By: Attorney Jim Banque Narvios
Defamation can cost you a lot of money & ruin your life.
Alex Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1 Billion, Dow Jones & Co. was ordered to
pay more than $222 Million, Michael Gill was ordered to pay $274 million, Oberlin
College was ordered to pay a Ohio Bakery $33 Million, Washington Post was sued
for $250 Million, and the list is never ending.
Tita #1, “HOY! DID YOU HEAR THAT ATTORNEY JIM is not even a lawyer?!”
Tita #2, “SUS! He is a big show off always pretending!”
A few days later...
Tita #1, “HOY! ATTORNEY JIM IS SUING ME FOR DEFAMATION!”
Tita #2, “SUS! Me too! Now we have to spend much money! Ay nako!
We all know someone who loves to Chismis. Chismis is also known as defamation.
However, Chismis is only defamation when what Titas said was false. Here, Attorney Jim
is a practicing attorney, and his reputation is supported by his hundreds of satisfied
clients on record.
If what the titas said caused other people in the community to not do business based on
what they said, this is when the chismis becomes defamation.
Everyone has does it, everyone has participated in it, and everyone has fallen victim to it.
Chismis is a common, everyday practice all over the world and often, we don’t see
anything wrong with it. Afterall, it’s just words... right? WRONG.
Let me explain this concept through a comical story:
Once upon a time, there lived a bunch of friendly Filipinos who loved to talk and share
stories. They were from all walks of life, and they all lived together in harmony.
One day, Tita Talkative, who was a charge nurse, started spreading all sorts of news and
gossip. This tita held several leadership positions in the community and was very
popular.
Now, one fine morning, Tita Talkative told a story about Tito Bhoy, a tito who minded
his own business, owned a Sare Sare Store and had a good reputation in the community
for having the best Balut. Tita Talkative told a story to her friends that Tito Bhoy was
getting his Balut from a chicken farm that abused their animals and that she got food
poisoning from the balut. Tita Talkative made all of this up and Tito Bhoy actually got
his balut from a very organic farm that was against animal cruelty. Tita Talkative loved
adding sprinkles of false information in her stories to entertain others and make herself
feel good about her own insecurities. The story wasn't true, and it made Tito Bhoy feel
very sad and upset and the Filipino Community began to avoid shopping at his Sare
Sare Store. Poor Tito Bhoy felt like everyone was looking at him differently after hearing
the story and his business suffered. Tito Bhoy became seriously depressed.
You see, my kababayan, that's where the tricky "defamation" stuff comes in. Defamation
is like telling a lie, but not just any lie – it's a lie that can hurt someone's feelings and
reputation. It's like saying something untrue about someone, making others believe it,
and causing them trouble.
So, Tito Bhoy went to see Attorney Jim, who fought for Filipino Community’s justice, to
ask for advice. Attorney Jim, sat with Tito Bhoy at Gerry’s Grill, looked down at Tito Bhoy
and said, "Ah, you've been a victim of defamation!"
Tito Bhoy scratched his head in confusion. "What's 'defamation,' Attorney Jim?”, he
asked.
Attorney Jim put on his reading glasses and opened a big, legal book on Torts.
"Defamation is when someone says something untrue about another person, and it
hurts their feelings or harms their reputation," he explained with passion.
Tito Bhoy looked even more puzzled. "But why would anyone say untrue things about
me? I'm just a Tito who minds his own business," he said sadly.
Attorney Jim patted him gently on the back. "Sometimes, Tito, some people might
spread tales just for fun or to make themselves feel important. But it's not fair, and it can
make others feel really sad and ruin their reputation. I mean you had the best balut in
the city!"
As the news of the tale-telling spread through the Filipino Community, they all decided
to have a big meeting to figure out what to do about this tricky situation.
Tito Tanduay, who was always drinking and telling jokes, stood up and said, "Well, why
don't we all just wear disguises? That way, no one will know who we're talking about!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Tito Tanduay silly idea. But Attorney Jim stood up and
shook his head and said, "While disguises might be fun for a costume party, it won't
solve the problem of defamation. We need to learn to be kinder with our words and
think before we speak! Tito Bhoy’s business has now suffered, and our community is
spreading even more chismis about him! We will be filing a lawsuit against Tita
Talkative"
As news travels fast in the community, everyone quickly learned about the expensive
consequences of Tita Talkative’s chismis. This meeting encouraged them to be more
mindful of their words and to avoid spreading untrue stories when they chismis about
one another. They realized that being honest, respectful, and kind was the best way to
build a happy and harmonious community.
From that day forward, Tita Talkative learned to think twice before spreading stories,
and the Filipino community became more thoughtful about the words they used. They
all lived happily ever after, enjoying the beauty of friendship and understanding.
So, there you have it, my kabanayan – the curious case of defamation and how the
Filipino community learned to be kind with their words. Remember, the power of words
is magical, so always use them wisely and with care!
Now, let's go have some fun and spread joy instead of False Chismis, shall we?
Remember say no to Crab Mentality! Up here! Cge! High-five!
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