Mr Lee Posted October 8, 2011 Posted October 8, 2011 It is my opinion that whenever possible we should make sure that info we give out on this forum is correct to the best of our knowledge.I do not know the laws of the Philippines off the back of my head, so I look them up and provide the actual law when telling a member something is illegal, yet even I had been wrong in the past when one law I quoted was old and a newer one replaced it, so reading the Bella Ruby Santos news got me to thinking. What if Bella Ruby Santos and Ian Griffith are forum members of this forum or others, and what if they had been reading a forum, not necessarily this one, just a forum, and got bad info which lead Bella to make a bad decision and run because she read that she would rot in jail for years without the possibility of bail and never be brought to trial unless Ian was extradited to the Philippines, and some said that will never happen because his country would not allow it. What if Bella or Ian did not listen to their lawyer who told her it was a bailable offense because the evidence was weak, and instead listened to the chatter on the forums and thought the forums were correct since many Filipinos look up to foreigners, so we must know what we are talking about. :( OK, I know that is a lot of what if's and I am just using that case as an example, but I ask, should any of us give law info we believe to be correct without first checking the actual law? Should we quote statues without quoting the whole statue? I have no idea what is correct in this case or even about Philippine law other than what I can look up, and we all know a lot is bs in the news, but my point is that I (stupid me) at first took another posters word for the fact that her crime was a non bailable offense, and now based on what her lawyer is saying in the news, it would seem that it is bailable if evidence is not strong, and since everyone says all they have is circumstantial evidence, wouldn't Bella have been better off facing the music since her attorney said he has a strong case of innocence, and possibly by now 3 months later, she may have already been proven innocent. :unsure: All the above is conjecture and I know that innocent people end up in jail even back in the US, so I know it could also happen in the Philippines, but I believe there must be appeals in the Philippines should that happen, maybe someone knows and can quote the actual law?? As I have said in the past, I believe that people with money can get a fair trial, and I hope Ms Santos gets a fair trial, and if she is innocent, then I hope she will be proven to be innocent, so they can go on and look for the real killers, if Bella and Ian are not them. Now please understand that I am not calling anyone to task on this because I still do not know if the law below has been updated or if I am missing something, what I am saying is that we all should quote laws or sources when making claims, so that someone reading this forum will know that what we are saying must be true and not something we thought it was. I can only hope that this will be a lesson for us all, if it is proven that info posted on this forum and other forums was incorrect. As I write this, I wonder if I ever made the same mistake, I must have. :unsure: So how many people on this forum thought what they were reading on forums about this case was gospel, of course leaving the info in the news reports as iffy because we all know those are not totally reliable. I wonder why no one including me took the time to look up the actual constitution. 1987 constitution ARTICLE III BILL OF RIGHTS Section 1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws. Section 13. All persons, except those charged with offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua when evidence of guilt is strong, shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, or be released on recognizance as may be provided by law. The right to bail shall not be impaired even when the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended. Excessive bail shall not be required. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) What about all of the Immigration laws and policies over the internet? There are so many outdated different Republic Acts, revisions and memorandums to shake a stick at! One almost has to search every bit of information just to find the correct updated version or get screwed relying on the wrong version! Criminal law information is sort of cut and dry and almost written into stone by now, where as immigration laws constantly changes often on the whims of the Philippine Government in how they can stick to foreigners and locals in order to generate extra revenue for their country or for those corrupt immigration/customs government officials with deep pockets! Edited October 9, 2011 by Art2ro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 My personal, preferred method of posting serious info has 'me' asking 'myself' 3 questions: Is what I am about to post my opinion only? Is it something I believe to be true based on what I have read and heard but no actual experience? Is it something I know to be true based on personal experience. When I have answered that, I try to get my answer across in my post without actually saying IMHO or 'this is my actual experience' every time I post. I guess that is 'artistic license' and if we did not accept that then no one would post. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) That's deep Dave, but I'll read anything you post even with you saying "IMHO or this is my actual experience" every time, because you are being "honest" about it and that's good enough in my book! Edited October 9, 2011 by Art2ro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) My personal, preferred method of posting serious info has 'me' asking 'myself' 3 questions: Is what I am about to post my opinion only? Is it something I believe to be true based on what I have read and heard but no actual experience? Is it something I know to be true based on personal experience. When I have answered that, I try to get my answer across in my post without actually saying IMHO or 'this is my actual experience' every time I post. I guess that is 'artistic license' and if we did not accept that then no one would post.Excellent points Dave! I don't believe I have ever used "IMHO". Most of my comments are basedon my reading and understanding of well entrenched columnists of major Philippine news media,such as Ramon Tulfo of PDI. I also have the blessing of living in both worlds as a Filipino-Americanto support my first person experiences. Regarding Philippine and American laws, I would like torefrain from citing them, since they can be interpret differently, even by lawyers and politicians. Respectfully -- Jake Edited October 9, 2011 by Jake spill chek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 My personal, preferred method of posting serious info has 'me' asking 'myself' 3 questions: Is what I am about to post my opinion only? Is it something I believe to be true based on what I have read and heard but no actual experience? Is it something I know to be true based on personal experience. When I have answered that, I try to get my answer across in my post without actually saying IMHO or 'this is my actual experience' every time I post. I guess that is 'artistic license' and if we did not accept that then no one would post.Excellent points Dave! I don't believe I have ever used "IMHO". Most of my comments are basedon my reading and understanding of well entrenched columnists of major Philippine news media,such as Ramon Tulfo of PDI. I also have the luxury of living in both worlds as a Filipino-Americanto support my first person experiences. Regarding Philippine and American laws, I would like torefrain from citing them, since they can be interpret differently, even by lawyers and politicians. Respectfully -- Jake Jake,IMHO, I miss seeing you and Judy's happy smiles on your avatar! Did Lee's post scare you about identity theft? Sorry for getting off topic! I was shocked not in seeing both of your nice smiling faces on your avatar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpo Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 As long as I make my posts while I am still some what sober then I do not worry about it much. I have however gone back at times to read some of my past posts and wondered what the hell I was thinking at the time. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted October 9, 2011 Author Posted October 9, 2011 That is my point, if something is in a persons opinion, then it should be written as such. We want people to state their opinions and experiences, that is what forums are about, but I do not think we want people making statements which are untrue. No one should trust their life on a forums post without confirming it by doing an internet search, so if we post that say TSA says you can carry this or that, and provide a link, then even if the link info is outdated and the member prints the info the link brings them to and carries it with them while traveling, they would most likely not get arrested for carrying said item because they could produce the printed material and say this is why I thought it was OK to have, so the worst that might happen is the item is taken away, whereas the alternative could be jail time with the person saying but I read it on this or that forum. I would just hate a person to end up in jail because a member makes a statement that cannot be backed up, so from now on I will challenge (in a nice way) members to provide links when they make an out and out statement as if something is fact, and I would like to see others do the same thing. While none of us can be held liable for an inaccurate statement, I have to sleep at night and would hate knowing I was responsible for someone making a huge mistake. I remember way back on another forum where members where telling people that Cebu is a paradise, and while it may be for some, :unsure: it is my opinion that the definition of paradise does not fit Cebu or any place I have been in the Philippines. I remember reading on another forum where a member got off his long plane ride in Mactan and getting back on the forum as soon as he got to a hotel, and then asking "is all of Cebu like it was from the airport to my hotel," and then saying he will be leaving the next day. So that forum did him an injustice IMO. Fair and balanced and honest is what I think forums should be about. Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and idleness. It is often used in the same context as that of utopia. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norseman Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Being on many forums over the years people give wrong and bad advice all the time. It is the nature of forums. You can trust what you read but if you fail to verify it, then it may be wrong. No matter who posts it do your own research. You got as far as the forum on the internet, let google take you the rest of the way. Edited October 9, 2011 by Norseman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted October 9, 2011 Posted October 9, 2011 Being on many forums over the years people give wrong and bad advice all the time. It is the nature of forums. You can trust what you read but if you fail to verify it, then it may be wrong. No matter who posts it do your own research. You got as far as the forum on the internet, let google take you the rest of the way.Excellent point Norseman -- we look forward to your comments and suggestions. This forum may berelatively small but I believe we are the best one in town. Advice(s) such as yours can only enrich newmembers from being stressed out upon arrival to my native land. By the way, I understand you have some background in electronics. Same here, retired from USN asETCM after 21 years in the canoe club. Respectfully -- Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts