I Am Not "Kuya"

Blogs may be the new tool for dissent, in as much the same way as underground papers collectively known as the 'mosquito press' were during the Martial Law years, but it is not an excuse to be a coward.

An anonymously written blog has caused quite a stir lately not so much for its outstanding writing style (it's not well-written) but for its controversial content. I will deliberately refuse to divulge the URL, afraid that doing so will give it the attention it does not deserve. But I will tell you instead, in general terms, that it attacked two individuals: a boss and an executive producer. Now, technically, the blog did not actually say who they were but the description led some people to believe it was them.

Whoever wrote it has some issues with (his/her) stories not being aired. This fact alone gives a clue as to who wrote it. This is not a desk person's issue but a reporter's. But it is not mine. My issue was favoritism. I don't care if my stories don't air because I know when at least they have a fighting chance to see the light of day. I don't throw my things in the newsroom and pretend I'm a nice person (at this point, don't you think it's rather too late for the pretend?). I argue the editorial merits of my story with my desk handler. In other instances I lobby with the producer or senior desk. If it's a lost cause,I scamper home. Or I go to the gym. Or I drink myself to death until the next coverage day.

But I don't blog, at least not that issue.

But the subject person did and he was too cowardly to at least own up to it. Now the usual suspects are being watched and that includes me. And that's why I'm writing this entry.

I did not want to, initially but I got tired of the suspicions that it was me. I am actually somewhat insulted that such a writing style could be attributed to me. And the color and design of template! I know I have a better sense of style than that.

Let's deal with some other facts. As journalists, we are trained to rely on facts to uncover the truth.

Here are the facts that I know: personally, I knew of the blog when someone from the other channel told me about it. This was after the elections. Because I don't remember reading it when I was in Masbate so definitely I was told about it after my tour of duty. This person who told me about it had also been told about the existence of the blog by someone from an online newspaper. I'm interested in knowing how that online news person knew about it.

Someone I know was told about it by someone from the newsroom much earlier. Weeks, or at the very least, a week, before the elections. Now, this is important. Blogs by their nature, don't just spring out of nowhere to have notoriety. Someone has to know about it. The internet is home to millions of blogs, you just don't google and viola, you'll find a specific blog. My point is someone has to have a knowledge about a certain blog. Then you can start advertising it. She came to know about it, this person who was told, long before the news of the blog broke, and broke big time if I may add. Interesting. From my experience as a crime reporter in my earlier years, it was not very unusual to be suspicious of the person who reports a discovery of the crime. Most of the times, it's done in a vain attempt to divert the focus of the investigation. But usually, the person who reports it, did it, or has some knowledge about the crime.

I would like to know who the person behind the blog is, and expose him for the coward that he/she is.

I don't enjoy being suspected especially if I did not do it. "I own up to my actions/mistakes naman" I told someone. And after being charged for posting an entry without permission and being identified as a "rebel blogger", do you think at this point, I would go underground? And besides, I've been there, done that. All I talk about in my blog nowadays, is my non-existent lovelife, as if anyone really cares about that sh*t I'm talking about. Mostly, it's for my personal catharsis.

I'm actually starting to feel like Gringo who was suspected to be behind every destabilization plot in this country. Now I know that's pretty annoying.

I may be gay, but I'm man enough to own up to my actions.