The Philippines: Forget everything you thought you knew about human rights

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Squalid: Nov 4, 2008

Fojar38 posted:

What was the most recent CIA backed coup out of curiosity

Haiti in 2005 or thereabouts

# ? Oct 1, 2016 20:37

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# ? May 10, 2024 21:55

Mozi: Apr 4, 2004; Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die; Nap Ghost

That was more of a State Dept thing I thought.

# ? Oct 1, 2016 20:44

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

The President's press team continue to triple-down on the Hitlerian remarks:

quote:

MANILA, Philippines � Malaca�ang on Saturday, October 1, sought to snuff out the outrage sparked by President Rodrigo Duterte's reference to Adolf Hitler in the context of the Philippine leader's war on drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella made the statement late Saturday afternoon to clarify the issue that had prompted the German government to summon the Philippine envoy in that country, and had also drawn criticism from others, including the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, the Jewish community, and US officials.

The new Palace statement, an expanded version of the one Abella issued hours earlier, began by slamming the "Hitler allusion" of the President's war on drugs � which Duterte himself made in a news briefing on Friday � as a "crude attempt" to malign the Philippine leader on the global stage.

"The Palace deplores the Hitler allusion of President Duterte�s anti-drug war as another crude attempt to vilify the President in the eyes of the world," Abella said.

"It is a matter of record that the reference to Hitler did not originate from the President. Days before the May presidential elections, the President�s opponents introduced this issue to gain political mileage. It did not work," he added.

Abella was apparently referring to a warning made by then President Benigno Aquino III days ahead of the May 9 elections, about the possible consequences of supporting then Davao City Mayor Duterte, the front runner in the presidential race.

Aquino had said that Duterte, based on his statements during the campaign, had the makings of another Hitler. "I hope we learn the lessons of history. We should remember how Hitler came to power," Aquino said then, referring to Duterte's avowed bloody anti-crime campaign, among others.

Since then, no one has publicly made any Hitler reference to Duterte until the President himself did so on September 30.

Abella said criticism overseas on the President's comparison between Hitler's massacre of millions of Jews and the Philippine leader's bid to "slaughter" millions of Filipino drug addicts "are shaped by unverified reports that they have been getting from the Philippines as shown by the statements of US officials."

"The President himself flatly rejected the Hitler comparison as can be seen in his reaction," the Palace official said.

He was referring to Duterte's lamentation on Friday that members of the international community had "portrayed" him as "a cousin of Hitler" because of his iron-fist approach to illegal drugs and the rising number of killings linked to it.

In the same speech, however, delivered after he returned from a two-day official visit to Vietnam, Duterte himself drew parallels between Hitler's annihilation of millions of Jews and his controversial campaign against drugs.

"Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now there [are] 3 million drug addicts�.I�d be happy to slaughter them," he said.

"At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have, you know, my victims. I would like to be � all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition," Duterte added.

In his updated statement on Saturday, Abella sought to explain the President's comparison. "The President�s reference to the slaughter was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer," he said.

"He likewise draws an oblique conclusion, that while the Holocaust was an attempt to exterminate the future generations of Jews, drug-related killings as a result of legitimate police operations (as opposed to so-called 'extrajudicial killings' of criminals, wrongly attributed to him, as these are not state-sanctioned) will nevertheless result in the salvation of the next generation of Filipinos," he added.

Abella said the President's pronouncements are not meant to slight the Jewish community, though offered no apology.

"The President recognizes the deep significance of the Jewish experience especially their tragic and painful history. We do not wish to diminish the profound loss of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust � that deep midnight of their story as a people," he said.

Abella noted that the Philippines was the only country in Asia that provided a "safe haven for Jewish refugees during World War II."

"The President knows this and values our strong historical ties with the Jewish people," he said.

I also want to bring up that "actually, Aquino was the first person to compare Duterte to Hitler" was a talking point that was written-about on the afternoon of the same day as this news story breaking, by a popular pro-Duterte Facebook blogger. I posted about it on the Crazy Forwards thread.

This smacks me as being similar to the Trump campaign lifting their talking points from /pol/

# ? Oct 2, 2016 03:56

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

Another news story from this morning is with regards to "Operation Tokhang", which is our national police's on-going campaign to do door-to-door searches of houses for drugs, drug-users and drug paraphernalia. The police has been doing this since the President has assumed office, and have been able to do it pretty much at-will in slum areas and the provinces.

Where it started to meet blowback is when the police wanted to move into middle- and upper-class suburban gated communities, where there are enough rich-rear end people with awareness of their rights and a desire for privacy that the police couldn't just barge into peoples's houses.

For gated village, cops modify antidrug drive

Ayala Alabang to let antidrug campaign in

PNP takes anti-drug war to posh Muntinlupa village

The latest development is that for the next phase of the campaign, the police are planning to issue "stickers" certifying certain houses as drug-free, if the homeowners undergo drug testing and allow the police to search their homes, which is an incredibly naked step towards "name-shaming" and ostracizing people into giving up their civil liberties if I ever saw one.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 04:20

Deceitful Penguin: Feb 16, 2011

TROIKA CURES GREEK posted:

It's not the 50s anymore, get over it.

lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_activities_in_Syria

And thats just what those spergs over there are willing to put on the page

# ? Oct 2, 2016 06:25

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

Mr.Unique-Name posted:

I'm really curious about the reproductive health bill.

Okay I'm awake now; in case you couldn't be arsed to find it, here's all the stuff I posted about the reproductive health bill. It starts a few posts down and goes on for quite a while.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 07:58

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

Here's Duterte's "apology, which I'll translate. Enjoy!

quote:

I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish [mumbling]. It was never my intention but the problem was I was criticized using Hitler comparing to me. But I was very emphatic [I said] I would kill 3 million addicts. It had nothing to do with the... but perchance, if there was something really... a bad taste in the mouth to say it. But this is only to the Jewish community. [Not these *censored* in the EU or these human rights people]. [mumbling] [I'll kick you]. [My statement was, well these people were saying, "this Duterte guy is a killer, he's Hitler." So I said fine, I'm Duterte, I'm a killer. The Jewish community all over the world reacted.] I would like to make it clear here and now that there was never an intention on my part to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Germans. [The reference they keep using is that I'm Hitler, who killed so many. But the number of drug pushers, I'm saying to you, is 3 million. And that's all I wanted to say. Fine, then I'm Hitler, but I'll only kill these...] But anyhow, it's not really actually that I said something wrong, but rather that they do not want you to tinker with the memory.

Yep, so he has managed to somehow create a quantum state where he both denies the Hitler analogy and doubles down on it.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 11:27

blackguy32: Oct 1, 2005; Say, do you know how to do the walk?

Well yes I want to kill 3 million people but they are all addicts.

Initially when I first read this thread, I thought it was just drug dealers he was killing but apparently he means to kill basically everyone using drugs. What you just posted singles both of them out.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 11:43

KingEup: Nov 18, 2004; I am a REAL ADDICT
(to threadshitting)

Please ask me for my google inspired wisdom on shit I know nothing about. Actually, you don't even have to ask.

blackguy32 posted:

I thought it was just drug dealers he was killing but apparently he means to kill basically everyone using drugs.

Only the ones they call 'illegal drugs'.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 12:50

The Saddest Rhino: Apr 29, 2009; Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.

Argue posted:

Here's Duterte's "apology, which I'll translate. Enjoy!

Yep, so he has managed to somehow create a quantum state where he both denies the Hitler analogy and doubles down on it.

The only honest thing in that incoherent mess is" I'm a killer"

# ? Oct 2, 2016 13:34

Doc Hawkins: Jun 15, 2010; Dashing? But I'm not even moving!

"You tryin' to say I ain't harder than Hitler?!"

# ? Oct 2, 2016 14:59

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

That's an apology?

I'm starting to feel like I'm going to need to unplug from social media for a while. With this whole Hitler thing, it's exhausting to try to keep up with news.

CronoGamer posted:

At this point I would not be shocked to see him abrogate the EDCA or the VFA, to be honest.

When you're right, you're right

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/16/duterte-questions-edca-aquino-did-not-sign-it

quote:

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he will ask for a review of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), noting that the document does not bear the signature of former president Benigno Aquino III.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 37th Masskara Festival in Bacolod City, Duterte once again lashed out at the United States, accusing it of pretending to be a friend of the Philippines but continuously criticizing it.

"What would be my defense if you pretend to be a friend of the Philippines? [You know, this America, along with the human rights people of the United Nations, they get to attack you as much as they want and you won't be able to do anything, because they completely control international press. Whatever you say in return won't be aired back,]" he said, reiterating that he did not say anything bad against U.S. President Barack Obama.

