• Back on 11 August 2012, Robert Blair

Carabuena was caught on camera in

assaulting a Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority (MMDA) aide
Saturnino Fabros after he was pulled over
for a traffic violation. The video of him
berating and slapping the traffic enforcer
went viral on social media and became a
subject for online attacks.
• Carabuena issued an apology for his wrongdoings,
however he was still cyberbullied by Filipino
netizens. According to ABS-CBN News (2012), there
are over 40 Facebook pages 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.
This implies that netizens are eager to seek
justice but are poor in following the law. Along
with the right to the Internet and information,
as well as to free speech, comes with the
responsibility to respect the rights and space
of others.
• Eventually, Carabuena received a
cancellation of his driver's license from
MMDA chief Francis Tolentino. Also,
Philippine National Police revoked his gun
license. He was able to set a bail of
Php12,000 from his warrant issues by
Metropolitan Trial Court. After attending
his case's preliminary hearing, he soon
went to hospital after being cursed by the
mad bystanders.
• Since Internet and technology brought
people closer together in an open-range of
communication, bullying became harder to
contain as it circulates within the social
media, and as long as everyone has access
to the network, one is likely to be
vulnerable to this issue.
• To avoid cyberbullying, we should always be
aware in talking about certain topics. We sure all
have opinions on all subjects, but one should be
respectful to others when it comes to discussing
controversial topics such as gender, religion,
politics, or war. To avoid being a cyberbully, we
should know the value of being a media literate
person, an individual that knows how to think
critically, and how to differentiate accurate
information from false rumours.
THANK YOU!