MEDIA LAWS AND ETHICS

MIDTERMS REQUIREMENT
Metro | Montemayor | Moya | Narca | Navarro
Please state the ills or flaws of criminal justice in our country based on the
following : crime prevention, investigation, arrest, prosecution and trial.
Please select/state (2) major news stories for the past ten (10) years and
identify and explain the said five (5) ills or flaws in each of the two stories.
(There should be no duplication of the two news stories of each group.
Your class president should supervise your group's restricted choices. )
 case 1 (2014-2020)

The Jennifer Laude Case

Brief Background

On the night of October 11 in Olongapo City, the victim Jennifer Laude was said to have entered
Celzone Lodge with Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton after meeting in a bar that same night.
Reportedly only thirty minutes after heading into the room with Laude, Pemberton was seen leaving by
himself. The next day, Laude’s body was discovered in the comfort room and was promptly reported to
the police. According to the autopsy, she died of asphyxia by drowning.

On Prevention

The killing of Jennifer Laude is, by no means, a new kind of offense. It is said that slayings and assaults
at the hands of foreigners against Filipina happen on many different occasions, at many different times.
Each time, the police have failed to prevent such crimes from happening and they have failed to
safeguard the well-being of the Filipino people despite such offenses reportedly to have happened
multiple times already. The fatal case of Jennifer Laude after meeting Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott
Pemberton who was there for a joint military exercise certainly caused a stir but it was not the first of a
crime by a visiting military personnel that has happened in the Philippines–the first of which happened
way back in 2006.

In cases such as this, police lack visibility and authority. It is being disputed that the US, through these
brutalities happening through the VFA, has looked down on and undermined the laws and the
sovereignty of the country (Suarez, n.d). In this case, it is of utmost importance that the police assert
their authority as the governing body that safekeeps its citizens–that among other things, foreigners are
not above the rule of law of the country. Police visibility in all hours of the day might also help to ease a
lot of cases of assault as criminals would most likely be deterred in committing wrongdoings when the
police are within reach of the victims.

The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)

Increased surveillance and vigilance. It is said that for the near century that the US had military
presence in the Philippines, countless Filipinas have been victimized one way or another, and because
of the tricky nature of these cases, justice is most likely never served in almost all of them (Redfern,
2020). Police doing rounds and remaining cautious, looking out for their fellow citizens and continued
vigilance could serve as a stepping stone in making sure no one would wind up being victims in such
cases. Although there is no way to tell when a crime could be happening, especially in the nature of
Jennifer Laude’s case, the police failing to conduct constant surveillance and upholding vigilance has
caused them to fail the citizens they’ve sworn to protect time and time again.

On Prevention

Days after the alleged murder of Jennifer Lauder
on October 15, a murder complaint was filed
against the suspect, Lance Cpl. Pemberton by
Jennifer’s sister–Marilou Laude–to the Olongapo
City Office of the City prosecutor and Pemberton
was then detained in Camp Aguinaldo on
October 22. The Public Prosecutor officially filed
an information for murder before the Regional
Trial Court in Olongapo City on December 15,
and on December 16, a warrant of arrest was
issued against Pemberton.
Further down the line, Pemberton would
eventually refuse a plea deal and remain on a
plea of not guilty. His statement would hence be
that his actions were that of “self-defense” as he
felt violated after feeling male genitalia from
Jennifer.
From this, we can surmise that the police did not
dig deeper into Pemberton’s background and
history when it came to homophobia and
violence despite assuming early on that
Jennifer’s case was a “hate crime” upon
Pemberton’s discovery that Jennifer was “gay.”
Looking at what his eventual ruling would be
based on the defense that it was an act of
passion borne out of momentary panic, the
investigation seemingly did not account for any
kind of background Pemberton might have
regarding transgender, members of the LGBTQ
and homophobia in general.
There was also the fact that nothing came of the
known track record of American military
personnel victimizing many Filipinas over the
years that should have been alarming in and of
itself. Perhaps learning more about the suspect’s
background could shed more light on his actual
demeanor and explain the extremity of his
actions in killing someone. Had it not been
Jennifer, would an entirely different attack have
happened? The superiority with which they hold
themselves with, their opinion of the Filipino
people, their mentality upon mingling with our
citizens–all of it could have been an indicator of
what kind of person Pemberton truly was and
whether his attack really was simply an act of
self-defense, or something more entirely. In this
regard, without making any headway with such
things in the trial as far as reports go, the police
had failed in completely covering their bases and
learning the complete, detailed profile of the
suspect.
Another flaw in the investigation process was the
overbearing influence of the U.S on the case
using the Visitation Forces Agreement (VFA).
Although through no fault of theirs, it is said that
initial questioning of the case was done by the
United States Naval Criminal Investigative
Service rather than Philippine authority and the
suspect was initially kept in custody within his
ship, the U.S.S Peleliu under US guard (Redfern,
2020).

