Now the wokes are complaining about social media personalities like Toni Gonzaga who interviewed former Senator Bongbong Marcos (BBM) in her YouTube show last week. Initially, they wanted to hold Gonzaga accountable as a “journalist.” Traditional media is biased in their favor which is why they don’t call them out. But if the interview is not to their liking, then the journalist is held accountable.
During the Marcos years, pro-Marcos Pinoys would tune in to the government-owned Channel 4. You had Ronnie Nathanielsz and Rita Gaddi Baltazar as the main anchors. It was GMA-7 which began the trend of independent public affairs programs. Viewpoint and later on Straight from the Shoulder. The discussions were lively but there was no hostility on the part of the anchor, unlike now when they can be condescending. Karen Davila, Christian Esguerra and Mike Navallo are guilty of this. It’s not surprising because they’re with ABS-CBN. The basic tenet of objectivity is no longer observed. The bias is meant to be shown. The goal is to influence public opinion. The only loser is the public because those who have adopted the role of a mercenary will not exercise his profession in a manner which puts public interest as the priority.
The late Louie Beltran had the knack of asking the most difficult questions of his guests without them taking offense because there was no malice on his part. For example, if Beltran was interviewing BBM, I’m sure he would bring up the issue of martial law in the proper context. Marcos Jr., wasn’t an elected or appointed official at that time so it would be in the context of a son whose father was the President. It would be different if Beltran was interviewing Marcos Sr. because he was the President and the public would want to know what is his opinion of the decision he made at that crucial juncture in the country’s history.
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But most important is to allow the public to make their own judgment and for the media personality to not be the judge. This is what journalism, in its purest form, is all about. There is no excuse for the criticism of Gonzaga because she is not a journalist. Her vlog is not a public affairs program nor does it follow that format. Like all Filipinos, she has a right to freedom of speech. Technology has made it possible for every individual to air their opinions publicly. There is no harm in that. There is also no “good” versus “evil”. There are only opinions.
Maturity and civility dictates that we should be respectful of each and everyone’s points of view but it is the Opposition that have been guilty of lowering the level of discourse by not sticking to the issues and making unfounded accusations. This is why we leave ourselves at the mercy of propagandists because we afford them the opportunity by being uncivil and immature.
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The mainstream media is giving Gonzaga’s previously obscure channel too much publicity, it’s now a pinnacle of Streisand effect. ? TBH I wouldn’t bother watching her videos had they not given a lot of hype and credits to her. And their attempt to reinforce their narrative by providing “reaction videos” or “factcheck videos” to her interview video also backfired. All of those videos got more dislikes than likes. Lalo lang nila pinapaugong si Marcos sa ginagawa nila. They heard the general sympathy of the Filipino people: BBM is not responsible for Martial Law. Dapat na silang mag-move on diyan dahil lalo lang nilang ginagalit ang mga tao.
And BBM is a decent person. Beyond desperately associating him for ML and humiliating him for his failed electoral protest, wala as in wala silang maibatong baho sa kaniya. He’s a formidable contender on 2022.
The challenge for the Yellowtards is this: If they strip out the “Marcos is evil” argument when applying critical scrutiny on BBM as a politician, what does that leave them? All they have to work with will be just his track record as a public servant. And on that track record alone, they will have nothing on him.
no need for emo marcos is evil slogans. just for him to admit that there was repression and dictatorship under his father and it was a totalitarian regime. that would be a start. as for his record, you are indeed correct. there is nothing on him hehehe.
Drink Moderately. 😉
Too bad Bongbong is so smart to fall for that bait. If he would does, then it was proven that Filipinos are stupid and petty, even the smallest of things. Why would Bongbong ‘admit’ to those when they were actually a small thing in comparison?
she is not a journalist but she has a responsibility to make sure her guests dont peddle falsehood. example, what if she had on a holocaust denier who portrays the nazis as heroes.
Like how you guys spread falsehoods like there’s peace and stability after Marcos left?
Using the Nazi rhetoric on this is such amateurish thinking.
its literally impossible for a country to have peace and stability after a decade of repression and dictatorship not to mention defaulting on our loans 1983. where did you get that idea hehehe
It IS possible. You keep on yapping about the defaulting our loans in 1983 but never mentioned about the political instability that happened, the same year Ninoy Aquino was assassinated.
Cory would’ve done that if she borrowed money to give back social services but she refused to.
