Palace denies barring negative views on P-Noy website

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang denied yesterday that it has totally barred negative views from the official website of President Aquino following the Aug. 23 Luneta hostage tragedy, because doing so will not do the government any good in the long run.

“It will be a self-defeating proposition. If we censor, then people will no longer be encouraged to share their sentiments. It will defeat the very purpose for which the website was established,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said. 

“We welcome these criticisms because the website is a channel for outward communication, especially from our people to their government, and we certainly want to know the real sentiments of our people,” he said.

The Cabinet secretary clarified that what they did was only to sift and sort out comments that are irreverent or disrespectful in nature. “We are filtering only the profanity and the use of expletives because that is part of Internet protocol.”

“Cyberspace is a democratic space and in a democratic society like ours, there would be criticisms. There will not be unanimous agreement on all issues. Our President is a bearer of a legacy of freedom and democracy,” Coloma explained.

“His parents are well-known advocates of democracy and he’s also a foremost advocate of free expression. So he accepts criticisms,” he added, pointing out that the website was in fact the brainchild of Mr. Aquino himself, who wants a feedback mechanism for his administration.