Dispatch from Crame No. 929:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on NICA Dir. Gen. Monteagudo's admission that he shares fake news on FB

Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw! We now have a government of trolls and gossipmongers, with an OWWA Deputy Administrator, a PCOO Undersecretary, and a NICA Executive Director at its helm. Saan ka pa di ba?

I would perhaps tell Dir. Monteagudo that "as Chief of Intelligence, he should be more responsible, sayang naman ang intel funds," but it seems that peddling lies is now part of their "duty" to protect the president and his power base. That the country's top intelligence officer regularly shares fake news on Facebook is no longer a surprise. Duterte's officials can blatantly spread false information on online platforms and get away with it because they have the blessing of the country's top troll, the president himself. Didn't he throw a fit last Monday because Facebook took down his pro-government 'advocacy' pages?

It's more alarming that Duterte is defending "trolling" as a legitimate way to espouse "government advocacies." Kapag kritiko, paninira. Kapag pro-government post, kahit peke, adbokasiya daw. At sa bilyones na intel fund ngayong 2021, alam na natin kung ano ang prayoridad ng administrasyong ito. Propagating troll armies, it seems, is now on top of this government's agenda. May pondo ito, may makinarya. This is obviously a well-coordinated system of deception intended to discredit Duterte's critics, promote his murderous policies, and ensure his hold to power. Karimarimarim!

Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 929, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._929