You are on page 1of 17

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖍 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙

𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓵

First News from INQUIRER.NET, published on May 28, 2022: GUAZON FACES GRAFT
RAP OVER BONGBONG MARCOS DQ CASE.

Former Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon is facing a graft complaint


over her revelation of information relating to the disqualification case of Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. from the presidential race.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and Diego Magpantay from the group Citizen’s
Crime Watch filed on Friday an 18-page complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman,
accusing Guanzon of violating the antigraft law, the code of conduct for public
officials and employees and the Revised Penal Code.

The complainants cited when Guanzon, who was then presiding


commissioner of the Commission on Elections’ First Division, which handled one of
the disqualification case against Marcos, disclosed her decision in a GMA 7 interview
earlier this month that she had voted to disqualify Marcos; divulged her dissenting
opinion; and revealed that her fellow commissioner at the time, Aimee Ferolino, was
the ponente of the case.

Guanzon’s revelation of her vote to disqualify Marcos were “premature public


disclosures [that] were made without authority or justifiable reasons,” the
complainants said.

Responding to the complaint, notably by Topacio, Guanzon recalled the time


she sued the former in Bacolod City for libel and unjust vexation.

She dismissed the complaint as being a “personal grudge” of Topacio against


her over the cases he faced that Guanzon filed.

“He (Topacio) is an accused,” Guanzon said in her Twitter account. “That’s


why he has a personal grudge against me.” —Dempsey Reyes.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
On February 1, 2022, there was an article published under GMA News Online
entitled, "Guanzon: Ferolino may face impeachment for violating anti-graft laws
while handling Marcos DQ cases." Now, someone filed a complaint against Guanzon
for violating antigraft law. Either one of these parties is guilty, graft and corruption
are against the Seventh Commandment, or neither of them is guilty, one must follow
the Seventh Commandment and do not do something against the Eighth
Commandment.

After reading some news about these two parties, it seems like they are
throwing dirt at each other or they want to take revenge for ruining their reputation.
They started revealing, if true, the wrongdoing of each after one of them did it first.

We must respect our human dignity by practicing the virtue of temperance,


justice, and solidarity. If one has temperance, it moderates him or her attachment to
this world's goods. If someone commits graft or any sin against the Seventh
Commandment, it means that he or she has no temperance, thus, has no respect for
human dignity. In terms of justice and solidarity, people must receive what they
deserve in a fair way which requires respect for the rights of each person which leads
to solidarity.

Second News from UCANEWS (Union Of Catholic Asian News) published by Joseph
Peter Calleja on August 31, 2021: FOUR MEN ARRESTED OVER PHILIPPINE CHURCH
BURGLARY

Police in the Philippines have arrested four people for breaking into a Catholic
church and stealing donated money for Covid victims.

The four suspects, who included two children, broke into St. John the Baptist
Parish Church in Lian in Batangas province south of Manila on Aug. 30 before making
off with eight donation boxes filled with cash.

They were later spotted breaking the boxes open, which led to them being
identified when the alarm was raised and police were called.

Police were able to recover almost 20,000 pesos (US$400) from the suspects,
who hid the loot in their homes.

Churchgoers in the province were furious that someone would steal


donations.

It was money to be distributed to Covid-affected individuals in our


community. I do not understand why people are so selfish to think of taking
something that is not theirs, Batangas parishioner Francis Elegacion told UCA News.

Batangas police spokesman Joben dela Cruz said the incident was the second
recorded theft from a church this year in the province.

In July, two men were apprehended for stealing and selling a sound system.

It may sound funny to many but these men stole the church's microphones
and speakers and sold them in a local store, Dela Cruz said.
𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

It is either stealing or corruption the most common sin against the Seventh
Commandment. Stealing is an act that can be done by everyone. It is also a
hypocritical act when someone complains about political corruption when he or she
has done corruption. He or she may not notice it since it is smaller compared to
political corruption, but still, it is against the Seventh Commandment.

