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Herbie Gomez

THE National Union of Journalists of the Philippines released an Oct. 20 statement on the threats against a Cagayanon columnist, Dr. Antonio “Nono” Montalvan II. The threats were made in response to his two opinion pieces in the  Philippine Daily Inquirer that were critical of President Duterte and his son Paolo, the vice mayor of Davao.

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I have known Nono for years. He is opinionated, he speaks his mind, and walks the talk when it comes to his advocacies, the reason why our paths often crossed in my nearly three decades as a newspaperman.

We have been sharing positions on many issues but that has not always been the case. Through the years, we have agreed on certain things and disagreed on some which is only normal in human relations — even best friends can’t expect to see eye to eye on everything. That’s just how it is.

There are some opinions I respect, and some which I don’t and treat with contempt just like the view that civilian supremacy should play second fiddle and civil liberties should be surrendered to authoritarianism that promises utopia or that citizens should stop critical thinking, shut up and just trust those in power to do the right thing even if it’s obvious that the path the government is taking is the wrong one. And so, what do I do in situations when I see and hear such absurdities? Three things:

  • I ignore and don’t dignify the ludicrous folly;
  • I challenge and punch holes in the argument; or
  • I disrespect, mock, and gloat until the clown that peddled the ridiculous idea turns red.

Ideas are mere ideas. Bad ideas can be demolished with good ideas. The antidote to a poisonous argument is a good argument. Speaking up should never be seen as obstruction. Mere exchange of ideas is not unhealthy; it is, in fact, encouraged in a democracy. Again, these are ideas — mere ideas.

Which is why it is appalling to see people resort to threats in an attempt to shoot down ideas or to intimidate others into shutting up. That is something that shouldn’t be allowed to have room in a democracy that ensures the existence of a market of ideas.

The human mind has the ability to understand, and so, if we are left with a choice between government regulation or censorship or a “freedom of expression riot” as press freedom advocate and media critic Vergel Santos put so well, I’d choose the latter. “It’s fine with me,” says Santos.

Good ideas will kill bad ideas. That is something that’s taking place now with more and more citizens becoming aware of the prevalence of fake news, an awful political tool that was used in the 2016 elections. But as we are seeing now, fake news peddlers and those who fall for it or who formulate their opinions based on imaginary data are being unmasked and shamed. What are really at stake are their credibility and reputation or even honor. And so, there is no need to ban or worse, wish them dead or have them killed. That is extreme, devoid of humanity, and clearly an injustice.

Whether the idea is palatable or disdainful, threats are simply foul and a no-no. Here are excerpts from the NUJP’s statement on the threats against Nono:

“Antonio Montalvan II, who writes for the Kris-Crossing Mindanao column of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, has received death threats for recent articles he wrote on issues hounding President Rodrigo Duterte and his son Paolo, the vice mayor of Davao City…

“The first one was a comment to Montalvan’s August 21 article, ‘The contradiction between Kian and Polong.’ (http://opinion.inquirer.net/106510/contradiction-kian-polong)

“A ‘Manny Villa,’ who had no profile picture, posted: SIR–MONTALABAN–WALA IYAN– NAGTATAWA LANG REV. E. ABELLA SA SINABI MO.. DUE PROCESESESES ANG KAILANGAN TO PROVE POLONG IS A MEMBER OF THR GRUOP.–SO SORRY NA SAMA ANG PANGALAN.. MATAGO KA NA TAGO-BA—SAN LITONG SHABU ANG IPA-LALAK-LAK SA IYO–SASABAYAN NG MARKANG DIMONYONG GIN –BI=ULAG.. FINDING HINDI KASAMA SI —POLONG—SAVI REV ABAHO.

“The second one was in the comments to ‘Why Duterte’s bubble will burst’ (http://opinion.inquirer.net/107926/dutertes-bubble-will-burst) on October 16 and posted by ‘xv,’ who also had no profile picture: ‘Like Antonio the writer and Antonio the mutineer, both are invincible until a bullet is placed on your heads.’

“We have been informed that authorities have been alerted to the threats and are working to trace the person or persons behind these.

“For our part, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines will inform Undersecretary Joel Egco of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security of these threats and ask that this matter be acted on with urgency.

“While journalists and the media as a whole should always be open to criticism and engagement by our audiences, we draw the line when it comes to threats and consider each, no matter how seemingly trivial, very seriously.”

What more can I say? Pastilan.

Disclaimer

Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.

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