A Tribute Due To A Son

By: Atty. Marlo T. Cristobal

Dear Byron,

I have long wanted to send this commendation via a private text, but after listening to your above vlog last night, l felt a strong urge to send this message to you right away but this time in a manner public because of the savage and hard lessons you were imparting to social media practitioners in general and to vloggers in particular.

If you will recall, in your struggling days of vlogging under your nom de guerre “Banat By” l strongly advised you to stick strictly to what is true, to what is just, and to what is fair. For in those days, social media appeared to be plain false or fake news that was totally boring and corny, if not contemptible, to me — yet very entertaining and exciting to many. It has become the pervasive contrivance of the century that has swept off the feet of humanity, in a mind-blowing intensity of people’s preoccupation with it, no different from the adoring intensity of Elvis Presley fans that electrified phenomenally the youth of entire America, if not the entire world, in the 50s and 60s, to the unusual consternation, however, of the elders of that time. Elvis and the social media have thus both commanded the fixation of the world population, differing perhaps only in intensity.  In my words to you then, social media was as if an idea whose time had come, and, hence, its mighty flourishing was utterly unstoppable.

But, at the same time, l entertained the apprehension that social media might eventually lose its dazzle and drawing power due to its pervasive fakery, and so came my advice to you to set high the standards of vlogging by adhering only to the truth, justice, and fairness despite these values weak viewership compared to the overwhelming following of fake news and gossips that became tempting to vloggers as these were the contents that people preferred to lap up and that consequently brought home the big money for these vloggers. But l argued that truth, justice and fairness are divine will and have their own inherent audience no matter how small.

As they say, the rest is history. With your impeccable logic and demolishing argumentation, you strategically empowered truth and justice that made people see the heartwarming and edifying beauty after all of these godly values, resulting in the tremendous increase in your viewership and catapulting you into the honor of a top-ranking vlogger in the country. On top of this, you were awarded by an American organization for your effective vlogging that merited an unscheduled trip for me, your Tita and you to California, USA, to render your ceremonial bow to the organization bestower of the prestigious award. This beautiful and happy event will be etched in my memory — forever.

Driven by a desire to unravel the truth, you do not hesitate putting both your friends and foes alike in the crosshairs to expose their folly or foresight. We share this virtue of brutally frank and honest, but we differ in that you have this virtue out of honest conviction or principle and l have mine out of super senior age and thus perhaps of sheer imprudence or recklessness on my part. If that vlogger subject of your logical discourse in the video program above is the same old collaborator-friend of yours that l know way back in your campaign for the presidency of lsko Moreno, then your courage is absolutely remarkable, the very same courage you displayed in rejecting a really big time money that you confided to me you were offered on various occasions to induce you to stop your critical commentaries.

Your sustained no-nonsense and hard assault on corruption and shenanigans in government eventually brought you to the crosshairs of assassins and caused you to end up the object of libel suits for many counts in at least two cases instigated by men of stunning money and awesome power. Worry not for they come with the territory of vloggers too famous and eminent to ignore.

I understand that you have inculcated the strict ethic and standards of your vlogging in a group of vloggers you created, now popularly known as the Banateros Brothers, for their rigorous adherence thereto.

Your timing is flawless. Social media is in a feverish development and influence and your Banateros Brothers are at the crest of its tsunami, riding on the surfing board of truth and justice. You and your Banateros vloggers also come at the best and ideal time when social media is clearly taking over the traditional function of mainstream media (6 of them at least) and relegating the latter into the dustbin of history. Social media is now the real spokesman of the people and the ideal and real defender of truth and justice because vloggers are not beholden to any employer or business interests. They are themselves the captain of their souls and the master of their fates.

At my old age, l have regularly witnessed how our mainstream media — for any perceived anomalies or shenanigans — has excoriated no end, every president and government year in and year out from my elementary grade in the 50s up to about 2 years ago. Now it has become blind and mum suddenly and incredibly to the government’s mangling of truth, justice and people’s democratic freedoms, for reasons of — that’s anybody’s guess. When the truth is too obvious to ignore, mainstream media is quick to twist it. An upright man can easily see, hear and smell the truth. We are lucky that indeed social media is born and now bound to give hell to mainstream media as it takes over to tell the whole world the truth.

You and Your Banateros Brothers have on your shoulders an awesome responsibility to the people to speak for them and serve their interests. I am very proud of you for what you have achieved so far and how you carried yourself in the social media. But watch out for your up and coming elder brother, Oliver (nom de guerre, “Coach Oli“), he may be a Johnny come lately in the vlogging world and lacks your engaging showmanship, but he displays flashes of depth and savviness in his commentaries, in his own different style. It is no wonder then that he was also recently bestowed an award for effective vlogging and is due to receive this award next month in the U.S.A. ln time, you will find your brother Oliver your worthy competitor. When the latter event comes, my pride and honor will be unmatched by any other father’s.

What you stood for and stood against in the name of truth and justice in the social media, my hats off to you for a job well done, Byron. Keep up the good work, anak.

Nonetheless, for everything you have and have done, don’t miss to say, To God Be The Glory, in pursuance of His counsel, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, RSV)

Your pride bristling Dad.