Just like what I've mentioned, stealing can be done by everyone, in the news
above, two minors were involved in stealing from a church. I felt goosebumps after
knowing that they stole something from a church. In many places, they chose the
church.

It wasn't mentioned in the news if the four thieves were under the influence
of drugs, so it is more likely that they did it because of poverty, which is not
surprising because around 4.74 million Filipino families are poor. This makes me
remember the value and love for the poor and the teachings of the Seventh
Commandment which are to have respect for others, to love our neighbors, and not
to desire the property of our neighbor. This also means that even if you're poor,
stealing is still a sin.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕰𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖍 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙


𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓻
𝓕𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓐𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽
𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓝𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓫𝓸𝓻

First News from The New York Times published by Jason Gutierrez and Alexandra
Stevenson on June 14, 2020 and updated on October 08, 2021: MARIA RESSA,
CRUSADING JOURNALIST IS CONVICTED IN PHILIPPINES LIBEL CASE.

Maria Ressa has been accused of fraud, tax evasion and receiving money
from the Central Intelligence Agency. She has been arrested twice and posted bail
eight times.

She is also the Philippines’ most prominent journalist, a Fulbright scholar, a


Time magazine Person of the Year for her crusading work against disinformation, and
a constant thorn in the side of Rodrigo Duterte, her country’s authoritarian but
widely popular president.

On Monday, after years of government threats and accusations, Ms. Ressa


and a former colleague at the news site she founded, Rappler, were convicted of
cyber libel by a court in Manila. Each was given an indeterminate sentence and could
face up to six years in prison, and each was fined $8,000.

The verdict is a new setback for press freedoms in a country where journalists
have been bullied and threatened. If President Trump calls American reporters “the
enemy of the people,” Mr. Duterte goes a step further, calling them “sons of bitches”
who are “not exempt from assassination.”

The verdict in the trial, which lasted almost a year, was delivered by a judge in
a nearly empty courtroom. Just three reporters were present because of social
distancing rules intended to contain the coronavirus.

Speaking to a crowd of dozens of reporters and photographers outside the


courtroom, Ms. Ressa said her conviction should serve as a warning.
“We’re redefining what the new world is going to look like, what journalism is
going to become,” she said. “Are we going to lose freedom of the press?”

Prosecutors first filed libel charges against Ms. Ressa in 2017 after a
businessman disputed an article that he said inaccurately linked him to a top-level
judge and tied him to the drug world. Rappler reported that Wilfredo Keng, the
businessman, had lent a sport utility vehicle to Judge Renato Corona and cited
sources who claimed Mr. Keng was tied to illegal drugs, human trafficking and
murder.

Ms. Ressa faces another seven charges, including accusations of tax evasion.
She has denied all of the charges and has said the prosecutions are an attempt by Mr.
Duterte’s administration to defang Rappler and debilitate the country’s critical news
media.

Ms. Ressa is a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines.

Rappler and other news organizations have doggedly covered Mr. Duterte’s
war on drugs, which has left thousands of people dead and disappeared. The
campaign’s brutality has drawn international rebuke.

Mr. Duterte’s attacks have caught the attention of press freedom groups and
global human rights lawyers, including Amal Clooney.

“Today a court in the Philippines became complicit in a sinister action to


silence a journalist for exposing corruption and abuse,” Ms. Clooney said in a
statement. “This conviction is an affront to the rule of law, a stark warning to the
press and a blow to democracy in the Philippines.”
The court declared Rappler, the company, to have no liability, and it is not
clear whether Ms. Ressa and the Rappler journalist Reynaldo Santos will serve any
time. Both were granted bail pending appeal.

Speaking last week by telephone, Ms. Ressa said the charges were an attempt
to silence Rappler, which has been critical of Mr. Duterte and his bloody crackdown
on drug dealers and users.

