BY MACON RAMOS-ARANETA
AFTER an aide cleared Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III of any liability on alleged ‘plagiarism’ in his first ‘Turno En Contra” speech against Reproductive Health Bill, a Canada-based Filipino novelist on Friday accused the senator of the same omission in his 2nd ‘Turno En Contra” delivered last Wednesday.
In taking the cudgels for Sotto, lawyer Hector Villanueva stressed the senator cannot apologize for something he did not know.
He said the senator should not be faulted for some parts in his first speech copied from American blogger Sarah Pope because he had always said the catchball phrase that “These are not my words. I’m not pretending to be wise.”
Instead, Villacorta, the senator’s Chief of Staff, said he should be blamed for the lapses being in charge of the coordinating staff work and research for Sotto.
Villacorta likewise confirmed the staff, composed of a team of 7 lawyers and researchers, got information from the web, also for Sotto’s second anti-RH speech.
However, Villacorta said he was not aware of claims by Miguel Syjuco that three passages in Sotto’s second anti-RH speech were lifted from three sources easily found online, one written by Marlon C. Ramirez, a Filipino and blog posts ‘Gandhi’s Birth Control of Choice’ and ‘Truth of Contraceptives.’
Meanwhile, to Villacorta, he already issued a “semi-apology” to the American blogger by posting a message online after one of his staff members came forward and admitted failure of not attributing the speech to Pope.
Amid this, Villacorta maintains there is no need to sanction the staff members because the error was committed “in good faith.” He insisted the information on blogs are part of public domain.
He noted that while the staff may have failed to attribute at times, it did not make it a habit to source information from blogs.
He said both Sotto and Pope quoted McBride because they used the phrase “according to.”
He expressed hope that after sending his apology to Pope, there would already be a “closure” on the issue because he did not want to have “a black hole of discussions.”
In reply to Villacorta, Pope said she does not approve of Sotto using her work without her permission "against the education of the women of the Philippines and their reproductive rights."
She asserted Sotto is responsible for his staff's actions. "That is the issue and it was indeed plagiarism. If his staff did it, he condoned it. He is responsible for your actions. My blog was quoted, not Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I put her work in my own words and you copied my words," said Pope in her blog. "Your lame comment does not make me feel any better," she also told Villacorta. "A thief is a thief, Mr. Senator. Denying it won't get you off the hook.; it just makes you a lying thief," Pope further said in a blog post.
"Women of the Philippines: I am terribly sorry my blog was used and twisted against you. You deserve the choice to use The Pill if you want or need to based on your particular circumstances. While I want you to know that this choice has health consequences, I in no way would ever condone taking this choice away from you! Mabuhay!" she added.
She wrote on her Facebook page, that she couldn't believe "a Senator in the Philippines" used one of her blog posts in his speech. A Senator in the Philippines plagiarized one of my blog posts to use in a speech. Can't even believe this!!!
In a phone patch interview with senate reporters on Thursday, denied plagiarizing the work of Pope, and insisted both of them have been quoting from the book of Campbell-McBride, who the senator cited in his speech.
Sotto was also quoted as saying: “Why should I quote a blogger? It’s not elegant to quote a blogger.”
These statements sparked a ‘hate campaign’ among bloggers and internet users who vowed to campaign his election bid in the near future, and even insulted him.
Blogger Ryan David Tungala wrote in his blog site: To all bloggers, let’s unite. Don’t vote for him. He’s belittling us.” Another blogger, Henry Ilaho Reduta asked Soitto to just do comedy at Eat Bulaga. Yob Fernandez also put in his blog: “To Tito Sen, stop it now! You’re making this look like a comedy.
It appears at @tweenirizal BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Tito Sotto claimes his anti-RH speech is not copied from US recipe blogger. It is FRANCHISED! It bulaga!”
Internet user Blessie Rodil said: “what? Sen. Sotto copied his speech about the RH bill in a blog? That was embarrassing!” Even the senator’s daughter, actress-singer Ciara Sotto, was not spared the insults. Jokes on the social media referred to her as the senator’s speechwriter.