The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)

Once more, this undermines and interferes with the authority of the country over a case within its own
borders despite the case clearly crossing right into the border of Philippine jurisdiction in accordance
with the VFA.
On Arrest
Following the chronology of the case, murder
was filed against Pemberton on the 15th of
December, a warrant of arrest was issued
immediately on the 16th and he had personally
surrendered himself to Judge Ginez Jabalde at
the Regional Trial Court, Branch 74, then
consequently getting arraigned on the 19th. Up
to this point, all governing bodies had done
everything according to procedure.
Difficulties and possible ills happened when the
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which was
effective since 1999, was put into play. This
effectively meant that the U.S would maintain
certain influence over the case which many
contested as undermining the authority of the
Philippines.
The Urgent Motion to compel the Armed Forces
of the Philippines to Surrender Custody of the
Accused to the Olongapo City Jail was filed by
Marilou Laude because the U.S maintained
custody over the suspect under the provision of
the VFA. This motion was denied by the judge
multiple times, sparking a back and forth
between the Laude family and Pemberton and
his defense team over the faithfulness of the
procedure and the merit behind it. According to
the VFA, the U.S will remain with the right to
Pemberton’s custody which was maintained
adamantly by Washington through the U.S
embassy. Despite this, the DFA had continuously
filed for requests for custody following the
murder case Pemberton now finds himself with.
The U.S, however, remains unswayed regarding
the matter, saying that putting him in
Camp Aguinaldo was the extent of their
consideration to the Philippines despite the fact
that a severe case such as murder
instantaneously puts judicial jurisdiction over
Pemberton as also stipulated under the VFA.
Following this, the Department of Foreign Affairs
had given up the fight for Pemberton’s custody.
Although he was being charged for a crime
committed in the Philippines and he was being
tried in a court under law of the Philippines in its
own soil, it does not satisfy the people fervently
seeking justice. Despite the DFA outrightly
expressing disappointment that the U.S would
not waive their right to custody, they eventually
stopped requesting altogether. This put into
question the one-sided benefits of the VFA when
it came to crimes committed by U.S soldiers on
Philippine soil especially considering the
previous track record of abuse going on that
were never properly put to trial.
According to the DFA spokesperson, they
qualify murder as an “extraordinary case” and
therefore gives them all the basis they need in
requesting for custody all under the provision of
VFA which the U.S insists on. Even so, the
interpretation of the agreement of the U.S
prevailed and they got to keep custody.
The flaw of arrest here is that the DFA let the U.S
exploit the VFA for their benefit and allowed
them to retain custody of a suspect in a crime
that abused a Filipino in their own motherland.
The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)
On Prosecution
The main suspect for the killing of Jennifer
Laude–Pemberton–was filed with a charge of
murder. Following his subsequent arrest and
arraignment, he refused a plea bargain in
February of 2015, maintaining his stance on not
guilty and so the case proceeded to court. Prior
to this, numerous testimony and evidence had
allegedly confirmed Pemberton’s presence at
the scene of the crime and all of it pointed out
that the crime committed was undoubtedly
murder.
As far as details of the case went, the
prosecution had followed all the steps in
handling the murder charges for Pemberton as
they had sufficient evidence for this. Every
petition and motions filed against Pemberton
that had gone against the rule of law were
sufficiently rejected by the judge despite the
arguments between the petitioners and the
defendant. Although the validity and the rationale
behind Marilou Laude’s urgent motion for
custody was questioned,
along with the following defense from
Pemberton’s team, it was illustrated that all
decisions at the time were based on clearly
established laws within Philippine court. The
prosecution had offered a plea bargain for
