Facebook user, Krizette Laureta Chu, who, based on her Facebook profile, is a former Publishing student at New York University and Communication Arts student at De La Salle University, expressed on her recent Facebook status her thoughts on the alleged usage of paid netizens to defend Duterte.
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| Photo from Chu's Facebook profile |
Ms. Chu wrote: "Dear University of Oxford and Maria Ress, may I ask a favor? Can you point me to the direction of the company that dispenses money for Duterte's trolls? I promise to funnel the money back to the fund for our soldiers' families (or the wounded). Just please, please, I've been hearing about this money and I've never seen a single cent of it. And I think in the spirit of fairness everybody here would agree that I'm in the "tier 5" (not my words, k?) of Duterte's trolls, so where is my fucking money please? I also volunteer the payment that's supposedly given to the other Duterte trolls. I am sure RJ Nieto Sass Rogando Sasot Mark Lopez Ethel Pineda Bruce Villafierte Rivera Antonio P. Contreras Darwin Canete MJ Quiambao Reyes Rocky Gonzales, etc. will all not mind if I'm going to collect on their behalf and use the money to help the windows. I need a slice of that $200,000! Give it! Divulge the person who gives away money to Duterte trolls!"
However, even the President admitted to have paid netizens to promote and defend him.
On a press conference following his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Duterte confirmed to have used paid support and services of online trolls during the campaign period to defend him on social media. However, he clarified that he only resorted to such practice during the election period and not after that.
"P10 million ang gastos ko? Ako? Sa election siguro, sa elections ma'am more than [that]... They were all during the campaign," Duterte stated the said press conference.
Earlier, University of Oxford, a globally-renowned academic institution, has released a report of a conducted study that they had, discussing the issue of paying certain people or groups to defend and promote Duterte.
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| Photo from Inquirer |
According to the said study, Duterte's camp paid a total of US$200,000 or 10 million pesos for such social media campaign.
However, Duterte clarified for the public that his administration no longer pays for online support and promotion as he no longer needs such help from netizens.
"Pero ngayon, hindi ko na kailangan. I do not need to defend myself against attacks. I stated my peace during my inauguration and my campaign," the President confirmed once and for all.
Furthermore, Duterte addressed the University of Oxford, one of the top universities in the world and the same academic institution that conducted the study regarding his paid campaign strategies involving trolls, and called the institution a school for stupid people.
"Oxford University? Eskwelahan sa mga bobo 'yan ah," the President fired.
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