CARABUENA: FROM BULLY TO CYBERBULLYING VICTIM

By Ivy Jean Vibar, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA, Philippines -- Robert Blair Carabuena, who admitted his wrongs and issued an apology on
Thursday, has been the subject of online attacks since a video of him allegedly abusing a traffic enforcer
was broadcast and went viral on the web.

Carabuena had been caught on camera berating and slapping Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) aide Fabros on August 11 after he was pulled over for a traffic violation.

“Pending investigation,” Philip Morris Tobacco Corp. suspended Carabuena, one of its employees,
following petitions from various sectors urging the company to fire him.

In a statement, the company said while Carabuena was “not on duty for the company at the time” the
incident occurred, “it does no not condone inappropriate conduct by any of our employees.”

The MMDA also said that the direct assault case it has filed against the Philip Morris executive will push
through despite his apology, and a preliminary hearing at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s office was
scheduled for Thursday.

However, according to initial reports from the MMDA, Carabuena was rushed to the hospital after feeling
discomfort because of hurtful comments he received from several people at the fiscal’s office.

Carabuena has not been immune from online “retaliation” either. From issuing taunts of “baboy” (pig) to
assertions that he should be killed, netizens have not been kind to Carabuena, leading some to say that
the bully is now being cyberbullied.

Flame bait

Incidents of cyberbullying by Filipinos online are not new, with people even intentionally creating what
can be termed as “flame bait” to draw the ire from netizens.

One incident was that of “Ahcee Flores”, an identity created by an Internet troll to comment on Yahoo!
Philippines. A parallel Flores account was also set up on social networking site Facebook.

Flores wished ill on the victims of an earthquake in Visayas, leading to the creation of pages on the social
networking site dedicated to sowing hate against her. Her posts also went viral online.

Even celebrities are not immune. Actress Francine Prieto also received flak for an offhand comment
about President Benigno Aquino III being “panot.”

“I deleted my first Twitter account dahil nilabas ko ang saloobin ko sa dami kong problema…ngayon
naman sobra na ang mga bastos, mahaba ang pasensya ko 'wag mo lang akong babastusin dahil kaya ko
rin maging bastos,” she said to her online haters on Twitter.
As of posting, there are over 40 pages on Facebook dedicated to Carabuena, with names such as
“Patayin si Robert Blair Carabuena,” “Like if you want Robert Blair Carabuena to be fired from Philip
Morris”, “Ikaw na nga may pinagaralan ikaw pa walang modo, f*** you Robert Carabuena” and “Ilechon
si Robert Blair Carabuena,” among others.

“Ipakulong si Robert Blair Carabuena” is currently the top page with 23,216 likes.

There is also now a parody Twitter account for Carabuena -- @RBlairCarabuena. It has only eight
followers and 97 tweets as of posting.

Carabuena acknowledged his haters in his apology.

“Nitong nakaraang Linggo, naramdaman ko po ang galit ng publiko sa aking inasal. Simula nang lumabas
ang ‘video’ sa media at sa ‘social media,’ minabuti ko pong manatili muna sa aming tahanan,” he said.

Carabuena has since reportedly shut down his social media accounts.

Just desserts?

In a blog entry by Jess Lorenzo on ABS-CBNnews.com, he said that while Carabuena has been the
recipient of a “deluge of harassment online…the image that Carabuena put himself in is his own doing.”

“I can only surmise that any cyber harassment is provoked by the bullying that Carabuena dished out to
Officer Saturnino Fabros; heightened by their social circumstances,” Lorenzo wrote.

“I believe Carabuena is a typical person who dwells in ENTITLEMENT. This is one of the illnesses of our
culture. It is seen in many of our behaviors and leaders. It even exists in persons who may hate the likes
of Blair but may also manifest similar symptoms. They are double standard people who are quick to seek
justice but are poor in following the law.”

However, in an interview in 2011, Philippine Human Rights Information Center executive director Dr.
Nymia Pimentel Simbulan said that while everyone has a right to the Internet and information, as well as
to free speech, netizens also have the responsibility to respect the space and rights of others.

“There are limits,” she said. “Fundamental rights should not be taken as a license to attack the rights or
positions of other individuals. Nagiging bastusan na.”