But there were also some bloggers who defended Sotto, saying that his quotes were merely taken out of context. They lauded him for his strong stance against the use of contraceptives which could result to the deaths of more Filipino mothers, and could even hurt their babies. (end)
He said the senator should not be faulted for some parts in his first speech copied from American blogger Sarah Pope because he had always said the catchball phrase that “These are not my words. I’m not pretending to be wise.”
Instead, Villacorta, the senator’s Chief of Staff, said he should be blamed for the lapses being in charge of the coordinating staff work and research for Sotto.
Villacorta likewise confirmed the staff, composed of a team of 7 lawyers and researchers, got information from the web, also for Sotto’s second anti-RH speech.
However, Villacorta said he was not aware of claims by Miguel Syjuco that three passages in Sotto’s second anti-RH speech were lifted from three sources easily found online, one written by Marlon C. Ramirez, a Filipino and blog posts ‘Gandhi’s Birth Control of Choice’ and ‘Truth of Contraceptives.’
Meanwhile, to Villacorta, he already issued a “semi-apology” to the American blogger by posting a message online after one of his staff members came forward and admitted failure of not attributing the speech to Pope.
Amid this, Villacorta maintains there is no need to sanction the staff members because the error was committed “in good faith.” He insisted the information on blogs are part of public domain.
He noted that while the staff may have failed to attribute at times, it did not make it a habit to source information from blogs.
He said both Sotto and Pope quoted McBride because they used the phrase “according to.”
He expressed hope that after sending his apology to Pope, there would already be a “closure” on the issue because he did not want to have “a black hole of discussions.”
In reply to Villacorta, Pope said she does not approve of Sotto using her work without her permission "against the education of the women of the Philippines and their reproductive rights."
She asserted Sotto is responsible for his staff's actions. "That is the issue and it was indeed plagiarism. If his staff did it, he condoned it. He is responsible for your actions. My blog was quoted, not Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I put her work in my own words and you copied my words," said Pope in her blog. "Your lame comment does not make me feel any better," she also told Villacorta. "A thief is a thief, Mr. Senator. Denying it won't get you off the hook.; it just makes you a lying thief," Pope further said in a blog post.
"Women of the Philippines: I am terribly sorry my blog was used and twisted against you. You deserve the choice to use The Pill if you want or need to based on your particular circumstances. While I want you to know that this choice has health consequences, I in no way would ever condone taking this choice away from you! Mabuhay!" she added.
She wrote on her Facebook page, that she couldn't believe "a Senator in the Philippines" used one of her blog posts in his speech. A Senator in the Philippines plagiarized one of my blog posts to use in a speech. Can't even believe this!!!
In a phone patch interview with senate reporters on Thursday, denied plagiarizing the work of Pope, and insisted both of them have been quoting from the book of Campbell-McBride, who the senator cited in his speech.
Sotto was also quoted as saying: “Why should I quote a blogger? It’s not elegant to quote a blogger.”
These statements sparked a ‘hate campaign’ among bloggers and internet users who vowed to campaign his election bid in the near future, and even insulted him.
Blogger Ryan David Tungala wrote in his blog site: To all bloggers, let’s unite. Don’t vote for him. He’s belittling us.” Another blogger, Henry Ilaho Reduta asked Soitto to just do comedy at Eat Bulaga. Yob Fernandez also put in his blog: “To Tito Sen, stop it now! You’re making this look like a comedy.
It appears at @tweenirizal BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Tito Sotto claimes his anti-RH speech is not copied from US recipe blogger. It is FRANCHISED! It bulaga!”
Internet user Blessie Rodil said: “what? Sen. Sotto copied his speech about the RH bill in a blog? That was embarrassing!” Even the senator’s daughter, actress-singer Ciara Sotto, was not spared the insults. Jokes on the social media referred to her as the senator’s speechwriter.
But there were also some bloggers who defended Sotto, saying that his quotes were merely taken out of context. They lauded him for his strong stance against the use of contraceptives which could result to the deaths of more Filipino mothers, and could even hurt their babies. (end)
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