A Senator despised the blogger
By airkulet
@airkulet (2700)
Philippines
August 16, 2012 11:01pm CST
If you are a blogger will you get mad if your works wont quote as a source of information and not only that you are underestimated with what you do.
Lately the Senator of the Philippines Tito Sotto make his speech of his Anti-RH Bill and presented a long paragraph of words taken without any alteration from the US blogger's post. His presentation by that time is actually sympathize by many because he cried about it which reminds him that he lost a son long ago.
Not until a blogger from the Philippines discovered that his long speech were taken from another blogger base in the US. But when the senator were interviewed about the incident, he did not say sorry about it and make a lame excuse that he quoted another person on his speech and not the blogger itself, saying "Why would I quote a blogger, that's only a blogger" (translated).
I was wondering on why a senator like him win in the election, when it looks like he only hire someone to do his job. It was obvious that the speech he make was just copy paste and did not made any research about it. I am also fussed if he also lied about his lost son. What do you think mylotters, can we also file plagiarism to the makers of law?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
In fairness to the senator , it wasn't really him who committed the mistake of not giving credit as to whose blog or article were some excerpts or opinions in his speech were taken.
It was the lawyer/staff of the senator who actually accepted that mistake.
Nevertheless, the senator should at least say sorry his staff erred or he just don't like everyone to know that it wasn't really his speech, but his staff's.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
18 Aug 12
In my opinion, even if the internet is a public domain, we should also give credits to those whose articles from whom we get some opinions.
He, being a senator should know that as a public servant, he should be humble enough to admit some mistakes..
@airkulet (2700)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
And that was actually the saddest part of this whole scandal, how can he not check where it all came from, in addition they still don't give credit to Sara Pope the US blogger that the his staff stole articles.
Ive seen the news tonight and they claimed that internet is a public domain and anyone can take it, what a shame and they even call the blogger as onion skin, I am a blogger too and it hurts also my feelings. I say that most bloggers are professional and not what they think we are.
@enelym001 (8322)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
And he wasn't felt any embarrassment when someone found out about it?
Uh-oh! if that was me I'd feel so ashamed. As a senator, even if you have an assistant preparing for your speech I would still take time to check whether it is something I would want to tell the world. Maybe it touches him and had remembered his lost son... but then again, nowadays, there were a lot of written articles, experiences which are so easy to copy on the internet. I would say that whomever did his speech, him or his assistant, must at least quote the one who wrote it. No need to mention names just their source. Doing such, I bet there will be no one to question him.
1 person likes this
@luntian_grace (1373)
• Philippines
20 Aug 12
i felt sorry for my uncle... he should have ask me to write his speech and he knows i don't charge a centavo. i feel more disgrace to think that granddad is advocating against plagiarism... and in just one speech he just throw away what granddad has achieve over the years. respect on the field of writing.
i know sorry is not enough but i think that he should have the balls to apologize to the great woman and say... she has better ideas than i have though she is a blogger. it's humility that uncle should learn first especially he is in public service.
@joliefille (3690)
• Philippines
21 Aug 12
I saw this in the news and I said to myself, how embarrassing! Plus his staff defended him, saying all sorts of things just like you mentioned. The fact is it was so obvious his speech was copied from that blogger's post. They made alibis to get around it and make it look like it is not their fault. What is so wrong about admitting sorry? He should have at least quoted the blogger, that would have been fine. But they have to try to go around justifying that it wasn't a case of plagiarism. Ugh. Hate those kinds of people. If his speech writer found that blogger post about the RH Bill, then the senator should probably fire him or her. Again, it's very embarrassing. They are making the issue bigger by not admitting their mistake.
@luntian_grace (1373)
• Philippines
20 Aug 12
i know what the writer must felt when she realize that her work was copied and the fool that did the crime think that he can get away with it...
the thing is you have no idea how deep this would hurt not unless you have tried it yourself...
sometimes at the back you mind you will ask what a nerve that this guy did. and to think that he won't be caught is like really something. he should be be charge... but hey i don't do those kind of stuffs... humiliation is something better... you just have to show up where you can be publicly be with him... point a finger and shout with every thing you've got... SHAME! and please do it with a face. lol!
sure that would teach him a lesson...
1 person likes this
@seriousnuts (508)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
It's a shame that a senator committed plagiarism and used it for his own speech. Instead of apologizing, he even despised the blogger. I am also a blogger and I would really hate it if someone would steal my work and belittle me as a mere blogger. At least that 'mere' blogger he plagiarized knew how to quote her source accordingly, yet a senator like him doesn't even know what plagiarism is! How could we trust this person and the causes his fighting for after this event? I hope he would just stop making lame excuses and apologize to the blogger right away.
1 person likes this
@airkulet (2700)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
I am a blogger too, maybe Senator doesn't know how this will give impact to his credibility next election, as a blogger my vote will not goes to him because people like him had a small brain to belittle a person's advocate like us, and I am apologizing to Sara Pope the one who get dragged about his speech. Plagiarizing is a crime, same as stealing
@Raine38 (12250)
• United States
17 Aug 12
I believe in giving credit to where it's due. And getting or using something that isn't yours and without the knowledge and permission of the rightful owner can be classified as stealing. And that is so wrong in all counts.
He should have been more careful and conscious of what he do, he is a public figure, a public servant and thus, being looked highly upon and expected to be of respectable demeanor that is befitting the Office of the Senate.
@emdjay23 (1575)
• Philippines
17 Aug 12
The thing that Senator Sotto did was oout of line, knowing that what he said was on a bloggers point of view. He didn't think before saying something like that, I am an aspiring blogger and hearing those things froma respected politicianis very painful knowing that as a person who wrote that blog has to ubdergo a lot of thinking and made tremendous effort in writing such article, all of a sudden someone from the higher ranking would just neglect mentioning it. Stealer is what I quote for him.
@lampar (7584)
• United States
17 Aug 12
He probably has skin thicker than leather, i will be ashamed if someone pointed to me i had committed plagiarsm by copy and paste the whole article/statement directly from a blogger, without checking all his facts first and decide whether it is the truth or not. He may be one of the few unique law makers that like to think he is an extraordinary human being, it never stop amaze me the level of shamelessness he has inside himself. Doh!!!! 
@divineathena (1746)
• United States
20 Aug 12
I am not surprised by this. In many Asian countries, there seems to be a tradition that everything found online is free for all. It does not have to be just a blogger's post. It is almost everything.
Actually, you guys can directly contact the owner of that blog and let him know that his work was plagiarized by the senator. The rest will depend on what they want to do. And actually, what I see online is that only the owner and his lawyer have the right to file DMCA notice. No one else can do it. I suppose the blogger is in luck for some prosperity. Senators usually have a lot of money.
