Just read from Marc Macuha’s blog that columnist Malu Fernandez of Manila Standard Today and People Asia has resigned and apologized for what she wrote on some of her recent articles.
This would have been a huge triumph for the blogosphere that have been very vocal against her — but death threats?
Demanding a public apology and outright dismissal from the said publication is a valid argument. Name calling and cursing is treading on thin line but is always expected in times of outpouring emotions. Making death threats is totally crossing the line.
GMANewsTV reports, quoting her:
Fernandez claimed that because of the article she became a subject of hate blogs, a target of death threats and personal insults.
“Our society is bound together by human chains of kindness and decency. I have failed to observe this and I am now reaping the consequences of my actions.” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said she now truly understands the “insidiousness of discrimination and prejudice disguised as humor.”
Yes, she might deserve the ridicule thrown at her but subjecting her to death threats is a huge cause for concern (isn’t that a criminal offense under Philippine Law?). Death threats are no joke. The internet (and blogging) is a great tool for freedom of expression. That liberty, coupled with the inherent benefit of anonymity online, shouldn’t be used to cause anyone bodily harm.
Bloggers should also be vigilant to prevent this. I know it’s an impossible task but measures should be made to minimize it. Moderating comments deemed to be libelous and threatening should be exercised especially in situations like these. The same is true with anonymous blogs that calls out for someone to be physically harmed — do no link to them or allow them to post links on your blog.
This reminds me of Tim O’Reilly’s call for a Bloggers Code of Conduct after fellow blogger and friend Kathy Sierra was subjected to hate comments and death threats.
This is standard in terms of search engine optimization. Nothing looks to annoy towards it than this!This is just what was talked about ten years prior at the last big blackhat con about google some number of years ago in 1994.
Mass Effect and a simple game like pong or snake, but they are all games. ,
Malu Fernandez should be killed. Otherwise, she should stop being Filipino.
haha did anyone of you actually read her apology? You wouldn’t feel sorry for her and may probably join the people who are sending her death threats!!! hahaha
it’s a a sad reality, i have encountered a lot of malu fernandez in my life. i am now in the u.s. also have been an ofw for over ten years. when you look at people like malu fernandez, you can immediately discern ang pinanggalingan niya or at least ang background at mentality niya at ang kinalakihan niya. nakakaawa ang ganitong mentality actually, you can imagine how the real genuine rich people listed in forbes list feel about her. or also, how the god-fearing, genuinely humane people must think about such a heartless creature ano? mababaw ang isip at kaligayahan. hindi sanay. walang diyos kung hindi karangyaan.
and to actually consider her physical appearance and the way she poses in the pictures, parang isang deprived na creature na ngayon lang nakatamasa ng sarap. come on guys, tayong mga educated and coming from buena familia, we pity this kind and instead pray for them. people like malu fernandez need our prayers, pasalamat tayo hindi natin sila kautak and let’s pray na sana maayos ang pagiisip nila.
other people do not laugh or make fun of ofw’s for wearing axe or cheap colognes, who sacrifice to earn a living, they make fun of creatures like malu fernandez who are nothing but skin deep,socially starved and desperately physically lacking, nothing else. malu fernandez personifies the typical mentality, attitude and grasp of thinking, that made the philippines and filipinos poor, poorer and poorest. not to mention tasteless. look at the face…. it says it all.
Malu Fernandez is Back.. nagpalamig lang ata..
check this out
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife2_oct8_2007
I just read a couple of entries and of cours her article of flying back and forth to Greece and Boracay, etc., etc., bla bla bla. – Jet Set Life-
Well, as a pinoy living in Germany I truly have to admit that this article is a piece of crap. Malu Fernandez should be thankful for living a “good life” in comparison to millions of other pinoys.
It was a pity reading that poor Malu seems to think she is something better than the average pinoy just because she is wearing Louis Vuitton, Prada and having a make up case stuffed with different sorts of colors and hair accessories. You know what, Malu? I can easily fly back and forth on my own, with my stylish and rich friends. I can visit every single european country in just a click. I can join the best parties with all of the german/ european stars since I’m working in the media branche where these parties are planned nearly daily. So what? Do all these things make me a better person? As an educated journalist it is a shame that even the thought of writing articles like that came into your mind. What were you thinking? You have to built up your ego anew, my dear. Such a tremendous philippino disgracefulness.
No wonder that you receive death threats, Miss Malu. But I guess these won’t be that bad for you since you have the ability to fly to Greece or somewhere else were you can escape them. Go home!
I’m not defending her. I am not also condoning violence. I did not assume she got death threats. I was quoting from the news (GMA News, Inquirer, etc.).
So sad to hear you are defending her. Do you really think the OFWs will bother to kill her as you presumptously stated in your blog? I will not even dare sit beside her, much more let her skin brush against mine. There is no excuse for what she did, and you siding with her is totally ridiculous. I hope one day we won’t be coming across each other, because I know I could never tolerate your attitude.
I hope we can learn to forgive Malu Fernandez. I wrote an entry about her article and I hope you can find time to read it. It’s entitled “One Voice (An OFW’s reaction to Malu Fernandez’s “From Greece to Boracayâ€)” and I posted it here: http://lestercavestany.com/?p=10
i cant say im having doubts about what to say regarding this OFW article from Malu Feranandez, see guys, i know that part of what she’s saying is the reality but the fact that she does NOT need to make a big impression about that, coz its a natural response from us PEOPLE that in any case we’ve heard of such – we do normally react in a way to defend our side and to those who were given sh*t on their shoulders.She have made an exaggerated article about her possessions in life, her work, the so called luxuries that she gets but how rude it was for her to degrade our OFWs – has she or have we already forgotten the stories of OFWs who have suffered alot from their foreign employers? Does she even know how hard it is to earn money? maybe not coz she belong to a rich family.. (rich from the luxuries but lacks manners!)
