Freedom of speech is great, but a bunch of cops in Butuan City may have taken it a little too far when they drew horns on the photo of a prominent activist.
Renato Reyes, the secretary-general of the left-leaning group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, yesterday decried a meme that appeared on CARAGA police’s Facebook page which depicted him as a devil.
Oof!
“This is obviously black propaganda. It is unethical for public officials to engage in such practices. This is the kind of climate where the anti-terror bill will be implemented. It is a climate of impunity and abuse of authority. We will not take this sitting down,” Reyes warned in a statement.
Read: Irony of ironies: Cops arrest 7 Cebu students while protesting anti-terror bill
“This is how the police operate. It slanders people. It engages in unethical practices using pubic funds. See how they abuse their platform? These are the implementors of the terror law. We are right to be concerned,” he added.
Here’s the meme that infuriated Reyes, which appeared on the Facebook page of CARAGA’s Police Regional 13 page two months ago. It’s apparent that the cops are not big fans of Reyes, who has long been known for his anti-government views.
“The Police and Military Actions in the fight against COVID-19 is to SERVE AND HELP SAVE THE NATION! Mr. Retonto (sic) REYES, apart from the NAGGING AND DEMOLITIONS [should] propose a SOLUTION! rather than creating more CONFUSION!” the meme said.
“Retonto” is quite possibly a play on the Spanish word tonto, which means “idiot.” Reyes is far from being an idiot and is, in fact, known for his deep understanding of the problems besetting the Philippines. He is also one of many activists who have called for the junking of the controversial anti-terror bill, which supposedly threatens to violate Filipinos’ human rights.
Should CARAGA police remove that meme? Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
ROBERT WISDA says
Philippines cyberlibel charges are applicable in this case.