If we are to believe Esguerra and his humble brag coated in sarcasm about his “walang ka-kuwenta-kuwentang podcast” then this is such a small thing, it barely matters. But that’s the thing: he is making it matter, and even his bosom buddy Ronald Llamas can’t seem to stop talking about Esguerra-as-victim at this point, which just makes it matter even more. That a content card was generated to show support for Esguerra as the Marcos vloggers started asking questions of him and his kind of commentary, is also telling: may effect kahit paano ang ganitong pagko-call-out at scale ng mga, as Christian puts it, “kung sinu-sino lang” na pro-BBM vloggers (as opposed to him not being kung sinu-sino lang, kasi nga journalist siya, and therefore hindi “sumasamba” sa pulitiko).

Of course Atty Claire Castro, originally a vlogger, but now the Presidential Spokesperson, is not kung sinu-sino lang, and I sense that it is her engagement with this issue that has gotten Christian and friends all riled up: gawain nga ba ito ng isang Presidential spokesperson? To answer that rhetorical question, it is a yes. Especially in this particular present, after six years of Duterte, and four years into the Marcos presidency, because there is absolutely no other way but to engage across mainstream and social media. Anything less allows for falsity to fester, just like the whole bangag narrative against BBM which the administration responded to too late. (more…)