ID, but when you include e-mail address , it would be like an open invitation to the establishment to check your email and social media accounts.
Now, I don’t know what to think about it.
Yes, me, too. Under a trustworthy government, there would be some benefits. Under a list-building government . . . scary.
Scary, indeed.
I’ll protect you…
🙂
If you put him on the top of your dash board, no Highway patrol will apprehend you for distracted driving.
You mean like a moving doggy….Careful with the dog word Karl….. 🙂
Since he is shaped like a Gorilla… still not being careful there Sup.
Fine documentary about the leadership of the PNP. A true bobble head.
I was all for ID in Philippines, but given a better perspective now, I’m flip-flopping away from the idea. All good ideas are used by good people for good purposes, but will end up being used by evil people for dark purposes. And there are many evil people these days.
I agree and it is sad.
I found it futile to include e-mail address. National ID holders can change their email address at their most convenient time. No sense
I thought so too, but they might force you to have limited number of email addresses and other stuff. They better drop the email address, they can’t force people not to change emails.
*******
1. With respect to errors in thinking, I have said this before: most Filipinos have difficulty in sorting and scoping. (I cannot find where and when I said this in our voluminous history.)
1.1. Sorting is pigeonholing an issue under the proper domain.
1.2. Scoping is discerning what matters are in scope for the issue under consideration and which are out of scope.
2. Senator Poe made an error in sorting when she classified the INC kidnapping imbroglio as an issue in religious freedom rather than a criminal issue.
3. Here again, we see the same Senator erroneously classifying criticisms against some senators as a matter of fake news rather than a matter of opinion.
4. The senators do not have a proper taxonomy of relevant knowledge. It is not required for them to have a complete mastery of the taxonomy of human knowledge — that is impossible. But it is required for them to have a taxonomy of knowledge of national affairs. Otherwise, they should not be seated in the Senate, earning taxpayers’ money, and dreaming of higher office.
4.1. Errors in classification result in errors of understanding. And errors of understanding, in this case, result in errors of wasting time in Senate hearings and errors in drafting laws.
5. The other point I wish to make is that socmed is an untameable beast… unless you have a completely authoritarian regime. Socmed was used to win an election. And now that socmed is being used to beard the winner and his supporters, they want to tame the beast. Or part of the beast. Well, it should not be done. You cannot put the genie back into the bottle.
*****
It is rather amusing, or pathetic, depending on how one tilts one’s head, that the advocacy sites are considered “news”. And I wholeheartedly agree that this is not much of a conceptual panel, nor one that can even define words. The idea of mandating how people use social media is ridiculous. I mean, how will they regulate Edgar Lores in Australia without cutting off Filipinos from the world? They’d rather mandate than educate. Totalitarians.
@edgar8lores
I tried to look for for that sorting and scoping comment in vain.
*******
Karl, thanks. I remember it was a discussion with intuitiveperceiving… and here I have found it. I used the term “categorization” instead of “sorting.”
*****
Thank YOU! I knew it was a treasure
“3. Apart from the use of erroneous reasoning, I find that most Filipinos err in their thinking in two disciplines: categorization and scoping.
3.1. By categorization, I mean classifying a problem under the proper domain. For example, Is the problem political or judicial? If judicial, is it criminal, civil, common, or statuate? In the case of criticism, I said the proper domain of criticism is the evaluation of the work product as it is.
3.2. By scoping, I mean defining the perimeters of the problem after one has categorized it. What is in scope? And what is out of scope? In the case of the work product, I said the biographical details of the creator are out of scope. What is in scope is simply the qualities of the work product. A comparison to similar products would not be out of scope.”
One of the most idiotic things in that Senate hearing was that NOBODY MADE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN OPINION AND FALSE ACCUSATIONS/FALSE INFORMATION. .
There’s a big difference. One could have an opposite opinion on say, the tax reforms but you cannot make a false statement that the VP is pregnant or the LP is planning an assassination attempt on the President.
What the fake news purveyors were making were false accusations, NOT OPINIONS.
The govt’s paid fakers would duck under “opinion” when confronted with their lies!
Yes, that is exactly what is going on.
*******
Andrew, Your comment made me read up on libel.
It is defined as “a public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status or circumstance tending to cause dishonor, discredit or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead.”
o Defamation can be a criminal or civil case.
o The statute of limitations for libel (written) is 1 year; for slander (oral) 6 months.
o Non-residents cannot be charged with criminal defamation. (Yehey! Although I would try not make a false accusation. “Duterte is a liar” is not a false statement. Ellen (Tordesillas) virtually made that statement in the Senate and you could see how uncomfortable that made the Senators.)
The elements of libel are:
o imputation of a discreditable act or condition to another
o publication of the imputation
o the identity of the person defamed
o the existence of malice.
That last element is important for cases against public persons.
*****
And fake news purveyors go all the way to the top. The top man though has the additional prerogative of claiming that it was just a “joke”.
SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE IS SAUCE FOR THE GANDER
Duterte: (when caught lying about Trillanes Singaporean bank account number) I was just baiting him and he took it to heart.
Juan or Juana: (when called by a Senator about the former calling him/ her as a gay moron) I was just baiting him and he took it to heart.
Should Duterte be allowed the lie because he is the President and Juan/ Juana not? Why should the Senators like Poe, Sotto and Pacquiao harass the latter and not the former again because the former is President Duterte? Would they have allowed former President Aquino to get away with a lie like that by allowing the same excuse?
Meaning the high-falutin proposals of Poe and others may be OK under a different setting but not under the present Administration!
Comelec Chair Andy Bautista just posted his resignation letter on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ChairAndyBau?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Hati ang feelings ko…one part of me wished that Chair Bautista had continued to fight…another part of me understands where he is coming from – he has his children and family to think of and his supportive in-laws to consider, He might have thought that this washing of dirty linen in public must stop for the sake of his family.
I wish he would stay but I can understand why he is leaving. I think his family is part of the reason and the serving under the present administration is another. He just survived an impeachment case. Who could say that that will be the last one? I wish him good luck but the country lost a good public servant.
Indeed…We are losing ane after the other in different ways…Sen De Lima, Cong. Abad, and now Chair Bautista.
Latest…
He was still impeached by the HOR.
Senate trial to proceed.
