By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
MAMBULAO has become a hot commodity since two years ago,
drawing so much online attention to itself from people from both overseas and
elsewhere in the Philippines.
And notably, it also drew the curiosity, which later morphed
into admiration, from non-Mambulaoans, who have lately developed interest in
our community, with a say or two to chip in.
It is a curious phenomenon. It has caught the imagination of
the many – the professionals and otherwise, overseas resident, overseas contract
workers and many others that included walk-in browsers.
Thanks to the many development initiatives of our mayor,
Dong Padilla, his vice-mayor, Aye Non and the supportive majority members of
the current Sangguniang Bayan.
Now, Mambulaoans’ keen interest in our beloved town has
grown from just a tiny candle flame to a what I could describe as
“conflagration”, that even the non-natives had sought to be included into the
feverish discussions via postings on the Facebook account of the Mambulao
group, known as the Jose Panganiban Camarines Norte Group.
As a supposed closed-group whose non-Mambulaoan members were
endorsed to get their membership, the JPCN group has drawn about 1,800 from all
over the world.
Surprisingly, the outsiders are now being cut off from the
site because of postings that touched on politics and other interests, and
instead are now being nastily relegated to a newly-created FB group where they
can vent their ideas, frustrations, anger, and where they can engage anybody to
online debate and verbal fisticuffs
It was one reason, as put forward by one of the site’s
administrators and an instigator of the “kick them out” rule, why only 10
percent of the supposed 1,800 members, or 180, are participating in the day to
day exhanges.
He alleged that the members have felt the site has become a
venue for the so-called elitists, the articulate and the wordy among the
members, who proved to be more active than the native Mambulaoans, in
ventilating their thoughts, thus turning off, allegedly, those who can just
barely type a few words or two every time.
The remedy, which was carried out in a blitz, is to send the
non-Mambulaoans to two newly-created FB sites where they can do their thing.
This was immediately rejected by another administrator, who
earlier suggested/proposed that the term “mamayan” (resident) referred to in
the house rules be changed to “kasapi” (member), to cover everybody who should
be given a space on the site, and not just the natives.
This way, the non-Mambulaoans would feel at ease of not
being discriminated or kicked out.
But this was allegedly turned down by the majority and
having been spurned in his suggestion, he is inclined to quit the site and shut
his mouth.
Personally, I resent this house rule for being unjust and
divisive.
We should remember that when the Internet came into what it
is as we know it now, its creators/ designers had in mind the wide world around
us and knocked down all barriers of communication between nations, between
races, between entities –both human and those created by laws – and between
human beings.
The exchange of ideas took place instantly-- not in two
seconds, but instantly.
This is why Mambulaoans and those “who don’t belong” but
with a thing or two to share by way or a posting on the JPCN Group Facebook
site, have been encouraged to join in the debate and fray – whether it is about
politics, social issues, economics -- or
just to simply text a plain and colorless “hi” or “hello” to fellow Facebookers.
Now, some smart guys in the core group wanted this undone by
barring non-Mambulaons from the roster.
The agenda is to make the website a pure Mambulaoan affair
and send the “outsiders” instead to a website they can only half-appreciate,
simply because they are being removed from where the real action is and
relegated to a box where they could be easily confined alongside their
political sentiments, anger, frustrations and all.
Clearly, this is negating the purpose of the Internet, which
is opening the line of lightning-speed communication between and among human
being
If I were to create a new Facebook group, I would certainly
open it to people with hearts for, and interest in, Mambulao, and let them talk
and get mad.
This will make the site a better place to be, as it will
give them a natural habitat, with a climate of ease and tolerance for their
great ideas as well as concern for our beloved Mambulao.
Who knows, this could be a cauldron where ideas are boiled
to high heat, thus processing a workable solution to the problems now besetting Mambulao and its
people.
And I am very sure the potential “joiners” are many,
including those who are now listed under JPCN Group.
But sadly, I won’t do it.
One new website of this brand would just crowd out the rest,
adding more to confusion.
And detractors would immediately brand this as “divisive”.
But look who’s talking!
For reaction, email: ahernandez@thenational.com.pg
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