He also said he will be opening the country to China and Russia in reaction to criticisms from the U.S.

"I will open up another front [for our] foreign policy. [With all the disrespect you have shown me, I tell you, I feel very disrespected. So I say to you, let's part ways,]" Duterte said.

Duterte, likewise, said he will be reviewing the EDCA, which he said was only signed by former defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin and an "aide."

"[This] EDCA, it is an official document, but it was only signed by an aide [and by] Gazmin. It does not bear the signature of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Aquino. [It does not bear Aquino's signature]. Better think twice now because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether," Duterte said.

"[We will not be starved out]. We will get out and after review of that document and if I find that there is no signature, if you cannot produce a signature bearing the permit to you, [we will not let you conduct anything here, including your war games]" he added.

The EDCA, which was signed in 2014, aimed to bolster the alliance between the U.S. and the Philippines. It also allows the U.S. to send troops to the Philippines, as well as build and operate facilities on Philippine bases to be used by both Philippine and American troops.

It was signed by Gazmin and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg.

Duterte has earlier announced that the 2016 military exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines this month will be the last one.

Foreigh Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., however, said that the Philippines will respect its military agreements with the United States, including scheduled war games, despite what Duterte said.

The annual Philippines Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) will be held from October 4 to 12 in multiple locations in Luzon, including Palawan, which fronts reefs and outcrops that are being contested by Manila and Beijing, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 16:15

CronoGamer: May 15, 2004; why did this happen

Oh for gently caress's sake

# ? Oct 2, 2016 17:56

Mr.Unique-Name: Jul 5, 2002

Argue posted:

Okay I'm awake now; in case you couldn't be arsed to find it, here's all the stuff I posted about the reproductive health bill. It starts a few posts down and goes on for quite a while.

Okay, thanks for that. I wasn't able to find the thread when I was looking for it last night. I didn't realize it hadn't had a post in almost a month.

gradenko_2000 posted:

When you're right, you're right

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/16/duterte-questions-edca-aquino-did-not-sign-it

So does he plan on just rescinding any claims that the Philippines has on the South China Sea to get China to act as a partner, or what? Because I don't see China saying "Yes, we'll step in and take the US's place," for pretty much no return. I'm not sure why he thinks Russia would make a good partner but eh.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 23:28

lilljonas: May 6, 2007; We got crabs? We got crabs!

Mr.Unique-Name posted:

Okay, thanks for that. I wasn't able to find the thread when I was looking for it last night. I didn't realize it hadn't had a post in almost a month.

So does he plan on just rescinding any claims that the Philippines has on the South China Sea to get China to act as a partner, or what? Because I don't see China saying "Yes, we'll step in and take the US's place," for pretty much no return. I'm not sure why he thinks Russia would make a good partner but eh.

To me it seems like a pretty open offer to expand China's sphere of influence in the SCS for almost no work at all from China's side. I'd be cautiously optimistic about Duterte's US hatred if I was China.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 09:15

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Curious to know, what is it actually like in the Philippines with all this going on? I'm flying in for a holiday tomorrow visiting Boracay, Manila and north Luzon, maybe Bohol and then Palawan - how cautious do I need to be here?

Obviously i won't be having any political discussions with locals, but is there anything I should be aware of? It's hard to find decent up to date info on the situation.

And one last question - is pseudo ephedrine something that can get me in trouble? I've got a sleeve of cold & flu tablets containing it...

# ? Oct 3, 2016 13:13

chami: Mar 28, 2011; Keep it classy, boys~; Fun Shoe

webmeister posted:

Curious to know, what is it actually like in the Philippines with all this going on? I'm flying in for a holiday tomorrow visiting Boracay, Manila and north Luzon, maybe Bohol and then Palawan - how cautious do I need to be here?

Obviously i won't be having any political discussions with locals, but is there anything I should be aware of? It's hard to find decent up to date info on the situation.

And one last question - is pseudo ephedrine something that can get me in trouble? I've got a sleeve of cold & flu tablets containing it...