I have seen alot of our kababayans who are domestic helpers, you can even feel their fears, their lonliness, their sufferings of being away from their own family, chosing somebody else’s children to take care of rather than their own… She or not even one of us can judge the OFW just bcoz they exhibit thru their accessories, at least they dont do it like what Malu Fernandez have done! i guess i can only say that they are just proud to see that hard work really pays off!#
so leave the OFWs alone ms. Porky!
To my Fellow OFW – we salute you for your bravery, for working hard for your family as well as for your country!
to Malu Fernandez – hope you have learned your lesson, that money is NOT about Everything, its better to be wealthy in manners than the things that fade, never under estimate someone who have gone thru a lot, you may think this people are small but to tell you the truth they are bigtime
It’s about time na Dapat we should buy less imported signature and expensive brands na, like Joe Mallone, Giorgio Armani, Tods, etc.? Bawat bili mo niyan, eh di you’re giving more wealth to the wealthy na! Kawawa naman ang Pamilya mo, yung pambili mo ng ulam napunta na sa mahal na pabango o damit. Tapos baka credit card lagi and gamit mo pambayad.
Lagot ka yung accumulated interests na charge ng Card mo nag quadruple na! Paano na lang tayo makakaahon kung panay pambayad na lang ang suweldo na kita natin, sa mga giant global banks – Citibank, HSBC, Standard.
Kaya ayun panay utang na lang ang bawat Pinoy, panay bili kasi ng mga imported signature brands.
Buti pa Pinoy goods na lang bilhn niyo. Para sumikat sa abroad! Lalo na kayong mga OFWs ipagmalaki niyo ang Pinoy perfumes and clothes.
To Angel: Hindi lahat ng mayaman ay matapobre. Ang pagiging matapobre ay nasa ginagawa ng tao so pwedeng matapobre ang middle class person sa kapwa nila middle class din. Middle class na rin siguro ako ngayon pero nakapag-aral ako dahil sa scholarship lang. Then I started meeting all sorts of rich people (and other people) and I have not met a rich person who is matapobre (at least not in front of me). I actually experienced being discriminated by those who were not really rich but so happen to be well off than others who they though that were lower than them because of the way the person looks. Kasi, I like to feel confortable in the way I dress so I don’t care much about designer clothes. But of course hindi nila isinulat ito for everyone to read and they learn their mistake once they learn more about the person who do not care much about what they wear.
well, malu will be/is back (already in the MT), which will probably make the malu lovers rejoice and the OFWs sick.
seems that the ‘death threats’ did not stop her comeback. so to those people who believed the ‘death threats’ angle, I PITY you, SUCKERS.
in the US, when a comedian makes a racial slur, the person is castigated and punished. here, she is ‘kawawa naman’, etc. and defended by her ‘class mates’.
mind you, I was an OFW once and I understand the feelings of someone going home after 2 years away from your family. the last thing these people need is for someone to insult them. heck 9/11 will NEVER happen on a Saudia flight to the Philippines, the hijackers will be thrown out the plane. don’t cross these people – they are united, they have purchasing power and very sensitive
She is still writing and i hope sensibly now:
http://www.inquirer.net/verbatim/retained.JPG
There are lessons to be learned from every mistake we do. As a consequence, we grow from the experience.
It’s also wise to dwell and live with what the soul longs and not just what our body dictates. Sometimes we’re too indulge with earthly pleasures -its Scent, sensation, and lure that we forget that we’re not just a material body…headed to become as ash soon. It truly is Wasteful if we pamper our body more than our soul.
It’s a lot wiser to spend your money in helping your family or friends than junking it in expensive perfumes or clothes. Liberate yourself from the commercialism of this world.
well to make it more “Hilarious” why not make a CANON story for her. Since sikat si MARIMAR gawan natin siya ng “MALU-MBA” tapos yung alaga niya imbis na Aso (Fulgoso) isang biik si PIGOSO hahaha =) ayuz ba
dapat na itapon itapon iyang baboy na iyan.ang sama ng ugali,ang sama ng mukha,ang sama ng katawan.itapon na iyan sa kanal.kung di ninyo itatapon iyang si malu baboy fernandez.di namin susuportahan iyang newspaper ninyo.
She’s like Willie R. now, making all of the paawa stuffs and the like. She should have just put her feet on the shoes of the OFWs first before she indulged herself into writing such horrid things. Maybe she had a terrible experience with an OFW or “worse” (for her) she was a former OFW like working in the Middle East, and if she wasn’t that “CHEAP” how da hell did she knew that the perfume of the OFWs was AXE and I don’t believe that wearing AXE as a perfume makes some one cheap noh haller?? Yes we can and we should forgive her she’s just a victim of a circumstance in which she had no chance of escaping just imagine she never grew up with all those BLESSINGS and after all if not for her we would not REALIZE the “Hardships” of our comrades working abroad, with all of these comments I must say, damn… You really love this country =)
a b1tch deserves to be treated as a b1tch…. walang ibang masisisi sa nangyari sa kanya kundi sarili nya…
sabi nga tambay sa amin…. “wag masyadong mataas ang ihi at baka maihian mo ang sarili mo…”