How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future

by Maria Ressa

The information operations against Leni took off in January 2017. The same three content creators led the charge against her: Sass Sasot, RJ Nieto, and Mocha Uson. By that time, all three had appeared in photos of palace gatherings; Mocha was now a government official, working for various Duterte administration entities, including his communications office, while RJ Nieto was a consultant for the Department of Foreign Affairs. They accused Leni of working with US groups to oust Duterte. It was laughable,39 yet Facebook gave their wild statements mass distribution. Again, that was Facebook’s call. In 2018, the data, and our work that identified that the attacks were coming from government officials and groups close to Duterte, proved to us that it was state-sponsored hate.40 Three years later in 2021, the Commission on Audit would find that the government office that had disseminated the hate attacks (#LeniLeaks was the main hashtag for the attacks against Robredo) had hired some 375 contract workers,41 260 percent more than its regular staff. It had cost $1.4 million.