‘Marites’

Legal eagles, most often than not, avoid information received from other people that cannot be adequately substantiated or not known to be true. It’s called hearsay, rumor, gossip, chismis or chismax.
They are like a flame blown by the wind, says Batson, while they are the oldest form of mass media, says Kapferer.
Everyday of our lives, we meet Marites, short for “Mare, anong latest?” Mike Limbo says there is also Marietta or “Mare, ito pa!” Marisol – mareng tagasulsol, Marrisa – “Mare, may isa pa,” Maris – “Mare ano tsismis?” and Marina – “Mare ano na?”
A man was charged for cyberlibel for posting a man was a thief, which turned out later to be false. During the hearing, the judge asked him why he spread rumors and he replied, “I was just commenting. It didn’t harm anyone.”
The judge ordered him “to write down all the posts you made in a coupon bond and thereafter cut them to pieces and on your way home, throw them out.”
Next day when he came back to court, the judge said, “Go back out there and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw.”
The accused protested saying the wind must have blown them away.
The wise judge then said, “Same way, when you post something negative about someone which may destroy his honor and reputation to the extent that he may not be able to pick up the pieces and fix it.”
I remember the wife of a congressman who asked her mahjong amigas, “Mare, mare ano kaya ang pinag-uusapan ng mga mister natin ‘pag sila ay nagsasama-sama?”
The mare-tes replies, “E‘di pareho din ng pinag-uusapan natin ‘pag tayo ay nagsasama sama!”
Immediately, the congressional spouse exclaims, “Ang babastos talaga nila ‘no?”
Need to be updated in social media so, Maripos – “Mare, post mo na!”
Sigh!