Nowadays, netizens are too quick to "cancel" other people online. Admit it or not, we tend to forget how to be mindful of our words and actions toward others online. For ex-Pinoy Big Brother housemate Niña Jose-Quiambao, there is a thin line already between "freedom of speech" and "disrespect."
Niña, who is now serving as the mayor of the municipality of Bayambang in Pangasinan, urged the public to educate the youth with Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC).
This comes after Niña was entangled in a word war against some youngsters who had called her names online.
The harsh comments in question began due to a debate regarding class suspension in their municipality. "engot naman ni mayor dba niya alam malakas ang ulan," one netizen wrote.
Another one also lamented, "Nung maulan may pasok tapos hanggang ngayun meron padn nag grade2 kaba mayor." This was when Niña responded with, "Actually nag masters po ako. you lack respect boy!"
Niña wrote a lengthy post on September 3, 2023, detailing her disappointment and disgust at how she was poorly treated online. "Masyado kayo feeling entitled! Learn how to RESPECT people, boy! Sorry if mayabang ako at pinost ko pa to. But this is something I’m sure most public officials get on a daily basis. People don’t respect you anymore. And I REFUSE to be treated this way."
The Bayambang mayor emphasized that the behavior of the minors is unacceptable. "No one has any right to degrade ME or any other person especially us public officials who are doing their jobs HONESTLY, SINCERELY and TRUTHFULLY. We are tortured enough!" she wrote in her post.
On September 4, Niña posted an update regarding the incident saying that a formal conversation with one of the involved young netizens and their guardians had already taken place. Apologies were said and lessons have been learned according to Niña's post.
"I am mad not because I’m a mayor and they talked to me this way, I am mad because most of the kids nowadays do not know the meaning of respect.[...] I want children of Bayambang to have a bright future ahead of them guided not just by education but by their morals and values," the Bayambang mayor clarified.
As a public official, Niña pointed out that they are also individuals who are just doing their jobs. She also emphasized that having the privilege of freedom of speech does not give anyone a free pass to disrespect people.
"Hindi porque public officials kami pwede na kami bastusin, or kahit sino pa, any human being, kahit ano ka pa no one has the right to disrespect you. Again: FREEDOM OF SPEECH doesn’t give you the right to disrespect people," she strongly declared.
A memorandum, issued on September 5, 2023, by the local government of Bayambang, addressed Bayambang schools to include GMRC and basic etiquette in social media in their curriculum. Moreover, parents and teachers should harmoniously cooperate with each other in promoting safe spaces online and offline.
"Encourage teachers to regularly communicate with parents about the importance of GMRC and responsible social media usage," the memorandum stated.