You should be fine as far as I know, just bring bug spray because sand flies suck. I sure hope you're going to El Nido because that place is seriously amazing.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 13:33

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

If you're a tourist going to all the usual tourist places, you should be fine. Scammers and petty thieves are still [things that can happen], but that's not anything that was specifically changed by the new administration.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 13:39

ihatepants: Nov 5, 2011; Let the burning of pants commence. These things drive me nuts.

webmeister posted:

Curious to know, what is it actually like in the Philippines with all this going on? I'm flying in for a holiday tomorrow visiting Boracay, Manila and north Luzon, maybe Bohol and then Palawan - how cautious do I need to be here?

Obviously i won't be having any political discussions with locals, but is there anything I should be aware of? It's hard to find decent up to date info on the situation.

And one last question - is pseudo ephedrine something that can get me in trouble? I've got a sleeve of cold & flu tablets containing it...

chami posted:

You should be fine as far as I know, just bring bug spray because sand flies suck. I sure hope you're going to El Nido because that place is seriously amazing.

Depending on where in Palawan you'll be going, the WHO also recommends taking anti-malarial prophylaxis like malarone because there's a risk of getting malaria, mostly in southern Palawan.

Also, having been to both in the last year, I think Coron is better than El Nido nowadays. El Nido's starting to get the problem of Boracay where everything has become too touristy, with locals approaching you non stop trying to sell souvenirs, boat rides or other things. When island hopping from Coron, you can visit Malcapuya Island which, imo might be the best beach in the Philippines. Also, Coron has the Maquinit hot springs, which are one of the few salt water hot springs in the entire world.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 17:21

The Saddest Rhino: Apr 29, 2009; Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.

so apparently huffpo is publishing duterte propoganda machine stuff now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-dutertes-first-world-critics_us_57ef8575e4b07f20daa10ad7?timestamp=1475317724455

quote:

Duterte Voices: �An Open Letter to Duterte�s First-World Critics�

A few days ago, one of our youngest police officers at age 23 was shot dead while trying to serve a warrant of arrest.

He wasn�t just a police officer.

He was also a Christian youth minister. He was shot to death by the drug peddler before he could even speak. He was laid to his final resting place last Sunday, leaving a wife and family. We have lost many good men in this fight.

The context of drug addiction in a first-world country is a far cry from a country like ours. Most substance dependents in a first-world country become depressed. Most substance dependents in our country become destructive criminals � raping even infants, killing even their own kins in ways you would not think a human being is capable of, shooting and stabbing passersby in broad day light.

Allow us to remind you too that we have 700,000 plus alive drug related surrenders and arrests. Let me reiterate: they are all alive.

Why?

They didn�t try to kill the arresting officer.

As to these card boards, if you so easily bought the idea that our police force who studied eight years to be in the service are extremely stupid to kill people and implicate themselves by putting a tag on their victims, you are way too gullible. These are the drug cartels cleaning up their own ranks of possible squealers. And the police force are after them, too. As for corrupt policemen, many of them including high ranking generals have been relieved from service and are now under trial.

While your intention and concern is appreciated, all you are truly doing is supporting the corrupt career politicians here who are working to oust the only Filipino President who goes against the tide of this corrupt and drug-coddling system.

Watch the movie Sully, it shows you that people who claim to be experts on something but don�t really go to ground operations have a tendency to get it wrong when trying to interpret the reality of these human encounters.

Plus our culture in speaking is different from each other. If you measure everything you hear by your own culture, you�d be like measuring heat using a ruler.

Thank you for your concern. But we understand our own problem better than most of you onlookers do.

Salamat po.

Mr. Ruther M. Urquia was a contract artist of Star Magic ABS-CBN from 2010-2013 and a former president of The Magicians� Foundation Inc.

He is currently the president of Team Ruther (Ruther Urquia Ent. Center), Advisory Council of The Magicians Foundation Inc.-Int�l Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 322 and Papetirs Club Int�l Philippines.

He is also an Associate Minister in Faithlife Center Christian Church in Muntinlupa. He is best remembered as the Puppet Master from Pilipinas Got Talent Season 1.

Follow �Duterte Voices� on Facebook.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 18:01

Pilsner: Nov 23, 2002

webmeister posted:

Curious to know, what is it actually like in the Philippines with all this going on? I'm flying in for a holiday tomorrow visiting Boracay, Manila and north Luzon, maybe Bohol and then Palawan - how cautious do I need to be here?

Obviously i won't be having any political discussions with locals, but is there anything I should be aware of? It's hard to find decent up to date info on the situation.

And one last question - is pseudo ephedrine something that can get me in trouble? I've got a sleeve of cold & flu tablets containing it...

