tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post113007446647089950..comments2023-10-20T21:46:49.945+08:00Comments on Philippine Commentary: American Blogger in Mindanao on Civil LibertiesDeany Bocobohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443168826029321831noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-1130132158740908982005-10-24T13:35:00.000+08:002005-10-24T13:35:00.000+08:00Bob may be too shy to come pay a visit, but he did...<A HREF="http://mindanao.com/blog/?p=288" REL="nofollow">Bob</A> may be too shy to come pay a visit, but he did have this in his comments to Enn, and others:<I>Hi Rizalist and enn, thank you for your comments.<BR/><BR/>I really try not to comment directly about Philippine political personalities or policies. I do feel that out of respect for the country where I live it is the wisest thing for me to do, and have always felt that way. Of course, if I am talking with my wife or close friends, I express my views about the President or others in conversation. But, I do feel that the politics of the country is not really my business.<BR/><BR/>However, I feel that the policy which was announced over the weekend regarding freedom of speech impacts me personally, because of this blog and other blogs that I maintain. While I try not to comment on specific political opinions and such, I do try to discuss events and happenings that I see going on where I live. So, if I say that this or that policy of the government seems to not be well thought out, or is not effective, it is not my goal to say this out of criticism. It is my goal to just comment on events that I see happening around me. I guess it is not easy to express this, and it is indeed a fine line. When it comes down to deciding what to write about, I generally just try to write about what interests me, and speak the truth about the topic, at least what I see as the truth. I feel that the government should not feel threatened by such commentary. Also, while the CHR did not come out with any rules or opinions about blogs, I feel that the statement that they issued walked right up to the line, and could clearly be read to say that foreigners are simply not allowed to comment about matters in the Philippine government.<BR/><BR/>Like I said, it is indeed a fine line. I will continue to just write what I think is correct. If the government has a problem with that, I guess that will lead to problems for me. I hope that doesn’t happen, because as Rizalist suggested, when it comes to civil liberties I am a strong believer that people shoudl be free to speak what they feel. While I have my opinions, I would fight strongly even for those who’s opinions are against my own. </I>Deany Bocobohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01443168826029321831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-1130118361124332702005-10-24T09:46:00.000+08:002005-10-24T09:46:00.000+08:00Bob has a reply to Enn and Rizalist in the comment...<A HREF="http://www.mindanao.com/" REL="nofollow">Bob</A> has a reply to Enn and Rizalist in the comments section of Mindanao Blog which I better post here too: <BR/><I>I really try not to comment directly about Philippine political personalities or policies. I do feel that out of respect for the country where I live it is the wisest thing for me to do, and have always felt that way. Of course, if I am talking with my wife or close friends, I express my views about the President or others in conversation. But, I do feel that the politics of the country is not really my business.<BR/><BR/>However, I feel that the policy which was announced over the weekend regarding freedom of speech impacts me personally, because of this blog and other blogs that I maintain. While I try not to comment on specific political opinions and such, I do try to discuss events and happenings that I see going on where I live. So, if I say that this or that policy of the government seems to not be well thought out, or is not effective, it is not my goal to say this out of criticism. It is my goal to just comment on events that I see happening around me. I guess it is not easy to express this, and it is indeed a fine line. When it comes down to deciding what to write about, I generally just try to write about what interests me, and speak the truth about the topic, at least what I see as the truth. I feel that the government should not feel threatened by such commentary. Also, while the CHR did not come out with any rules or opinions about blogs, I feel that the statement that they issued walked right up to the line, and could clearly be read to say that foreigners are simply not allowed to comment about matters in the Philippine government.<BR/><BR/>Like I said, it is indeed a fine line. I will continue to just write what I think is correct. If the government has a problem with that, I guess that will lead to problems for me. I hope that doesn’t happen, because as Rizalist suggested, when it comes to civil liberties I am a strong believer that people shoudl be free to speak what they feel. While I have my opinions, I would fight strongly even for those who’s opinions are against my own."</I>Deany Bocobohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01443168826029321831noreply@blogger.com