Who, you mean Chair Bautista? If yes, could be the reason he was forced to resign.
poor guy…The HOR couldn’t wait until the end-of-the-year effectivity of his resignation.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937198/house-votes-to-impeach-bautista
The House of Representatives has voted 137-75-2 to impeach Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista, hours after he announced his plan to resign by the year’s end.
The House justice committee was directed to come up with articles of impeachment and send the case to trial at the Senate.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who was among those who voted to override the justice committee’s recommendation to dismiss the complaint for insufficiency of form, cited the “very serious” nature of the allegations that Bautista should answer in a trial.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937198/house-votes-to-impeach-bautista#ixzz4vC0V2cl0
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
If his rsignation was effective immediately there would be no impeachment.
According to Alvarez.
So the Senate will have 2 impeachment trial in its hands…one for the Comelec Chairman and one for the SC CJ. Will the HOR go for a 3rd for Ombudsman Morales?
They’re going berserk. Cretins! (can’t use dogs as they will be insulted eh, Will and Beth?)
*******
Cretinocracy sounds more appropriate than doggocracy… which is a sort of heaven.
*****
Grrr! This guy Alvarez is really something else!!!!
His dos por dos interview just finished and kulang na lang banggitin si ombudsman.
grrr nga.
The purpose of this exercise by Honorable Imbecile Speaker Alvarez is quite obvious I think..
BBM is presently having three provinces recounted. If Bautista is there until the end of the year it is unlikely that they can cook something up to make BBM the Vice-President..
“If Bautista is there until the end of the year it is unlikely that they can cook something up to make BBM the Vice-President..” – IBRS
Hopefully, more patriotic commissioners in the Comelec will prevent such eventuality.
I can’t believe we are having this political nightmare. SC with just 6 thinking justices nine unthinking ones (5 appointees of GMA and 4 DU30 lapcretins.) Ombudsman being attacked, ditto with Comelec, the AFP being perpetually wooed, PNP under a crybaby clown and the citizens (67%) looking on approvingly and/or rendered mute by scare tactics by CNG.
Cretinocracy to the max.
Grrrr!
I spoke to soon, he also talked about Morales.
http://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/249135/morales-case-up-to-house-alvarez.html
Come November, they will fast track the articles of impeachment of Bautista and try to cover all bases on Sereno, then go first base on Morales.
Damn!
I missed the beginning of the Fake News Hearing and did not bother to watch what I missed. Was Fake News defined by the Senators? Were the parameters explained and delineated? If not,the hearing is just a waste of time because they cannot possibly legislate about an unknown quantity.
Melissa Zimdars, an associate professor of Communication and Media at Merrimack College, defined Fake News as “sources that entirely fabricate information, disseminate deceptive content, or grossly distort actual news reports.” She also wrote tips on how to analyze news sources and categorize them by their content.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/11/18/my-fake-news-list-went-viral-but-made-up-stories-are-only-part-of-the-problem/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10eA5-mCZLSS4MQY5QGb5ewC3VAL6pLkT53V_81ZyitM/preview
Former Solgen Florin Hilbay made opening remarks and legislative proposal which were seemingly ignored by Poe.
My apologies, Joe. I know this is quite long but I just had to post this in its entirety. I could not find a link and I really tried to find one. I found this in Florin Hilbay’s FB page.
Statement before the Senate Committee
on Public Information and Mass Media
Florin T. Hilbay
4 October 2017
Allow me to go straight to my short remarks and legislative proposal.
Let me first emphasize an important constitutional point: there is a difference between false information provided by ordinary citizens and false information peddled by public officials.
The problem is not private citizens—Facebook or Twitter activists—exposing government incompetence, dishonesty, or corruption. The problem is government dishonesty.
Also, as a matter of constitutional law, it is worrisome for government to engage in a witch hunt to expose private speakers on claims these citizens are being too critical or even dishonest. Such actions inevitably produce a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
What I consider a threat to our democratic values and a danger to the marketplace of ideas is the prevalence of fake information provided by public officials, whether deliberately, or out of sheer incompetence.
Fake information provided by public officials poses special problems—
1) They are paid with public funds. It is an outrage that they receive taxpayers’ money so they can lie.
2) Their official status provides imprimatur to false information, whether posted in private or official social media accounts.
3) Their public employment provides them access to government facilities, creating a semblance of credibility where otherwise there would be none.
4) Their access to government facilities means that the false information they provide gets widely distributed.
Ordinarily, the mechanisms of government for responding to dishonesty by public officers are disciplinary sanctions by the Civil Service Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, and by heads of agencies, including the Office of the President. Our problem is that these mechanisms are not being triggered.
The two traditional constraints to government dishonesty—freedom of speech by informed private citizens and freedom of the press—have exposed many of these instances of dishonesty and incompetence by government officials. They have been generally dismissed by government as biased or unfair, political attacks rather than efforts to promote honesty in government.
Ordinary citizens are therefore confused by an environment where officials of the executive department are able to disseminate false information while demonizing the press and activist citizens.
Your Honors, this is a structural problem of the information environment: a phenomenon where government disinformation is able to hide behind the mantle of official action and protection, on one hand, and where freedom of speech and of the press are tagged as politically biased, on the other.
The way to counter-balance government disinformation is through the creation of a public institution whose sole task is to identify and publicize government dishonesty. When public officials become dishonest, it is the obligation of the State itself to correct distortions in the marketplace of ideas.
I propose that Congress enact a statute creating the Institute for the Integrity of Information, a sort of Ombudsman for public information provided by government, or an information police for government officials. What are the main features of the Institute for the Integrity of Information?
1) It should be composed of a board whose members are academics, media practitioners, policymakers, scientists, information technology experts of the highest credibility and competence.
2) They should not be appointed by the President or by any of his alter egos. In my opinion, this can be done without violating the Appointments Clause under Article VII, Sec. 16 of the Constitution.
3) Its function is four-fold:
• To create standards for verifying information provided by government.
• To actually verify information provided by government.
• To publicize its findings.
• To issue rewards to citizens who are able to spot fake information provided by public officials.
The Institute for the Integrity of Information should be able to act either motu proprio or upon referral by citizens of a claim of fact made by a government office or official.
I urge Your Honors to focus on a metaphor: that we should recognize false news or information as a calamity that wreaks havoc upon a sensitive ecosystem: the information environment or the marketplace of ideas.