As usual when news give the indication that a country is in flames, 99.99% of people are unaffected, although your question is reasonable.

I talk daily to my GF in Cebu, and my friend has just been there for 3 weeks, and nothing negative to report at all since Dutertegeddon began.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 21:32

ihatepants: Nov 5, 2011; Let the burning of pants commence. These things drive me nuts.

The Saddest Rhino posted:

so apparently huffpo is publishing duterte propoganda machine stuff now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-dutertes-first-world-critics_us_57ef8575e4b07f20daa10ad7?timestamp=1475317724455

They have been for a while, although I'm not sure why. There have been at least two or three other pro-Duterte articles on huffpo, most of them criticizing the people who criticize him.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 21:34

Roylicious: Feb 21, 2012; Braver than the cops
ain't afraid of no chaps
If they steppin up on me
I just start bustin some caps

Hypothetically what if we just shot a cruise missile into the presidential palace one night and then pulled a Russia and deny all involvement whatsoever no matter what anyone says?

# ? Oct 3, 2016 21:51

get that OUT of my face: Feb 10, 2007

The Saddest Rhino posted:

so apparently huffpo is publishing duterte propoganda machine stuff now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-dutertes-first-world-critics_us_57ef8575e4b07f20daa10ad7?timestamp=1475317724455

quote:

Mr. Ruther M. Urquia was a contract artist of Star Magic ABS-CBN from 2010-2013 and a former president of The Magicians� Foundation Inc.

He is currently the president of Team Ruther (Ruther Urquia Ent. Center), Advisory Council of The Magicians Foundation Inc.-Int�l Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 322 and Papetirs Club Int�l Philippines.

"They're illusions, Michael! Tricks are something a whore does for drugs before she's deservedly murdered by the cops."

# ? Oct 3, 2016 22:33

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Thanks for the responses all, that makes me a lot better! We're sticking to tourist spots, and we've been travelling around SEA for months now so we're well used to the issues (bugs, scammers, touts etc).

# ? Oct 4, 2016 00:32

Scaramouche: Mar 26, 2001; SPACE FACE! SPACE FACE!

I spent a whole month in Palawan a few years after those missionaries got killed, hitchin on jeepneys further down the island when I got bored (started at PP). Just beautiful.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 01:50

The Saddest Rhino: Apr 29, 2009; Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 02:57

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

The Saddest Rhino posted:

so apparently huffpo is publishing duterte propoganda machine stuff now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-dutertes-first-world-critics_us_57ef8575e4b07f20daa10ad7?timestamp=1475317724455

ihatepants posted:

They have been for a while, although I'm not sure why. There have been at least two or three other pro-Duterte articles on huffpo, most of them criticizing the people who criticize him.

This is the second one I've seen from HuffPo - I think they're just using HuffPo's contributor platform, and I don't know if there's any editorial control on that, so it's effectively the same as a random blogger post, except being on HuffPo means it sounds like it's somewhat more legit than a .blogspot.com URL

And on that note, Rappler began a series on the social media landscape in 2016:

Propaganda war: Weaponizing the internet

quote:

MANILA, Philippines � On Saturday, September 3, 2016, the day after the Davao bombing, at least one anonymous Facebook account began to share a March 26, 2016 Rappler story, "Man with bomb nabbed at Davao checkpoint."

It was quickly picked up and shared by Facebook political advocacy pages for President Rodrigo Duterte. Other websites took the entire dated story and reposted on their sites, like newstrendph.com, which is linked to Duterte News Global (the post has since been taken down). Other Facebook pages, such as Digong Duterte and Duterte Warrior, became active participants in this disinformation campaign. Soon after, these pages manually altered their times of postings.

This is disinformation because it led readers to think the man with the bomb was captured that day, September 3, when President Duterte declared a state of lawlessness in the aftermath of the bombing. Readers were duped into sharing a lie because the context changed the old headline.

That lie served a dual purpose: it led you to believe the government�s draconian measure was justified and that it acted just in the nick of time; but, it also hit the credibility of a trusted news source - which was the way these pages represented the story once Rappler alerted our community about it.

It was such an effective campaign that despite the developing news about the Davao bombing, this old story trended number 1 and stayed in the top 10 stories in Rappler for more than 48 hours.

quote:

Take another example: a post by Peter Tiu Lavina, Duterte's campaign spokesman, who attacked critics of the government's "war on drugs" with his statement about a 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered.