Ruling in fear and hatred of one tainted surname really does wonders. No wonder why we have daily brownouts when I was 2 years old. Don’t tell me it didn’t happen, but guess what, it did.
@greengrin: Did she irresponsibly allow BBM to peddle falsehood in anyway? Something related and relevant to this should be your chosen example!
she let him espouse the idea that martial law, a time of repression and dictatorship, was happy hour. unless you’re a person who doesnt like civil rights and would rather live in a totalitarian regime, you push back. otherwise, go to north korea.
Did BBM actually said “happy hour”? You’re just short of saying that your argument and sentiment about Martial Law applies only to those who opposed and undermined the government but not to those who favored, believed and supported the Marcos administration? And I presume that you believe in democracy, the rule of the majority.
Some radical forces have chosen their own fate having devoted their lives in trying to undermine State authority, isn’t the State has the right to protect itself?
We know about the story of “MV Karagatan” incident and its historical significance as to why Martial Law was proclaimed, should we just ignore it?
Lastly, if certain specific things you think existed/happened during Martial Law are unacceptable will you consider the same for the next thirty years of the Yellowtards in power have ceased to exist?
just because i support democracy, doesnt mean all claims are valid. there is empirical truth and there is deliberate falsehood. we must make distinction.
i am against undermining the current government and i am thankful marcos defeated the communists. if the commies won, they would have inflicted on us a worse totalitarian regime. however, we did not need to suffer under dictatorship just to defeat the communists.
mv karagatan incident was proof that our military at the time was more than capable to beat the communists. in fact, the npa was more numerous in the latter part of martial law than in 1971/72 because rowdy but unarmed student activists took up arms as a direct reaction to the repression.
repression is repression whether red or yellow. with whatever ability i have, i will resist them equally
People should realize that a disciplinary is different from dictatorship and tyranny so a disciplinarian gov’t doesn’t need to become totalitarian or authoritarian. Australia is disciplinarian and democratic. In fact, Australia has better democracy than us, way better.
You love to overrate Martial law being a time of dictatorship and repression but never wanted to admit that it was also a time where society is disciplined. It’s laughable that there are people who would prefer to live in poverty as long as they have their “civil rights”.
Nice that you put North Korea there but it’s also a Communist regime. But Singapore is a fine city but people like you are yapping like there’s no civil rights there.
Drink Moderately.
Anyway you look at it, no one can deprive others of their opinion on the matter. Why can’t the Marcos haters get that simple principle? If I say I can smell words and ideas, who are they to say that I’m lying? What is illegal and dangerous expression can be dealt with through laws. At this point they’re just throwing tantrums.
not really because there is such a thing as empirical truth.
very bad example, we have a very good understanding of how scent works. olfactory receptors in our noses detect chemical molecules in the air.
try again
try harder
use your brain hehehehehe
Well, empirical truth can evolve… I don’t have to try harder to convince you. I’m only saying what I think knowing that you too have your own perception. Your olfactory sense is but one part of a ton of processes that form your experience on a higher scale.
very insightful. maybe you can join a medical convention and argue that having hypertension, diabetes and cancer is the epitome of good health. good luck.
If you’re insisting on empirical evidence, why don’t you give a space in your head for other people’s accounting of events during that period? This is not like back in those days where communication was one-way because only the media owned by the topplers can have a voice and say.
You should follow your own advice because yours is a Yellowtard rhetoric.
But seriously, shutting down people or silencing them is such a Yellowtard thing to do.
Typical Yellowtard approach to discourse. Rather than come up with BETTER arguments, they would rather silence those who offer different perspectives.
Why are the stories of the so called “victims” of Martial Law all strangely the same? They all claim to either being abducted or arrested, tortured in military camps but they all fail or refuse to give names or identify their direct abusers, where and when exactly did the alleged atrocities happen.
Marcos is no longer in power in 1986 after Edsa takeover. They have all the opportunity with the new administration of the Cory government having full power and influence throughout the whole Philippines, to file cases in courts against their alleged abusers/perpetrators but curiously they do not. Even the Aquino assasination was easily blamed on Marcos in spite of the two Aquino Presidents’ failure to investigate and bring closure to the case.
Indeed, it’s easier for the lazy-thinking Yellowtards to just wield and perpetuate the “Marcos is evil” argument.
“35 years is all it take to makes the Marcoses accountable – and they all failed. And now they want the Junior Marcos to apologize in lieu of their failure. What a convenient way to cover up their miserable failures. Indeed, a lie that is repeated a many times becomes a truth.”