In the same way that government has spent resources informing and warning citizens about impending or ongoing calamities through PAG-ASA, Phivolcs, etc. the government should likewise invest in informing and warning citizens about government dishonesty which distorts the information environment, polarizes political conversation, and manipulates citizens.
There is a need to create the Institute for the Integrity of Information because the integrity of public information is essential to opinion-formation and public discourse. If citizens think and act on the basis of wrong assertions of fact by public officials, then our marketplace of ideas will receive and produce wrong signals, the consequence of which is an impairment of the value of truth.
We live in an age of impunity, and I fear that apart from the thousands of killings on our streets, a tragedy that has received global attention, we have also become witnesses to another form of impunity—the death of truth.
Your Honors, so far as I know, there is no special public institution such as the Institute for the Integrity of Information anywhere in the world.
I hope the Senate considers this proposal not only as an urgent and practical response to government dishonesty but also as an opportunity to create a model legislation for all democracies around the world grappling with attacks on truth.
Thank you and good afternoon.
Thanks for posting the whole thing. Very relevant. Integrity of Information. Soooo far to go.
And thanks for the correction…am here again giving you additional work.
And taking my posts apart for worthwhile quotes on FB. I think I am definitely the one owing . . .
It’s my pleasure. Some FB friends like to read the whole thing, most though, like them in small bite size morsels. Short attention span and all. Would like to reach more so they could understand better. They don’t indicate that they like (scared maybe) but acknowledge them when we meet face to face.
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Chief Muckraker doing her job with flair.
*****
Not doing much muckraking these days…hehe
Mary,
The youtube video of Florin Hilbay’s senate hearing participation.
Thanks, karl the ever reliable Chief Librarian.
I miss a lot of hearings. Can’t wait for that retirement so I can be more updated.
The newly-formed group Citizen National Guard claimed that the country is under siege from the “enemies of the state” who are out to destabilize the government and oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
As far as the CNG is concerned, their so-called “enemies of the state” do not differ from legitimate political dissenters.
“If you are a political opponent, why don’t you stand up categorically and say we are not pushing for regime change? Don’t say that we’re not destabilizers. You say it is our interest and the interest of the country that Mr. Duterte continues as the president for the rest of his term,” CNG founder Antonio Valdes said on ANC’s “Headstart.”
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/11/1747726/dissent-destabilization-are-same-citizen-national-guard#undefined.gbpl
Rubber stamp legislature, lapdog SC, ongoing destruction of the remaining independent institutions…actually there’s no need for martial law declaration, we are under a dictatorship already, a banana republic. haisst….AFP if ever we go to the streets again, who will you support, the people or this despotic government? I’ll join, wheelchair and all.
Citizen’s National Guard is a fake name if ever there were one. They may be citizens, but they can’t be national because that embraces even dissent, and they can’t guard if they are attacking.
Indeed, a misnomer for a paramilitary group whose intent is to scare and silence citizens into submission.
Do they even have milotary training to be calling themselves National Guards? Lol
To sue for libel or defamation, one need to show :
– Defamation Must Be Objectively False
If you say something that is not entirely true, but is entirely subjective, meaning an opinion, that is not against the law.
Eg ‘the food in this restaurant is the most horrible I know of”
or ”the 7 senators are Malacanang dogs”
It is impolite, not civic, but not against the law. Why — cos they are just opinions.
– Defamation Must Be Published or heard
There is no injury unless what is uttered or written is :
– heard or seen by people
– had their minds influenced and changed by what was heard and written because they believed it to be true.
Eg ”the 7 senators are Malacanang dogs” — there is no injury. Why? — because nobody really believe Sotto and the others can turn into Dogs! What has been injured is their big fat egos and political capital. They can’t sue for that.
– Defamation Must Cause Financial Injury
In order to sue they must quantify damages.
Eg ”the 7 senators are Malacanang dogs” — They can sue for damages if they say as a result of that many people are not going to vote for them next time and they loose the opportunity to plunder, thus loosing lots of income. Of cos the defence will say nobody believes you are gonna change into a dog.
Seriously, damages here relate to personality. Which is a damn unfair proposition. If a senator sue a massa, he can claim millions, cos his reputation is that high up in the clouds. If a massa sue a senator, the judge might award him 100 pesos cos injury to his personality does’nt mean anything much.
– Must not be privileged speech
You can say anything in the courts as a witness, in Senate or Congress priviledged speech, and defamed anybody you want and nothing can be done.
IMHO, libel and defamation law is designed to benefit those that are “high up in the clouds” as you say. The filing and legal fees and later, imprisonment await the poor ordinary folks who get involved in such cases.
Joeam I am a dog lover and dogs do not act in a reprehensible manner nor do they do inquisitions. Cretins do! Please don’t insult dogs, they are the complete opposite of these “kagalang-galangs.”
Got it Beth. Cretins barking up the wrong tree.
Dogs are amazing creatures. They love back. My dogs get jealous of one another as they push and speak for their master’s attentions. I mean, they actually speak, or try to. One thinks he is human and sits on the patio chair beside me, looking downright intellectual. They get so excited when we return from a weekend away.
Definitely I have to change my language.
Thanks for bringing up the matter of “dog rights.” I share the view that they are the complete opposite of these “kagalang-galangs,” being at one time a dog owner. Now we know TSH covers all — from human rights to dog rights. 🙂
http://m.philstar.com/782974/show/59ff651fd1b38d7acfa78d960a63a392/?
The article was published last October 5th.
It was about what the hearing missed
like:
The importance of bots and trolls, role of legislature, etc.
Senator Poe didn’t have a plan, I think. And the arrogance of Mocha Uson and Thinking Pinoy took things out of her hands.
I don’t think there will be a follow up hearing, since many do not think that fake news needs a law and that includes Duterte.
He is suggesting stiffer penalties for libel instead.
Plus he does not want another disaster . . .
Nieto just resigned! Woohoo! Poor DFA, they lost someone they needed the most.
Now someone needs to sue his ass to shut him up. I wish Roxas and others were more aggressive using the courts to IMPOSE law on people who otherwise will ignore it.
How many hearings so far since the days of 5 past presidents that has no visible outcome? The senate and congress are so clogged up with hearings in the pipeline I just wonder what they do if there were no hearings and investigations.
PDAF
Arroyo helicopters
That General who went to U.N. to collect money for RP peacekeepers that he deposited in his personal bank account
That General who had a sackful of money that was stopped by an immigration clerk in SanFo
Fertilizer scam …
… AND SO MANY OTHERS that had the beginnings with no end ….
