An open letter rebuking Carlos Celdran, Jim Paredes, Cynthia Patag et al for losing their ability for critical thought has been doing the rounds online.
Credits to http://www.tempo.com.ph
In a Facebook post shared more than 200 times as of Tuesday afternoon, netizen Lorraine Marie T. Badoy published a lengthy open letter expressing her affirmation of continued support for President Duterte & at the same time consternation towards Carlos Celdran and fellow “Daang Matuwid” apologists.
The open letter stems from the comment made by Carlos Celdran referencing Ms. Badoy as one of the supporters of President-elect Duterte who is already “backtracking” to borrow Celdran’s word in describing the Duterte supporters that are getting disillusioned this early.
Mr. Celdran further adds that by October or earlier, President-elect Duterte will start disappointing his “thinking fan base.”
You may read the full text of the open letter below:
To Carlos Celdran,
This was emailed to me this morning by one of my friends. And I do find the need to respond.
When you say I backtracked, were you talking about when I criticized the man I voted for, Rodrigo Duterte, for his decision to bury Ferdinand Marcos in the LNMB? (I need to clarify because I do know you are a fan of the Marcoses so I’m not sure if this is what you mean.)
If you do, then this is all so simple to explain. I’m surprised someone like you who’s fought tooth and nail for the democratic right to express one’s self has to be clarified about this.
It isn’t backtracking when you criticize someone you vote for, Carlos.
What that’s called is ‘my end of the democratic bargain’ or ‘vigilance’ or ‘my duty’, or ‘critical thinking’.
I do not regret voting for Rodrigo Duterte. I would do so again and in a heartbeat if elections were to be held today. It isn’t as if he lied to us about this. He was clear about it and the way he regards the despot Ferdinand Marcos was the bitter pill I had to swallow when I went ahead and voted for him.
That is my right and my prerogative and although I explain it to you now, I really owe no one any explanations for the way I voted.
All told, I still think Digong Duterte is the best man to do the job and I am hopeful that he will do great things for our country–more so for those who have been forgotten for decades and have languished in severe poverty because of a horridly neglectful and indifferent government.
So no, I am not a fan of Rodrigo Duterte.
What I am is ‘someone who voted for Duterte’.
And too, ‘someone who will not hesitate to criticize him if need be’.
The penchant of Filipinos for treating their politicians like demi gods and celebrities who can do no wrong and to be blind to their million and one faults have been our undoing and it has become untenable.
We are at a critical juncture in our country’s history.
Millions–MILLIONS!–of our kababayan live worse off than dogs. Real lives hang in the line.
Only we can end this cancer of blind fealty to politicians we tend to have and that’s been around for centuries now. And we do it by criticizing them to keep them in check. All that blind adoration makes them act weird–like they’re above us and that they owe us nothing and are untouchable.
So yeah, I would vote for Duterte a million times over given the same set of circumstances that made me vote for him last time, but I will criticize him when I think it is warranted.
There is no dichotomy there. No contradiction. No backtracking.
Try it on for size, Carlos–lose your dogma lest you be like Mocha Uson, Jim Paredes, Cynthia Patag et. al. who have lost their ability for critical thought where their political idols are concerned.
Also, a word about intolerance, Carlos– Be mindful. You are turning into the very Damaso you hated. Someone who sees his views as the only legitimate view there is and would not hesitate ramming it down other people’s throats.
Or demanding that they shut up about their beliefs in his presence.
In the end, how different really is political intolerance from religious intolerance?
This man, Rodrigo Duterte, has been given an overwhelming mandate by the Filipino people. He is 71 yrs old now and I know–as you must if you are being fair—that he will give his all for us. And that it will cost him–his health, maybe even his life.
In the last chapter of his life, he is going to give us his all.
I hope that you give him a fair shake. Give him whatever support you can muster so he gets us all on high ground.
The most short-sighted and rotten Filipino right now is someone who cannot wait for this man to fail for the pleasure of saying “I knew it was going to look like this”. I hope this isn’t true for you.
I have been to some of the farthest reaches of our country where the poverty I saw shook me to my deepest core. Our kababayan need us.
They need us to stop being petty and small-minded. They need for us be our best selves now–so they have some chance at getting out of the nightmare of severe poverty they are in.
I hope we close ranks and give the president-elect the support he needs while we do the little we can for others– and yet to never lose our ability to disagree with him and to constantly be on watch that he toes the line.
