Inside Philippine politics & beyond

My book on Marcos’ Martial Law is hurting some people because they’re making fake news about it

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By Raïssa Robles

Today while beating a deadline, I received tweets and direct-messages asking me whether it was true Marcos Martial Law: Never Again was banned in the US and 17 other countries.

The short answer: No, it isn’t banned. Not at all. In fact sales are booming here and there’s a demand for it abroad.

The claim that my book is banned is bogus, baloney, a lie. Fake news made up by trolls. Who they work for I leave you to guess. The book details the atrocities and high crimes of the Marcos martial law regime.

Here, in a nutshell, are NINE REASONS why the story about my book being banned is crude, ignorant fake news.

ONE – There’s only one source, a shady, sleazy blog called Pinoy Pride (don’t bother visiting it, you will just add to its hits). The usual slimy trolls are using this one blog to spread the claim (and they’re tagging me)

TWO –  There’s a byline but this is the only piece he has written for this blog. Chances are, whoever wrote it is using a fake name.

THREE – The story isn’t carried by any mainstream news outlet at all.

FOUR – There are no links in the story to substantiate the claim, which is that 17 countries – the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Norway, Japan, China, Russia, South Korea, Germany, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Israel – have banned the book. For every country that allegedly banned my book, there should be corresponding evidence in the form of a link to prove this. There is none.

FIVE – Get this, the reason my book is allegedly banned is because it allegedly attacks Ferdinand Marcos’ reputation. Really? Only a sickly zombie would think countries value the decaying dictator’s reputation.

SIX – There’s no documentation. No press releases, no quotations from any of the countries. The few groups that are mentioned are fake or deceptively named. For instance, the Hawaii Association of Book Publishers and Authors (HABPA) supposedly asked the Hawaii “Supreme Court” to ban my book. There is no Hawaii Association of Book Publishers and Authors. It does not exist. There is the Hawaii Book Publishers Association or HBPA, and it is not an interested party. It is only concerned with books published by members of its association. Of what concern is my book to them?

SEVEN – The proper petitioner would be a member of the Marcos family – except there’s a problem: none of the three Marcoses – Imelda, Bongbong and Imee – dare set foot in the United States because they lost an appeal in 2012 to reverse a contempt judgment against them which was handed down by a US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/54454/marcoses-lose-us-appeal .  Quite apart from this, the Hawaii Supreme Court is the wrong venue for asking for such a ban. See – http://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/hawaii_supreme_court. It is a final appeals court.

But the hoaxers can easily prove me wrong — all they have to do is produce an official copy of the alleged supreme court decision. Can they even identify the judge? They can’t, because there’s no such thing. It’s all made up.

EIGHT – Oh, and according to the hoaxers, my book is supposedly banned by Israel’s Ministry of Public Affairs. Except that Israel has no Ministry of Public Affairs. It doesn’t exist. Try finding it in this list by clicking here.

NINE – My book isn’t on the list of books banned by other countries. Try looking for it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_by_governments

Really, though, I should be flattered. Because the fake news writers imply that my book is important enough to be noticed by 17 countries. Who would have thought?

The fact that they are targeting my book forces me to conclude that Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, A short history of torture and atrocity under the New Society,  is making an impact.

Thanks for letting me know, Pinoy Pride.

And let’s make sure to reward the hoaxers appropriately.

According to Clara Balaguer, Google is taking down fake news sites. And this one is full of fake news (memebusters regularly debunks them). Let’s report so they stop making money and misinforming.

1. TYPE the offending URL on google.com search bar

thephpride.blogspot.com

2. TAKE a screen grab of search results.

3. SCROLL down to the bottom of the search results page and click on the URL link that says “Feedback”

4. ATTACH screencap.

5. WRITE a complaint description, including the particular URL you are reporting. In this case,

thephpride.blogspot.com

http://thephpride.blogspot.com/2017/06/anti-marcos-book-banned-usa.html?m=1

6. SEND!

The link below is to a BBC article that explains this process with screencaps.

http://www.bbc.com/news/38053324

 

Comments

  1. Hi Raissa, I would love to read the book if only you could make the eBook available on Google play store where I can buy it. I am 6 months in the Philippines but cant find it in National Bookstore in the province. Now back in the Netherlands I cant find/buy it online. If you want to sell books and be able to give information and change some pro Duterte (read Marcos) lovers around, get your marketing in order. How are we going to win this war if we do it so clumsy.

