MANY years ago, the Facebook page of an information office had been a reliable source of factual information and important announcements. But as the page turns from the refreshing green into a bloody-red, recent postings of the once popular site became a venue of fed up comments from displeased netizens. Can't blame 'em.
The first foul-up started from its first victim who was a patient infected by a deadly virus. Instead of taking care of the sick, she got attacked online by the official social media page more than once, not to mention the tactical press releases. The poor person was only sharing her traumatic experience so that the public would be more aware about this particular disease. But instead of taking care of her and thinking about the welfare of her family, they decided to spend time playing on the defensive side, cropping some of the patient's original post, using the barangay's photos of disinfection and take the credit, and exposing the name of the patient, the street and the family's house. This contradicts the very ordinance that was recently created to stop harassment.
The move backfired instantly. It was a monumental mistake.
Unfortunately, the lesson wasn't learned. Socrates Sabile was right. He wrote on his account that "when people in authority shame and bully those whose only fault was to vent their exasperation on what they believe is due by the former, and by the same breath censor and curtail the concurrence of others, injustice and inequity arises." Prayers of healing for the family who got sick.
The second boo-boo of the month was when the same page posted photos of their kabalens getting some violation ticket for not wearing face masks while inside their property. The purpose was not questioned but the execution was shady. Again, it received scores of negative comments, and others did make an appeal that instead of tickets, why not just provide face masks or face shields to those who have none? Makes sense.
This is why the Honorable Amos Rivera is so much loved by the public because he is consistent on pressing the right buttons during this pandemic. Unlike others who just "inherited" power and authority, Rivera is not a monotonous leader. He knows the real issues and he walks the talk because he has empathy, a very important quality of leadership that is hard to teach. May he continue to serve more people. He is ripe to handle bigger roles with greater responsibilities.
A netizen who is an aspiring lawyer, has called for the resignation of the admins of the page or at least make an apology. For this person, instead of uniting, she thought that the admin were rather dividing the people. On the last paragraph of her post, it was written that "this kind of social media account managing reflects on your leaderships."
There is an old Kapampangan joke about what ingesting a lot of sweet potatoes does to the body and behind. You may not see the outcome but one can definitely smell it and sometimes even hear it. Simply embarrassing. There is a big difference between public service and just plain PR. The netizens hope it would get better in the coming days. The world needs healing, not manipulating -- definitely not bullying.
Let's pray for everyone's safety in these trying times.