Repeated online tension

I was one of many who started to unfollow and unfriend several connections on my social media platforms. After the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, several narratives have surfaced, including those that sought to defend him. Although this is part of their freedom of expression and speech, some sentiments may have gotten out of hand. This included snide comments directed at silent supporters of former vice president Leni Robredo, family members who lost their loved one to extrajudicial killing, and employees of ABS-CBN.

The once-happy space, filled with memes, life updates, and other important information, is now a debate arena with several individuals seemingly posing as legal luminaries, minus the actual Law degree. Suddenly, supporters have become experts, and antagonists in the picture are also more knowledgeable on the issue. The discussion never really settles. Even mainstream media's objective and accurate reporting on the arrest and detention is attacked. The comment section is a trove of backlash with familiar words such as "bias" and "OA (overacting)," among others. I personally felt that it was too taxing on my sanity.

We have come to a repeated scenario. These are the same conversations we saw during the height of the 2022 presidential campaign. People were pitted against each other, defending their candidate over new propaganda that would emerge from random pages. The delivery of the messaging was similar, quite synchronous, like dancers who knew every step to the beat. Scholars and investigative journalists tried their hand at uncovering the architecture behind these online responses, but only a few became believers.

It is true that the arrest will bring about political turmoil and once again divide a nation that had somehow healed after the presidential polls. This becomes a turning point for the midterm election and a reason for many to lose their relationships again. Many have failed to see that the International Criminal Court is giving him a chance to explain, defend, and answer the allegations lodged. A suspect is never considered a criminal unless proven guilty.

The evidence is present --statistics, testimonies, paperwork, photos, videos, and real individuals who are willing to share what they know. These are what the ICC held on to as basis for the pre-trial. If there is a grand plan behind all this, we are in no position to assume unless there is concrete evidence before us. All of these will become speculations and presumptions, none of which will help the current state we are in.

I would really like to reclaim the space that I once enjoyed, but that already seems impossible as of now. An option would be to watch all sides from a distance and carefully analyze all their arguments. The best approach is to foster conversations on a personal level, where discussions go beyond copied narratives and emotional contentions. I give my trust and confidence to the women judges, as they have been trained to be impartial and objective on the matter. May this tension be worthwhile --one that will improve our living conditions and economy.