IT WAS unfortunate for us not being able to attend the Christmas party for employees of establishments under the Torres-owned media group that includes broadcast and print/online publication.
As an opinion writer in the Mindanao Times, we are, in a way, part of the mentioned personnel. We were certain that it would have been an unforgettable experience if we attended the gathering held only once a year. The party was held last Saturday, starting late in the afternoon.
But as we said earlier, we have an earlier commitment to fulfill – the wedding anniversary of our brother-in-law. We have to honor the earlier invitation. And it is our take that we did not commit a mistake in giving preference to the invite that came ahead of the newspaper we are working with.
At the outset, we congratulate the organizers of this year’s Christmas get-together.
Thank you, gentlemen and ladies, for the good job you prepared for the staff. Again, more power…and more Christmas gifts.
********************************
Scrolling through various social media, specifically Facebook, anyone can see very clearly how some netizens – politicians’ trolls, more specifically – bastardize the facility to disseminate misinformation and disinformation just to satisfy the caprices of their patrons, in exchange for money, of course.
These trolls create stories to destroy the enemies of their sponsors and, at the same time, build up the name of the political organization and the politicians or political personalities they serve.
In the case of the ongoing investigation of the billion-peso anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects, the trolls appear to be on a major mission to muddle the issues. And social media have been found to be the most effective venue against their respective targets.
Imagine coming up and posting stories like President Marcos, Jr. and his family are already hauled from Malacañang and the members of the military supposedly already inside the compound and ready to install a new President! Nothing of the sort ever happened.
And the above is only one among many pieces of misinformation posted on social media with captions conveniently created to make it appear as gospel truth.
Meanwhile, at the other side of the political fence, the trolls clearly identified with the administration seem indefatigable in their efforts at picturing the vice president as one restless villain in her campaign to discredit everything that the President is doing. She and her group are pictured as continuously dodging accountability in explaining her confidential and discretionary funds.
Now the question that has to be asked is, “Whose social media posts of the two opposing political groups provide some degree of truth, given the desire to rule supreme in the coming 2028 elections?
Given the present upheaval in the use of social media, especially for political purposes, when can the bright legal minds in Congress ever develop a bill that will effectively govern the use of social media so this country will not further be drawn into chaos and disorder?
At this point in time, what is exacerbating the bastardization of social media as a vehicle for the destruction of persons and institutions is that those posting craps are almost beyond the reach of the police and other law enforcers… and the law in general.
Is it because all social media practitioners have to do, especially those with the intention to destroy the social and political order, like the trolls, is fake their identities? Or, it is because it is easy for them to create fictitious accounts, and above all, lean on the influence and power of benefactors in dodging threats of legal actions.
*******************************
In our column last Saturday and Sunday, we tackled the issue of our city councilors churning out local ordinances that to us benefit only a small number of our close to 2 million city population.
One of these measures is the proposed ordinance introduced by Second District Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang. This one is the proposed measure seeking to protect the delivery drivers from abusive customer/consignees who, for flimsy reasons, refuse to pay the delivery riders what is due them.
The question is, how many delivery drivers are there in the entire city servicing a population of less than two million people? What is the percentage of the number of delivery drivers to that of the total city population?
Again, we are not saying that the said ordinance, if approved, is bad. But how can it be beneficial when it only addresses the concern of a minute number of city residents – the delivery riders? Cannot any of the councilors think of an ordinance that benefits both the customers, the delivery drivers, and the local government as well? We are certain it can be best appreciated.
Isn’t it that real development, whether it is on infrastructure or policies, is measured by the number of beneficiaries as against those who are likely to suffer? Just a food for thought.
