(Today’s column)
The day I first read about the Pangandaman-De la Paz brawl was the same day I decided I was not going to conclude who was guilty, who was telling the truth and write about it. I was especially adamant that I would not do what many bloggers had already done—make a public call to support Bambee de la Paz simply because she was a fellow blogger. I don’t know what happened. But, if I had let my own prejudices rule over me, I would have taken Bambee’s side too, not because she was a blogger like me but because I don’t like politicians. I especially don’t like second-generation politicians whose only qualification for the job is a well-known surname.
In the blogging world, however, a call to support one party in an unresolved controversy acquires another dimension. Bloggers scour the news and blogs every day trying to find topics that generate controversy, page views, back links and, hopefully, a better page rank in the search engines. When I read the indignant entries about what happened to Bambee’s father and brothers, almost always coupled with the condemnation of the Pangandamans, my first instinct was to wonder how many of these bloggers actually witnessed the incident that they were so sure things happened the way Bambee described them in her blog. I read as many as two dozen entries and, clearly, none of the writers were present on that fateful day at Valley Golf Club. And I wondered at the swiftness and ease by which they concluded that it was the De la Paz’s side that was worth fighting for. It reeked of the fraternity mentality where one is obliged to defend a brod or a sis simply because he or she belongs to the same organization—in this case, the blogging community.
I’ll never know how much of Bambee’s blog entry is an objective recollection of what happened and how much of it was the result of post-traumatic stress. And with the blog entry peppered with phrases like “He’s a person who, I am sure, is gonna rot in hell,” I wonder even more. I’m no psychologist but I’ve read enough to know that a person’s recollection of a traumatic event is not necessarily the most objective. In fact, when the traumatic experience puts a loved one at fault, it is not unusual for a person to interpret the event in a context that absolves the loved one of wrongdoing. It is the stuff that a battered wife goes through. The husband beats her up and she insists it was her fault because she provoked him with her incessant nagging.
I’m not saying that Bambee’s version of what happened is factually flawed. She could have been relaying the story the way it was actually played. Her recollection of details raises enough presumption that it was true. And the fact that she posted her blog entry on the same day it happened suggests there wasn’t enough time for anyone to coach her and for the family to sit down for any length of time and make sure that they all told the same story. It’s just too darn hard to concoct such a detailed story in such a short time.
But for the multitude of bloggers who were so easily willing to fight her battle, it would have been wiser and more mature and prudent to at least try to determine first whether Bambee’s version presents a whole picture or whether it was only a part of the whole before jumping the gun, so to speak.
And I thought about the allegory with the three blind men and the elephant. Wikipedia has a succinct summary: “In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one touches a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn they are in complete disagreement. The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one’s perspective, suggesting that what seems an absolute truth may be relative due to the deceptive nature of half-truths.”
Blogging has come a long way. It has become a powerful medium—powerful enough to tilt the balance in a US presidential election. Yet, I look at the bloggers who supported Bambee and it bothers me how the immaturity (or, perhaps, the greed for back links and page views) of some can send the rest of us back to the Dark Ages when bloggers were viewed as nothing more than silly teenagers documenting their budding romances and shopping sprees.
The irony is that those teenagers were writing from their hearts and their seeming silliness was a hundred times more honest and untainted with vested interests. I look at the entries of some of the bloggers who were noisiest most about the De la Paz-Pangandaman affair and they are people in their thirties and forties (and at least one in her fifties). Is it too much to expect them to act more responsibly?
While it is also possible that their reaction merely reflects a widespread perception of the unsavory character of our government officials, and many are so willing to assume they are guilty because no one trusts them anymore, it is nevertheless a fact that some of these bloggers are publicly supporting some members of the Senate including a few running for President in 2010. So, I can’t really say that this is about distaste and distrust of all politicians in general.
The good news is that we’re talking about only one segment of the blogging community, the Dark Side, whose habitués know no other god but back links, page views and page rank. Sad, really, how worshipping these gods has made them lose sight of the battles truly worth fighting for.
But she’s oh so cute, she must be telling the truth. Cute people aren’t capable of lying.
And the Pangandamans are your ugly, dark skinned, yellow teethed, ugly Filipinos. They must be liars!
LOL That’s an interesting way of putting it.
Bambee is cute, therefore not a liar? Pangandamans are ugly Filipinos? What the heck?
Jenny, I think PedoBear is trying to explain the mindset and built-in biases of some people to understand why it seems so easy for many to believe Bambee but not the Pangandamans.
do you fight a battle or do you fight for a battle? shouldn’t it be “battles worth fighting”?
Even as far as California, it was written very subjectively as if he was there too. http://mjrodis.multiply.com/journal/item/579
Herd mentality! I don’t know both Bambee and the Pangandamans but I know how to discern the truth through words, demeanors, facial expressions, etc & the De la Pazes sugar-coated the issue to gain sympathy.
The older De la Paz displays such arrogance (& such a liar). I wouldn’t be surprised how genetics play here-like father, like son& daughter(based on their accounts, TV appearances, not so convincing for me). On recent interviews he capitalizes on his children’s future…hay pathetic liar.
They got hurt but they were a victim of their own follies. They must have thought na the not so good-looking Pangandamans were below their stature (feeling pasosyal is what I see in them) & just continued bullying them.
Oh yes, sarado isip ng bloggers to which they favor the de la Pazes. Ugaling Pinoy ba na paninindigan nila whatever they said first due to ego.
I’ve been waiting to see if you would write about this and am so happy that you did wait until the other side had had a chance to speak.
Bambee’s story was completely emotional to read for me, and I even asked my husband to read it.
Now that the report came out, I didn’t feel surprised. I am hoping Bambee isn’t a bald-faced (in this case, sweet-faced) liar. Sigh.
Loderunner, I’m cocking an eyebrow. Too bad you can’t see it.
Sugar & Pinayhekmi, more than anything, it’s proof of how bloggers have acquired mainstream media’s mentality of OUTSCOOPING the “competition.”
your timing and position on the issue is just what i expected. and i wholeheartedly agree.
kung makaasta ang ibang mga bloggers, kulang na lang, magsabit ng BLOGGER badge sa leeg at kotse nila and, presto, exact duplicate na sila ng mayayabang na media people.
i wonder how these bloggers would have reacted, or what position they would have taken, if the pangandamans were not government officials, or if bambee were not a blogger.
Lee, re “kulang na lang, magsabit ng BLOGGER badge sa leeg at kotse nila…”
Delusions of grandeur ba? LOL
I have a friend who was asked recently by a member of media how this brouhaha affects the credibility of bloggers. And my friend said, “It doesn’t. It only exposed the lack the credibility of SOME bloggers.”
hi. i was actually checking your blog if you have insights on the news of high school students who were suspended due to their blog criticizing their principal. don’t have much details except what i saw on tv. (i know, out of topic, sorry…)
H, if you can provide some links, sounds like an interesting topic. Freedom of speech.
that’s my problem. tried to search yahoo what’s the actual content of their blog but failed. one time ko lang napanood sa news. lately lang.
Yikes, hard to comment without the facts.
Reminds me of the Ateneo parking incident… Had one of the parties been a blogger, the news could have escalated this much… buti na lang sa email lang kumalat.
Or had one of the parties been a politician. But when both parties are unknown, walang value sa bloggers, ganun? Hay, kaloka ano?
tita cons dito po ung multiply acct ng mga students.
http://scientiaetvirtus.multiply.com/
I’m sure you will get a lot of hate mails because of this entry hahaha.
Thanks, Mtoni. Saw it in Philippine Star also.
You know me, ahhh, that goes with being a columnist. LOL The junk box was invented for Spam and hate mails.
thanks to mtoni, here’s the multiply account of one of the suspended students.
http://mychaelmiravite.multiply.com/video/item/13/The_Flaw_in_the_Plan….
