CHICAGO - Although free speech is one of the tenets of a functioning democracy, it has limitations that serve as guard rails against defamation, falsehoods, threats and other expressions that cross the boundaries of what is legal.
Free speech is also, at times, an oxymoron. When a line is breached, there is a price to pay.
Converge assistant coach Danny Ildefonso made this expensive discovery on Wednesday when the PBA fined him P20,000 for saying the F word in a Facebook post.
READ Danny Ildefonso fined P20K by PBA for 'farm team' comments
F as in "farm team" while allegedly alluding to NorthPort, the team that drafted his son Dave last month.
So what happened to Article 3 Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that has protections for free speech?
"Free speech is normally invoked against the government, and the PBA is a private institution so it doesn't strictly apply.
"Yes, you do have free speech in private institutions to a certain extent, but you normally waive a portion of it when you enter into an employment contract or agree to abide by certain rules or conditions of the private institution - one of which is not to do or say anything that may be considered detrimental to the reputation of the league."
BAND-AID SOLUTION.
That explainer was from lawyer Mickey Ingles, the Philippines' foremost sports attorney.
And while the PBA may have censured Danny, it can never silence the multitude of fans who wield similar views that some small teams act as conduits to bigger teams when moving around talent.
Policing its ranks is laudable but if Kume Marcial wants to crack the whip, his office should put a stop to one-sided trades, the likes of which we just saw last month when Ginebra and Terrafirma exchanged four players and a pick swap.
As long as these egregious activities continue to manifest, the inference about farm teams will never go away.
Although the eight-time PBA champion and two-time league MVP is now P20,000 poorer, his street cred just got wealthier.
Ildefonso said what many of us have suspected all along, and unlike those gutless keyboard warriors who mask their "bravery" behind the darkness of fake accounts, Danny came out in the light and stamped his comments with his own name, image and likeness.
AND WHO CAN BLAME HIM?
He made his remarks to defend his son who was being unfairly crucified on social media for not reaching a deal with NorthPort.
As reported by the intrepid Snow Badua, the Batang Pier tendered Dave an offer that pays only P150,000 a month, which is P50,000 lower than what's allowed under the rules.
The younger Ildefenso, in case the good folks at NorthPort forgot, was the No. 5 pick, not No.50. Their alleged offer not only reeks of lowball; it is stained with disrespect.
It's been tough for the Ildefonsos lately.
The dad got docked of his hard-earned money while the son was denied the bounty he deserved.
Only in the PBA.
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