MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday welcomed the call of senators to investigate allegations that public funds are being used to run troll farms.
READ: 12 senators seek probe into ‘state-funded troll farms’
Robredo, a victim of trolls herself, said that while internet trolling has been around for some time, the investigation is “never too late.”
“Para sa akin, very much welcome itong Senate investigation,” she said on radio DZXL. “Ako mismo, biktima na ako ng napakaraming fake news.”
(The senate investigation is very much welcome since I was a victim of fake news myself.)
“Mula sa 2016, magkontra ka sa administrasyon, isa-swarm ka ng mga trolls na ito,” she added.
(Since 2016, when you speak against the administration, the trolls will swarm you.)
Robredo also said that the 375 contract of service personnel hired by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) that was flagged by Commission on Audit (COA) is a “hard evidence” that the rumors may be “true.”
“Ang dami na sa amin na nagrereport na iyong mga troll farms daw parang galing pa sa gobyerno pero wala tayong hawak na hard evidence so mahirap,” she pointed out. “Recently lumabas iyong COA ng PCOO na parang nag-hire sila ng more than 300 na social media consultants at a time na ganito may pandemic.”
(We receive so many reports that the troll farms are from the government but we have no hard evidence to back it up so it was hard. But recently, COA flagged PCOO for hiring more than 300 social media consultants in the time of pandemic.)
“So doon nagsimula na parang first time na nakakuha ng, parang official na ebidensya na iyong mga matagal nang pinag-uusapan, totoo,” she said.
(It was the first time that we got official evidence that the previous rumors are true.)
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