But you also gain our respect
. Not that it would make a difference to you haha alam ko wala kang paki alam kung ano ini isip ng ibang tao sa iyo, right? Uy kape tayo.
H, I invited Michael Miravite to be my Multiply contact kasi private yung ibang blog entries.
You know me, alam mo, when the respect comes from people I also respect, it means a lot to me. Re kape: kape AT pastries.
After January, sked’s a little better.
regardless of who started it first or who is to blame the fact still remains that they are public officials and they are expected to act decently in public. they should exert more effort because of their stature.
I learned my lessons Malu Fernandez. Ayoko narin makisali sa mga blog wars pwera nalang if there are clear below the belt attackings when the one being questioned can’t make a good excuse.
And I also admired you’re always being neutral. Minsan you sound so kotrabida but in the end, you’re just right ü
While some ‘elite’ bloggers have lost every inch of credibility they thought they had ü
hi connie, im glad that u have given your insight on this issue. just like you, i am so careful in taking sides, especially when the so-called “upper class” are involved, i would like to agree with sugar dizon’s comments, “They got hurt but they were a victim of their own follies. They must have thought na the not so good-looking Pangandamans were below their stature (feeling pasosyal is what I see in them) & just continued bullying them.” Oh, and btw, have u heard the latest news (inquirer online) that the dela Pazes have already agreed for an out of the court settlement? (too bad for all those bloggers who joined the word war)
Ria, that is really the most hypocritical thing I have read in a long time. One standard of decency for public image and another for private life eh? And less stringent standards for private citizens? And decency is NOT expected among adult bloggers? LOL You’re either decent or you’re not. And a lot of bloggers failed the test.
So if Bambee is lying, why did the DAR Sec apologize and why was there an out of court settlement?
Tokarevs, if you read carefully, the issue is the lynch mob, not the what happened at Valley Golf because no one knows that except the two families involved. Re out of court settlement: AN AGREEMENT TO WITHDRAW ALL COMPLAINTS BECAUSE BOTH PARTIES ADMIT TO WRONGDOING IS AN OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT.
I read carefully, I was just responding to the commenters who said that the Dela Paz family were lying. The DAR Sec apologized, doesn’t that tell us that Bambee’s story is true? That her family got hurt in this incident? And that she used internet justice because she knows that its wheels grind slowly in the Philippines?
I admit I’m not a lawyer I’m just a lowly bystander like everyone else, but I also know that an out of court settlement means that one party has no option but to submit to the will of the other and avoid the long and costly litigation. With the very public apology, wouldn’t you deduce that the settlement was offered by the offending family and was accepted by the Dela Paz to finally put this incident to rest?
Tokarevs, the out of court settlement means: because both parties admit to wrongdoing, they’re not going to pursue any further lawsuits. It doesn’t mean someone got paid.
Ok, I just read a report of the out of court settlement. De La Pazes still holding onto to their story. *scratches head*. I wish them all well. May karma do its justice.
“It reeked of the fraternity mentality where one is obliged to defend a brod or a sis simply because he or she belongs to the same organization—in this case, the blogging community.”
I like how you treated the Valley Golf BRAWL. Sometimes it really amazes-bothers me how some issues spread like wildfire in the blogging community. (i.e. a parking lot incident between parents in some school.) Reading some write-ups about the brawl is like watching people rooting for a telenovela’s bida while displaying blind hatred for the kontrabida.
I think that mentality stems from the bandwagon mentality that most Filipinos have. Maraming gustong makisawsaw sa issue. It’s almost like the inexplainable craze over senseless novelty song-and-dances.
I’m beginning to think that local bloggers have picked up the annoying habit of main stream media: editorializing the facts and over-dramatizing the delivery. I feel there’s a growing number of bloggers who would post anything and everything for the sake page views.
/rant
Re #30. “The DAR Sec apologized, doesn’t that tell us that Bambee’s story is true?”
