Letters From Davao:
I FIND IT imperative to come up with another piece as sequel to my recent column “Beware of the dark forces”. I had pointed out that the impending senate investigation dragged PAS Bong Go to further tarnish the image of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte since he is the most intimate and trusted man of the Chief Executive. To do that, the dark forces used Rappler and the Philippine Daily Inquirer in still another attempt at creatively impleading Secretary Bong. Rappler and PDI have mastered the art of tweaking their stories and then proceeded to declare that Bong Go intervened in the controversial Frigate transaction.
In Monday’s senate hearing of the Frigate issue, Secretary Bong appeared calm and confident. His aura reflects these and he answered questions with unrestrained repartee watching and listening to him as he talks assure the millions who were glued on TV and radio that the man is simply reciting the facts and the truths that he had no knowledge whatsoever about the frigate deal.
Yet, Rappler dedicated most its time in asserting that PAS Go had a hand with its oft-repeated predicate that the man refused to answer them. This is precisely where the man is coming from. He has not even seen the hard copies of the transactions done during the Aquino regime so why bedevil him with questions which could lead him to a trap? For a media outfit who claims their freedom had been curtailed and accused President Duterte for what befell them following the closure order from the Securities and Exchange Commission its nagging assertiveness argues against their protestations.
In fact the table is now turned against Rappler. Sen. Grace Poe during the frigate hearing hinted there will be another round of hearing about FAKE NEWS. This time I hope Maria Ressa be summoned on the witness stand to answer questions. I am particularly intrigue how she would respond to why Rappler was closed. Let us start by putting straight facts in this second encounter on FAKE versus FACT.
Sample:
Fact: Senator Grace is a Lamanzares
Fact: Rappler is a Filipino-owned media corporation Registered with the SEC
Fact: Maria Ressa accepted $1-million investment from Omidyar Network (ON)
Fact: Maria Ressa/Rappler issued Philippine Deposit Receipts, a commercal document,
to ON with Veto Power
Fake: Omidyar Network issued a waiver on its Veto Power. The waiver was not notarized
and is therefore just a scrap of paper
Fake: Ressa claimed ON money was not an investment but a humanitarian (?) donation
Fake: Ressa claimed that Rappler is not a media outfit
Fake: Ressa and Pia Ranada’s claim that their freedom had been curtailed
Fake: That SEC was ordered by PRRD closed and that SEC did not give them time to
respond/explain alleged constitutional violations committed by Rappler
Fake: That SEC is controlled by Duterte
What is truth and farce are with us since biblical time.
Fake: That there were five morally upright men and women in Sodom and Gomorrah. Fake: Judas denied he sold Jesus 30 pieces of silver. Fake: Peter did not know Jesus. Fake: Japan will not wage war against America. Fake: The world is flat. Fact: Marcos won the snap elections. Fake: Cory’s promise to Doy Laurel that he will be Prime Minister. Fake: That Duterte organized the Davao Death Squad. Fact: That DDS is a ghost force conceptualized by Police Regional Commander Col. Dionisio Tan-gatue Jr. Fake: Senators Leila De Lima and Antonio Trillanes claim that their witnesses Matobato and Lascanas buried 1200 plus extrajudicial killing victims in a quary in Davao City. Fact: Mocha Uson has more followers that Rappler. Fake: Ressa is prettier than Uson. Fact: Pia Morato is lovelier than Mocha.
FACT: Duterte will run after drug syndicates down to their graves.
FACT: Duterte will dismiss corrupt officials in the government.
FACT: Duterte will run after the oligarchs who had been dodging taxes despite their virtual control of vital industries in the country.
The matter of determining what is fact or farce depends largely on personal discernment. Discernment in turn depends on how much knowledge is stored in one’s brain which is our data bank. Knowledge is acquired. News should be based on facts while opinions are subjective and largely dependent on the amount of data stored in writers memory bank. The process goes around in circle. There are more competent people who can explain this better than a hoi polloi like me so I will stop there.
Today’s generation of pharmacologists are using propaganda to sell their products and so are many politicians before and after elections. Myth, surgery and the art of fakery has evolved along with the development of cosmetics. But fakery, cosmetics and surgery will never change some of politicians, business oligarchs and the religious’ proclivities to acquire more power, greed and diabolic piety.
So let’s stop these pretenses and hypocrisies. (Jun Ledesma)
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