Pemberton however the accused had rejected
and stuck to his claims of self-defense, fulfilling
his rights to do so which led up to the trial.
Although there was no immediate flaw that could
be detected in the prosecution, there was the
fact that the public prosecutor did not conform
to the motion filed by Marilou Laude regarding
the custody for Pemberton thus rendering it
mostly useless in the face of the presiding
judge. The petitioners were mere individuals that
did not have the “political personality” required
for filing the motion. Throughout the prosecution
and the consequent trial, this was not brought up
again.
The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)
On Trial
Laude’s case officially went to trial from March
23rd onwards, trying Pemberton for the murder
of Jennifer last October 11. Previously,
Pemberton had declined on taking a plea deal
and maintained a not guilty plea all throughout
his prosecution and ensuing trial. It was here that
he claimed that though he had indeed attacked
Jennifer Laude that night, he did so in self-
defense.
According to his statement, Laude was
performing oral sex on him when he felt the
sensation of a male genitalia which was the
turning point of that night. This was when he
pushed her back, causing Laude to slap him and
in turn, for Pemberton to fight back by choking
her to the point of her passing out completely.
Allegedly, he had tried to revive her in the
bathroom with water but left in the end although
he claimed that when he did, she was still
breathing. From the initial report, this seemed to
have transpired in a matter of thirty minutes
when Pemberton was seen going in with Laude
and leaving all by himself.
The police, upon first finding the body, had
concluded that it was most likely a “hate crime”
as Jennifer was trans.
Pemberton’s defense claims that Pemberton
felt he was being “raped” as he had not given his
prior consent for a man to perform sexual acts
on him and in turn had disgusted him to the
extent that it led to the ensuing incident. Finally,
it was on December 1, 2015 that Pemberton was
convicted of homicide instead of the heavier
charge of murder, given six to twelve years of
prison and incarcerated in Camp Aguinaldo as
stipulated once more through the Visiting Forces
Agreement.
The flaw here is that the judge gave the
homicide verdict despite the paramount of
evidence pointing to murder and even shortening
the twelve-year sentence to ten years. Initially,
the DOJ found that the elements of murder were
satisfied in the case, and yet the final ruling was
somehow changed into a lower sentence
despite the piled up evidence. Despite the
appeals of his defense team, it was established
without a doubt that Pemberton was there on the
night of the murder with traces all over the crime
scene confirmed through fingerprints and
testimonies.
The homicide verdict hinged on the fact that
supposedly there was no such “treachery” in the
act of committing the crime, but reports from the
DOJ state otherwise. It is said that physical
examination conducted on both the suspect and
the victim, as well as ocular observation of the
crime scene illustrated a qualifying claim of
cruelty, abuse of superior strength and treachery
intending to kill.
According to the report of the initial
investigation, the suspect’s attack left the victim
unable to defend herself. Furthermore, it is said
that Laude was strangled from behind and, with
his superior in strength, had left many abrasions
and contusions on the victim’s body–all of this
pointing to the violent nature with which the
attack was carried out. Despite this, the official
cause of death was drowning, suggesting that
suspect Pemberton had forcefully submerged
the victim’s head in the toilet bowl. It is said that
Laude was choked to the point of
unconsciousness and, had the suspect not
intended to kill, would therefore have no reason
to drown her and completely abandon her there
all in the span of thirty minutes.
The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)
Despite all this, Pemberton and his defense remained on their stance that it was an act of self-defense,
under “passion and obfuscation” that made him arm-lock the victim and drown her in the toilet. The
judge believed his claims and he was to serve time in Camp Aguinaldo then ordered to pay a fine to the
bereaved members of the victim’s family.

