First, let me extend a very warm welcome to the many new Filipino readers that have discovered this blog in the past 24 hours. My husband is from Australia, so I do get down to that part of the world on occasion and I hope to visit your beautiful country at some point in the future.
It is great to have you here, although the circumstances of our meeting are, to say the least, unusual.
It seems one of your esteemed Senators, Tito Sotto, plagiarized a blog post I wrote on February 23, 2011 entitled How The Pill Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health, lifting entire sections of the article basically word for word that was delivered in a speech to the Senate Floor regarding the possible passage of the highly controversial Reproductive Health Bill.
What’s worse, Senator Sotto is denying the charge of plagiarism, saying in an interview with ABS-CBN:
“Why would I quote the blogger? I was quoting Natasha McBride.”
Nice touch Senator. Â You almost had me convinced you were a nice guy with the tears and all.
Many of your citizens have emailed me assuring me that was a put on, and I’m starting to think they are right.
A thief is a thief, Mr. Senator. Â Denying it doesn’t get you off the hook; it just makes you a lying thief.
On the bright side, I am thrilled that your lapse of moral judgment has brought much-needed attention to the fact that the birth control pill can have devastating consequences to a woman’s long term health and possibly those of her children and even grandchildren.  Gut dysbiosis is a serious condition that has multi-generational consequences that women need to be educated about and completely aware of before making the very personal decision to use them.
It was indeed brave of you to take this controversial position. Â Kudos to you for that.
By the way, I am truly sorry for the loss of your son.
As the mother of two sons myself, I can only imagine the pain and devastation you have felt from such an experience.
While this has been a highly charged and hopefully enlightening experience for all involved, it’s time now to set the drama aside and get back to fighting the good fight by continuing to educate people about how their food and pharma choices affect not only themselves but also those they dearly love.
And although my attorney will likely try to persuade me otherwise, for now I’m moving on as I’ve got work to do.
Women of the Philippines: I am terribly sorry my blog was used and twisted against you. You deserve the choice to use The Pill if you want or need to based on your particular circumstances. While I want you to know that this choice has health consequences as does the decision to use any pharmaceutical drug, I in no way would ever condone taking this choice away from you! Â Mabuhay!
Wow, Sarah, on so many levels, Wow! Part of me thinks, “I’d love to be such a well-read blogger that someone copies my work!” But as a former journalist and editor, plagiarism is terribly vexing…you are right to be irked. And the issue of the pill…yikes! The pill is so, so dangerous. But so are government mandates and regulations. We need to tell the truth, to share concern and info so people can make the right choices! Education, never coercion! Good work, Sarah.
Hi Sarah.
Sorry about our senator and lawyer. I assure you not all Filipinos are that stupid. I used to write for my highschool and college newspaper and I always am reminded to mention my source if I am to use an idea or a quotation that is not mine. Simply speaking, that fact that they acknowledged your blogged, means they know you exist, they know what you wrote, and they know what they were doing. Now these people surely went to college and at some point had to create a thesis to pass. Seriously, weren’t they taught that need CITATIONS because surely they had to “borrow” ideas from other authors? This is basically the same thing. Doesn’t really matter if the idea came from a century-old author or a teenage blogger. If you “borrow” an idea, you CITE it
Esteemed is not really the type of word i would describe Sen. Sotto, I myself is even wondering why he’s in senate.I like your blogg so much, read a few of your articles already. you’re a brilliant woman. I suggest you go on with what your doing,continue enlightening people
atty. villacorta is just doing his job guys, just like any other as$h*le and crook lawyer… ang lumusot hangga’t makakalusot kahit huli na sa akto 🙂
The problem with Mr. Senator Vicente Sotto III is that he is also an actor in the Philippines. We cannot really say if he is truly telling a truth or bravely telling a lie. Or perhaps he is acting super super (with emphasis) dramatically infront of his fellow Philippine senators in order to convince them and be able to win their sympathy.
You are now in a very disadvantageous position Mr. Tito Sen (as you are famously called back home), because your credibity has been tarnished. It tantamounts to distrust you not only by your fellow senators but also by the majority of the POOR Filipino people like us.
Next time Mr. Tito Sen, be respectful enough to use proper referencing as we strictly do here in North America.
By the way, there is ONE thing I want to THANK you Mr. Tito Sen. Because of the controversy of your much awaited senate speech, I have learned to know this beautiful webblog of Ms. Sarah Pope.
This only goes to show the incompetence of persons being voted upon by the people. Plagiarism, denial and lies are but only of a few things a lot of politicians here in the Philippines do. And to whom does this reflect? Not of Sotto’s, but us as a people. I am a Filipino, and proud of it. But I am not proud of “some” Filipinos and the way they live their lives.
Election 2013 is just around the corner. Hopefully this would serve as a wake up call for all Filipinos to make wiser choices among people vying for positions in the government.
Funny how my comment never showed up here.
hmmm…
http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2011/09/recalling-senator-tito-sottos-pepsi-paloma-connection/
Tito Sotto’s manipulation of the law seems to be in his blood apparently. Just read the despicable story of his maternal uncle…here’s one link: http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1964/may1964/gr_l-10774_1964.html
Sotto’s dark family history will one day catch up on him and his future generations, not just with the Monroy case but also that of Pepsi Paloma (http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2011/09/recalling-senator-tito-sottos-pepsi-paloma-connection/)