This qualitative study which employed discourse analysis examined and identified the Face Threatening Acts (FTAs), politeness strategies, and issues embedded in the commentaries on extrajudicial executions in the Philippines as posted in online news portals. Commentaries were coded and categorized following the Brown and Levinson’s categorization. Results showed that, threats to hearer’s negative face were in a form of reminder, order, dare, suggestions, and challenges. In addition, commentaries that brought threat to hearer’s positive face were in a form of disapproval, ridicule, insult, accusations, disagreement, expression of violent emotion, mention of taboo subjects and used of blatant non-cooperation. It was further noted that commentaries were presented utilizing negative and positive politeness. Claim common ground, strategic conflict avoidance, satisfying shared expectations, and social politeness were the commonly used positive politeness strategies. On the other hand, redress other wants of hearer’s, communicate speaker’s want to impinge on hearer, and maximizing the potential for conflict and confrontation were the negative strategies embedded in the commentaries. Moreover, issues entrenched in the commentaries were on abuse of power, sanctioned killings, unlawful executions, Marcos’ influence, and news bias.
Philippine E-Journals