Another flaw is the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) granted to Pemberton and eventually, the
former president Duterte altogether giving him an absolute pardon back in 2020. Before former
President Duterte had even decided to give Pemberton an absolute pardon, the court was already
pending early release due to good behavior after having only served a maximum of six years. This was
of course met with a motion of consideration from the Laude family. The question had been: is
Pemberton even covered under GCTA and if he is, how was he evaluated if he was in a special facility
by himself? Under the same VFA that the U.S seemed to use as stronghold to keep ahold of
Pemberton was also the distinction believed to keep him away from the same rights that all convicts
have in the Philippines–which includes being granted the GCTA. There was also the issue when the DOJ
supposedly opposed this because courts did not have the authority to decide whether he received
GCTA or not–not to mention that there was a significant difference between BuCor’s computation to
the one submitted by Pemberton.

The pardon was perhaps the biggest blow to the justice people sought for Laude’s case. In an address,
former president Duterte claimed that the court had not treated Pemberton fairly despite everything
that had transpired. This evoked outcry from the people as it was as good as sending the message that
justice took another step back and that a life didn’t matter if it belonged to a member of the LGBTQ.
Pemberton’s defense maintains his innocence and how he never sought pardon and at the present, he
had already been sent back to his home country without burden while the victims back in the
Philippines continue to suffer great injustice, oppressed and given disadvantage in their own soil by
their own government that only gave broken promises of closure to the victims and their families.

Some say this move from Duterte was politically motivated given the strain in the relationship with the
U.S, but nevertheless, it only illustrated how easily the Philippines folds and how easily it tramples on
the lives of its people and its sovereignty and hard-earned democracy.

The Jennifer Laude Case (2014-2020)

 case 2 (2020)

Police Brutality: Police MSgt. Daniel Florendo

shooting Winston Ragos

Brief Background
On April 21 of 2020, retired Army soldier Winston Ragos was shot by a police officer at a checkpoint in
Quezon City. The officer was identified as Police MSgt. Daniel Florendo, Jr. who was on patrol along
four police trainees when Ragos approached them and allegedly tried to pull out a gun after being told
to be violating the enhanced community quarantine, thus prompting Florendo to shoot.

On: Prevention
Following the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent order for lockdown in the
Philippines, strict rules were therefore enforced by the police and other governing bodies. In particular,
then-president Rodrigo Duterte has told the police and the military to “shoot dead” anyone who would
go about and “cause trouble” during the lockdown. The sincerity of his order aside, there have been a
series of crimes involving police brutality around this time in different parts of the country.

In this case, not only were the police unable to prevent the crime from happening, but they were also
the culprit in the crime itself. The responding officers might have been supposedly doing their job in
confronting Ragos about violating lockdown protocol by being outside, and though reports stated
Ragos retaliated by shouting back at them, lack of restraint and prudence had ended up being
detrimental to the life of an innocent victim in the case. As the police are there to enforce and protect
the people from danger, it is imperative that they do actions that do not harm their fellowman but
safeguard them despite their offenses. Resorting to actions that immediately rob a person of their life
must not be the first course of action for a responding police officer especially given certain
circumstances such as with Ragos. This lapse in judgment might also be due to the lack of discipline on
police officers.

Police Brutality
Simply because they have been given a gun does not automatically mean that they are to use it at the
first inconvenience. Even despite the circumstances, the people present at the scene had reportedly
been heard deterring responding police officers from shooting given Ragos’s mental health and the
fact that he was supposedly completely unarmed. Assuming that there could have been better ways to
deal with the situation, the police are in desperate need to discipline their men while conducting their
duties to prevent further cases of police brutality brought about by the high off power that comes with
a badge and a gun.

On Investigation

Following the shooting of former army member
Winston Ragos in Quezon City, an investigation
was launched, and a file of murder, perjury and
misconduct were eventually charged against
Police Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo Jr. and
the other four police trainees that were there
with him at the time of the shooting. Many flaws
were already encountered early on in the case,
starting from the moment of the shooting itself
wherein many witnesses were at the scene,
along with the video recorded evidence of the
entire scuffle between Florendo and Ragos.
The police tell a completely different story
from witnesses on the scene when Florendo
shot Ragos. Witnesses on the scene claim that
they tried to dissuade Florendo from shooting
Ragos as the victim was supposedly very
mentally ill and was otherwise harmless. There
were also accounts of witnesses saying that the
officers were also very aggressive, telling
bystanders to get out of the way as they were
planning to kill Ragos then and there (saying, as
quoted “Wag kayo makialam, wala akong
pakialam. Papatayin namin ‘yan” by a witness).
According to some accounts, Ragos apparently
did not have a gun, as police were claiming,
inside his bag which only supposedly contained
a quarantine pass and a water bottle. Florendo,
meanwhile, claimed that his actions were self-
defense as he was under the impression that
Ragos was about to pull out a gun.
Through all this, the PNP Chief General Gamboa
maintains that Florendo’s actions were a
“judgment call” because he felt threatened. This
causes enough of a dissonance between
witnesses present at the scene.
This one piece of evidence–that Ragos was
armed–likely stemmed from the fact that the
officers at the scene who did the shooting were
also the ones to handle the evidence, such as
Ragos’ bag where the gun was supposedly
contained. Witnesses and family members said
that Ragos was unarmed, contrary to what
Florendo claimed, and he had thrown his bag
after getting shot. Rightfully, it should not have
been Florendo and the others with him who took
the evidence. However in the footage, it was
seen that they took the sling bag and tossed it
into a police van, eventually turning up with a
caliber 38 revolver that allegedly belonged to
Ragos, found in the bag. This could have been
used as evidence against Ragos to verify that
Florendo’s case was indeed that of mere self-
defense; however this too was contested. The
NBI, acting under the request of the AFP, had
stepped up to conclude that the evidence might,
or was most likely, planted because of the
actions leading up to presenting the evidence
against Ragos–that is, that the officers on the
scene had taken the bag unprompted and
tossed it into a police van.

