Jejomar Contawe recently became a target of cyberbullying after he posted his candid graduation photo with a message addressing his gratitude for the taxpayers with a diss to the government. He recently finished his BA in Communication from Tarlac University with a portfolio of awards and calls himself an activist, not a terrorist.

With a message that appeals to the mass about his gratitude for the Filipino taxpayers for the funding he received at a state-owned university, he did not hold back in expressing his full sentiments on the real issues of the society. “No, we owe nothing to, and are not scholars of, the Duterte government,” he stated. “What do we proudly call ourselves instead? iskolar ng bayan”.

He went on with a long prose that tackles the injustices he witnessed that led to the woke community of today that he takes pride in; that as a youth, awareness is important. While his photo comes off with a blatant word for the government, he adds context to his act to clarify where his rage and arrogance, for the people who see it, are coming from. And that is a show of his candor and dedication to exercise his democratic rights for freedom of speech to discuss the social injustices and government incompetence from his perspective. He takes notes of false promises of economic progress, and the crimeless and corruption-free regime that the government swore to inhibit but unfortunately remains rampant until today.

“What and who must we defend? The Philippine Constitution,” he exclaims. Taking heed of his dedication as a citizen of a democratic country, he stands up to take part in the discussion of our society as a voice for the youth.

And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. While his call for awareness comes with good intentions, several netizens find fault in his words and actions. Calling him “ungrateful”, linking him to NPA-related actions, a whiny woke, and more degrading notions, Jejomar remained adamant about his deed. The unforgiving social media, most especially the trolls and the die-hard admin supporters, ganged up on him with a series of life and employment threats, belittling remarks, and spam messages. 

So with another statement, Jejomar once again stood for his right and kept his cool about his situation.

Even with the Anti-Terrorism Act in full effect, it didn’t hinder Jejomar to express his words despite the probable branding of a terrorist just by being vocal about his concerns. Despite his calm demeanor amidst the overflowing judgment he received, he still was honest being angry about the rampant cyberbullying, NPA-labeling, and the ever-going stigma on mental health issues that he has witnessed through the years. “I desperately wish even more that we would channel our rage and anger instead towards injustices and the power-hungry politicians in this country, and not towards citizens complaining against them,” he bares. 

Even though he received advice on filing for cyberbullying complaints, he only wished for people to look into the bigger issues than keeping mum on critical situations. He exclaims, “Because whatever we think of activists and the purposefully ever-complaining ‘wokes’, criticizing our government, be it protesting in the streets or on social media, is a legitimate exercise of democratic freedom.” He apologized for the uncalled word he labeled the government but still believes in the right to express his dismay.

As much as many netizens criticized him for his lack of gratitude for the government, it was for a fact true that it was the taxpayers who paid for his education. The funds came from the people and not from the personal pockets of government officials, much so, the president. It’s important that people remember that the government works for the people and that we elected them to do their job. And while Jejomar’s words reflect hard truths with a punch of big words, there’s a call for awareness that lies in his statements.

In the sea of trolls in social media, finding the strength to express can be exhausting. But only with a sound and smart mind can one fully break the rabid noise of baseless and one-sided bullying.