The photo was taken in Brazil, not the Philippines.

These are only some of the many disinformation campaigns we�ve seen since the election period: social media campaigns meant to shape public opinion, tear down reputations, and cripple traditional media institutions.

This strategy of "death by a thousand cuts" uses the strength of the internet and exploits the algorithms that power social media to sow confusion and doubt.

quote:

A small group of 3 operators, a source tells Rappler, can earn as much as P5 million a month.

Because they often disregard truth and manipulate emotions, these networks easily game Facebook�s algorithm.

In the Philippines and around the world, political advocacy pages, made specifically for Facebook, are cleverly positioned and engineered to take over your news feed.

That allows these propaganda accounts to create a social movement that is widening the cracks in Philippine society by exploiting economic, regional, and political divides.

It unleashed a flood of anger against Duterte critics that has created a chilling effect.

�It was specifically brought into sharp relief during these past elections, where the amount of hatred and vitriol on the internet was just intolerable,� Vince Lazatin, Executive Director of Transparency & Accountability Network, said during a recent panel on Technology and the Public Debate. �It silenced people into submission. The trolls have found a way to weaponize the internet.�

It�s not clear whether these accounts used for the campaign are working with official government channels today.

What is clear is they share the same key message: a fanatic defense of Duterte, who�s portrayed as the father of the nation deserving the support of all Filipinos.

This possible consolidation of the Duterte campaign machinery with state communications channels is dangerous.

We only need to look to China, which fakes nearly 450 million social media comments a year, according to the Washington Post.

This is the first time this sophisticated political propaganda machinery has been used in the Philippines.

quote:

Social media came of age for politics during the election campaign for the May 2016 elections.

Long before Duterte decided to run, we had long noticed that Davao City had one of the most engaged social media community in the Philippines.

Now we would see humans augmented by machines in both engagement and online polls.

The first time we saw Twitter bots in politics seemed to happen by accident.

Four days after he declared his presidency, from midnight to 2am on November 25, 2015, more than 30,000 tweets mentioning Rodrigo Duterte were posted, at times reaching more than 700 tweets per minute. That�s more than the number of tweets posted when he declared he would run, and more than all the tweets about any presidential candidate over the previous 29 days.

Thinking Machines did an analysis of the campaign using bots and discovered that politics had intersected with entertainment. An examination of the bot-like Twitter accounts showed their timelines full of KathNiel [a local celebrity loveteam].

What about online surveys which are used to gauge public opinion? Machines can influence that as well.

In December, 2015, Rappler investigated technical manipulation of our online survey, and discovered that 99% of votes from Russia, Korea and China were for Mar Roxas (although there was a small number of these manufactured votes for Duterte as well). Deleting the fake votes changed the winner from Roxas to Duterte.

quote:

Social media was a crucial factor in electing this president.

Former activist and ex-ABS-CBN sales chief Nic Gabunada headed Duterte�s social media efforts. He told Rappler in a May 31 interview that he built the network with P10 million and up to 500 volunteers, who tapped their own networks.

They were organized into 4 main groups: OFWs or overseas Filipino workers, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. He said each volunteer handled between 300 to 6,000 members, but that the largest group had 800,000 members.

Analysts agreed that the 2016 elections were the most engaged in Philippine history, but they also pointed out that the period also highlighted some of the angriest and vicious political discourse that�s transforming our democracy.

By March, two students at UP Los Ba�os had been threatened by an online mob.

In a scene reminiscent of the Boston bombing witch hunt, Duterte supporters tracked cell phone numbers and harassed and threatened the students they perceived to be disrespectful of Duterte.

At one point, they created a Facebook page demanding death for the student it named.

Within 48 hours, the Duterte camp asked his supporters to �take the moral high ground� online.

In April, a young woman who posted she was campaigning against Duterte was deluged with threats and harassment.

Shortly before election day, she tested laws governing cyberbullying by filing 34 complaints in court.

quote:

The day after he won, Duterte called for healing and his campaign team supported and trended his message using the hashtag #HealingStartsNow.

It didn�t last long.

The soon-to-be president made numerous controversial statements in late night press conferences, including what could be seen as a justification for journalist killings and his wolf-whistle of a GMA7 reporter.