Not necessarily. It can mean SOME PARTS of Bambee’s story may be true. But it’s not necessarily an outright admission that their side started the brawl.
…”but I also know that an out of court settlement means that one party has no option but to submit to the will of the other and avoid the long and costly litigation.”
Oh, no. No, no, no. An out of court settlement can also mean an admission of being rash, or a belated realization that one’s lies cannot stand scrutiny under cross examination.
…”wouldn’t you deduce that the settlement was offered by the offending family and was accepted by the Dela Paz to finally put this incident to rest?”
I make no deductions. Like I said, when one doesn’t have all the facts, drawing wrong conclusions is a risk. I only know they reached a settlement, who offered what is not within my knowledge.
Another title suggestion: Page Ranks and Keywords Worth Fighting For
LOL
I lnow its hypocritical..but then again it is the truth. How many people have affairs left and right but when it is say, the us president has one…it then becomes a huge scandal. that is just the way it is…people expect a greater deal of responsibility from a public official. That is i guess a part of their job. It may be unfair but i guess they are quite aware of that before they assumed post because that is just the way it is.
LOL Doc Emer. HAHAHAHA
Ria, it is not part of the job of public officials to serve as moral guardians. They are there to deliver specific mandates of the offices they hold. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s only culture that says they should be larger than life and become people we look up to. If, as you say, it is unfair and it is the truth, but still persist in the unfairness, then, it’s people who are screwed, not them. It’s the same screwed thinking that says celebrities are public property.
I agree Ms. Connie. Thank you. I do hope that all people like you have that same view. I for one is guilty as charge as to the way I view things. More power!
Ria, re “guilty as charge as to the way I view things”
If it’s an honest view, I don’t think the word “guilty” applies. Just an opportunity to try and see things from a broader perspective.
But for the malicious ones who bad mouth other people for the sake of controversy and page views, patago man o hindi, ah, the word “guilty” applies a hundredfold.
Agree with this. You have to love the people, some of them tell the story as if they were there, they were the ones that got hurt. publishing petitions and judgements without the being fair to the parties involved. writing down the most hurtful and sharpest of remarks and words just so they can say “I had a say”
In addition to the points above, I think it’s also one of those things where the masses of people take the side of people who seem to be the object of oppression. Being in power, politicians are more likely to get the bad end of the stick. maybe simillar to the point of PedoBear
You’re right. For so many people, blogging is just so they can say “I had a say” even when it’s none of their business.
Well, it’s a good thing to write about other things outside the bouderies of your daily life, one should just exercise restraint, objectivity, and caution.
pardon me for the spelling
This is such a smart post. Minsan, parang ang pakiramdam ko, ghost commenters were created sa ibang blogs para makabawi sa post mong ito kasi alam nilang tinamaan sila directly.
Si Ako To, re ghost commenters. Well, what’s new? I still remember back in 2004 when a blogger whom I refused to add to my links page attacked me by doing the very same thing. Worse, he was walking to himself as two different personalities in his own blog’s comment threads. Gimmick ng mga laos. LOL
I agree with Si Ako To.
It’s one of the tricks employed by those seeking publicity for some self-serving personal agendas. Wait! business agenda pa. And there are more actually. Like creating some non-profit organization to push some business agendas??? Hahaha!
But the typical trick by this person is this. What HE/SHE/IT/THEY did to win some “credibility” was blog-hop and did a “browse and attack” then blogged the blogger, twitted badly the blogger, rounded up her minions and attacked the blogger and told them that HE/SHE/IT/THEY was the best with all the proper morals in place. Pwede ba?!
Now, wasn’t that interesting that out there in pinoy blogosphere HE/SHE/IT/THEY is advocating moral righteousness when if you look closer, dysfunctionality pervades HIS/HER/ITs/THEIR skin? It even permeates in the blog entries! Haller! Haven’t we learned from lola that before you start cleaning your kapitbahay’s house that you start to lampaso the floor in your house?! And the lousiest trick of all? Pretend to be ignorant when caught.
