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.
Deadline: November 2021
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 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.
 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 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 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.”
Deadline: November 2021
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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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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