Digging her own political grave

By Alex P. Vidal

“Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue.”—Andy Stanley

LET’s not interrupt while she makes a big mistake; in fact, plenty of moral, spiritual, and political mistakes.

She has dug her own political grave for being: 1. Rapacious; 2. Arrogant; 3. Onion-skinned; 4. Abusive; 5. Feeling-special; 6. Feeling-bossy; 7. Hot-tempered; 8. Insensitive; 9. Pugnacious; 10. Dominant; 11. Tart-tongued; 12. Entitled; 13. Corrupt; 14. Power-hungry; 15. Greedy; 16. No delicadeza; and 17. Spoiled brat.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, let her fall under her own weight. It’s destiny; and she has shown she is morally unfit as leader when she refused to be scrutinized and criticized.

It is evident she’s not prepared for a job in public office because of her lack of respect for the taxpayers and their hard-earned money.

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

“But the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.’” (Luke 11:39)

-o0o-

As we have emphasized here repeatedly, no dictatorship or despotic ruler has won—and will win—against the press in history and in the future.

Simply put, dictators come and go while the press (it is better abused than curtailed) remains and perseveres in a democratic state.

We insisted then that Nobel prize winner Maria Ressa’s string of “defeats” during the Duterte administration was only temporary.

Now that the past administration is history, comes the vindication of the Filipino-American journalist and the brave Rappler.

While fewer women journalists are among the victims of fatal attacks, women are particularly targeted by offline and online gender-based threats and harassment.

These attacks have increased significantly in recent years. Women journalists have identified political leaders, extremist networks and partisan media as some of the biggest instigators and amplifiers of online violence against women, according to the UNESCO discussion paper The Chilling: Global trends in online violence against women journalists, 2021, based on a major interdisciplinary study produced by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

-o0o-

Axios’ Sara Fischer has emphasized why it matters that Ressa was acquitted on tax evasion charges.

The most harassed lady journalist and Rappler have been fighting charges brought against them by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime for the past five years.

Ressa, a former CNN bureau chief, and Rappler were acquitted on four counts of tax violations earlier this year.

“This is a victory not just for Rappler but for everyone who has kept the faith that a free and responsible press empowers communities and strengthens democracy,” Rappler said in a statement, according to its website.

The online Philippines news site became a target of the Duterte regime for investigative reporting that challenged the government’s claims.

Yes, but: Ressa is still appealing a separate six-year prison sentence she received for a cyber libel conviction in 2020. She was released on bail after she was arrested for those charges in 2019.

She and Rappler are also appealing an unprecedented 2022 government-ordered closure of Rappler.

Press freedom groups, while lauding her recent acquittal, continue to pressure the Filipino government to drop its remaining charges.

“As an immediate next step, we call on the government to abandon all remaining cases against Rappler and Ressa, and in doing so, put a long-overdue end to their persecution,” Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Hold the Line Coalition (HTL) said in a joint statement.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)