My Bad Experience With The FB Group “Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito”

Hi guys!

Share ko lang sana yung bad experience ko sa FB group na Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito (BMSD).

I'm a newbie photographer and blogger BTW. I first encountered this group sa Quiapo Goes Anime event sa Hidalgo Street, Quiapo last June 23, 2012. I was there to participate in the photo-contest and to listen to the free workshops by Jay Tablante and Ricky Ladia.

Then a certain Mel Cortez spoke to the crowd about his advocacy called "Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito". So the talk was good and I bought the bag tag worth P50 as a sign of participation to their cause. Then I mentioned his name and his advocacy on my blog. I also wrote an article about my experience with a security guard at Rockwell telling my readers that I experienced being told "sir, bawal pong mag-shoot dito". So feeling ko, I was with the same ground as everyone in the group.

I joined their FB group and I was scheduled to attend their monthly photo-walk in Luneta. Unfortunately it was cancelled. So I decided to join the next event. I read their previous FB posts and threads, read their guidelines and I noticed that there are A LOT of OT (out-of-topic) discussions. 

There was this particular thread that discusses the recent rally on Pnoy's SONA. An alleged church person posted his pictures with bruises, which according to him, he got from the rally. So I asked what a church person (like him) doing on a rally like that. I said why not just focus on praying in the church instead of participating in the rally. I said he ended up whining about his bruises instead and I asked him to label himself as a raliyista instead of a church person if he attends such event. And I advised him to stop whining about his injuries since it's expected anyway.

It went downhill from there. Members of the group started calling me an agent of DoT (Department of Tourism), a "makakaliwa", a TROLL, gay (well it's true anyway), “pasikat”, and being paid (by DoT) to abstain from blogging against our government. Then I commented "ang tarush naman" to one of Mel Cortez's comment. He told me "bawal ang sward speak dito". I replied "ganun? akala ko mag-shoot lang ang bawal dito" (making a pun to the name of the group). From that point, I know that Mel Cortez is a bit homophobic and that A LOT of the members of that group have discrimination to gays like me.

My other comments include my hypothesis of "conflict of interest" with Mel Cortez's supposed to be advocacy group because he solicited votes from the members when he run for a post (director I believe) to the recent election of the PPP (Press Photographers of the Philippines). I also received a lot of name-calling for this.

I also shared a positive experience with the Make It Makati on their FB page. I advised the members not to go mad with the security guards since they're just doing their jobs and are just following orders. I urge the members to write their congressmen, government officials to make certain legislative measures so that photographers will be allowed to shoot in public places within their areas. My story was taken down the next day.

I also commented on a blogger's post wherein he encourages his blog readers to the Laguna Blogger's Club event but on the Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito (BMSD) page, he's questioning and complaining about the support of the DoT on this kind of (blogging) events but not on the events or complaints by BMSD. So I said to the blogger "why not rename your blog title to address your complaint to DoT instead of inviting your blog readers to the event which looks like you're promoting the event". That's when I got comments that I'm from someone in the DoT trying to infiltrate their group.

I really felt that the BMSD group is a composed mostly of raliyista who keeps complaining about the government (every government that governs this country). No president or tourism secretary can satisfy their demands. They are paranoid to someone who speaks positively about what the government is doing. One thing more: they keep on calling Mel Cortez as "Supremo" as if hailing him for his advocacy as the BEST thing that happened to photography in the Philippines.

Well of course, there are also members of Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito (BMSD) who really gave their unbiased opinion on the comments that I made. I also gain some support from newbie members of that FB group regarding my comments about how the group is doing. I thank those members of BMSD that really stood up for their opinion (even if it somehow supports mine).

Overall, I see that the Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito (BMSD) FB group is really not good at accepting criticism. They rather kicked me of the group (which they did) than handle criticism or comments. I pity such group that can't handle criticism. After all, in ANY group, there is always an opposition. It is up to the majority of the group to handle such criticism in a humane manner (and it doesn't include name-calling and expulsion).

Elmer

P.S. These are all personal opinion of mine about the group Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito and it’s founder, Mel Cortez. Just my two cents.

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