DAVAO CITY, Philippines – It was his five-worded Facebook post on the Senate hearing attended by former President Rodrigo Duterte that put him at the center of a social media storm between pro and anti-Duterte netizens especially in Davao City.
Christopher Ryan Maboloc, a philosophy professor of Ateneo de Davao University, and author of “Radical Democracy in the Time of Duterte”, posted this reaction last October 29 about the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee hearing: “Senator Risa Hontiveros achieved nothing yesterday.”
Monday’s sub-committee hearing (October 28) saw the senator butting heads with Duterte on command responsibility for the killings that happened during the latter’s war on drugs campaign that included the deaths of Kian delos Santos and other minors.
His post gathered 24,000 positive reactions and 9,600 shares mostly from Duterte supporters. But it also elicited criticisms from personalities who are linked to the Ateneo community.
Antonio Montalvan II, an anthropologist, columnist for Rappler and Vera Files, critic of Duterte’s drug war, and an alumnus of Ateneo Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, called out the Ateneo de Davao community over Maboloc’s post.
“Think for a minute what he teaches to his students. Ateneo de Davao is that the quality of your education?” Montalvan asked.
His post, which comparatively earned 829 comments and 320 shares, prompted a comment from fellow journalist, AlJazeera correspondent Jamela Alindogan, who happens to be a board of trustee and journalism professor of AdDU.
“(L)et’s not judge an entire university based on one individual’s beliefs or actions. UP has also shaped some of the best and, yes, a few of the worst, but it stands for much more. We don’t need to bring everyone down over this. And no, I don’t agree with the post in question—but let’s keep it fair.”
Alindogan’s comment elicited comments, pointing out how Maboloc’s stand on Duterte will be associated with his credentials to the university. Another comment raised how he would use his clout as a professor to influence students who look up to him.
Another Ateneo professor, lawyer Romeo Cabarde Jr., who heads the Ateneo de Davao Public Interest Legal Advocacy (APILA), weighs in on Maboloc’s credibility as a professor given his support to Duterte.
“True philosophy and logic demand courage to confront uncomfortable truths, even if it means challenging the people we admire. Justice is not about blind loyalty – it’s serving the common good and standing by reason,” Cabarde said in his post.
The lawyer also added that not all members in AdDU share Maboloc’s view on Duterte, a view that many on Facebook have raised because of Maboloc’s viral post.
“Please know that not all in AdDU are like that. Such arrogance contradicts the very principles of humility and critical inquiry within a Catholic and Jesuit institution,” said Cabarde.
But Maboloc posted his response to the critiques from Montalvan and Cabarde. He called out Montalvan to “Google” his name to know his scholastic credentials.
Maboloc picked apart Cabarde’s post point by point. The highlight of his post was his defense on his research being “vetted” by AdDU and his prolific output is something to be noted.
He made a slight on Cabarde, noting “not all have published 100 papers whereas you have none. You sit on your desk wallowing in pride that you are fighting for human rights”.
Cabarde reportedly set the post into private after Duterte supporters flooded his posts with comments.
Other personalities criticized Maboloc for using his position to defend Duterte, such as Karl Gaspar, anthropologist, author, Martial Law survivor, and classmate of Duterte, who expressed disappointment for misusing philosophy to defend Duterte’s human rights violations.
Regletto Aldrich Imbong, a philosophy professor at the University of the Philippines Cebu, expressed concern that the academic community to which he and Maboloc belonged has not addressed the implications of his stand on Duterte.
“The problem is that this is not a mere philosophical disagreement. A president authorized the killing of more than 30,000 people. Such a regime was ideologically and philosophically supported by a member of the philosophical community,” he said.
But blogger and Duterte critic Attorney Jesus Falcis claimed Maboloc was reacting to his earlier post which listed Senator Hontiveros’ achievement in the Senate hearing.
“By responding to my post and commenting against Risa Hontiveros, she achieved something – she got your attention. Pero para saming naniniwalang sagrado ang buhay at hindi pwedeng lumabag sa batas si Duterte para lang sugpuin ang krimen, (But for us who believe that life is sacred and Duterte should break the law just to fight crime) Risa Hontiveros achieved everything – she defended the rule of law and human rights of drug war victims. Hindi namin kasalanan iba ang values nyo, este, mali ang values nyo. (It’s not our fault that your values are different, rather, your values are wrong).” (davaotoday.com)
drug war, duterte
