A Change.org petition initiated by a certain Paul Quilet is calling for the suspension of the Mocha Uson Blog Facebook Page.
The petition’s description reads:
“Mocha Uson, a Filipino entertainer-turned-Duterte die-hard supporter uses her Facebook page to spread fictitious and false information about pressing issues in the Philippines, from the role the USAID plays in the country to circulating malicious and false news concerning other government officials, eliciting unwarranted hate from the public. These Facebook posts widens the rift between those who support the current administration and those who are critical of it.”
The said petition has garnered 19,819 supporters as of 9:11 AM GMT+8, 24 October 2016.
I categorically refuse to sign the petition because I think it’s hilarious. Let me tell you why.
I categorically refuse to sign the petition because I think it’s hilarious. Let me tell you why.
First, ain’t it hypocritical?
Whether Quilet wants to admit it or not, “The Mocha Uson Issue” is about Duterte supporters led by Mocha Uson versus Liberal Party supporters led by who-gives-a-shit. Now, suppose this petition succeeds in getting Mocha suspended, where will her 4 million Facebook followers go? Surely, it won’t be to any of those “Yellow Pages” like Juan Nationalist, Cynthia Patag, etc.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer even joined the let’s-suspend-mocha fray when its editor allowed the publication of Olivia Estrada’s “The days of the Mocha Uson Blog are now numbered”, where Estrada wrote, ”Uh-oh. Our best to Mocha (well, no, not really) but it looks like people are going in for the jugular on this one.”
It’s quite ironic that the people who decried Marcos era suppression of free speech, which includes the Inquirer’s founders, are the same ones who want to suppress free speech today. Freedom of Speech applies to everyone, and not just those whose opinions you agree with.
I used to be appalled by Yellows and their hypocrisy. Now, I am just amazed at their futile tenacity.
It’s quite ironic that the people who decried Marcos era suppression of free speech, which includes the Inquirer’s founders, are the same ones who want to suppress free speech today. Freedom of Speech applies to everyone, and not just those whose opinions you agree with.
I used to be appalled by Yellows and their hypocrisy. Now, I am just amazed at their futile tenacity.
Second, what rule did Mocha break?
Free speech is guaranteed in the constitution. Sans a court conviction, the presumption of innocence allows Mocha to exercise this right whenever she pleases. For a group that loves rubbing “Rule of Law” onto everyone’s faces, I find their members’ selective memory.Furthermore, a closer look at Facebook’s Community Standards show that Mocha did not violate anything either. The community standards are grouped into four: Helping to Keep you Safe, Encouraging Respectful Behavior, Keeping your account and personal information secure, and Protecting your intellectual property. Of these four categories, “Encouraging Respectful Behavior” is the nearest thing that Mocha could’ve violated.
As far as I know, it’s the yellows who constantly slut-shame Mocha by posting her nude pics online. So, if someone violates the community standards, it’d be the same people who are petitioning for her suspension.
Ah! The Irony.
Third, it’ll backfire.
Suppose that these idiots somehow manage to get Mocha’s page suspended or deleted, do they seriously think that that’s a win for them? I think not, because it will backfire big time. For one, Mocha can just create a new page and her 4 million followers will simply follow it.Now, suppose Mocha gets banished from Facebook. Do these lamebrains seriously believe that that’s it? No. Mocha’s followers will instead go to other Duterte-aligned pages, making these pages more formidable and visible. I am telling you this right now: you will not want MindaNation, Sass Rogando Sasot, or Thinking Pinoy get as much engagement as Mocha’s Page. Trust me, it is in your best interest to keep Mocha afloat.
Moreover, if Change.org petitions can be used to get Facebook Pages suspended, what made these jaundiced assholes think that only they can use Change.org? If Change.org can actually influence Facebook moderators to disable accounts, then a post-Mocha scenario would be more disastrous for the Yellow sympathizers than for Duterte supporters.
There are far more Duterte supporters online than LP sympathizers. With our heavily-engaged followers, It wouldn’t be very difficult to muster a few hundred thousand signatures to eliminate every single anti-Duterte page or Facebook profile out there.
Let me cut this long story short: if Mocha gets banned because of the petition, you can expect every anti-Duterte page to get banned too. That would be interesting, because it will cost you guys a lot of money to regain your followers [TP: Internet Army], as opposed to us (especially Mocha Uson) who can just create new pages and wait for likes to quickly come in.
Social Media: New battleground
Social Media has become the primary political battleground today. It has democratized information on a scale that has never been seen before. Case in point: Facebook made Duterte win.
The Duterte social media phenomenon was no short-term fad: I’ve been constantly checking Facebook Page Insights Data since August 2016 and I have seen how independent Social Media Pages are outperforming mainstream media organizations in terms of user engagement.
Let’s just take a look at Facebook Page Insights stats from 11:00 PM of 24 October 2016, as shown in the image below:
The Duterte social media phenomenon was no short-term fad: I’ve been constantly checking Facebook Page Insights Data since August 2016 and I have seen how independent Social Media Pages are outperforming mainstream media organizations in terms of user engagement.
Let’s just take a look at Facebook Page Insights stats from 11:00 PM of 24 October 2016, as shown in the image below:
The image above lists all the major Philippine news agencies and independent Political Facebook pages, along with their respective likes, number of posts, and user engagement.
In terms of user engagement, Mocha equals that of ABS-CBN and GMA combined, and she easily surpasses everyone else by over 100%. Needless to say, with her 4 million super-engaged followers, Mocha Uson has become more politically influential than ANYONE else in Philippine media today.
Truth be told, Mocha can even easily win THREE congressional party-list seats – the maximum number – if she decides to form a party for the 2019 elections, as three seats will require a lot fewer than four million votes. She probably won't run (I hope not), but the fact remains that this is how influential she has become.
And this is what mainstream media, the petite bourgeoisie, and their oligarchic benefactors are so scared of. And no amount of assholery will get them out of this rut. [ThinkingPinoy]
Mocha’s nigh-indomitable influence
In terms of Facebook likes, Mocha Uson pales in comparison to news giants ABS-CBN and GMA. But likes are not the end of the story. What’s more important is engagement, which is the number of times people gave a damn about posts on a page.In terms of user engagement, Mocha equals that of ABS-CBN and GMA combined, and she easily surpasses everyone else by over 100%. Needless to say, with her 4 million super-engaged followers, Mocha Uson has become more politically influential than ANYONE else in Philippine media today.
Truth be told, Mocha can even easily win THREE congressional party-list seats – the maximum number – if she decides to form a party for the 2019 elections, as three seats will require a lot fewer than four million votes. She probably won't run (I hope not), but the fact remains that this is how influential she has become.
And this is what mainstream media, the petite bourgeoisie, and their oligarchic benefactors are so scared of. And no amount of assholery will get them out of this rut. [ThinkingPinoy]
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