Media and Information Literacy
1st Semester: 1st Quarter
Learner Answer Sheet: Week 7 – 8
CASE STUDY
Name: ______________________________________________________________
Grade 12: □ ABM-A □ABM-B □HUMSS-A □HUMSS-B □ICT □HE
Carabuena: From bully to cyberbullying victim
By Ivy Jean Vibar, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at Aug 23 2012 01:58 PM | Updated as of Aug 24 2012 01:09 AM
MANILA, Philippines -- Robert Blair Carabuena, who
admitted his wrongs and issued an apology on
Thursday, has been the subject of online attacks since
a video of him allegedly abusing a traffic enforcer was
broadcast and went viral on the web.
Carabuena had been caught on camera berating and
slapping Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) aide Fabros on August 11 after he was
pulled over for a traffic violation.
“Pending investigation,” Philip Morris Tobacco
Corp. suspended Carabuena, one of its employees,
following petitions from various sectors urging the
company to fire him.
In a statement, the company said while Carabuena was
“not on duty for the company at the time” the incident
occurred, “it does no not condone inappropriate
conduct by any of our employees.”
The MMDA also said that the direct assault case it has
filed against the Philip Morris executive will push
through despite his apology, and a preliminary hearing
at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s office was scheduled
for Thursday.
However, according to initial reports from the MMDA,
Carabuena was rushed to the hospital after feeling
discomfort because of hurtful comments he received
from several people at the fiscal’s office.
Carabuena has not been immune from online
“retaliation” either. From issuing taunts of “baboy”
(pig) to assertions that he should be killed, netizens
have not been kind to Carabuena, leading some to say
that the bully is now being cyberbullied.
Flame bait
Incidents of cyberbullying by Filipinos online are not
new, with people even intentionally creating what can
be termed as “flame bait” to draw the ire from
netizens.
One incident was that of “Ahcee Flores”, an identity
Deadline: November 2021
created by an Internet troll to comment on Yahoo!
Philippines. A parallel Flores account was also set up
on social networking site Facebook.
Flores wished ill on the victims of an earthquake in
Visayas, leading to the creation of pages on the social
networking site dedicated to sowing hate against her.
Her posts also went viral online.
Even celebrities are not immune. Actress Francine
Prieto also received flak for an offhand comment
about President Benigno Aquino III being “panot.”
“I deleted my first Twitter account dahil nilabas ko ang
saloobin ko sa dami kong problema…ngayon naman
sobra na ang mga bastos, mahaba ang pasensya ko
'wag mo lang akong babastusin dahil kaya ko rin
maging bastos,” she said to her online haters on
Twitter.
As of posting, there are over 40 pages on Facebook
dedicated to Carabuena, with names such as “Patayin
si Robert Blair Carabuena,” “Like if you want Robert
Blair Carabuena to be fired from Philip Morris”, “Ikaw
na nga may pinagaralan ikaw pa walang modo, f***
you Robert Carabuena” and “Ilechon si Robert Blair
Carabuena,” among others.
“Ipakulong si Robert Blair Carabuena” is currently the
top page with 23,216 likes.
There is also now a parody Twitter account for
Carabuena -- @RBlairCarabuena. It has only eight
followers and 97 tweets as of posting.
Carabuena acknowledged his haters in his apology.
“Nitong nakaraang Linggo, naramdaman ko po ang
galit ng publiko sa aking inasal. Simula nang lumabas
ang ‘video’ sa media at sa ‘social media,’ minabuti ko
pong manatili muna sa aming tahanan,” he said.
Carabuena has since reportedly shut down his social
media accounts.
Just desserts?
In a blog entry by Jess Lorenzo on ABS-
CBNnews.com, he said that while Carabuena has been
the recipient of a “deluge of harassment online…the
 Media and Information Literacy
1st Semester: 1st Quarter
Learner Answer Sheet: Week 7 – 8
CASE STUDY

Name: ______________________________________________________________ Deadline: November 2021

Grade 12: □ ABM-A □
ABM-B □
HUMSS-A □
HUMSS-B
image that Carabuena put himself in is his own doing.”
“I can only surmise that any cyber harassment is
provoked by the bullying that Carabuena dished out to
Officer Saturnino Fabros; heightened by their social
circumstances,” Lorenzo wrote.
“I believe Carabuena is a typical person who dwells in
ENTITLEMENT. This is one of the illnesses of our
culture.  It is seen in many of our behaviors and
leaders. It even exists in persons who may hate the
likes of Blair but may also manifest similar symptoms.
They are double standard people who are quick to seek
justice but are poor in following the law.”
However, in an interview in 2011, Philippine Human
Rights Information Center executive director Dr.
Nymia Pimentel Simbulan said that while everyone
has a right to the Internet and information, as well as to
free speech, netizens also have the responsibility to
respect the space and rights of others.
“There are limits,” she said. “Fundamental rights
should not be taken as a license to attack the rights or
positions of other individuals. Nagiging bastusan na.”
ICT□ HE □
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4. Do you think technology and the internet has
made bullying easier?
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5. Give one suggestion to avoid cyber bullying.
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6. Give one suggestion to avoid being a cyber bully.
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After reading, answer the following questions:

1. What did Carabuena do that made netizens angry?

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2. Describe the acts of cyber bullying that the

netizens did to Carabuena. Do you think their
actions are justifiable? Defend your answer.
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3. How did the incident affect Carabuena’s life?

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