AND NOW, FAKE NEWS?
That is a lot of entertainment “walang wakasan”.
Don’t forget Binay parking
Binay cake
BinayLand
Please … please … please … Show me the ending!
“I just wonder what they do if there were no hearings and investigations.”
Does Dick Gordon eat chicharon all the time, sitting bored in his office?
Does Trillanes practice martial arts using his desk which he breaks?
Duterte’s hitmen … 13,000 to be investigated by UNHR, RPHR, PNP, Congress + Senate … The government needs America’s Roto Rooter to unclog the pipes of fake investigations …
I shouldn’t be digging up these no-ending congressional and senate investigations and hearings-in-the-grapevines … THIS IS THE FUNCTION OF SO-CALLED FAKE NEWS NOT YOURS, MINE AND OURS.
There must be legislation to improve
COA
Ombudsman
Sandiganbayan
NBI
PDEA
Customs
DILG
-proposal to split to local government and homeland security
This won’t stop future investigations,but in my book these will be huge improvements.
I doubt if they will find time to craft laws with three (3) impeachment trials that loom on their horizon, they have TRAIN (tax reform law) to finance their build, build build, and they will constitute themselves as con-ass(holes) which will draft amendments to the constitution maybe to do away with safeguards or limitations on martial law implementation, enable the president to issue decrees that will form part of the law of the nation, and insist on their federalism dream to perpetuate their dynastic rule on thier respective fiefdoms.
They are rightsizing and federalizing at the same time?
Mr. Salazar, there has to be hearings and investigations because these are hows they make media mileage for the next election …. in every elections in the Philippines pops up newly created political parties then the pirating of candidates to and from other parties and the circus will have begun …. before I forget every election there are also freshly minted SEC-approved newspapers to promote their political candidates and bias !!!
Insane.
Ahaha, oh my, best laugh rated 5 stars!
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937020/pro-duterte-blogger-quits-dfa-contract
Best top of the morning news!
Poor DFA. What will they do without TP? 🙂
Cayetano will be heartbroken when he gets back from his extended leave in the US.
I think stinking pinoy is now rented for a higher rate by the HOR for the impeachment milage upgrade?
🙂
Wonder what was the escape clause in the DFA contract that allowed him to terminate it?
Was he sacked because the DFA realised who needed who most?
I think TP will be right there in the palace. I’ve seen a recent picture of Du30 kissing his hands with TP laughing and Bong Go looking on with a serious and inscrutable countenance. This was right after the Senate Committee hearing on fake news. I also think his complaint of being treated in the DFA like whatever has been heard and addressed to by the Heil Chief.
Did TP wash his hands first after itching his worm ass?
🙂
He just used TP.
Hahaha…Who will infect whom? Grammatical correctness aside, they’re both badass arrogant.
He will become the secretary of justification.
I think they went to Mc Donalds to buy some happy meals for 1000 to avoid plunder?
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937334/beat-plunder-charge-by-subtracting-p1000-from-p50-m-threshold
Hahaha!
Only criminal minds who know the plunder threshold can think of something like that.
The criminally insane ones. 🙂
Their evil minds know no bounds.
Chuckle! Chuckle! Chuckle! Can’t believe how lame and in-your-face these people bribe government officials. IF I WERE CORRUPT AND BRIBE THEM not even Philippine Center Investigative Journalism, NBI and Philippine Investigation and Forensic Science Academy would even find out about it IF EVER they find out about it they will have a hard time prosecuting me. Because I will hire an American lawyer down-on-his-luck living in tent in Skid Row which is better than BAR-topnotchers in the Philippines.
Why I can win? Public enemy of justice is Fake Media Irresponsible Reporting. I can know right away what they know and when they knew it and who ratted. 2ndly, I am very good in public relation skills to the educatedly uneducated majority poor majority. 3rdly, if all else fails: BUY THEM SUCKERS !
11 pro Duterte senators did sign the 6.4 billion shabu shipment resolution from Gordon..They needed 10 to send it to the plenary…
”Aside from Gordon and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, who sponsored the adoption of the recommendations contained in the 52-page draft committee report, the other senators who signed it are Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senators Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Francis Escudero, Manny Pacquiao, Loren Legarda and Cynthia A. Villar.”
http://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/249132/gordon-clams-up-trillanes-cries-cover-up-over-report.html
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/03/15/Duterte-senators-dinner.html
E di Committee de absuelto nga sya. He must withraw the ethics complaint ASAP.
He will lose the chairmanship of that powerful committee if he doesn;t absolve anyone within the Du30 circle of if initiates investigation, let’s see about his moro moro lifestyle check kuno. Pacquiao is ever ready to declare a vacancy if that happens.
Regarding the first link, it is interesting that Gordon’s Draft Report did not touch on former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and other former Customs officials — as Lacson rightfully pointed out.
Kung student book report yan, bagsak — grade 5. Halatang halata ang bata natin.
Very interesting fact check by Vera Files about DFA and PCOO media releases at the UNGA in New York.
Verdict: DFA and PCOO spreading fake news about the Philippine UPR outcomes at the UNGA.
Nieto and Mocha wrote the press releases?
Abella also has a supporting role in the charade.
There might be some truth to Sup’s theory that Nieto moved on to bigger, greener pasture by Pasig River.
http://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-dfa-pcoo-spread-fake-news-about-outcom
Sorry. That was Mary Grace’s theory. Sup’s was about him spinning yarns for the HOR.
GAME OVER
Didn’t know they had these apps to sanitize the image.
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/10/12/over-100-organizations-Apple-remove-Duterte-war-on-drugs-game-apps.html
Tim Cook was so bothered about the 100-organization Philippine CEOs letter (PLEASE TAKE NOTE THEY ARE COMING FROM PHILIPPINE CEOs of 100 organization … C.E.O) and these Philippine CEOs said, quote: “”immediately remove apps that are promoting murder, extrajudicial killings, violence, and the war on drugs in the Philippines.”
REMOVE IT FROM THE PHILIPPINES BUT NOT ANYWHERE ELSE WHERE MURDER ARE RAMPANT.
Tim Cook scratching his head about the letter from Philippine CEOs: “ONLY IN THE P HILIPPINES” not anywhere else.
