Here is why Rappler CEO Maria Ressa lost her case against Wilfredo Keng who, several years ago, filed a case of cyber libel against her and “reporter” Rey Santos Jr. She failed to make a strong case in her defense. Evidently, no lessons were learned. We can see this in a statement issued by the Communications and Political Science departments of chi chi Ateneo dr Manila University following a court ruling that finds Ressa guilty as charged.
The statement encapsulates everything that was wrong about Ressa’s appeal to popular sentiment. She had played pathetically overused cards — (1) the false notion that this was a crackdown on dissent perpetrated by the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, (2) the Woman Card evident in a claim that this government harbours “an aversion to women who have shown the courage to defend our democratic institutions”, and (3) the Tyranny angle where, supposedly, the government “is most animated and proactive when looking for ways to intimidate and silence critics”.
Ho hum…
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Here is the whole “statement” issued in a tweet fielded by the Ateneo Communications Department…
Note that not one of the legal arguments pertinent to the case and to Ressa’s conviction were addressed. The statement was no more than a sad appeal to emotion and a lame attempt at emotional blackmail using tired old rhetoric that had gone way past their use-by dates. These sad arguments (if you can even call them that) had lost potency simply because they are all not true.
Blame, perhaps, the old 1980s-vintage thinking that suggests that “popular will” not necessarily channeled through established democratic institutions and processes can simply trump that which is effected via due process. In the addled minds of Filipino wokedom, simply gathering on a Manila street in big enough numbers making shrill emotional chants and speeches will effect political change (or, at least, appease their quaint tantrums). That may have been true some years ago when street mobs succeeded at shouting down two sitting presidents, the late Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph “Erap” Estrada in 2001. Unfortunately for these snowflakes, the Philippines is now a mature democracy with a working criminal justice system and a Congress of duly-elected representatives of the electorate.
Finally, the case, ultimately, was initiated by a private citizen who demonstrated that the system could actually work in favour of the underdog — an individual going up against a powerful and well-connected media corporation. Democracy is definitely alive in the Philippines and Filipinos are, quite evidently, a free people — all contrary to what Maria Ressa and her gaggle of apologists screech to the high heavens.
Maria Ressa’s apologists need to find better copywriters for their PR paraphernalia. Better yet, they should get people who have sharp enough minds to engage in logical and intelligent debate.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
“Na KARMA na si Maria Reesa”…Being a propagandist of the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, for many years, in the ABS CBN news TV media. .. Maria Reesa, founded the Rappler.com, at the beginning years of Blog sites. .. To continue, her fake news; biased opinions; and being an active part of the political propaganda machine of the Aquino Cojuangco political axis.
The Aquino/Lopez plan did not work; because they think all Filipinos, are as dumb as they can be…they thought, that Filipino bloggers are all dumb. Like their YellowTard followers, who take on shouting on the rallies, on any sense of political contradiction of their YellowTard ideology.
Now, Maria Reesa lost the Cyber libel case; and these YellowTard idiots think, that they can reverse the judgement of the case, by shouting on rallies….
This Maria Reesa case, increased my confidence on our judicial system !
This would be more convincing if general sinas, senator koko and commisioner mocha were also sanctioned, but they are exempted from the rule of law it only applies to the rest of us.
Has Koko’s case been “settled” or “closed”? Last that was reported is that he will face the NBI after CQ? I forgot if it was specific to ECQ or if it included GCQ. But this shouldn’t be “case closed” I agree with you there.
Mocha Uson was invited by NBI already right? Just that no case has been filed. Nor did the NBI update everyone what the heck happened and why no case was filed for her arranging the assembly with OFWs (I recall it was OFW) and reporting of incorrect/fake news (again… was this around 4th or 5th time where she was publicly called out?)
Sinas…. they should have relieved him of duty the moment the issue was recognized. I also do not understand why he is kept in “place”.
Sinas and Duque should actually have been relieved already, at least that’s what I believe, for their failure in performance of duties… or preferential performance of duty while in public view…
The only thing/mindset that maybe runs through a “leader’s” head as to why he doesn’t relieve personnel at a crucial time is that he doesn’t want to affect morale (Shallow at our current time as those under the organization handled by those two are shone in a bad light because of the one kept in place) or that once the crisis has settled down, then he will relieve them quickly (But this doesn’t seem to be the case).
No. A private person’s victory for being maligned on a smear article has no bearing over what you just said about those government employees. You’re operating on the premise that what happened to Ressa was state-directed. It wasn’t, and Ressa has no one to blame but herself or her inept lawyers who clung to technicalities instead of debunking the accusation by presenting counter evidence.
but why was the enforcement so vigorous against ressa but so lackadaisical against the three i mentioned?
Most Filipinos are either too poor, too busy (or both) to actually care about Rappler and Ressa getting the himas-rehas treatment.
Only burgis, overfed liberals on an IV drip of milk tea, cursing everyone else on Twitter care enough about something called “freedom of the press” – something that has been twisted into a partisan weapon by past administrations (remember how Ressa merrily pilloried CJ Corona?) and ultimately, something that never feeds your average Pinoy.