Police Brutality
Following this, the QCPD charged Florendo with homicide, meanwhile the NBI pursued not only him but
the four others present at the shooting with planting false evidence, perjury and murder. Presumably,
the handgun found in Ragos' bag could have easily been planted because it had no serial number,
therefore suggesting it was acquired illegally and cannot be traced. However, an investigation showed
that the firearm was in fact registered in the name of Lauro Reyes, though three years later after his
death in 1994. No further investigation and news came after this finding. Furthermore, Ragos introducing
himself as an ex-Army during the confrontation would have contributed to the claims that a gun in his
possession is indeed likely, as he would be expected to be well versed in it.

On Arrest

In the aftermath, it was said that Florendo voluntarily turned himself into the higher authority of the
QCPD along with his firearm which he used to shoot Ragos with. The PNP stated that the complaint was
allegedly returned to the police for “further investigation” which also meant that the warrant of arrest
had little to no basis to go off of. This was clarified by the DOJ secretary, claiming that the case did not,
in fact, return to the police. A hearing was set to happen by mid-June, however no news of how
Florendo was apprehended ever surfaced. It can be assumed that the QCPD had kept him under their
custody after he had willingly turned himself in. The NBI had claimed that the elements of murder were
present and, along with the witness testimonies, had thus filed a charge of murder among other things
against Florendo which was set to be reviewed on the hearing wherein both parties were set to present
their evidence before going forward.

On Prosecution

On April 24, the QCPD filed a homicide complaint solely against Florendo. This was far from the only
charge filed against the police officer as, in addition, the NBI has also added planting of evidence,
perjury and murder around June.
The filing of cases were certainly not equal to each other as the QCPD filed a lighter offense compared
to the NBI. There were different agencies and authorities filing different offenses in separate cases.
The PNP and QCPD had adamantly sided with the self-defense and judgment call exhibited by Florendo
despite what evidence may suggest, thus leading to the homicide charge. Florendo had been caught
on footage shooting Ragos not once, but twice and despite the other later charges the NBI would file,
the QCPD presumably remained unmoved. A homicide is a lower case than murder, something that
someone can also be bailed for, despite the many circumstances that question the nature of his
actions from the start. The fact that they maintained that it was a rightful judgment call is in itself a flaw
in the prosecution against Florendo and the other accomplices that only stood by as Ragos was shot
and killed in broad daylight.

Police Brutality
On Trial
Despite the many charges filed against Florendo
and four other officers present at the sight, no
news of a trial ever broke through the surface.
We can only assume that it was either kept
under tight wraps, or it was not held at all as of
time of writing. We can surmise that these
charges were probably dropped silently
because of the tumultuous situation at the time
and then president Duterte’s absurd order of
shoot to kill during the strictest days of
quarantine early 2020. The PNP and the QCPD
seem to believe that the killing was no more than
a justice call, or a necessity by means of self-
defense despite the situation not meeting the
criteria for that to be the case. This effectively
means that no such justice was ever given to the
killing of ex-military Winston Ragos who was
suffering immensely due to not taking his
medications
given the pandemic keeping everyone shut in
their houses. What we do know about their due
punishment, however loose that term might be,
is that they were charged with grave misconduct
as filed by the victim’s mother, Merlyn Ragos,
and were eventually found guilty in April of 2020.
The sentence handed down by the National
Police Commission to policeman Daniel Florendo
and four trainees patrolman Gaciles, Fontillas,
Fronda and patrolwoman Flaviano was dismissal
of duty which is a small price to pay compared
to the faults they’ve committed and the life
they’ve robbed. This only further illustrates the
struggle of family members who deal with the
aftermath of their loved one’s passing, trying to
do something in order to punish the people
responsible when nothing else could be done in
the face of such injustice.
Police Brutality
 Please name and explain three (3) prevailing malpractices of corruption
and other unethical or immoral behavior in radio, television and the print
media (total of 3 for radio, TV and print)) that persist despite the current
laws and professional self-regulation.