Tim Cook will have his staff read it … they must be chuckle! chuckle! chuckle! … that requires response “Please, include the rest of the world not only the Philippines”
THAT IS HOW INSENSITIVE THE CEOs are ….. It is OK to have EJK APPS abroad but not in the Philippines!
HOW LAME CAN THEY GET !!!
“immediately remove apps that are promoting murder, extrajudicial killings, violence, and the war on drugs in the Philippines.”
Philippine Chief Executived Officers must be global in thinking not Barrangay Captain thinking.
“FAIL! FAIL! BAD! BAD!” If it were Donald Trump to tweet.
Oplan double barrel
Cayetano:
President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team is in the US to brief international investors on the Philippine growth story.
In New York, the Cabinet officials met with representatives from Citibank, Morgan Stanley and Standard Chartered.
“This mission is a great opportunity for the economic team to highlight to US policy makers and the business community the incredible potential of the Philippine economy, which continues to be the fastest growing economy in the most dynamic sub-region in the fastest growing area in the world,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement from the Philippine Embassy in Washington.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/10/12/17/duterte-economic-team-in-us-to-promote-philippines
Duterte:
Philippine President Duterte Calls U.S.‘Lousy’ and Vows to Never Visit
by Reuters
MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hit back on Friday at U.S. lawmakers opposed to the prospect of his visiting the White House, saying he would never go to the United States, which he called a “lousy” country.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippine-president-duterte-calls-u-s-lousy-vows-never-visit-n785191
Angara and the DTI went to Europe a few days ago, and the first thing the DTI told the reporters goes something like this: “I liked what I heard, they asked how they can help and did not lecture” ( paraphrased)
Now Cayetano- go on and try very hard to convince the world, because the world is not convinced.
The Duterte link was last July.
If Trump goes here he might go to the US, you stil hold Duterte for what he says, Sup?
I think Duterte never lies but has a on/of button for Alzheimer’s disease?
🙂
Soon he forget he said this today..
Duterte on threat of PH removal from UN: ‘Do it now’
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937478/duterte-on-threat-of-ph-removal-from-un-do-it-now
It seems that Filipinos are confusing blogging with journalism
Seems so, and opinion with news, and advocacy with news.
“Leave the country in 24 hours.” President Duterte tells EU ambassadors in the Philippines. @ANCRecap
What the heck is going on?
At 42 minutes listen…Did he said because you are the right ones because you are the whites? OMG………
I can’t watch the video, but do find it interesting that it is a re-launch of the press briefings. Clearly the fake news hearing hammered the President and he is recasting how he communicates, cutting lose Stinking Pinoy and probably tempering Mocha Uson. It could be as fake as many things, just a new attempt at getting some traction with the dailies. I’d like to know the context of his remark, many of which are reversed by his staff within a couple of hours when they risk damaging the nation.
Try to play and go to settings and change auto into 240p…that would work for slower connections….
Thanks for the tip. I read an article about the incident and it was not a policy speech, but a hyperbole speech, in which he was ranting about the Human Rights Watch threat that the PH could be removed from the UN Human Rights body. The UN has itself did not made any such threat, so it is a peculiar revelation of the President’s detachment from reality. Strange man.
Some stuff about the possible EU GSP+ privileges being removed as well, with the threat that EU ambassadors can go home within 48 hours if they want. The final phrase makes it a typical “conditional threat” a la Duterte. The usual stuff about how many died in World War 2 and about colonialism and “don’t tell us what to do”. In the end nobody is, all I think the EU Commission will do is check if the Philippines is complying with its end of a deal it made in 2014 without being forced to – and will very probably cut off the trade privileges, not all trade.
In that context, Duterte’s rant about “we can trade with one another within ASEAN” is the usual nonsense. All that will happen is that I will pay a bit more for my dried mangoes from Cebu. On a larger scale some businesses will have it harder selling their stuff to the huge EU market. As for the UN, he confused UNHRC with UN membership as such, saying China and Russia would make sure in the Security Council that the Philippines cannot be expelled. Pitiful really.
He was in superb form, evidently. It’s interesting, I’d much rather sit next to someone stoked up on mary jane, than him. That’s just me, I guess.
It just occurred to me that Duterte’s shoot first, verify later presscon is just like the extra-judicial killings perpetrated by some state agents.
It’s just that the former deals with words, the latter with bullets.
Thanks. IBRS. This article shared by an FB friend, Vicky Garchitorena explains the MFNS status of the Philippines which we might lose as result of this latest rant and the continuing human right violations of this government. Hopefully, they will not punish the Filipino citizens just because a minority president got elected, and this will not come about.
BY Ding C Velasco
Most Favored Nation Status (MFNS) to EU ls As Good As Gone.
In December 2014, the EU granted the Philippines the sole privilege in South East Asia with a Most Favored Nation Status.
It meant that all 6,072 product lines being exported by the Philippines to Europe (like electronic parts, mangoes, bananas, rattan furniture, abaca products) will not be imposed with duties or tariffs making them super cheap for European consumers, therefore salable and competitive.
Our exporters never had a better day. The resulting trade surplus with the EU was used by PNOY to sustain the AFP Modernization Program by applying the surplus to cash down payments in choice armaments.
This was why, Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturers who were exporting to Europe made the Philippines their hub to make their products Made in the Philippines inexpensive for European buyers.
In a nutshell, the same electronic part from Taiwan or from Malaysia sells for at least 20% more in Europe than the same part coming from the Philippines. More factories here, meant more jobs for Filipinos.
I don’t have the data but the MFNS was one of the major reasons of gainful employment in electronic factories.
But let’s go back why we were granted this (GSP+) MFNS privilege. In 2012 to 2013, our economy was already taking off because of the correct business climate, a stable political leadership, the anti corruption drive was steaming ahead and there wasn’t much human rights issues …
so in December 2014 the EU extended this helpful MFNS privilege to us. And being a privilege, responsibilities on our side came with the package; one of our ‘responsibility’ was the observance of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Europe was silent when their representative was given a “Fu_k you” in September last year. They kept their peace, their mouths shut when Duterte “returned” their €255 Million Financial Grants (95% of which were to go to Moslem communities) because the “EU was critical of the human rights situation here” or in the vernacular, ‘nakikialam’.
The EU still kept silent even when Duterte repeatedly assail Mdsle. Agnes Callamard. They kept silent because it was useless arguing with an idiotic, spoiled, uninformed braggart … but the said MFNS privilege is up for a periodic review before it can be “re-extended to the beneficiary”.