“Corrupt, coerce, co-opt. ‘You’re with us or against us,’” she said. “If I’m
convicted, then it’s codified into law.”

Regulators originally dismissed the charges because they related to a 2012


article, but were later overruled by more senior officials. Ms. Ressa has argued that
prosecutors improperly applied the law retroactively.

The case is the latest in a series of moves by Mr. Duterte’s administration to


intimidate the news media in the Philippines since he took office in 2016. In May, Mr.
Duterte effectively shut down ABS-CBN, the most influential broadcaster in the
Philippines, which in some of the country’s most remote regions is the only available
news source.

“Imagine an order by a regulatory agency telling CBS or CNN to shut down,


and they do? And it’s nationwide,” Ms. Ressa said last week.

Mr. Duterte has accused Rappler of being funded by the C.I.A., which Ms.
Ressa and the company have denied. Pia Ranada, Rappler’s star political journalist,
has been barred from official presidential events.

Harry Roque, Mr. Duterte’s spokesman, sought to play down the significance
of Monday’s verdict, saying the media should “respect the decision.”

“The president has said repeatedly that he has never filed a case of libel
against a journalist despite his negative reporting,” Mr. Roque said. “He believes in
free speech, and believes that anyone who works in government should not be thin
skinned.”

But Leni Robredo, the leader of the opposition in the Philippines, called the
verdict a “chilling development.”

“We must remember that this is merely the latest instance of law being
utilized to muzzle our free press,” she said in a statement. “Silencing, harassing and
weaponizing law against the media sends a clear message to every dissenting voice:
Keep quiet or you are next.”

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said the verdict “basically
kills freedom of speech and of the press.”

“This is a dark day not only for independent Philippine media but for all
Filipinos,” the group said. “But we will not be cowed. We will continue to stand our
ground against all attempts to suppress our freedoms.”

The Philippines offers a cautionary tale for the United States and many
countries around the world that are currently led by populist leaders who have
turned their focus on the news media and accused reporters of “fake news,” Ms.
Ressa said.

Ms. Ressa, a former CNN bureau chief and longtime journalist, created
Rappler in 2012 with three female reporters who made names for themselves
covering the People Power revolt that brought down President Ferdinand E. Marcos
in the 1980s. They have described the current political landscape in the Philippines as
tougher for journalists than the period under Mr. Marcos.

“To cut down press freedom in this way and to weaponize the law is a whole
new level,” Ms. Ressa said. “It is something I haven’t seen since the days of Marcos.
And to see it again is heartbreaking.”

In recent years, Rappler has been at the forefront of exposing internet


misinformation in the country, which has become so rampant that one Facebook
executive called it “patient zero” in a global misinformation pandemic. In 2016,
before the presidential election in the United States, Ms. Ressa met with Facebook
executives to show them research indicating that the social media giant needed to
take action against fake news spreading on their platform. It was only after the
election that Facebook requested more of her data.

“The reason why this matters is that where the Philippines goes, America
follows. Take the weaponization of social media — we were the test case before
America,” Ms. Ressa said last week. “Online violence leads to real world violence.”

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

In the news above, it is a war between weaponizing the words and


weaponizing the laws. Both parties have different responsibilities, but they have one
in common, which is to serve the people. The conflict here is one of them contradicts
the other's approach.

In this news, we learn the importance of power and freedom of speech. If we


have these or one of these, we must always remember the virtue of truth. We must
show ourselves truly in deeds and truthful in words, and in guarding against duplicity,
dissimulation, and hypocrisy. If Ms. Ressa is the right one, she is a great example of a
witness, which establishes the truth or makes it known.

It is essential to confirm if the news you heard, read, or received is legit,


especially during this Digital Age because the Eighth Commandment primarily aimed
against the destructive perversions of the truth that damages the life of the family,
community, and society. In using social media, it is important to think first before you
click. It is important to think before you speak because words are weapons that can
be used by and against everyone.

