Atty. Bruce Rivera Hits Back ABS-CBN Journalist Inday Espina Varona

In a recent post of Inday Espina-Varona a reporter of ABS-CBN is questioning the Atty. Bruce Rivera's credibility as a social media reporter of DDS or Duterte Diehard Supporters. Rivera, a known supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, posted about an alleged conversation with a Singaporean member of the press, who asked where he is from and mentioned it was his “first time to hear of DDS.”

Rivera, who is better known as a lawyer, responded: “It is now the biggest network in the Philippines.” However, he did not mention what "DDS" stands for. Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux "Mocha" Uson, a performer and blogger, calls Duterte's supporters "Ka-DDS" or "Die-hard Duterte Supporters."

Rivera's accreditation raised questions from Filipino members of the media, who asked if the lawyer complied with the strict accreditation process for “regular” members of the press like Inday Espina-Varona. She says:

Background colors aside, I want to know who signed the assignment document (important for accountability). That's signed by employer or, for freelance journalists, rep of a company that has hired him/her to cover an event. What outfit is DDS? Who are the owners of DDS? Who are the editors DDS? The Palace? That's also where processing happened. I blog. I have blogger friends. I've worked with them. I've always told them accountability is the main thing in accreditation. So, yeah, who do they answer to? - Inday Espina-Varona

Because of Inday Espina Varona's comments, Atty. Bruce Rivera hits back the ABS-CBN Journalist and this is what he said:

FOCUS, INDAY

First of all, you know there is no DDS. No such media entity. We are as shocked as you are when we saw the ID. And what employer? We worked for free. It was voluntary. We were not even given a room in the Conrad Hotel but we did not mind because we are just volunteers. The only thing we got out of the event was the free buffet dinner (and lunch, for some). We brought our own clothes, own make-up and my own transportation though several of us were transported to the venue. We did not even use the airtime of PTV 4 but our own site and pages.

And you are talking of owners? Really. You once supported Duterte so you know the bloggers were not paid. So it baffles me why some bloggers (not the ones on our side) would pay a company to boost their following with monthly payments of up to PhP30k. Itanong ko kaya sa yo yan. The company that boosted your followers approached me with the same offer. Kaso hindi ko afford. KASI NGA WALA KAMING BAYAD.

And why do we need accreditation. We are bloggers. As the name implies, we blog. We post opinions, commentaries and literary work. WE DO NOT PRESENT THE NEWS. We are not a news outfit. Hence we have no obligation to be impartial, objective and straightforward. It is about opinions. So why do we need accreditation? So an agency will edit and tell us what to say or not to say. Why demand such accountability from us when you have news agencies accredited to the hilt who do function as the town gossip or the village whore.

You so righteously demand freedom of speech for yourselves and yet you want to silence the lowly bloggers like me. I call that hypocritical.

Nobody wants your jobs, mainstream media. I am already a lawyer. It is a demotion to be considered in your level. But I do it with the others in Status Hot for free because we need represent the bloggers. Not the yellow bloggers. Rappler is doing a fine job. The people who voted for this President no longer trust what the mainstream media has to say. Not our fault. You made your bed. We are just responding to a need. A need that the PCOO had to address. Again, not their fault.

And since you are so fond of asking questions, I ask this question: WHY DO FILIPINOS DISTRUST MAINSTREAM MEDIA? Perhaps a self-reflection is needed instead of attacking those who just want to bridge the gap your kind created when they decided money matters more than integrity.

Lastly, I hope you will be as tenacious in asking Andy Bautista where he got the money in the same bravado you asked me. - Bruce V. Rivera