 Radio

Radio station execs nabbed for

extortion in General Santos
Jonathan Macailing and Salvador Galano, the manager and news director of the local Bombo Radyo
station were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation in General Santos City. They were
arrested while leaving a restaurant with a paper bag containing P5 million from Joel Apolinario of the
Kappa Community Ministry International, Inc. Kappa, which stands for Kabus Padatoon and means
"enrich the poor" in Cebuano dialect, is running a money-market system and Department of the Interior
and Local Government memorandum in 2017 were listed as among the entities flagged by the
Securities and Exchange Commission for not being authorized to solicit investments.

In their comments, Macailing and Galano attacked the Kappa ministry, implying that it is a forbidden
pyramid scheme. According to Atty. Regner Pereneza of NBI's district office in Sarangani, the paper
bills that Apolinario gave to the suspects were marked. The Kappa ministry has long been subject of
accusations from locals who are suspicious of how it operates. This is obviously an unethical practice
by a media practitioner. The suspects had extorted a big amount of cash from Apolinario. Apolinario
said that Macailing and Galano had agreed to quit criticizing their money market plan in exchange for P5
million.

According to a report on media corruption in the Philippines by the Ethical Journalism

Network: "The conflict of interest is obvious: a journalist who takes bribes is reporting for his
personal gain. A reporter then can slant the story to favor a subject who has paid or
promised payment and shares the reward with other editors.
This practice is known as AC/DC, "Attack-Collect/Defend-Collect". Some media practitioners
use it and it is very harmful to the integrity of journalism.
Jonathan Macailing and Salvador Galano violated the number 5 passage In Section 7 - Code
of Ethics of Senate Bill No. 515, An Act Providing Magna Carta for Journalism
V. I shall not let personal motives or interests influence me in the performance of my duties;
nor shall I accept or offer any present, gift, or other consideration of a nature which may cast
doubt on my professional integrity.

Violations of the said Code shall be a ground for appropriate sanctions as may be determined by the
PCJ after due process. Such sanctions include but are not limited to suspension or permanent
withdrawal of accreditation, and suspension of benefits and or privileges accorded to accredited
journalists. Aside from suspension or revocation of the erring journalist's accreditation, other penalties
include the dropping from the roster of professional journalists. The PCJ may motu proprio or through
an offended party act on a complaint regarding any violation of the Code. The PCJ shall have original
jurisdiction over cases involving violations of the provisions of the Code.
 Print Media

Issue of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an act of using someone else's work without giving them proper credit or
acknowledgment. Plagiarism can occur in many different forms, such as copying and pasting text,
ideas that have been paraphrased without proper credit, and the unauthorized use of another person's
photos or images. In journalism, plagiarism is a serious offense because it damages both the
journalist’s and the publication’s credibility and reputation. Plagiarism runs counter to the ethics and
principles of journalism, which demand truthfulness and integrity in news reporting.

The case of Alfred “Krip” Yuson is one example
of plagiarism in print media. Yuson is a veteran
writer and an award-winning Filipino novelist who
was caught plagiarizing by a sports blogger,
Jaemark Tordecilla of Fire Quinto. On April 6,
2011, Tordecilla posted a blog entry comparing
Yuson’s article about Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) issued in Rogue Magazine and
Rey Joble’s article on the late
PBA commissioner Rudy Salud posted on GMA
News Online. In his blog entry, Tordecilla wrote
"Almost the whole middle section of Yuson’s
article was lifted directly from it (Joble’s article).
Whole paragraphs were copied, with very minor
changes made." Soon after the blog was
published, Yuson sent an apology email to
Tordecilla and admitted to committing
plagiarism.
“I He wrote "I may have mistakenly thought that since I had rewritten Rey Joble’s draft for GMANews
online, I was at least part-author of it. While that is moot, I should at the very least have credited Rey
for the original draft. Again, my fault. I own up to it." know I'll be raked over the coals — for having joined
the list of perpetrators of plagiarism. I will just have to bear the blows. Thank you most of all for
reminding me of writers' responsibilities, especially in relation to being a good example, as you say, to
younger people." He added.

