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Dear Rappler readers,
It was an eventful week for Congress, but the Wednesday hearing on fake news at the Senate of the Philippines garnered the most buzz. Pro-Duterte online personalities such as Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson and Thinking Pinoy blogger RJ Nieto faced off against ex-administration officials such as former presidential spokespersons Edwin Lacierda and Abigail Valte, who are accused of running anti-administration blog Silent No More PH.
Both former officials denied the allegations. Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay was also present, lamenting the government’s “dishonesty” and spread of fake news.
While Senator Grace Poe lauded Nieto for his “thorough research” and “neutrality,” senator Bam Aquino hit Uson for her alleged lack of fairness for not getting the opposition’s side.
Earlier that week, Senator Risa Hontiveros faced Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who filed wiretapping charges against her. Hontiveros earlier called for Aguirre’s resignation for texting Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) member Jacinto “Jing” Paras to “expedite the cases” against her.
In the United States, more than 50 people were killed and around 200 injured Sunday after a gunman opened fire on fans at a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. The massacre was considered one of the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history.
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Watch the hearing held last Wednesday, October 4 on Rappler
Valte says she knew Cocoy Dayao, the alleged ‘webmaster’ of the anti-administration #SilentNoMorePH blog, from 2009 when he volunteered for the presidential campaign of then senator Benigno Aquino III
‘So I hope you keep the neutrality. Like if you’re in a board, you can be an independent director. You can be in government but an independent consultant.’
‘I’m a blogger, not a journalist,’ Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson tells Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, when he asks if she ever tried to get the side of people she has attacked in her blog
Aguirre says he will also file an ethics complaint before the Senate against Hontiveros
‘One of the cases was filed with a prosecutor under his jurisdiction. The conflict of interest is clear. This is a conspiracy hatched by Secretary Aguirre to expedite the filing of cases against me,’ says the senator in front of Justice Secretary Aguirre
President Donald Trump denounces what he called ‘an act of pure evil’
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