I should know the gimmick. I have a powerpoint presentation. I was subjected to a blog hazing by one blogger so I teach my “MINIONS” on how to properly social climb and how to spot these bloggers although minsan sumasambulat sa muka ko ang social climbing ko! Anobaaa! Hahaha! Helppp!
Nga pala, ba’t ganun na lang ang response sa entry mo Sassy? hehehe!
I forgot: Batu-bato sa langit, ang puniyok aray! HEHEHE!
For these dishonest, egoistic, hypocrite bloggers, there should be an Award for Self Serving Hypocritical Opinionated Lying Egomaniacs or ASSHOLE for short…
Reyna Elena, ikaw naman, you didn’t think they’d even try and defend their asses right here, ano? San naman sila pupulutin nun? LOL Syempre (like what you said in your comment #46) nagmamalinis nga sila eh and they’re doing it in their own blogs. Esta, in the case of at least one person pala, sa Twitter. Walang guts magsalita sa sariling blog pag talo na kaya intrigue is the game.
Trosp, hahahaha ayos yung acronym ah!
@Connie on #50,
“you didn’t think they’d even try and defend their asses right here” – Naaah. hehehe!
Off topic: one of your readers sent me an article you wrote on August 2007. Interesting, now I am totally enlightened. Re: Ocab. hahaha!
Oh, that. Wow, so that was less than a year and a half ago… Seems like a lifetime ago LOL
Well sometimes you get afflicted by these never-ending curiosity which i say “why matildah? why?” hahaha! And so i go on a ballistic research mission! hahaha! See? Mission accomplished.
Hi Sass,
I still can recall that one. One of the posts in your blog that I like is that one. It was about somebody who was creating facts and another somebody who was making facts as the basis of discussion. Just like the MSM (NYT, CNN, and the Beeb in particular but also AP and Reuters who are more interested in getting the news out than getting the news right – newscrafters and not newscasters).
He he he…
Dapat naka – kwadro ang hard copy of that post.
(It reminds me also on how I have explained a different side of the issue of Malou Fernandez brouhaha. Mukhang hindi ako nabalikan doon).
But then there are some in the web who are claiming that there is no honor in blogsphere.
It’s always the blog traffic…
Reyna Elena, I’m sure you enjoyed the research. LOL
Trosp, honor is a personal thing. Some people have it; other don’t. Same-same inside and outside the blogosphere. All bloggers want traffic. It’s in the HOW that they differ.
Hi Sass,
Pahabol lang -
“It was about somebody who was creating facts and another somebody who was making facts as the basis of discussion”
Should read -
“It was about somebody who was creating facts and another somebody who was using facts as the basis of discussion”
He he he. I’m still fresh from my regular TGIF.
Hi Sass,
Sometimes I’m wondering why you’re already blogging as early as 6 Am in the morning. It’s already 3 AM and you’re still around.
I like the way you emphasize the ‘how”.
Weekdays, I get up before 6 to fix the girls’ packed lunches. 3 a.m… not very often. But I’m about to open another site and it needs work.
If blogging did not exist, we probably will never know what happened to the Dela Pazes, because as we know, the bodyguarded Pangandamams has power, connections and ties with the superpowers of the Phils. while the Dela Pazes were just ordinary tax paying citizens. To me, after reading the news and Bambee’s blogs, I still find her more believable. This is just my opinion.
Good job on your well-written post about this issue though.
VLo, “we know” or you surmise?
Re “believable”. The point is, it isn’t about belief but about the facts. A million people can believe one thing but they won’t necessarily believe what is real.
Well said.
Incidentally, Lea Salonga was one of the first celebrity bloggers (http://bigsis222.multiply.com) who jumped on the bandwagon. But she recently wrote an update about this — she had learned her lesson, hopefully — and seemed to have deleted the old blog post that originally condemned the ‘guilty politicians.’