Second News from expertistnetwork.com, published on May 07, 2022: MAN,


COMMITTED SUICIDE AFTER ALLEGEDLY BEING BULLIED DUE TO HIS CHOSEN
PRESIDENT.

The alleged suicide of a well-known student leader, and an ardent supporter


of Marcos Jr., is now being talked about on social media.

Although his own family saw no reason for the suicide of the 23-year-old man
and a supporter of Bongbong Marcos Jr. in Antique, for a close friend, he said he
could not cope with the hot response on social media involving a netizen.

According to a report by Radyo Bandera Antique on Friday, a man was found


dead by his family after he committed suicide in Brgy. San Jose, Antique, past five
o’clock in the morning, Friday.

According to the report, a call was received by the local police in connection
with the incident involving an identified student leader at the University of Antique.

Although their own relatives had no idea the cause of the tragedy and their
loved one’s chosen decision, an identified friend called attention today on social
media.

For Rey Magtiza Espine, friend Fredrick Mark Bico Alba, 23, was a victim of
cyberbullying.

He added that his friend’s warm response involving a Kakampink or a


supporter of Vice President Robredo was the reason for his suicide.

In a Facebook post, a series of photos of the exchange of views between his


friend and the alleged Kakampink were revealed in his Facebook post, Friday.

Another post also shows Fredrick’s alleged indifference to the personal attack
of the said Kakampink as a reason for the young man to end up with a painful
decision.

Fredrick’s final thoughts can also be seen in separate Facebook posts that
seem to be defending his decision to vote for UniTeam Senatoriable Loren Legarda.

The individual involved has not yet made a statement regarding the incident.
According to the San Jose Municipal Police Station’s investigation, there is no
possibility of foul play in the incident.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

I had read the conversation between, Federick Mark Bico Alba, the man who
committed suicide, and the citizen involved in this case. At first, Alba shared his
chosen president. The involved citizen, who had a different chosen president,
commented until it went personal.
The two seemed like an acquaintance, but the involved citizen acted like he
knew Alba so well. Even so, he had no right to say those words to Alba, especially
publically. The involved citizen acted like he was the right one, but even if he was the
right one, we must remember to remain to be good. This serves as a lesson to
everyone that even if we are not interacting personally, are words will still hurt the
others.

Malicious gossip is against the Eighth Commandment. In their conversation,


they were talking about politics, but it went personal. The involved citizen crossed
the line. Not being biased, but after reading their conversation many times because I
was intrigued by this case, I perceived that the involved citizen was arrogant. He was
using some shady issues about Alba, which was an act to show his dominance. His
act harmed Alba.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙


𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓒𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓽
𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓝𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓫𝓸𝓻'𝓼 𝓦𝓲𝓯𝓮

First News from CBS News DFW, published by CBSDFW Staff on May 09, 2022: TEXAS
WOMAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED HUSBAND AFTER LEARNING OF MISTRESS.

A 51-year-old Texas woman is in custody, facing a murder after officials say


she admitted to shooting her husband after he told her he was in love with another
woman.

It was the morning of May 7 when deputies arrived at the home in Spring,
just north of Houston, a man was inside with multiple gunshot wounds, according to
the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead,
the sheriff's office said.

Karin Stewart has been charged with murder in the death of James Hargrove,
according to a complaint filed in court records.

Stewart remained in the Harris County Jail Sunday on $75,000 bond. A


working number could not be found for the attorney listed for her.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

The husband and wife both committed sins against the Commandments. The
Ninth Commandment urges us to cultivate the virtue of chastity. Chastity is a virtue
to temperance. This virtue means replacing our desire for sexual pleasure under the
guidance of reason and faith. Under this commandment, lust and impure thoughts
are the sins we need to avoid.

Second News from NBCDFW, published by Gabrielle Chung on March 18, 2022: CHRIS
WATTS' MISTRESS SHARES LAST TEXT HE SENT HER AFTER THE MURDER OF HIS
WIFE AND KIDS.

