Mayor Sara affected by Facebook purge

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte was among those affected by Facebook’s latest purge.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, Davao City information officer Jefry Tupas said the account of the President’s eldest daughter was taken down after [it] was “heavily reported.”

“Did you know that Mayor Inday Sara Zimmerman Duterte is one of the casualties of the Facebook purge?” Tupas wrote.

“She’s locked out after her account was heavily reported. It’s not surprising,” he added.

200 accounts

Last week, Facebook’s cybersecurity policy head Nathaniel Gleicher announced that they had removed more than 200 accounts that operated under the network of communication strategist Nic Gabunada Jr., who headed the social media campaign of President Duterte in 2016.

Hours after the takedown, Facebook showed samples of the pages that were removed, including those made by supporters of Duterte, former presidential aide Bong Go and reelectionist Sen. Sonny Angara.

At a recent Palace briefing, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President had nothing to do with the affected Facebook accounts.

He also downplayed the role of social media in the victory of Duterte during the 2016 presidential elections, saying the people who voted for him represented the masses.

“The overwhelming majority that voted him into office, I don’t think they have Facebook accounts and whatever,” he said. —DARRYL JOHN ESGUERRA