Word war erupts among DDS bloggers

MANILA, Philippines — Away bakla (gay quarrel) or turf war?

Diehard online supporters of President Duterte have been engaged in a word war that has set social media a-buzz.

Lawyer Bruce Rivera slammed fellow avid Duterte supporter Sass Rogando Sasot for dividing the ranks of the DDS, or Diehard Duterte Supporters, in their controversial blogs.

In a video uploaded in his Facebook account on Sunday, Rivera chided Sasot and her group for creating fake news about Vice President Leni Robredo getting pregnant.

He also chided blogger RJ Nieto over getting accreditation to cover the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila. 

Rivera branded other fellow bloggers MJ Quiambao Reyes and Rocky Gonzales as “bullies.”

“You are all bullies. Kaya ayaw ko sa inyo (That’s why I don’t like you),” he said. 

“You want to divide the DDS bloggers? I don’t give a f*** about this. I am already tired of playing these games with you guys,” Rivera added. 

“I am deactivating my account on Oct. 15, 2017. Back to the private life. TP and Sass can be the DDS Blogger. I am out. Thanks,” he said in a Facebook post. 

Rivera later clarified that it was just an “away-bakla (gay quarrel)” on their part and it doesn’t mean that DDS is in shambles. He also cleared Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson of involvement in the feud and said the issue was between him, Sasot and Nieto. 

But in another Facebook post yesterday, Rivera clarified a few things about the video he earlier posted.

He admitted he is in a quarrel with Sasot and Nieto “but it’s no longer the business of the public because it did not involve people’s money.”

Rivera also clarified Duterte does not have a fake news machine.

He said blogger Cocoy Dayao is his “enemy, branding him as a “bayarang biik (paid pig).” Dayao is the alleged administrator of the “Silent No More PH” page. 

“I didn’t say that Sasot and Nieto were paid by politicians. What I am saying is that I am not paid by politicians and I am proud of it,” he said.

Nieto, for his part, had requested the termination of his consultancy contract with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

He said he would donate to charity the P36,000 consultancy fee that the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) owes him since July.

“While I have yet to receive any remuneration for the services I have rendered since July 2017, I have decided to donate prospective earnings to a suitable charity organization if and when I get compensated,” he added.

The DFA, however, has yet to make a statement over Nieto’s plan to quit.

Nieto said he saw no conflict in maintaining his blog and working on a consultancy basis as head of strategic communications of the DFA OUMWA.

He said he is just a consultant in the DFA and is not holding a sensitive office.

            – With Pia Lee-Brago