Yesterday, Sec. Dominguez said “Europe must not believe what they read in the media because the real score of human rights protection on the ground of the Duterte Administration is clear; there isn’t any EJK either”.
The Duterte Admin is still in the denial stage. All of them. Cayetano in the UN General Assembly and at Al Jazeera. The PNP. The DOJ. SolGen. Even the shrill and silly Acosta.
Even the Senate Committee of Gordon submitted a Report that no EJKs was supported by the Government. And because they are all in denial, none of them will work to correct the human rights transgressions here. Perhaps, they feel it is a right; not a privilege. Then, the
Most Favored Nation Status of 6,072 of our products is as good as gone.
EU disowns EU parliamentarians visit to Manila giving Duterte ammunition to make them leave …
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/160842/eu-disowns-mission-euro-lawmakers
I better to stock up on this kind of stuff, quickly before the prices go up 20% or more:
It will get hard for products where there is NO Filipino monopoly, like soy sauce:
Daimler-Benz may source more abaca for certain car chassis from Dominican Republic or Ecuador..
I find Philippine Soy Sauce thick in consistency and strong in flavor. I prefer Vietnamese, Thai, China and Japanese Soy Sauce.
UFC Banana Catsup made of tomato? I’m beginning to like it to flavor my Siopao it pairs well.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… that catsup and this…
(rich with Omega fat! 😉 they have this in Germany, Ireneo? )
Germany may have … because they eat Schweinshaxe a deep fried pork knuckle. Yum!
An intimate wondered, if it’s not himself wanting to make a speech almost everyday, who the hell in the President’s staff insists that every social engagement he’s invited to always have a podium for him and for which to conveniently blast his critics at?
The happiest guy after this latest Duterte meltdown?
Koko Pimentel plus some senators – that means another trip to Europe to smooth things out. 🙂
“The actress, who was recently named in a New York Times expose alleging sexual misconduct by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, has been tweeting about the scandal since it broke.” – ABCNews
That is how Americans take their justice SERIOUSLY! But in the Philippines the accused know about their being accused not thru Department of Justice but thru Newspapers and VERY FEW FILIPINOS that should not be case may they be in Canada, America and Australia.
Chuckle! Chuckle! Chuckle! Why is that so? But they can analyze Political SCIENCE.
Ooops! My quote above is misleading because I missed the 1st paragraph. Here again:
“Rose McGowan’s Twitter account was temporarily blocked for violating some of the social network’s rules.
The actress, who was recently named in a New York Times expose alleging sexual misconduct by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, has been tweeting about the scandal since it broke.
Do not tweet or speak to American Media about the details while the case is being investigated.
Two harassment accusers,
Rose McGowan and Heather Graham look alike.
Rose McGowan is now mad at Ben Afleck for being complicit, or something to the effect.
Senator Bam and Kiko’s e-mail as well as their Senate staff are being swamped by phishers and hackers to connect them to plots of administration destabilization? Senator Bam in a press conference, “revealed fake e-mails found in draft and spam folders of employees in an attempt by hackers to connect the opposition to destabilization plots against the government. ”
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=1653832494641025
I believe the fake news, fake emails, etc. are being ramped up to combat the recent perceptible waning of support to the Administration — as confirmed by the recent SWS survey — especially the vulnerable 60 percent D and a few of the 30 percent class, the upper 10 percent ABC class not being the target.
The way this is going I will not be surprised if fake destabilization news will be described as the leading cause of price increases when it does come.
You are right. Shifting the blame for obfuscation and distraction is a prevalent strategy in the administration’s and his supporter’s tool box.
IMHO, it also points to the direction of vengeance towards Sen Bam and Kiko for their line of questioning during the Senate Fake News hearing.
Joeam and Contributors, Hello!
Please blog about the TRAIN Tax Reform. I am not understanding it. I hear there is panic buying of cars in Metro Manila to avoid 30% Excise Tax on cars next year: That is 12% VAT+30% Excise Tax on “brand new cars”. Does this exclude used cars? I like this tax. It is soooo Singapore where buying a car is more expensive than buying condominium. This should free-up streets of Metro Manila and promote mass public transportation.
According to some news as quoted from Department of Finance those earning Php20k monthly are exempted from Income taxes. That is a savings of Php50k a year. It also mentioned 83% of working Filipinos benefits from the income tax exemption. 83% !!! That is super-majority of Filipinos earning less than USD$400/month ! as compared to other sources that claimed 50% of Filipinos are living $2-a-day. The news is implies only 17% of Filipinos earn upwards of $400/month. The report does not say how many Filipinos are working it only gives Unemployment Rate which is not accurate.
Working Filipinos is not the same as Filipinos deriving income from their Sari-Sari Variety Stores. The FAKE NEWS is not reporting the way news should be reported “WITH ANALYSIS” + NUMBERS. Supra-Pathetic!
Thank you.
Thanks for the excellent suggestion.
IMHO, The version Angara’s Senate Committee came up with is truly disappointing. I trust the likes of Senators Recto and Drillon will step up and improve upon it.
He reduced the the tax-exempt salary (as approved by the HOR) to a level below the exemptions as mandated by law. Currently, all the minimum wage earners are already exempt from tax. Angara’s version is even below the minimum wage level. Grrr!
Bravo for Pacquiao for suggesting to double the excise tax on cigars and cigarettes, this coming from the daughter of a smoker who died of lung cancer. I also wish that they further expand the sin tax instead and reduce the excise tax on diesel and gasoline and other lubricants. I hope the tobacco and other lobbyists will not succeed in influencing the senators into giving in to them.
Again it is up to the powerful bicam to correct whatever has to be corrected regarding this TRAIN.
But a news report said that the senate will
miss today’s deadline.
They will miss the train.
http://www.interaksyon.com/senate-missing-oct-13-timeline-for-passage-of-tax-reform-package-1/
Solita Monsod’s take on train
http://opinion.inquirer.net/104660/discovered-train-1
http://opinion.inquirer.net/107347/flawed-house-train
Net satisfaction with VP Leni up at +41. Pimentel up at +46. Alvarez’s down at +8. Sereno down at +9.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/12/17/vp-robredos-satisfaction-rating-up-to-41-sws-says
Thought this piece from “Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee” (a Daily Show spin-off) was relevant , Joe, RE combating ‘fake news’ from Russia :
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/10/12/full_frontal_investigates_finland_s_anti_fake_news_efforts_video.html
” But “fake news” and Russian influencers aren’t a uniquely American problem, so Full Frontal’s Amy Hoggart traveled to Finland to talk to Director of Communications Markku Mantila about how the country is fighting back.
