We can all thank Mark Zuckerberg for treating Filipinos like lab rats by allowing free access to Facebook through the various telecoms back in 2013. Three years later Duterte was elected as a direct result because his campagin relied heavily on Facebook to reach voters. The presence of Duterte supporters (DDS) and Duterte haters has grown vocally over the past 4 years since his election to office. Dive down deep enough and its a never ending storm of invective on both sides of the aisles.
Politicians and bureaucrats are reviled or lauded depending upon their stance towards Duterte and his policies. VP Leni Robredo has also been caught up in the social media fray with calls for her to step down because she is a fake VP who stole the election. She is also called all sorts of names and no matter what she does it is not good enough for those who hate her. Some even want to go to her home and kill her.
I do not know what happened to this person. What I do know is that in the span of a week five people have been arrested for posting anti-Duterte sentiments on social media. That is pretty odd. Why were these messages all posted in one week?
The first to be arrested was Ronnel Mas who posed a tweet offering a reward of P50 million to kill Duterte.
One man really was framed for making threats against the president.
A man from Ozamiz offered P150 million to anyone who could kill Duterte.
All of the above have been threats to kill Duterte and one would expect those who made the posts to be arrested. Most disturbing has been the arrest of a man not for making a death threat but for calling Duterte "buang."
The NUPL questions the judgment of the DOJ that Mas' confession "cured" the situation.
So what's the deal with all these threats? Why did they appear all of a sudden? The PNP thinks it might be a concerted effort to undermine the state!
By all means let the NBI investigate each case but no way are these disparate people part of a political group. They are disgruntled and blowing off steam. They don't really mean it. You know like when Duterte tells people he will kill them. He doesn't mean it.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/260646-nbi-arrests-teacher-posted-reward-kill-duterte |
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday, May 12, that it arrested a 25-year-old teacher who posted on Twitter that he will give a P50-million reward to the person who will kill President Rodrigo Duterte.
NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said the NBI Dagupan District Office arrested the teacher, who was identified as Ronnel Mas, on Monday, May 11.
Lavin told reporters in a message Tuesday that Mas was set to undergo inquest. An inquest proceeding indicates that Mas was arrested without a warrant.
In a video posted by the arresting NBI agents, Mas said: "Nagso-sorry po ako kay President Rodrigo Duterte. Hindi ko po intensyon 'yun (I apologize to President Rodrigo Duterte. That was not my intention)."
He added "'Yung tweet na 'yun kumbaga saloobin ko lang kaso walang pumapansin, kaya nagawa ko 'yun. Wrong move po (That tweet is just my sentiment and it was being ignored so I did that. It was a wrong move)."This guy just wanted attention and he got it. The next man to be arrested was a habal-habal driver from Aklan named Ronald Quiboyen.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/260785-habal-habal-driver-offered-reward-kill-duterte-arrested-may-2020 |
“’Yong 50milyon nyo doblihin ko gawin kung 100milyon kung sino makapatay kay duterte andito ako ngayon sa Boracay,” Quiboyen said in his now viral social media post.
(I will double the P50 million. I'm offering P100-million reward to anyone who will kill Duterte. I'm here in Boracay.)He was later to say that this Facebook post was just a cry for help.
A habal-habal driver who was nabbed for offering a bounty for anyone who can kill President Rodrigo Duterte said he only made the notorious Facebook post because he needed help because he was stranded in Boracay.
In a 24 Oras report by Marisol Abdurahman on Thursday, the suspect said he only made the post because he wanted to catch Duterte’s attention and hopefully be allowed to return home to his province amid the quarantine.
“Wala naman po akong sama ng loob sa kaniya. Sa totoo lang po ay nagpapasalamat rin po ako sa mga accomplishment ni Pangulong Duterte e. Humihingi po ako ng tawad kay Pangulong Duterte,” the suspect explained.
“I don't feel bad about him. In fact, I am also grateful for President Duterte's accomplishments. I apologize to President Duterte, ”the suspect explained.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/738314/duterte-threat-was-cry-for-help-says-habal-habal-driver/story/Looks like he got his wish as he is now sitting in a jail cell. The third person to be arrested for threatening Duterte was a woman, Maria Catherine Bentolan Ceron.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/310016/netizen-from-cordova-offering-p75m-bounty-to-kill-duterte-says-her-fb-account-was-hacked |
The netizen from Cordova town in Cebu who was arrested for offering in a Facebook post a P75-million bounty to anyone who can kill President Rodrigo Duterte claims her social media account was hacked.
Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) arrested Ma. Catherine Bentolan Ceron, 26, on Wednesday morning, May 13, 2020, for her post shared on Tuesday, May 12, wherein she stated how dismayed she was with the president.
(Actually according to her that her FB account was hacked it some other person was using it. But she will have to prove that in court.)
Part of her post read: “Kong sino nakabasa sa post na to, patayin nyo si digong Duterte magbibibgay po ang gruop ng 75 milyon kong sinong makapatay ni duterte.”
(To whoever is reading this post, kill Digong Duterte and our group will give 75 million to whoever can kill Duterte.)She claimed her Facebook account was hacked. Two men also claimed they were framed when they were arrested for posting threats against Duterte.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/310280/ermita-tanods-deny-posting-threats-against-president-duterte |
Two barangay tanods in Cebu City have denied allegations that they have posted threats and offered a bounty to anyone who can kill President Rodrigo Duterte.
The tanods, identified as Aldren Butalid Cabigon and Rengel Dominguez Fajardo from Barangay Ermita, were invited by the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI – 7) on Thursday, May 14 for questioning.
Cabigon and Fajardo told reporters in a press interview that an unknown netizen unscrupulously used their photos to create a dummy account on Facebook named Nogibac Aldren.
“We believe somebody used our photos to put us in a bad light. We own those photos but we did not make that post with the captions threatening our President. The photos dated back in 2009,” said Cabigon in Cebuano.
The images showed the two tanods posing with several firearms, with a caption that reads “President Dutae you m***********! There’s a bounty waiting for anyone who can kill you. I will kill you and your bodyguard once I see you, you m***********… gago!” in Cebuano.
Lawyer Arnel Pura, assistant to the deputy director of NBI – 7, said they were conducting further investigation on the matter.
“We’re still verifying all information because they (tanods) also have their valid facts. In the meantime, we are still evaluating all of these before we can initiate actions against them,” Pura said.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/738143/to-frame-husband-wife-posts-threat-to-duterte-using-his-account/story/ |
According to a 24 Oras report by John Consulta on Wednesday, a security guard’s post made rounds on social media for making several threats to the President along with a picture of him doing the dirty finger gesture.
“Duterte… mamamatay tao ka, kriminal, pinasara mo pa ABS-CBN. Hayop ka, ‘wag ka magtago sa Malacañang. Lumabas ka, suntukan tayo. Babasagin ko mukha mo. Papatayin kita,” the post read.
However, the man who allegedly made the post denied any involvement.
In an entrapment operation, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Division nabbed the suspect—the man’s wife alias Shirley.
She confessed that she made the fake account and post using her husband’s name over a marital issue.Remember to always sign out of your Facebook account especially if you share computers.
A man from Ozamiz offered P150 million to anyone who could kill Duterte.
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| https://journal.com.ph/news/provincial/man-hikes-duterte-slay-offer-p150m-nabbed |
Suspect Joemarc Ebcay, a jobless resident of Purok Matinud-anon in Bgy. Maningcol, Ozamiz City,became the latest ‘jokester’ to be arrested for threatening to kill the Chief Executive this week.
Ebcay’s comment: “Para sa akin nman 150 milyon kung sino ang makapatay kay du30. Bibigyan ko. Kung wala ako nalang papatay kay Duterte.”
The Misamis Occidental Police Provincial Office did not take the Facebook comment lightly and launched a hunt for the suspect.
Shortly after noon Thursday, Ebcay surrendered to Ozamis City Police Station personnel headed by Lieutenant Colonel Shirwen Lapiz and admitted he was the one who posted the comment on Facebook. He also turned over his phone, an android Samsung Galaxy which he used to post the comment on Facebook.A jobless man offered millions he does not have to kill the president. But P150 million is peanuts. A week later one young man offered P200 million for the head of Duterte.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/05/21/2015470/teen-held-over-threat-vs-duterte |
Authorities held a 19-year-old netizen who offered P200 million for the head of President Duterte in Barangay Abar 2, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija last Tuesday.
City police chief Lt. Col. Heryl Bruno said concerned citizens brought to their attention the May 16 social media post of Fernando Dandan Jr., who also said the killer can bring Duterte’s head to his place in Sitio Dilain to collect the reward.None of those who have offered millions actually have that much. But one guy offered an amount he probably has but which is way too low for what he wants.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/310177/another-netizen-from-cebu-in-question-for-allegedly-posting-threats-against-president-duterte |
Initial investigations from NBI-7 showed that Japal had posted on his Facebook account an offer of P20,000 to those who can kill the president.
“F*** you, Dutae. I’ll shoot you in the face with a gun. We lost our jobs because of you. If I meet you up close, I’ll shoot you right away. And I have a reward. It’s P20,000 for anyone who can kill that m**********!” read a screenshot of Japal’s post in Cebuano.P20,000?? That's an offer you CAN refuse.
All of the above have been threats to kill Duterte and one would expect those who made the posts to be arrested. Most disturbing has been the arrest of a man not for making a death threat but for calling Duterte "buang."
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1275073/man-from-agusan-del-norte-nabbed-for-controversial-post-vs-bong-go-duterte |
Caraga police director Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel arrested Reynaldo Orcullo, who is a salesman living in Barangay Triangulo, Nasipit town, for alleged libelous statements posted on Facebook, which supposedly called the President “foolish.”
“ALAM NA PATTERN, MOSALIDA SI GO KONUHAY SIYA MOHANGYO SA BUANG NGA PANGULO, DIGONG G***. BUANG SI DIGONG,” Orcullo wrote on Facebook.
(We already know the pattern. Go will create a scripted demand to that foolish Digong. Digong is a fool.)
Nobody called for DFA Sec. Locsin's arrest for cyber-libel when he called VP Robredo "boba" and brainless.
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And it's clearly not cyber-libel. Rude? Yes. But cyber-libel? No. Neither is calling Duterte "buang" cyberlibel.
What's even more disturbing about this arrest is that it was done without a warrant. That makes the arrest illegal and unconstitutional. So says one of the framers of the current constitution.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1275443/monsod-arrest-of-duterte-critic-sans-libel-complaint-illegal-unconstitutional |
“The arrests were unconstitutional. No warrant of arrest. No complaint. No basis for warrantless arrest,” Monsod said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.
He also said that it is not for police to decide whether or not the suspect has committed libel — instead, it is the courts’ role to find probable cause and eventually issue an arrest order.
“Whether libelous or not is for a court to decide, not the police,” he added.
Monsod’s fellow lawyers Chel Diokno and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate also insisted that police officers can only conduct arrests when crimes are about to be done, or are already happening.
But not libel, as probable cause can only be established by court judges.The arrest of Ronnel Mas was also deemed by the DOJ to be illegal because it was without a warrant. However the DOJ also says that the man's confession "cures" that issue.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2020/05/16/2014332/doj-teachers-arrest-inavalid |
Mas’ arrest by NBI operatives in Sta. Cruz, Zambales “does not fall within the ambit of warrantless arrest contemplated by the law” citing Rule 113(b) of the revised rules of criminal procedure for it to become valid, the DOJ said.
A warrantless arrest is valid when the crime has just been committed and the arresting officer has probable cause to believe, based on personal knowledge of facts or circumstances, that the person to be arrested has committed it, according to the DOJ.
Mas was arrested six days after making the controversial tweet on May 5, the DOJ stressed, adding that the arresting officers had no idea that Mas committed the crime.
“Be that as it may, the defect of Mas’s warrantless arrest was ultimately cured when Mas extrajudicially admitted to the media that he indeed personally posted the provocative text in his Twitter account @RonPrince_,” the DOJ said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1276261/nupl-questions-ruling-that-warrantless-arrest-of-teacher-was-cured-by-confession |
But NUPL Secretary General Edre Olalia pointed out that the “so-called confession or admission” should not be legally used or taken against an arrested or “invited” person “suspected, accused or charged with a supposed crime” under the following conditions:It's not a good thing at all to illegally arrest somebody. The law must be upheld. As so many are saying these days in light of ABS-CBN's closure, Dura lex, sed lex; The law is harsh but it is the law. The PNP might want to jump the gun and arrest someone for making a threat or calling the president a fool but it simply cannot be done without following the proper protocol which mean a warrant. When an arrest is made illegally the rule of law and faith in the law keepers is eroded.
- “under physical custody or within the complete control or coercive power especially of burly, armed, aggressive and intimidating police or military,
- “while in a hostile and stressful situation or environment,
- “unaware, mistaken or does not fully understand the legal consequences of anything he/she says, with or without media presence,
- “when asked or solicited by or ‘volunteered’ to anybody, whether police, military or media,
- “more so without the presence and correct advice of a competent, trustworthy and independent lawyer preferably of one’s choice or option”
So what's the deal with all these threats? Why did they appear all of a sudden? The PNP thinks it might be a concerted effort to undermine the state!
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/310756/pro-7-probing-groups-possibly-behind-kill-duterte-posts-on-fb |
Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said that they were investigating if there were anti-government groups that were behind such movements.
“That’s political. These group are trying to destroy the gains we have done with our president leading the way,” said Ferro.A political group? No. One man wanted attention, another was frustrated about the quarantine, one threat was from a wife attempting to frame her husband, the rest there is no specific "why" given but it appears they are just acting like idiots and not being serious. None of them have the millions they are offering.
By all means let the NBI investigate each case but no way are these disparate people part of a political group. They are disgruntled and blowing off steam. They don't really mean it. You know like when Duterte tells people he will kill them. He doesn't mean it.
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| https://www.newsweek.com/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-kill-rich-people-1484072 |
During a radio interview, Panelo said Duterte did not mean people should actually go out and kill the rich, but was being "graphic" with his rhetoric because "that has been his style."
Will one of these people use the Duterte defense and say they didn't mean it and were just being graphic with their rhetoric?"You know, by this time, we already know what the president meant. When he said kill the crazy rich, that means you kill the desires of the rich to steal money from the taxpayers, from consumers," Panelo said, via Philstar Global.
