Logo of the JPCN Group Facebook site. - Photo courtesy of
JPCN Facebook
By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A STORM is blowing over the Facebook group of Mambulaoans
after one of the site’s administrators protested the way the others in the core
group have wanted to carry out their house rules.
Jessie Obrero Lumapag, of Plaridel, Mambulao/Middle East
told MWBuzz that co-administrators Jasper Rinon Leona, Jovito Legarde Bermudez
and Romulo Evia supported the creation of another FB group where members could
post messages on politics and carry out the usual online debates and arguments
that usually resulted in animosity and exchanged of insults among site members.
Obrero also said he was incensed when he learned that at
least three among the administrators allegedly ruled that only those who are
“natives” of Mambulao could join the exchange of messages on the group’s site.
He said the ruling was posted on the JPCN Group.
“Those who are non-Mambulaoans who felt offended by this
ruling could quit and form their own group for their post exchanges,” he
recently posted, quoting the administrators, to forewarn the site members.
Obrero has argued for the change of the word “mamamayan”
(residents) to “kasapi” (members) of the group, to cover not only native
Mambulaoans in the group but also those non-native members.
The effect is that every member could post on the JPCN
website and not only native Mambulaoans, he said.
Leona denied Obrero’s claim, saying that it was just his
“personal opinion” as well as a “suggestion” and did not involved the other
administrators, and therefore, neither binding nor enforceable.
He protested Obrero’s move to post on the site his opinion
as being the group’s “final decision”.
“This is not true,” he Leona said.
Aldrin Toribio, the chief administrator and who created the
group, has remained neutral to avoid fuelling the row further and instead,
encouraged the feuding co-administrators to slow down and focus on the
development goals of the website called Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte group.
The arguments over rules stemmed from an earlier posting
from Bermudez who commented in one of his postings that the JPFB group has
become a page for only 10 per cent of its 1800 members overseas and elsewhere
in the Philippines.
He said: Just an observation … although we have almost 1,800
members, it seems that this fb group page is becoming a page of the few… parang
nagiging parallel sa sanguniang bayan …parang nagging isang mini congress or
senate, parang konti na lang ang nagpaparticipate sa discussion.
“Palang wala naring nagpaparticipate from among the local
residents in Mambulao lalo na ang kabataan … wala ng nagbabatian, wala ng light
news, konti na lang ang promotion sa local tourism.
“I can just speculate that the other members are thinking
that this page becomes anelite group… or maybe they are not interested on some
issues …”
Lumapag pointed out that he opposed the group’s move to
transfer to a newly-created FB page postings on political matters and related
issues alongside debates that would result from it.
He said that he has encouraged a number of his friends in
the Middle East to join the group as one way of boosting its number.
“But with the recent ruling, I am inclined to urge them to
quit the page.
One of the collateral casualties from the squabbling was
Samuel Tatom, an officer of the LaPIMA (Laking PIM Ako), who decided to quit
the group, according to sources.
It was not clear if he will also urge the Lapima members of
the site to delist.
For feedback, email the blogger:
ahernandez@thenational.com.pg
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