This is our end of the democratic bargain.
I hope this is clear enough.
Thank you.
May I wear my Duterte baller now?
Carlos Celdran is a known anti-Duterte figure in the social media and even fought tooth and nail against Duterte’s candidacy during the campaign period.
As a result, he collected many enemies from the ranks of the Duterte supporters but earned the admiration of the “Daang Matuwid” supporters for taking potshots at Mayor Duterte during the entire length of the campaign period.
It was expected since he was the “anointed” social media campaigner of the Liberal Party picked by no less than Mar Roxas himself.
Any thoughts?
SOURCE: Lorraine Marie T. Badoy
hahahah… how much did you earn Carlos… run for President freeking Carlos who knows everything rather than pulling one fellow filipino down. Carlos the Crab
Honestly, this is not the fight of a single person alone, this is the fight of the victims, aggrieved and the entire nation. Instead of uniting as one nation to heal what has been broken down, why create something like this to trigger separations and conflict?
For the sake of the entire Filipinos, and for the sake of those who died to give us the freedom we have now, please let us unite and help those who have been elected. If we need to express our grievances, let us not be afraid to approach the president or those who can address our concerns.
If we all want the same thing for our country, why can’t we unite? Why do we need to contradict? Why not negotiate or mediate instead?
like your msg thank you
Very well said ma’am. Carlos is just a puppet. He is doing nasty things to our president because he wants something in return that he will benefit himself alone. Makabayan kuno. Tsk! Tsk!
Mr. Ted Locsin said … It supposed to be 21M votes for Mayor Duterte.
Apart from that there are more Filipino didn’t voted but chose Mayor Duterte to lead our Country.
Compared 1, 2, 3 or more than a hundreds anti?
What is the point for your opinions guys?
Do you think you are better than majority?
We are inviting you to unite with us to support all the winner candidates for our Country and fight poverty, corruptions, drugs and make our Culture the best as we can or even give a good standard to the eyes of those who looking us down.
It’s about to end our sacrifices but live normal and have a beautiful invironment.
It’s possible as our new Leader wanted to give us safe home.
Only will be worse because you against with him and prefared to stay with the old system that no more boundaries of being too much.
Sana tinagalog mo na lang para mas madaling intindihin.
ALL WE NEED IS TO SUPPORT WHAT ARE OUR PRESIDENT WANT..AND BESIDES IT IS FOR ALL OFF US NOT US ITS FOR ALL OUR CHILDREN…..WE ALL KNOW THE KIND OF POLITICS WE HAVE IN ENTIRE PHILIPPINES..NOW ITS REALY BIG DIFFERENTS AND I THANK GOD KC MAMATAY MAN AQ SA MUNDO IBABAW NARANASAN Q MAGKARON NG NAMUMUNO NA TUNAY AT MY PANININDIGAN,,…..
we cannot please everybody yon lang ang masasabi ko. Si Carlos kahit anong dakdak pa ang gawin nyan hanggang dyan nalang yan. Pabayaan nalang natin sya at least alam parin nating gumagana ang demokrasya sa bansa kasi nakakadakdak pa sya ngayon kasi kung hindi gumagana ang demokrsya sana wala ng CARLOS CELDRAN na parang batang nagiiyak ngayon.
Si carlos ay isa lamang bulok na kamatis.. Sa mga naniniwala sa pamamalakad ni pres. D30, ang mabisang paraan dyan eh, wag ng pansinin ang mga pinagsasabi ng kumag na yan,kahit ano pang gawing mabuti ni D30 para sa nakakaraming filipino at sa bayan tyak na batikos ang gagawin nya, kasi yun ang pinagkakatitaan..ipagdasal na lang natin na sana malinawagan ang kanyang kaisipan..
China is hiring new tour guides like you Carlos Panot! Dapat dito binabaon!
First of all, FEMarcos was not a despot. If he were, there wouldn’t be any Binays left, nor Joker Arroyos, nor Guingonas, nor Pimentels, nor Dioknos, nor even Aquinos, all of whom lived or are still living happy and long lives, thanks to the taxpayers’ money which lined their pockets for so many years. Secondly, explaining something to a bigoted devil (Celdran) is an exercise in futility. All things considered, your letter came out pretty good, especially your mentioning the BS Jim Paredes who thinks he is God’s gift to the intellectuals.
Yan ang utak talangka…bakit is he really a natural filipino?