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Someone on presidentiable Mar Roxas’ social media team should be more careful about what is posted on the official Facebook page of the outgoing Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary.
A Facebook status message posted on Wed, Sep 9, 2015 supposedly contains Roxas’ statement on the Zamboanga Siege, which erupted on Sep 9, 2013 when a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) breakaway group attempted to raise the flag of the self-proclaimed Bangsamoro Republik at Zamboanga City Hall. The statement was supposed to be a reflection on the event.
The original post stated: “Hi, fellow veterans of the Zamboanga siege. Happy anniversary! Just wanted to take a moment and reflect and thank you for your leadership and commitment to the welfare of our people and country. Maraming salamat. Being with you all those 21 days has touched me indelibly. Know that our country stands strong and our flag flies high because of you and the men and women like you. We battle on! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.”
Perhaps, whoever posted it quickly realized the mistake of putting in a “Happy anniversary!” greeting for the horrifying siege and edited it. Note that the time stamp on the “Happy anniversary!” post is 8:28am and the edited version’s time stamp is 8:42am.
The edited version of the post was this: “Hi, fellow veterans of the Zamboanga siege. Just wanted to take a moment and reflect and thank you for your leadership and commitment to the welfare of our people and country. Maraming salamat. Being with you all those 21 days has touched me indelibly. Know that our country stands strong and our flag flies high because of you and the men and women like you. We battle on! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.”
Facebook-savvy readers can easily access the “Edit History” of the post by clicking on the “Edited” notice.
Our advice: Next time, just delete the post and start fresh. (We feel you. It could happen to anyone. Unfortunately, your boss is high-profile.)