Oddly enough, the Finnish government hired American consultants to help them combat fake news, including Adam Berinsky of MIT’s Department of Political Science. While Berinsky insists that his advice is not a cure—at best he says he can advise governments “how not to make things worse”—he did train Finnish officials to stop the spread of fake news. One strategy is to avoid repeating false claims, even when denying their veracity, because it could spread those lies even further. “
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/03/28/this-is-how-you-stop-fake-news/
“Previous research in this field suggests that attempts to counter political rumors often fail. Ironically, just repeating rumors that you’re trying to debunk may in fact reinforce those rumors. Those individuals who accept a rumor as true may in fact become more certain of their false beliefs the more it’s repeated, doubling down if there’s new sources of information that either supports or denies it.”
“The lessons of my study are clear. Just as important as how a rumor is debunked is who does the debunking. Politicians who support good public policy by speaking against their partisan interests — in this case, Republicans speaking out against the death panel rumors — are considered credible sources by citizens from across the ideological spectrum.
When fighting “fake news,” politicians and the media should present the right authority. In our politically polarized time, we may be able to harness the power of partisanship to stop the spread of misinformation.”
Keep your money, i don’t need it…I have already 2 billion..
https://www.rappler.com/nation/185106-duterte-refuses-18-million-dollars-uk
Please give it to the VP who was given a mere pittance by the Senate to support her various projects.
Maria Josephina Vergina Laurio a.k.a. PAB is another lady with balls
https://pinoyakoblog.com/blog/ako-si-pab-oh-eh-ano-ngayon/
Ako si PAB, Oh Eh Ano Ngayon?
Dear KaPAB,
Hayaan niyo na sa akin manggaling ang katotohanan. Opo, si PAB at si Ms. Jover Laurio ay iisa.
Isa lang ordinaryong tao si PAB, na araw-araw binabash ngayon sa social media ni Thinking Pinoy a. k. a. RJ Nieto and his minions.
Etong week na to was the hardest for me and my family. Nag file na ako ng leave of absence from work because of the threats and hate messages I have been receiving from my personal account both from Twitter and Facebook. I have filed a leave of absence from school too.
These people are trying to destroy my life by exposing my picture, my real name and my school. Araw-araw the attacks are escalating. Siguro lahat ng klase ng pambabalahura naranasan ko na from DDS minions. Nanay ko naapektuhan na but she said “laban lang”.
As Jover Laurio, I was crying everyday. As PAB I tried to be brave and continue blogging. But I think it is time for me to fight back. Lahat ng pambabastos nila need to stop. May hangganan pala ang lahat. Oras na para lumaban.
I have already talked to some lawyers and I will be filing criminal and civil case. A group of lawyers offered their services pro bono. Atty. Florin Hilbay also offered to help.
Pinaglalaban ko dito ay ang karapatan ko magpahayag. Kung ang bawat pumuna sa gobyernong ito ay sisirain nila ang buhay, I guess it is time to resist.
Maaring iisang tao lang si Jover Laurio, pero marami si PAB.
Makikita mo si PAB sa bawat Pilipinong nagsasawa na sa fake news at pagsisinungaling na ginagawa ng mga propagandista.
Makikita mo si PAB sa bawat inang nawalan ng anak dahil sa EJK.
Makikita mo si PAB sa iyak ng mga kabataan na naulila sa magulang kasi pinatay ang mga magulang nila ng walang due process.
Makikita mo si PAB sa bawat manggagawa nakikipag buno sa traffic araw-araw na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa din nabibigyan ng solusyon ng gobyernong ito.
Makikita mo si PAB sa bawat guro na ultimo chalk allowance nila ay pinagdamutan pa ng administrasyong ito.
Makikita mo si PAB sa mga sundalong pilit na binabantayan ang mga teritoryo natin sa West Philippine Sea habang si Cayetano at Duterte ay hindi man lang pinaglalaban ito.
Makikita mo si PAB,sa bawat OFW na nagsisikap sa ibang bansa na umuwing luhaan, kasi dinatnan na bangkay ang mahal sa buhay.
Makikita mo si PAB sa bawat isang tax payer na nagkakanda kuba na sa pagbabayad ng buwis, pero winawaldas lang ng pamahalaan pambayad sa propagandista at sa ibat ibang junket.
Makikita mo si PAB sa mga taong umasa ng matinong pagbabago at nabigo kasi madugong pagbabago ang nagaganap.
Oo, Maria Josephina Vergina Laurio is Pinoy Ako Blog and I will see you all in court.
Sugatan man pero Patuloy na Lalaban,
PAB/Jover
PRD has performance and trust ratings of 80% as per Pulse Asia survey.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937640/breaking-pulse-asia-duterte-robredo-alvarez-pimentel-sereno-approval-trust-ratings
So now we have 2 polls with a wide variance in their survey results…not only the citizens are deeply divided…pollsters are, too.
Of course, the cretins of the admin will attack SWS, you destabilizer you.
80% of my countrymen approve of the EJKs, corruption, and ranting and swearing and surrender of our sovereignty. I am deeply ashamed of these 80%.
As Joe writes, “It is irrational for a nation to discard a hard-won international arbitration award that protects her own rights to resources and sovereignty. It is irrational for a President and Secretary of State to push away long and loyal American protection in favor of Chinese occupation of Philippine waters.” I want to add, it is unbelievable, irrational and beats any sane logic to trust a president that utters kill them, don’t just shoot them, kill them, don’t waste a bullet. and by them, he means our youth who will no longer be productive members of our society, one who loves plunderers and doesn’t hide his desire to be a dictator.
So now he can brag to other nations that he has the support of the entire nation and don’t ever dare to meddle in our affairs. Oh, God.
Am I in a nightmare, someone please wake up me from this one.
If Aguirre is the Secretary of Justice, the rest are the secretaries of justification.
Panelo,Abella,Andanar …. i will do a Mary aaaarghgrrrrrr !
