Delusions of grandeur

Netnet Camomot .

IT seems like Atong Ang has been passed from one generation to the next and vice versa in the Barretto family saga, that is, if the social media posts, accusations, and rumors are true that he was or is involved with Gretchen, Claudine, and their niece, Nicole. Gasp!

Ang has already released a statement on this to explain the specific details of his involvement with them, and they’re not romantic in nature at all. He’s probably a family friend since a video shows he’s not a stranger to the Barretto matriarch the way they exchanged pleasantries with each other.

Social media has become some kind of a court where the madlang pehpohl can act as judges based on the videos, photos, and statements that are posted there. With mainstream media also posting news on social media to keep up with the trend, where do we draw the line between fake news and real stories?

When a person has what looks like solid evidence against someone who’s now being persecuted for being the culprit in their story, does mainstream media have the responsibility to research on the complainant, to discover how he reached that point of no return? Does the complainant have the required business and other government permits for such a transaction? Does he pay taxes to the City Treasurer’s Office and the Bureau of Internal Revenue for such transactions? Is it legal for him to do business in Pinas? Is his business legal?

Sensationalized stories are a liar’s best friend since the complainant can now create stories to bolster his case.

A liar is a bully who prefers to harass and intimidate his perceived enemies first, before resorting to the legal process, hoping to gain the empathy of clueless people who have heard only his side of the story, because he knows that the legal process requires solid evidence, an audit trail. He should not expect a person to meet his demands if these are too, hmmm, usurious in the first place. Not even the drug industry can demand that much profit margin in a week or a month.

While watching the eJeep’s CCTV footage of Dimple Morcillo, 21, and Alexander Butal, 53, the Pinoy can immediately see how a story morphs from a molehill to a mountain based on one person’s side of the story. In this alleged binabastos case, it was Morcillo’s version of the story that prompted her father, brother, and male friends to beat the living daylights out of Butal who, as the CCTV footage reveals, did not do anything to her.

Morcillo is now being crucified on social media as a feelingera—feeling guapa—for accusing Butal of touching her. But without the CCTV footage, I gotta feeling women’s party-list groups and organizations would stand right beside her in accusing Butal of sexual harassment.

Some social-media comments say that if Butal were a handsome young man, Morcillo would have welcomed what she alleged as his touching her.

Morcillo now appears like a spoiled brat who cries wolf at any sign of distress, ready to incite war at how she sees the world around her.

Real business owners know that the shortest distance between two people is a compromise where they can meet halfway, fair to both sides. Fake business owners who prefer fast money are like spoiled brats, too, thus, they have so-called businesses that need a “front” to launder their money. The madlang pehpohl see only the “front,” unaware about the laundering.

Talk of laundry, the Barretto family seems to have this hard habit to break of washing their dirty laundry in public, and there’s at least one Pinoy who resorts to this tactic, naming names or dropping names, perhaps with the goal of forcing them to make his dreams come true.

Beware of people who already emit the aura of darkness the moment you meet them, with their secret background raising so many question marks above your head: Who is he? What’s his work there? What’s his business here? Why does he have so much money? And to top it all off, upon seeing you with him in a group photo that was posted on Facebook, a friend sends you this message through Messenger: Why are you with him, is he your friend? Like as if it’s a mortal sin.

And you’re now explaining to her: No! He’s the friend of a friend of a friend!

But you ignore her warning since you’re not the friend of this guy, anyway.

And then, two years later, you remember her warning. He had been nagkalat ng lagim before, and here he is again, continuing to kalat lagim as he asks people to fight in his behalf. That’s his hard habit to break. No wonder he’s rich.

Social media has become a security blanket for some people who survive through the favorable comments for their case, but that’s only for today. Tomorrow will be another day as people find out the truth and nothing but the truth.

Anyone who has been a victim of gossip knows how it feels to be a victim of bullying. That’s how he finds out who his real friends are. There will come a time when the gossiper and those who believed in his story will make pa-cute to their gossip victim, who will then be too tired to deal with them. They have now all lost what was supposed to be a good friendship but morphed to bad by a gossiper who loves to spread lies about anyone whom he sees as his competitor. Feeling niya he’s in the Olympics and he wants to win the gold medal. Delusions of grandeur. And the only way he could achieve that is through spreading lies about his friends, to make himself look good. Crab mentality at its worst.

Halloween is almost here, and the gossiper will again wear his favorite angel costume. Hahay. Pretend pa more.