“A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE”

Without Freedom of thought, there can be no such things as wisdom; and no

such thing as public liberty, without Freedom of Speech. -Benjamin Franklin

Hello everyone. Thank you for having me. My name is Irene Clyde Lacar
from Grade 11-Quartz, and I am going to be speaking about “Freedom of Speech”.
To begin, what is Freedom of Speech?

Freedom of speech is defined as “the right to express any opinions without

censorship or restraint.” However, freedom of speech is an illusion - to an extent. The
1987 Constitution dictates in Article III, Section 4 that “No law shall be passed
abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Freedom of speech is a right but one can argue that it can be modified or
manipulated against opinions that those in power do not approve of. Free speech is a
pretense when one misinterprets it as the right to insist on opinions based solely on his
point of view. It becomes an illusion when one does properly research, examine and
criticize their own opinions before openly claiming them as facts. Unlimited freedom
of expression is definitely an illusion. Social media has become a front to challenge
our freedom of speech. It is a tool to share our experiences and learnings. On the other
hand, it is also a means to threaten, intimidate, bully, or carry out ill intentions with
“freedom of speech” as an excuse. With social media being easily accessible to
virtually everyone, it can be a challenge to monitor these law violations, more often
than not resulting in trauma and other permanent consequences for the victims. These
horrifying results are due to can be due to abuse of the power of freedom. As such,
some people would prefer to keep mum and repress their thought for fear of harm.

While it is our birth right to express our thoughts, it comes with limits, or
more accurately, it comes with consequences. It is lawful to speak up our minds as
long as it does not violate other people’s rights, such as hurting one’s reputation, also
known as defamation. Freedom of speech is not simply voicing out our opinions for
the sake of. Being able to openly convey our ideas has the purpose of free exchange of
informed and factual opinions, such as providing a different perspective when
discussing relevant issues. It is a way to be part of the solution by when used to
educate and spread awareness on topics that are not yet well-known. At the end of the
day, we can all express our thoughts, ideologies, and philosophies but it does not
obligate others to listen to us, much less, believe what we believe in. 

Unlimited freedom of speech is an illusion, but limited free speech is a

privilege that we can take advantage of when used responsibly - with both the perks
and repercussions in mind. Gasgas man kung pakinggan ang mga katagang “Think
Before you click”, tandaan natin ang bawat bagay ay may limitasyon.

Thank you all for being here today and taking the time to patiently listen to what I had
to say, I wish you all a blessed day.

IRENE CLYDE LACAR

GRADE 11-QUARTZ

ORAL COMMUNICATION