Sp who is Cocoy Dayao and why did they say he is PAB? Although I saw a categorical denial from him, just can’t remember where and when. Now we know PAB is a woman, a truly courageous woman, an ordinary working woman, aware, awake and trying to fight this administration’s DRUMS
DRUMS – Disinformation, Rumors, Untruths, Myths and Smears. Repeated and retweeted often enough, DRUMS can pass for the truth to all but the most critical and analytical minds.
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/236403/confessions-of-a-troll/
https://propinoy.net/2017/09/26/hey-sassquatch/
I pointed the Cocoy denial, Mary.
ahh, yes…now I remember. These meds are creating havoc to my memory.
Thanks, Karl.
He likely provided the technology platform that PAB uses. He runs his own blog, too. And is a tech consultant, I believe. I think he was just doing business.
Thanks, Joe. I get the full picture now. And the picture shows the more hordes of vulture to circle the young woman the way they did with De Lima, Robredo, Hontiveros, Trillanes.
It’s no wonder the trust and approval rating of the VP shows no improvement, with the imagined dirt they keep hurling at her and with 80% approving the President, it follows that they don’t approve the VP.
Gullible, unthinking 80%. aaarrrggghhh…grrr!
I’ll return to virtual cooking and sharing recipes to ease my angst.
Or just set Pulse aside and go with SWS which nets positive and negative and shows a clear decline for Duterte and an increase for Robredo. She might exceed him next quarter.
🙂 Here I goes, MG. (can’t resist the DRUMS’ pun-to-the max charm)
The new media product (comes in pastry & perfume):
DRUMS, the pastry:
is loads-full of Artificial ‘Tweetners meaning: vacuous (full of ebak) and totally carcinogenic (guaranteed deadly & metastatic)
Or
DRUMS, the perfume in the new, easy to pack solution, H2S (rotten egg):
is redolent but not subtle, a drop in the right places will do
Vacuity- full of ebak
Naivete- naeebak
I like, Neph. 🙂 I’m so naive at the wrong times.
From Florin Hilbay 5 hrs · #TayoSiPAB
DEFEND FREE SPEECH. Defend Pinoy Ako Blog.
The person behind the popular Pinoy Aka Blog (PAB) was recently outed by pro-gov’t elements as Ms. Jover Laurio. As a consequence of this very serious and repeated violation of her constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of expression, she is now being harassed and threatened.
These constitutional violations give rise to multiple criminal and independent civil actions pursuant to the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Data Privacy Act, and the various provisions of the Civil Code relating to Human Relations.
At a time when opposing the government could mean accommodations in jail for even a senator of the republic, a citizen’s freedom to expose government incompetence, corruption, and dishonesty through an anonymous blog is the wall protecting that speaker from the unconstitutional reach of government and the elements that support it.
ALAB (Alyansa ng mga Abogado Para sa Bayan), an organization to which I belong, and other lawyers who believe in free speech are extending legal services to Ms. Laurio so she can defend herself and pursue her harassers.
We benefit a lot from a speaker like PAB, who communicates our outrage in ways that make us laugh. Instead of us seething with anger, PAB provides the facility to dissent powerfully through magical instruments that meld logic and emotion–humor and sarcasm.
Let’s defend PAB.
It is good that she is getting alll the legal support she can get.
*******
Je suis PAB.
She is Pabulous.
*****
Mary, thanks and I would like to repeat and highlight this paragraph:
At a time when opposing the government could mean accommodations in jail for even a senator of the republic, a citizen’s freedom to expose government incompetence, corruption, and dishonesty through an anonymous blog is the wall protecting that speaker from the unconstitutional reach of government and the elements that support it.
Florin Hilbay, the much admired former Solicitor General, certainly knows whereof he speaks.
More power to Pinoy Ako Blog (PAB)!
you’re very welcome, sir NH
Indeed, he knows wherof he speaks, totally the opposite of the current Solgen Calida, who has been recommended by our JIL spiritual director, Bro. Eddie Villanueva. I shudder in shame
From Charito del Carmen 1 hr ·
LET’S PUSH THIS TO #1 FROM 1PM ONWARDS: #TayoSiPAB
Lumabas na si Ms. Jover Laurio at buong tapang na sinabing siya ang writer ng Pinoy Ako Blog (PAB).
Ngunit hindi ito madali, dahil siya ay hiniya, ginawan ng chismis at kasinungalingan, nakatanggap ng napakaraming death threats at hate messages, at nadamay ang pamilya sa social media witchunt hunt na ginawa ng Malacañang trolls na sila Sass Sasot, RJ Nieto (aka Thinking Pinoy na dati ring anonymous), at Mocha Uson, among others.
Mahirap lumabas sa panahong ito. Malakas ang makinarya ng administrasyon. Mapera ang propaganda. Maraming pulitikong nasa likod ng troll armies na ginugulo ang social media.
Sinabi na ni Jover na siya ang nagsusulat, ngunit TAYO ang tunay na kuwento. At ngayong araw, ipakita natin sa buong bansa na hindi lamang isang tao ang hinahanap nila, kundi milyon-milyong Pilipinong hindi na natutuwa sa mga nangyayari.
Tayo si PAB, dahil hindi tayo tumatahimik kahit napakahirap manuligsa sa administrasyong ito.
Tayo si PAB dahil humihingi tayo ng hustisya para sa mga kapwa nating Pilipinong pinatay ng mga miyembro ng mga kapulisan.
Tayo si PAB dahil patuloy tayong nakikipaglaban upang magkaroon ng pagkain sa mesa at maayos na trabaho ang mahihirap nating kababayan.
Tayo si PAB dahil mahal natin ang bansa, at kahit anong pananakot, hindi tayo mapapatahimik.
Kailangan tayo ni Jover. At kailangan si PAB ng Pilipinas. Mag-ingay na.
In my opinion ”a must read” about how the fake news works.
thanks Rappler….
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/185560-mocha-uson-posts-news
The article pretty much verifies in detail the how and why of the deceits that flow from government, via Uson. The article is an investigative report, and seems halfway between reporting and opinion, the last few paragraphs being opinion. I wish they had been written differently to just state the facts and let the reader draw those conclusions, then it would have been fact and hard to argue against. By being opinion, Uson can continue to claim she is the victim of a ‘yellow’ witch hunt.
But the rest of the article is a killer. She gets her information from unverified sources and passes them on as news. She is intentionally deceitful, on behalf of the Philippine national government.
Thanks for giving it your attention….I am glad i did read it….makes a lot of things clear to me…