Volume 5, Issue No. 17
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
Our latest as of Thursday, November 9, 2023
~ Two separate libel cases had resulted in payment of damages approximating a million dollars to litigants a few years ago, not to mention the addition of jail time imposed by a judge in one. Fine, those were settled. But the EINO would not let go. Reminiscing sweet memories with a partner long gone, she shattered the otherwise somber mood and went ballistic attacking people she perceived to have wronged her.
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SOMBER TURNED BALLISTIC
Which One Is It: Tribute, Whine, Lament?
Relitigating Cases in Court of Public Opinion
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say.” - Nikki Haley to Vivek Ramaswamy.
TORONTO - That quote from one U.S. presidential aspirant to another has sent me cracking up the whole time I was writing this article.
Nikki Haley's riposte was a brilliant takedown, genteel and diplomatic, but loaded with meanings that basically question the mental capacity of rival Vivek Ramaswamy who, like her, is of Indian descent; she a Sikh and he a Hindu.
The timing of the exchange was fortuitous. I was enjoying Baby K. Jimenez's latest entertainment column to unwind myself when this writeup by Balita's EINO (pronounced eye-no, meaning editor in name only) caught my attention in the Nov. 1-15, 2023 issue of the tabloid.
Digging into the article, I thought it sounded like Donald Trump's endless whining about his dire situation and the many lawsuits against him for fraud and the infinite lies he spins.
The EINO was paying tribute to her late husband, but rambled on and on, taking what should have been a somber occasion to trash-talk her suspected enemies and grumble about emotional and financial losses she suffered and the instances that triggered them.
Her meandering was quite confusing. Was her anguish on account of losing a husband years ago, or was it because two libel lawsuits had dissipated her much-vaunted fortune by nearly a million dollars?
Either way I can only sympathize. On the other hand, some of the things she wrote there were not accurate - even dishonest - as I stood witness to practically all the events that had unfolded in the seven years I wrote for the paper.
(Related story: The Inevitable Conflict Between Editors:
The EINO writes, and I quote: "Justice cannot let us down because we speak the truth behind all our claims. That our people know who you really are is accomplishment enough for us".
The first sentence (italicized for emphasis) in the paragraph is particularly disgusting. If she had spoken the truth to back up "all our claims", there would have been no legal and, consequently, financial, problems to begin with.
I take issue with that statement because it is so hollow, so mendacious. Her social media postings, for example, reek of unfounded accusations against people she personally loathed.
My departure from the tabloid had been instigated by her baseless intimation of a romantic relationship with a person the EINO had been wanting to destroy. That's two in one shot; the other party being me. It's false, malicious, without basis, and totally unacceptable.
It was the EINO's way of showing support for friends she was promoting as crusaders against alleged wrongdoers when the fact is they themselves are the scammers and corrupt perpetrators.
"We speak the truth... " sounds so meaningless. To her limited and unknowing audience, however, it was a forceful soundbite meant to agitate, and arouse hatred among her supporters against her adversaries.
The EINO also takes a dig at what she calls "pseudo journalists and papers out there". I wonder who those people and the periodicals are.
Could she be referring to the Philippine Press Club Ontario where one finds some of them, I mean the "pseudo journalists"?
But, according to its president Rose Tijam, PPCO "continues to enjoy the respect, credibility and deep regard of our community, as shown by the numerous invitation for our presence and participation".
I honestly don't know what to make of the EINO's incessant ramblings. But I do know who she's targeting and I am appalled by it. Her allusion to at least three already-deceased individuals are awful. Let them rest in peace. (Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved).
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