Summary
4 September 2012
A Philippine senator has found himself at the centre of a storm of criticism, over accusations that he lifted parts of a controversial speech straight from an American woman's blog. Senate Majority Leader Vincente Sotto has insisted he did nothing wrong, but some Philippine citizens have questioned the validity of the senator's arguments, given the alleged unusual source material.
Reporter:
Kate McGeown
Listen
Click to hear the report
Report
Senator Vincente Sotto's speech initially made headlines for very different reasons. He was speaking out against a bill promoting free birth control - a divisive subject in this strictly Catholic country. Shedding tears, he said he believed that his baby son had died three decades ago because his wife had been pregnant while taking the contraceptive pill.
Pictures of his emotional address made the front pages of most newspapers. But soon after Mr Sotto gave his speech, a pro-birth control researcher discovered that a large chunk of it - the part where the senator gave evidence to back up his claim - came from a blog called the Healthy Home Economist.
The blogger, an American woman called Sarah Pope, who has no medical training, says she doesn't agree with Senator Sotto's position and claims that he twisted her words. The senator has responded to the growing online attacks against him by saying he's a victim of cyber-bullying.
Listen
Click to hear the vocabulary
Vocabulary
- speaking out against
criticising
- birth control
contraception
- divisive subject
something which people have different opinions about
- address
speech
- chunk
part
- blog
website which features a writer's own opnions and thoughts
- twisted her words
changed the meaning of what she said
- cyber-bullying
using the internet to hurt or intimidate others
- reckless
thoughtless, careless
- vacuum
emptiness