Before the bodies of his pregnant wife and two daughters were found in an oil
field in 2018, Chris Watts denied any wrongdoing in a chilling text to his mistress,
Nichol Kessinger.

In a newly surfaced police video filmed during the investigation, Kessinger


detailed her affair with Watts and told officers that she questioned him about his
family's disappearance when it made headlines. Per People, who verified the
authenticity of the three-hour video, Kessinger shared with authorities that she and
Watts exchanged texts after Shanann Watts and her daughters, 4-year-old Bella and
3-year-old Celeste, went missing.

"I kept asking him, 'What did you do, Chris? What did you do?'" she
reportedly said in the video. "I asked, 'Where's your family?'"

Explaining that she was "stressed out" at the time, Kessinger recalled, "So I
texted Chris one last time, and I told him, 'If you did anything bad, you're going to
ruin your life and you're going to ruin my life. I promise you that.' And he responded,
'I didn't hurt my family, Nicky.'"

According to Kessinger, that was "the last text" she received from Watts. She
told investigators in the police video, "I never said another word to him after that."

Susan Medina, a spokesperson for the Colorado Bureau of Investigations,


confirmed the audio of the police interview was previously released.

Shanann, who was 15-weeks pregnant, and her daughters were first reported
missing from their Colorado home on Aug. 13, 2018. While Watts initially pleaded for
their safe return on local news, he later confessed to killing them and hiding their
bodies at his then-work site. He pleaded guilty to all three murders on Nov. 6, 2018,
and was sentenced to five life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.

In the police video, Kessinger said that Watts told her he had separated from
his wife and was planning on divorcing her. Still, Kessinger told officers that Watts
was "never hostile" when they would talk about his family.

"There were several discussions that we had about his current relationship
and where it had gone," she said, according to People. "It was never anything
aggressive. It was still very kind. He was just like, 'This is not working.'"
Kessinger went on to say that Watts' behavior throughout their relationship
"wasn't anything out of the ordinary or anything that would scare me. She added,
"Even to this day, even after everything that I've found out, I still look back at that,
and I don't see any red lights about the way he spoke about his family."

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

The Ninth Commandment urges us to cultivate chastity. Chastity signifies

spiritual energy capable of defending love from the perils of selfishness and
aggressiveness, and able to advance it towards it full realization. Hence, it is wrong to
say that love can make us do crazy things. The self-control developed by a chase
heart frees us from our selfishness and self-centeredness.
REFERENCES:
Inquirer.net. (2022, May 28). Guanzon faces graft rap over Bongbong Marcos DQ
case . Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/newsinfo.inquirer.net/1603537/guanzon-faces-
graft-rap-over-bongbong-marcos-dq-case/amp

Calleja, J.P. (2021, August 31). Four men arrested over Philippine church burglary .
Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ucanews.com/amp/four-men-arrested-over-
philippine-church-burglary/93939

Guttierrez, J., & Stevenson, A. (2020, June 14). Maria Ressa, Crusading Journalist, Is
Convicted in Philippines Libel Case . The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/business/maria-
ressa-verdict-philippines-rappler.amp.html

Expertist Network. (2022, May 7). Man, committed suicide after allegedly being
bullied due to his chosen President. Retrieved from
https://expertistnetwork.com/man-committed-suicide-after-allegedly-being-bullied-
due-to-his-chosen-president/

Staff, CBSDFW. (2022, May 9). Texas woman allegedly killed husband after learning of
mistress . CBS News DFW. Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/dfw/news/texas-woman-
allegedly-killed-husband-after-learning-of-mistress/

Chung, G. (2022, March 18). Chris Watts' Mistress Shares Last Text He Sent Her After
the Murder of His Wife and Kids . NBCDFW. Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/
chris-watts-mistress-shares-last-text-he-sent-her-after-the-murder-of-his-wife-and-
kids/2918588/%3famp

You might also like