Defending the Truth Has Its Downside

Volume 1, Issue No. 22

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . 

Our latest as of Monday, December 30, 2019 

~  In this seething altercation between a businesswoman and the supposed exemplars of virtue in the community, the journalist reporting the truth, and on the side of truth, has become collateral damage. I awoke to find myself in that situation. Having objected to gossip and stood by my decision to refuse reporting unvetted stories, which are essentially fake news, I incurred the ire of my principal. In no time, I was let go.

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A CASE OF UPHOLDING THE TRUTH VS. REPRESSING IT 

Collateral Damage in News Reporting

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

"To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect". - Robert Hatch

TORONTO - The email exchanges were about the location of the life-size monument of Philippine hero Jose Rizal that media colleague and artist Mogi Mogado had sculpted, and which the suburban city of Markham had graciously erected six months ago in one of its parks. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOR7AcJ-ASk).

The area is about 34.5-kilometers from my place, the distance a good 23 minutes away northeast by car. By public transport (bus, subway train, and bus again), it would take about two hours maximum. I drive but I have no car, so I worried about getting there in time for the inauguration on Sunday, June 9, 2019.  (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak87ArSXQPk).

From that moment, the discussion among people in the loop veered to something unrelated. A gossip was being slipped in by Teresita Cusipag, publisher and editor of Balita, who at that time was still my boss as I was a reporter and columnist there with the hollow title of associate editor.

In her usual unpunctuated style that calls into question her editorship, she wrote, and I quote verbatim: "I dont know about Romy but am sure he knows where it is now. Nasa territory yan ni Lily Scammer."

Why she had to add that second sentence mentioning a "Lily Scammer" was beyond belief. First, it was irrelevant; second, it's out of context; third, it was malicious; and fourth, it was disrespectful.

The allusion, to say the least, was as wicked as it was loaded with innuendoes. Her personal animus was getting the better of her at my expense.

I told myself that I would not be baited by her open hostility into acquiescing and blindly agree to know whoever was "Lily Scammer", and thus expose myself to a lawsuit. How certain was Ms. Cusipag that I knew the site of Rizal's monument in relation to her so-called Lily Scammer's territory?

Clearly, she was spreading her toxic fumes, and propagating a lie that, if true, was highly personal. Besides, it's none of her business what I do period. At its core, she was rumor-mongering. And it was not the first time either.

I didn't like what was being conveyed and bluntly told her why a "Lily Scammer" had to be drawn into the picture. Even an idiot would see how she was building a connection.

As early as April 2019, Ms. Cusipag was already referencing Lily Hammer as "Lily Scammer" as she tried to defend the masturbated article of her "guest writer", the copycat Edwin Mercurio, who actually lifted it from a press release by Migrante Ontario. 

My suggestion that it be trashed fell on deaf ears. An editor in his right mind would not sanction such practice of picking up a story from another and passing it as his. It's plain and simple plagiarism. It's a disservice to the practice of journalism and should never be tolerated.

No court has ever convicted Ms. Hammer of anything to warrant being labeled as a "scammer" as what Ms. Cusipag repeatedly did. Lily, who also goes by her maiden name Liwayway Miranda, is owner and CEO of A&L Hammer Workforce Management, the company that carried her and her husband's initials, 

In fact, the Superior Court of Ontario recently threw out all charges of human trafficking and misrepresentation lodged by Crown prosecutors on the basis of false testimonies of six runaway mushroom pickers she had brought to Canada from the Philippines. (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QprwiFQiLjs).

My protest against Ms. Cusipag's unfair labeling had heightened our disagreement and led to a firestorm of endless back and forth. I was upholding the truth and she was repressing it. 

She was catering to the copycat's and condoning his act. She knew Mercurio's article was not his but gave him a byline just the same. Said she, and I quote: "IT (sic) was taken from Migrante okay".

Right now, I don't know what to make of this vow published in August 2016 on the front page and I quote: "Balita will continue to publish the truth nothing but the truth! There is no price tag for integrity, principle and fairness. We vow to fight for those beliefs and defend them till the day we die!"

For those who don't know, the declaration appears impressive and highly-principled. In reality, however, they're catchy sound bites - empty, worthless promises, if I might say candidly.

As I write this article I am at a loss as to what has driven Ms. Cusipag to wage the kind of hostility she has against Ms. Miranda. But there's some indication that her mind was being poisoned by people or trolls she's been interacting with on Facebook, which I believe was her main source of news, gossips, pictures and news tips.

As other people in our loop had witnessed, I vehemently objected to the allusion that Ms. Cusipag was portraying in her statement, thus: "I dont know about Romy but am sure he knows where it is now. Nasa territory yan ni Lily Scammer."

That statement was unintentionally prompted by Balita columnist Ores Ting who was hitching a ride as she didn't know the monument's location as well. She inquired on June 4, 2019, if I was going to cover the inauguration on June 9. That's when Ms. Cusipag took a swipe with her gossip.

Right after reading it, I asked: "Bastosan ba ang gusto ninyo? I can easily fight back". Ms. Cusipag promptly replied: "you know where it is because you featured it in one of your videos the place is where Lily Scammer lives. just stating facts......"

It's so clear to me that Ms. Cusipag was stupidly implying that because I had an earlier video of the Rizal monument, it followed that I knew where "Lily Scammer" lived. How can her logic be so asinine?

From this point on, the heated exchanges escalated into personal attacks. On June 7, 2019, Ms. Cusipag wrote an email, and I quote verbatim: 

"Romy, This has gone too far and it is making me so sick. 

"I have decided to severe (sic) our working relationship as my health is being affected. 

"I appreciate what you have done for Balita but I feel that we cannot work together anymore

"Thank you very much

"Tess".

Collateral damage? That's what I've become defending the truth. 

I can only echo what Japan's Midori Ito says: "I have no regrets because I know I did my best -- all I could do". (Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved).