LAST year, the German government-funded Deutsche Welle (DW) declared Jover Laurio of Pinoy Ako Blog (PAB) one of its 2018 Freedom of Expression champions. Recent turn of events, however, strongly indicate that the international media have been duped by the public relations machinery that carved a false story of heroism out of Laurio’s non-existent track record of being a freedom of expression advocate.
In the accompanying video of DW’s feature on Laurio, she said that she eats death threats round-the-clock. Yet, she hasn’t filed any single criminal complaint to address that. The only criminal case she filed was against Franco Mabanta for calling her “ugly.” Funnily, on Dec. 20, 2018, DW championed the freedom expression right of “a Thai YouTuber” for calling “ugly” the dress worn by Thailand’s representative to the Miss Universe pageant.
Laurio was packaged as an “independent” blogger, speaking truth to power. But, she’s not independent at all.
The Inquirer, Rappler, and the New York Times have been instrumental in creating the Laurio myth.
In November 2017, Inquirer Desk editor Pocholo Concepion wrote a feature about her, “The surprise? Jover Laurio’s boyfriend is a Duterte supporter.” Concepcion said Laurio “sells food to co-employees to augment her income because she sends a relative to school.”
Rappler aggressively backed Laurio — from promoting the #TayoSiPAB campaign on twitter, to endorsing her book, to reporting one-sidedly the cases she filed against Mabanta, Thinking Pinoy’s writer RJ Nieto and me.
On Jan. 19, 2018, the New York Times reported that Laurio was jobless; and “during a Senate hearing [in 2017] on criticism in the media, Mr. Duterte’s social media team exposed Ms. Laurio as the force behind the blog (“To Criticize Duterte in Public”, “Inhale Courage and Exhale Fear”).” This is patently false: Nieto and I exposed Laurio earlier than that; and we’re not part of the so-called Duterte’s “social media team.”
My personal motivation to unveil her anonymity was the month-long transphobic assault she subjected me to and the false story she propagated against me in 2017.
The myth of her being an “independent” blogger has been destroyed by recent revelations of Jesus Falcis, another anti-Duterte blogger who is the brother of Nicko Falcis, the former financial manager of Kris Aquino, daughter and sister of two former presidents.
The Falcis brothers unmasked Laurio after Nicko’s relationship with Kris went south late last year. It was their defense against what they alleged as Kris’ social media efforts to destroy Nicko’s reputation. Along with Laurio, Jesus was also declared in 2017 by the Inquirer as a champion against “fake news.” Now, Jesus is unmasking Laurio.
The Falcis brothers released screenshots after screenshots of evidence that Kris was funding the boosting of Laurio’s Facebook posts. Boosting a Facebook post, tagged as “Sponsored Post,” would ensure that it would reach more people, including those who aren’t followers of your page.
At first, in an open letter to Nicko on Jan. 2, 2019, Laurio denied that Kris was involved in boosting her posts. Nicko, Laurio claimed, was the one who approached her, offering her help to boost her social media presence. Jesus countered, then released a screenshot of a Viber group called “Resibo Group,” with Laurio, Kris and Nicko as members. Then four days later, Kris admitted through an Instagram comment that she gave “Nicko money to boost” to “protect [her] brother from trolls.”
Strangely, Kris also said that her instruction to Nicko was that she was friends with Duterte’s right-hand man “Bong” Go; she had no beef with the Dutertes; “never attack the Duterte family, especially Kitty;” and that she had “no issue with Marcos children,” including “Bongbong” Marcos (BBM).
But, Laurio’s post are full of such attacks. The Falcis brothers even showed Laurio’s boosted post against CNN host James Deakin for being cozy with BBM and one that attacked Go. Did Laurio and Nicko breach Kris’ instructions?
Furthermore, in her open letter, Laurio said that she also uses her “own money” to pay Facebook boost her posts. Laurio has a lot of boosted posts. For this month alone, as revealed by the “Info and Ads” section of her page, she already has five, which could cost at least P15,000. But isn’t she jobless and short of cash that she resorted to selling food to augment her income?
One of things the Falcis brothers leaked was Laurio’s wedding invitation. She’s getting married this January. The long list of her wedding sponsors include Vice President Leni Robredo, Kris Aquino, Senators Antonio Trillanes, Risa Hontiveros, “Kiko” Pangilinan, “Bam” Aquino, and Representatives “Kit” Belmonte and Gary Alejano. And of course Rappler’s CEO Maria Ressa, whose international connection among the foreign press must have been thoroughly used in the service of propping up the Laurio myth.
In November 2017, I was lambasted for questioning why a “minor blogger” like Laurio was given a platform by the BBC. Contrary to the way the Inquirer, Rappler, and other mainstream media entity slanted it, I wasn’t envious of her.
Just stressing a point that for that rise to happen, she needed major boosters who would create a myth around her and sell it locally and internationally. Events proved me right. Since Laurio’s ascent lacked the foundation of real talent and a proven track record for championing freedom of expression, she faces the inevitable destiny of a false hero — an asterisk.
E-mail: srsasot@gmail.com
https://www.manilatimes.net/the-inevitable-destiny-of-a-false-hero/493260/
https://www.manilatimes.net/the-inevitable-destiny-of-a-false-hero/493260/
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