By the beginning of June, Duterte announced he would boycott media and channeled all statements and press conferences through state television network, PTV, and RTVM.

He didn�t break that boycott of private media until August 1.

In those two months, the campaign machinery pivoted to propaganda and threats, first attacking ABS-CBN, then Inquirer (largely because of its Kill List keeping track of extrajudicial killings).

GMA7 and Rappler took the hot seat after Duterte wolf-whistled at a GMA7 reporter, Mariz Umali, at a press conference, and Rappler reporter Pia Ranada-Robles questioned him on it.

The social media attacks were vicious and personal. They built on their campaign messages, continuing to rail against the Liberal Party and building fear for a �yellow army.�

Anonymous and fake accounts rallied real people to create and spread memes with simple messages that contain a grain of truth, the most efficient for FUD:

�Bias� � that these media groups are biased against Duterte.
�Bayaran� � that journalists are paid and corrupt.
�Oligarchs� � that journalists work for vested interests.
�Clickbait� � that media groups are commercial interests so they use clickbait headlines for cash.
When the leader of a nation refuses direct access to journalists, controls the narrative top down through established state groups, and is echoed bottom up by social media initiatives, it creates a chilling effect on 2 fronts:

1. Access becomes a personal favor for reporters, removing a professional environment and creating a more feudal landscape. Reporters, if they want access, think twice about questioning power.

2. Critical posts on social media are immediately attacked, forcing �normal� people to leave the conversation. Many close their Facebook accounts, leaving the field open for more sophisticated manipulation in an increasingly growing echo chamber.

quote:

On September 19, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called on the government to investigate social media attacks against journalists Gretchen Malalad and Jamela Alindogan-Caudron.

On September 22, President Duterte asked his supporters to stop threatening journalists.

But his statement has done little to stem the propaganda attacks.

Over the weekend, Reuters reporters Manny Mogato and Karen Lema were targeted after reporting President Duterte's remarks about Hitler.

quote:

These all impact public perception. Fallacious reasoning, leaps in logic, poisoning the well � these are only some of the propaganda techniques that have helped shift public opinion on key issues.

Take for example what was once a prevailing acceptance of human rights and the idea of �innocent until proven guilty.� Today there seems to be a wide acceptance of murder, especially of drug pushers, and any attempt to question that is portrayed as part of a conspiracy theory.

It�s part of the reason many silently accept that in just 11 weeks, 3,546 people have died in the government�s �war on drugs.� (These figures from the PNP were later revised to 3,145 on September 14, 2016).

After all, when someone criticizes the police or government on Facebook, immediate attacks are posted, including �someone should rape your daughter,� �how many people were raped by pushers,� �why not talk about those killed by drugs,� �mayaman kasi kayo,� and many more.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 03:11

Fojar38: Sep 2, 2011; Sorry I meant to say I hope that the police use maximum force and kill or maim a bunch of innocent people, thus paving a way for a proletarian uprising and socialist utopia

also here's a stupid take
---------------------------->

Huffington Post and its lookalikes have hosted propaganda for lovely governments for a long time, including Russia and China, so it isn't surprising they'd do the same for Duterte.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 03:14

Grouchio: Aug 31, 2014

I feel like I could use a lecture on Philippine society, culture, media and so on.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 04:04

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

Grouchio posted:

I feel like I could use a lecture on Philippine society, culture, media and so on.

Philippine society, culture, and media are all cool and good and magnificant and amazing and if anyone says otherwise we will shoot them or get them literally banned from the country; is there anything else you wanted to know specifically?

# ? Oct 4, 2016 05:24

Grouchio: Aug 31, 2014

Argue posted:

Philippine society, culture, and media are all cool and good and magnificant and amazing and if anyone says otherwise we will shoot them or get them literally banned from the country; is there anything else you wanted to know specifically?

# ? Oct 4, 2016 05:42

Cirofren: Jun 13, 2005; Pillbug

Countdown to every cop with a "red sports shirt" being found with a cardboard tag begins now.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/04/philippines-secret-death-squads-police-officer-teams-behind-killings

quote:

The team investigates the individuals to determine whether they are involved in drug dealing or other illegal activities, whether they are �God-fearing� or a �parasite�, and then acts accordingly.

�So that�s how we weigh him, so maybe we conduct our own justice,� he says. �And of course the government is ordering us to do so.�

The officer, dressed in a red sports shirt and jeans, argues the special ops teams are doing a service for society, perhaps giving a hint at his motivation for speaking about such a sensitive subject.

�We are the kind of policemen that we don�t just kill for pleasure,� he explains. �But if we think this is a hardened individual or hardened criminal who makes his living as a parasite to others, well we will have no conscience. We are going to give him the worst death [so] that even Satan cannot look straightforward to him because he has a very bad death.�

# ? Oct 4, 2016 06:07

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

Time finally picked up on Teddy Locsin Jr.'s twitter account

# ? Oct 4, 2016 06:10

Cirofren: Jun 13, 2005; Pillbug

gradenko_2000 posted:

Time finally picked up on Teddy Locsin Jr.'s twitter account

"Try concentration camps" - Unironic suggestion from an ambassador to the UN.

What a time to be alive.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 06:15

The Saddest Rhino: Apr 29, 2009; Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.

also lol the sex video of de lima? is of a black man and a woman who looks nothing like her and obviously super fake but the duterte supporters are saying the media has photoshopped the video

# ? Oct 4, 2016 07:04

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

Did it leak?

# ? Oct 4, 2016 07:08

The Saddest Rhino: Apr 29, 2009; Put it all together.
Solve the world.
One conversation at a time.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/820579/sex-video-fake-say-viewers

quote:

A Filipino-American woman residing in the United States has sent the Philippine Daily Inquirer a copy of a video showing a couple engaged in the sex act�and asked the question: �Is Sen. Leila de Lima the female in the video?�

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has threatened that he will show a purported sex video involving the beleaguered senator at the next House committee inquiry into her alleged connection to drug lords when she was the justice secretary.

The Inquirer sought people to watch the video sent by the Filipino-American and asked their comments and opinions.

The video, which runs for one minute and 54 seconds, shows a woman whose slight facial resemblance to De Lima is highlighted by her wearing eyeglasses while having sexual intercourse with a man with dark features that almost look like he�s black.

A dog makes its presence felt by walking away from the scene near the video�s end.

The curious thing is that the woman keeps looking at the camera all throughout�as if trying to make sure her face is seen by viewers.

Ironically, the people behind the making of the video intentionally blurred the woman�s face, making it virtually impossible to distinguish her identity.

�It�s blurred. You can�t see the face. Although she has a similar build, and I saw still photos in an online post showing the face of the woman, no doubt this is younger than De Lima. Only those with poor eyesight or dirty minds will say this is Leila. This video is fake,� a businessman said.

�My God, how fake. The woman doesn�t look like De Lima. And I doubt if the guy is (Ronnie) Dayan [De Lima�s alleged ex-boyfriend]. And the one who edited this video put a watermark of its supposed original site just when the woman turned her face to the camera,� a musician pointed out.

�Photoshopped or not, it can be someone else. There are lots of porn sites that feature people who look like other people. I even saw one who resembled Hillary Clinton,� explained a photographer.

�Undistinguishable. The woman was even made to wear glasses to make her look like De Lima,� said a businesswoman.

�Hocus-pocus�

�It�s a big hoax � Hocus-pocus involved,� a theater lighting engineer noted.

�I really can�t say it�s her, even if she kept on looking at the camera. I think it�s staged,� said a club DJ.

�Is that it? Gosh, the extent of what people do � This is the worst kind of fakery,� another musician said.

�Anybody who watches it will say it�s fake!� exclaimed a housewife.

�It�s crazy. This is mudslinging at its lowest,� a female journalist declared.

What truly makes the whole exercise dubious is that the video is splattered with the watermark title, �Senator Leila de Lima Scandal Pak Ganern,� with the video�s website source pasted at the center.

As it turned out, the video�s source is a porn site.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 07:31

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

It's the same crap people pulled with Alicia Machado where they renamed any sex video that kinda sorta looks like the woman to have the name of their target, and let peoples's confirmation bias take them the rest of the way.

# ? Oct 4, 2016 08:01

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# ? May 10, 2024 21:55

Kurtofan: Feb 16, 2011; hon hon hon

The Saddest Rhino posted:

so apparently huffpo is publishing duterte propoganda machine stuff now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-dutertes-first-world-critics_us_57ef8575e4b07f20daa10ad7?timestamp=1475317724455

I have to think the Alliance is going to frown on this

# ? Oct 4, 2016 09:02

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > The Philippines: Forget everything you thought you knew about human rights

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