Also, in his column for Philippine Star on April 18, he wrote “Too much work, lack of sleep, my state of
no-mind at the time, maybe even a hangover, let alone deadline pressure at best and worst I can claim
as mitigating factors. But in essence, I became careless and stupid. Ideally, well, in smart hindsight
now, I should have just shared the byline with the guy who calls me ’pardner’, the hardworking
sportswriter Rey Joble.”

Yuson's flimsy justifications, according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, legitimize
plagiarism by creating the false impression that "using portions of another person's work one has edited
makes the editor part author of what he or she has edited”. CMFR said that “An apology would have
sufficed; making excuses is just too much. Plagiarism is plagiarism, whether committed in an academic
setting, in newspaper pages, over radio and TV, or online.” After the incident, GMA News Online
decided not to renew Yuson’s contract as editor-at-large for the website, which expired in mid-April.
The decision is based on the consistent policy of GMA, that their personnel should not plagiarize or
copy other people’s ideas or work.
 Television

Unethical Television Advertisments

Advertisements are intended to convey a certain message or product to the wider public. However,
some advertisements are simply too brilliant at being terrible. Add to it the fact that the Philippines is
not exactly one of the world's most free countries. Any kind of advertising that misrepresents a
product, service, or brand is considered unethical. It might be inflating the advantages, making
misleading claims, or just abusing people's trust. In the worst-case situation, it would be deliberate, yet
many businesses are oblivious to ethical lapses in their advertising strategies.

The following are disputes surrounding commercials and marketing in the Philippines. It contains
content such as television advertising, which has been the topic of debate.

An advertisement from 2009 depicts a toddler
competing in a spelling bee. When the
competitor host, Edu Manzano, asked for the
right spelling of "remittance," the youngster
responded "L-B-C," after the letters of the courier
business LBC Express. "Correct" was declared
as the answer. Former Education Secretary Jesli
Lapus took note of the commercial and criticized
the technique used for the content. He argued
that the advertisement confuses youngsters and
that the content undermines his department's
attempts to "improve the quality of education."
The Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc.
also asked that the television advertisement be
pulled from the air by the Advertising Board of
the Philippines and the Movie and Television
Review and Classification Board. LBC Express
removed the advertisement but insists that it
fulfills Ad Rules Council rules. Another TV
commercial was impacted in 2021 owing of its
provocative and inappropriate depiction of the
pandemic effect. The Belo Medical Group
commercial depicted a lady gaining weight,
sprouting body hair, and developing acne while
watching a stream of awful news about the
COVID-19 epidemic. the advertising garnered
primarily critical feedback owing to its
"insensitive" representation of the hardships
women face during the epidemic. The
commercial was formally apologized for by Gigil
and the Belo Medical Group. Vicki Belo, her son
Quark Henares, and her husband Hayden Kho
were hesitant to endorse the advertising, fearing
it would send a message of body shaming.
Henares further said that Gigil wanted to
preserve the advertising despite the outcry at
first. As a result, the Association of Accredited
Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4As)
suspended Gigil's membership for a year.

Advertisements like this are unethical and violate

the rights of consumers. Unfortunately, most
customers in the Philippines are unaware of their
rights. The rules of ethics would aid in assessing
if the commercial would be regarded as
unethical. Unethical advertising is a big issue,
particularly in Metro Manila, where consumers
are exposed to over a hundred advertisements
every day via various media.

These unethical television advertisements also

violate Article 110 of the Consumer Act, which
states that it is unlawful for any person to
disseminate or cause the dissemination of any
false, deceptive, or misleading advertisement by
Philippine mail or in commerce by print, radio,
television, outdoor advertisement, or another
medium with the intent of inducing or is likely to
induce directly or indirectly the purchase of
consumer products or services.

It should go without saying, but be certain that

your advertising complies with all applicable
rules and regulations. Before launching any
campaigns, it's advisable to double-check with a
lawyer or legal team to confirm that you're
following all applicable rules and regulations.
Finally, unethical advertising examples abound,
serving as a reminder of the need of being loyal
to your principles. Use the advice provided
above to ensure that your campaigns are always
honest, responsible, polite, and lawful.
 References

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Army wary of police ‘prejudgment’ in Ragos shooting. (2020, Apr 27). Philstar.
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https://www.clickguard.com/blog/unethical-advertising-examples/
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ad/
 References

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