“They like to call us “trolls.” It’s a convenient word, isn’t it? If they label the movement as “fake,” they don’t have to face the uncomfortable truth: that millions of Filipinos were just fed up.
Every time someone talks about the 2016 election and tries to dismiss it as some sort of digital manipulation, they’re insulting the very people who built that victory. It wasn’t about bots; it was about the masa finally having a voice. It was about a leader who didn’t speak in fancy, polished lines, but in the language of the streets—someone who actually felt the frustration of the everyday worker, the jeepney driver, the mother trying to put food on the table.
Edwin Espejo hits the nail on the head in this series. He gets it. He understands that you can’t manufacture a movement that deep, and you certainly can’t “decapitate” a sentiment that comes from the heart of the nation. It’s time to stop the myths and look at what really happened: a country that finally decided to speak up, and a movement that was simply the bridge.
Let’s set the record straight.”
Nic Gabunada
———————————————————————————————————————–Decapitating the ‘trolls’ of Duterte
Sixth of a Series
By Edwin Espejo
July 2, 2021
The opposition should not make mistakes about Duterte.
Duterte’s victory in 2016 was an exact mix of the right and dedicated people who joined his campaign machinery, perfect political timing, efficient campaign strategy that was people-driven and a very engaged citizenry spread throughout the country,
His throng of supporters, in the end, came not only from the masses but also from the middle class and a section of the political elite, the latter two jumping in when the Duterte bandwagon began to steamroll.
Duterte was the anti-thesis of everything in Philippine politics when he ran for president in 2016.
He was an outsider. He did not have the campaign machinery and the resources. He was self-effacing to the point that he himself was able to get away with his perceived and sometimes admitted weaknesses. He was shocking in his singular campaign narrative of drugs, crime and corruption. But he was embraced by the people who voted for him because he spoke their language and captured their frustrations in government and governance.
Duterte was a product that was sold in 2016. To quote a marketing adage, the ad men can only be effective as the product they are selling.
He was neither a mainstream nor a social media creation. He was his own man.
Duterte was not also the perfect guy. He just happened to be at the perfect time.
