Volume 2, Issue No. 8
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, August 10, 2020
~ It's funny how the recent past comes alive again inadvertently by referencing a news development, supposedly, reported out as a means to avenge a hurt. Back from a hiatus forced by the coronavirus pandemic, the tabloid that had been once the community's largest had descended into a wrapper, yes, literally. Wrinkled and yellowed, the paper came as a foil to ward off the heat of a tray of freshly-cooked pancit. The colored poster advert of the now-defunct Taste of Manila (https://filwebchannelmagazine.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-lookback-at-taste-of-manila.html) and the headline of a non-story caught my attention, the latter triggering a sad event from three years ago.
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A REMINDER OF A CONTEMPT OF COURT
Tabloid Turned Food Wrapper Triggers Sad Story
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“You are remembered for the rules you break.” ―
Fresh from the kitchen, the resto had packed it in an aluminum tray that heat easily penetrates. So we asked for something to put it on so we could carry the big tray to the car. And voila, the waiter came back with a copy of Balita tabloid whose 80 pages were enough foil to insulate our hands from the hot temperature.
I can't imagine how this publication had degenerated from being the must-read, most-read paper for several years when I was still writing there until June last year, to being a convenient wrapper in this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It seems nobody cared to read any more if one finds something worth reading at all.
I had seen and photographed how community newspapers are treated in Filipino stores, restaurants, bakeries, and selected non-Filipino supermarkets. On some winter days, the tabloids are useful as doormats, or as protection against rain or snow like an umbrella. Ethnic groceries and convenience stores are notorious for using them as fish and produce wrappers.
I almost got into a fight twice, if not for cooler heads, upon seeing a delivery guy of a competing paper placing his copies on top of the paper I was writing for. Why he chose to overlay soon became evident; he was probably instructed by his principals to stop people from reading articles I wrote critically of their friends.
I have no tolerance for this kind of mischief. It easily triggers me, especially when I think about the hours I devote to writing and research to bring out a good story before the deadline. I do not want that effort to go to waste. And I hate to see the periodical where my articles appear to be so wantonly debauched.
Anyway, the wrapper that was the Balita paper had found a practical purpose, at least for the Sampaguita resto. I find it mildly amusing even as I detest the practice.
I haven't seen any printed copy of Filipino periodicals from the time the novel coronavirus surged in March. With the mandated quarantine, work stoppage, and closures of all establishments, a newspaper was the last thing we wanted. The safe alternative to stay informed is social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, etc.
So, thanks to the tray of pancit Sampaguita, I got this crumpled copy of Balita-turned-wrapper or wrapper-turned- Balita. Whatever. That was a surprise. How did it manage? What kind of stories and pictures did it carry in this latest (Aug. 1-15, 2020) issue? Are the parties, socials, etc. back again on its pages like COVID-19 is gone?
Turning the wrinkled pages, some pictures piqued my interest. A non-story of the issuance of a warrant of arrest for alleged contempt of court by a businesswoman was particularly fascinating, as were the photos of half-masked men I thought to be scammers victimizing the community.
"There are essentially two types of contempt," says the legal dictionary. One is "being rude, disrespectful to the judge or other attorneys or causing a disturbance in the courtroom, particularly after being warned by the judge"; and two, "willful failure to obey an order of the court".
Balita's non-story falls into the second category. The defendant in the case is alleged to have breached a court order and the plaintiff's lawyer has moved to declare the same defendant in contempt and ask law enforcement authorities to serve the warrant.
The phrase "contempt of court" revives a sad memory of the incarceration of Tess Cusipag, Balita publisher, for contempt of court. Her case comes under the first definition and for that, she spent 13 days (June 12 to 25, 2017) of a 21-day prison sentence imposed by Ontario Superior Court Judge Frederick L. Myers.
"The court will compel obedience to its orders and punish disobedience. The protection of the rule of law must be a paramount concern of society," Judge Myers wrote after he found her online postings on Facebook had breached the injunction issued by another judge, Sidney Lederman, on July 13, 2016.
Judge Myers called the violation "very public attacks on the court and the rule of law." (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NGQX-SucJ4).
"It is the court's true wish that you learn from this experience that you are bound by the law and you must comply with court orders even if you do not agree with them," Judge Myers admonished.
I did not mean to bring the case back to life, but Balita's non-story was sure to rouse renewed curiosity. If her paper could whip up another person's past and sensationalize it to avenge her hurt, why can't we also look back and see how unpalatable her truth was?
I was a party to the original story that had prompted the libel lawsuit - it's a fact that I do not deny - but it was her own misjudgment to take to Facebook and hit back at the judge. The weight of the lawsuit also leaned heavily on mindless Facebook postings.
Another surprise for me was to find her "same old same old" all-bark-and-no-bite gang of self-proclaimed "crusaders" fronting anew in what I construe as an attempt to stay relevant. I thought the pandemic had knocked them down, but here they are toothless but still wanting to kick ass . . . at least in paper.
That's alright if it's true. I just hope it's not their asses that would be kicked. And if that happens, I'd be glad to document it and report for all to see who truly the scammers are. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).
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