It did not matter that there is a raging pandemic and people are dying from the corona virus in Quezon City. These corrupt individuals, headed by former Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista, took advantage of the dire situation in the city to spread chaos and hate just to prop himself as victor and savior, at the expense of peoples’ lives.
It is disgusting, repulsive and gutter politics at its worse.
In this investigative piece, we show evidence of a concerted and coordinated effort on social media by Herbert “Bistek” Bautista and his cronies to sow disinformation, hate and abuse to the Quezon City Government and its incumbent Mayor Joy Belmonte.
ACT 1: Fake News
A sudden influx of rage-inducing “fake news” flooded social media, targeting residents of Quezon City. Half-truth accusations, leaving out the important details. People didn’t know the truth, and so fear and anger spread.
Here are examples:
- Fake: Quezon City is grossly unprepared for the crisis.
- Real: QC is the most prepared LGU in Metro Manila. It has experts leading the charge and contingency plans prepared. This was even acknowledged by no less than DILG
- Fake: Packed goods given out were not worth P2,500 as promised.
- Real: The city has allotted AT LEAST P1B in food assistance for the 4-week quarantine, aiming to help 500,000 families (previously 400,000). The city government will distribute food packs to every barangay weekly.
- Fake: “Ready” video was staged
- Real: “Ready” video – protocol demands a temperature check before handing out the goods. This was shown on the original video, conveniently cut out on the circulating one.
- Fake: they used Garbage truck to distribute food packs.
- Real: Quezon City used utility trucks, not garbage trucks. Even Manila used similar trucks.
- Fake: Mayor sent COVID-19 positive patients’ home.
- Real: DOH has the sole authority to send patients home. It only informed Quezon City after the patients were sent home.
- Fake: Branded eco-bags used for politicking by Mayor Joy Belmonte.
- Real: Branded eco-bags were leftovers from the campaign period. Instead of leaving them to rot, the city decided to repurpose them for 100,000 indigents with contents paid for by her own money. None of the distributed food packs had any markings.
VM Gian’s video: http://www.facebook.com/104299131021823/posts/193024862149249/
ACT 2: Misinformation Campaign
Despite all this information being readily available on QC.Gov’s social media channels, fear and anger spread throughout the city.
How did this happen?
The Answer:
A misinformation campaign using paid trolls. There was a sudden influx of memes and hate posts on QC Buy and Sell and other groups on social media, new pages popping out attacking a singular person, posting fake news and out-of-context videos.
With our investigation, we have found the following:
Troll accounts – 60
Troll pages – 20
Legitimate accounts spreading false information – 122
ACT 3: An Old Leader
Out of the blue, a figure returns. Wearing a soldier’s uniform, propping himself, as a savior to QC’s woes. Herbert Bautista, ex-mayor of QC for 9 years, comes in. Now charged with plunder for stealing P318 million from the city, multiple graft charges for stealing P30M on school signages, P35M on occupational permit, and P25M from solar power. All of these projects don’t exist and yet the city paid for it and it all went straight to his pocket and the pockets of other corrupt officials.
Aiding him are the three master manipulators from the last election: Bingbong Crisologo, Onyx Crisologo, and Edwin Dayrit Rodriguez. Using the paid trolls they used in the last election and for the JoyRide fiasco, (yes, Dayrit is also the man behind JoyRide’s fast-tracked prominence), they managed to infiltrate and spam all of QC, putting everyone’s lives at risk.
ACT 4: The New Savior with an Agenda
The people are none the wiser. Ang kapal ng mukha ng hayop, to tell the people he is here to help as if this is a big sacrifice.
After raping and looting the money that belonged to the people of Quezon City, he spread chaos and fake news, using his stolen money, just so he can return to power come next election. With his newfound friends, they used paid trolls to manipulate people on social media.
This is gutter politics, at its worst.
When we should be united, he spouted hate to divide us. This is a great disservice and a slap in the face of the people who work tirelessly for the good of the city: our Doctors and Nurses, PNP, AFP, the DRRM people, re-packing and distributing team and the staff at city hall and of course the current Mayor of Quezon City Joy Belmonte.
All of this, in a bid to bring Herbert Bautista back in power to save himself from plunder charges and steal more money.