  2. MALIGAYANG ARAW NG MGA AMA !! Sa mga tunay na ama sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.
    HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL NOBLE AND COURAGEOUS FATHERS. INCLUDING FATHERS OF OUR CHURCHES.

    Lalo na kay G. Alan Robles.

    • sorry to be a bother, but I have to say this after father’s day celebration: the supposed father of the nation snubbed independence day. tired at nag-bed rest kuno siya, with mocha loca kaya? he, he he. meron yata siyang flying carpet, make that flying bed, dahil while on bed rest sa bahay pangarap, digong the flying dutchman traveled incognito kuno sa mindanaw. yet, there was no reported sighting of him there. mindanawans will be hard to fool and would know digong kahit incognito. he grew up among them. the way he walks and swagger, his gait, height and build, the way the talks, his voice, his posture and mannerism are all giveaways: spatial recognition; his entourage plus the presence of presidential body guards are all dead giveaways as well. incognito, my foot!

      ingon ni inday sara, not all fathers are perfect, agree ako dyan, though some fathers are idiots, and capable of astral travels courtesy of fentanyl yata, he ,he, he.

  3. oot…No evident premediation –

    ‘In a motion for amendment of the criminal information filed with the Baybay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14, Provincial Prosecutor Ma. Arlene Cordovez informed the court that the DOJ, through a review resolution dated May 29, 2017, dismissed two counts of murder against members of the the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 8, led by its chief Supt. Marvin Marcos.

    The DOJ instead ordered their indictment for the lesser and bailable offense of homicide.

    In her motion, Cordovez asked the court “to grant leave to the public prosecution to amend the Information for Murder in these cases and downgrade it to Homicide, and after due hearing, to admit the Amended Information for Homicide.”

    The downgrade meant the DOJ, upon review, saw no premeditation in the killing, which had triggered a Senate investigation.’

    How ‘Murder’ is committed: Some instances –

    1. with TREACHERY, taking advantage or superior strength, with the aid of armed men,

    2. In consideration of a price, REWARD or PROMISE,

    5. With evident premeditation.
    Art. 248, Revised Penal Code, as Amended.

    By DOJ: Downgrading the murder charges to homicide only [bailable] ignores ‘with treachery, taking advantage or superior strength, with aid of armed men,’

    or

    ‘In consideration of a price, reward or PROMISE.’ – [ uttered by whom that a ‘price, reward or promise’ will be done?]

    ‘Judge in Baybay, Leyte’! . . . correct yun downgrading to homicide?

    Even the Senate investigated this. DOJ Agi said ‘murder’ ang crime.’ Now, the key of the music piece is a lower ‘DO’ …Bajo or baho!

    he he

      • laya na sila after posting bail… suspended ang manila prosecutor, edward m. togonon kasi hindi nya sinunod ang order ng DOJ na palabasin ang tatlong drug detainees.

        • not premeditated daw, pero, isa yata sa tauhan ni marvin marcos just prior sa paglusob nila sa selda ni ex mayor espinos ay tumawag sa soco, scene of crime office. to me, that only meant na murder was anticipated, killing of defenseless victim was expected outcome. overkill pa yata, marami sina marvin marcos at armed to the teeth pa ang mga hayop, habang si espinosa ay naka t-shirt lang. yong kasama sa selda ni espinosa ay nadawit at pinatay pa. dapat pinalabas nila yong cellmate, or told to go to the bathroom and stay there.

        • those nakalayang mga polis, marvin marcos et al, should be sent to marawi to help fight the terrorists. put them to good use, not just to kill those already detained in jail.

  4. OOT: 1. Comelec, Smartmatic cleared of tampering with May poll servers. The City Prosecutor, in a resolution dated September 28, dismissed Marcos’ complaint, citing lack of merit and insufficiency of evidence. The resolution, signed by City Prosecutor Edward Togonon. from pdi nov. 2,2016
    2. Marcos appealled dismissal of complaint over hash code issue
    3. Comelec, Smartmatic face charges for changing 2016 election server script
    The justice department reverses the decision of the Manila Prosecutor’s Office, which didn’t find merit in the complaint of Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s camp. from rappler june 7,2017
    4. after nag labas ng pictures ni du30 si bong go, naging active na naman ang election protest ni bbm
    from pdi news today:
    5. “Marcos protest riddled with inconsistencies, says Robredo camp”
    6. Aguirre suspends Manila prosecutor, names Duterte frat brod as OIC
    Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has suspended for 90 days Manila City Prosecutor Edward M. Togonon for not following his order to release three detainees arrested for drugs despite the dismissal of cases against them.

  5. Nothing is fake news about Marcos martial Law..To those who live it it can be a recurring nightmare which forms part of one’s daily consciousness. I remember when my daughter was born after 1986, I was engulfed by so much emotion leading me to pen the following thoughts ….

    A Father’s Thoughts (Post Marcos-Martial Law)

    Can you promise your kid when she gets to your age
    Same freedom you have, no fear or seething rage…
    Could you box that good feeling of respecting another
    wrapped it a s a gift to a generation after?

    If only the young could just open close a bottle
    Sniff the air of State Killings and Controls so subtle,
    Then freedom will be much treasured
    No senseless killings,innocents tortured….
    Alas freedom can be taken for granted, be taken away
    If not jealously guarded,, and watched everyday..

    Can you promise your kid when she gets to your age
    Be a soaring eagle not a bird in a cage?
    Can you promise your kid when she gets to your age
    She will fulfill her dreams
    Instead of hearing screams….

    • sorry po, the young ones in marawi are now feeling the wrath and brutality of martial law, pasukan pa naman. the houses where they once lived are gone, burned, bombed and reduced to rubble. uncertain ang future nila, takot sila at marami na ang nagkakasakit, stressed masyado, and equating martial law with terrorism.

      parents are emotional and missing their children so much. nawala ang mga anak, lost in the mayhem, and not knowing if their children are safe and fed. marami ang tulala, shock at the turn of events. both martial law and terrorism are unwelcome visitors. as though terrorism is not enough, may martial law pang dagdag.

  6. What’s the reason for not posting my last comment, Raissa? Can’t take fair, measured criticism? Bad for business, I guess.

      • bad critic, maybe because barangay captain cannot write a book, jealous yata because raissa’s book has reached lofty heights! of international stardom. read and reread and has wide readership around the world. no matter what barangay captain say, the book is out there, warts and all, beauty and the beast, and enjoying fame and universal exposure. I say, well done, raissa. one small step for a filipina, a giant stride for pinas, mabuhay!

  7. Solgen Calida wants petitioners Lagman & Co. to go to Marawi City. Why not ask the whole 15-members of the SC, himself and Lagman & Co. to go to Marawi City to hear the case. First hand facts will be credible to resolve the issue.

    he he

    • he, he, he, solgen calida should have asked lagman and co to go to moskaw so they can feel and see what it was that digong felt and saw when declaring martial law so far from pinas. under the gaze of russian bear.

      • from russia with love, make it from moskaw with haste, lagman and co can then go straight to marawi city to complete the circuit. and see for themselves what was it really that digong saw that made martial law his default.

        and when digong 1st declare martial law, marawi city was livable, bit nervous but okay. then 4weeks of martial law, marawi city is in rubble, too chaotic, its inhabitants close to nervous breakdown. the terrorists digong said he’d wipe out in few days are still very much up and about and killing soldiers and civilians alike. 58 soldiers dead and counting, those dead did not have kevlar vests yata, no protection against enemy and sniper fire, no money to buy them, methink. but digong got plenty money to compensate injured soldiers as well as the dead ones: money and medals galore awaited, forget safety.

        next time you see soldiers fighting in marawi city, have a look at their safety gear like kevlar vests, halos wala sila. and what’s lorensana doing about it? nil, po. lorensana is busy making cow eyes with digong, maybe already planning their next overseas trip, he, he, he.

  8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2017/06/13/why-a-cabinet-of-kiss-ups-is-a-big-problem-for-trump/
    /
    Why a Cabinet of kiss-ups is a big problem for Trump
    —————————-
    In one study, he found that CEOs who heard more flattery also tended to be more overconfident in their strategy — and that that overconfidence led to fewer changes in strategy following poor performance. “Top management teams with lots of ingratiation were more likely to have strategic inertia,” he said.
    —————————–
    Meanwhile, the people offering the accolades tend to get plenty from it. Research has shown that ingratiation is associated with greater rates of promotions, recommendations for board appointments and getting a job after an interview. For the person offering it, Mukunda says, “it really works. People do think better of the people who flatter them, even when they know they are being flattered.”
    ——————————–

    • yeah, sinipsip ang nagpasisip, may their tribe decrease. flattery can only get you so far. sure, we like people who flatters us, but not all the time though. we know kung inuuto tayo, and we know how to put people in their rightful places. not one size fits all, po, dahil there are people who are immune to flatteries. they’ve been dealt badly in life, learned their lessons, and can spot bad flatters a mile away. flatterer, ahoy! caution: to be taken with grain of salt and pepper. better still, pepper spray the flatterer, he, he, he. and he’ll call it perfume.

      and the great flatterer of our time has not been seen since independence day, sick of flattering yata. too much flattering is not good for mental health, ask digong.

  9. i will not dish out a single penny to buy it.. unless bibigay mo sa mga human rights victims na sinasabi mo ang proceeds.. may mga informed consent kaya ang mga cases dyan na included?

    • What a dumb comment! Don’t buy it if you don’t want to; nobody’s forcing you
      .

      • I’ve read your book. I totally oppose those who spread lies about it. Having said that,
        any written work must remain open to criticism. There are a few ‘angles’ in the book
        that were unique … one being the ” 7 steps put in place by F. M. to create an environment where ML would appear to be a legitimate response to ‘the state of the country.'” Another clarified item, in the book, was the cross referencing of FM’s biography and name on Swiss bank account as evidence that the bank account was indeed FM’s. Nevertheless, book seems like a bit of a rush job. Structure is weak. Editing is weak. Repetitive. All in all, pales to the ‘professional’ discourse of The Conjugal Dictatorship, Testament From a Prison Cell, A Country Not Even His Own and Subversive Lies … all of which bring to life the ML period in more definitive and compelling terms.

        • yeah, the same was said about dan brown’s books that went international best sellers, critics thrashed how badly written his books were, badly edited pa kuno. angels and demons, da vinci code, etc. so bad, yet so good, that films were made from dan brown’s books and grossed well in the takilya. critics and readers dont always see eye to eye.

          like minded authors, raissa is in good company, though her book, martial law never again, is not fiction and had passed musters of librarians all over the world, read by thousands pa, and mulled often. raissa’s book has guts a plenty.

  10. Proclamation No. 216 Martial Law in the group of islands of Mindanao. Read highlighted site http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2017/05may/20170523-PROC-216-RRD.pdf

    . . . and read the news about it. Read the oral arguments as reported from SC 2nd hearing.

    Only in Marawi City is the Maute group attacking. At the Sept. 11, 2001, 3 attacks in US were made: NYC, Pentagon and in Philadelphia. No Martial Law was declared.

    Was/is it justifiable for Martial Law in Mindanao? Not fickle-mindedness or jitter-bug to declare ML?

    Guess what. . . if Maute group attacked City Hall, Manila….Martial Law in Luzon?

    Keep on guessing then. . .

    he he

  11. ‘KUNG ALAM KO LANG’ | PNP knew of Maute plan but not when – Bato’

    . . . not knowing ‘when’. . . you know ‘what (to do), where (Marawi City), who (Maute), and why (to stop further attacks).

    No enemy will spoon-fed the ‘when’ attacks. Intelligence gathering is sleuting for it and not waiting to receive it.

    Huh huh…na kakaIyak naman…

    http://www.interaksyon.com

    • kung alam ko lang . . . bato forgot that he can only think what digong wants him to think.

  12. Fake News…rumor mongering. Fakers are rumor mongrels!

    MALACAÑANG
    M a n i l a

    PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 90 January 6, 1973

    DECLARING UNLAWFUL RUMOR-MONGERING AND SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION

    Done in the City of Manila, January 6, 1973

    by faker Ferdinand E. Marcos, President. Tsismoso.

    he he

    • . . . ‘the State shall, upon conviction, be punished by prision correccional. In case the offender is a government official or employee, the accessory penalty of absolute perpetual disqualification from holding any public office shall be imposed.’

      PD No. 90.

      • So, as government officials, Mocha Uson and Aguirre are guilty and liable under this P.D. if it’s not repelled yet.

  13. Congratulations! You are now being considered a more credible threat to the Dutz’ government/BBM and this latest fake news is proof of that. Good work!

  14. Reported like i also reported ”RIP Raissa” Robles in facebook

    So is ever Bong Bong would by Vice or President he can never go to the USA?

    Hope all the 4 million USA/Pinoy’s understand that.