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[av_heading heading=’NO FILTER | Alternative Malacañang’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RHICK LARS VLADIMERALBAY
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Tuesday, April 11, 2017
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LIKE THE harbinger of the apocalypse, a marginal dip in the performance and trust ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte has set off a chain reaction that has rocked the Palace and is slowly exposing the cracks in the Malacañang – and alleged “insiders” are tweeting about it.
With heads rolling left and right – even as spokespersons Martin Andanar and Ernesto Abella insist that Duterte is “satisfied with the overall performance of his Cabinet” – and the infighting inside our chief executive’s inner circle reaching fever pitch, four earthquakes sent shockwaves across Luzon on Saturday.
“The earthquake is not part of any destabilization plots against the PRRD government. Please be informed. Thank you,” tweeted Alt Malacañang (@AltMalacanang on Twitter) over the weekend – not to be confused with the Superficial Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, a parody account of the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines, which released satire piece “Duterte supporters blame Robredo for earthquakes” on the same day.
Alt Malacañang is only one ofa handful of “rogue” Twitter accounts that have emerged in the wake of the surging popularity of “alternative facts” and the administration’s inconsistency. There are also accounts named Rogue Senate Staff (@RogueSenStaff) and Rogue House of Representatives Staff (@RogueHREPStaff), as well as Alt Armed Forces of the Philippines (@AltTeamAFP).
“We are the resistance of the Malacañang Palace. We are the voice in the dark that speaks in silence and hides in the foreground,” reads their intro on the popular social media site. Though it remains uncertain if the people behind the account are truly employed in Duterte’s government, they do offer an interesting spin on what may or may not be happening in the Malacañang behind closed doors.
“[Lorraine] Badoy turning out one of the most reviled officials. Palace glad she’s taking heat off PRRD. Even among supporters, she’s an embarrassment,” Alt Malacañang tweeted on April 1, in the aftermath of her “mag-online child porn muna kayo” rant directed at the European Union.
Earlier that week the account also posted: “Palace is monitoring DSWD Asec. Lorraine Badoy. Secy [Judy] Taguiwalo not happy with her, putting DSWD in a bad light,” and “The half sis of Gang Badoy is what we call NPA: ‘Non-Performing Asset’. Dregs like her should be fired, not rejected.”
Then on the “girlfriend” wars between House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Davao del Norte representative Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr., Alt Malacañang offers new insight and foreboding prospects: “House infighting [between] Alvarez, [a] corrupt DOTC Secy in GMA’s term [against] Floirendo, [a] Marcos crony, is getting ridiculous. PRRD enjoying the fight,” and “Meanwhile, Floirendo consolidating support with GMA to oust Alvarez. Fight will determine VP impeachment progress.”
Clearly dishing on the antics of former Donald Trump campaign manager, now White House counselor, Kellyanne Conway, Alt Malacañang has the sense of humor to rip on itself yet retaining a stinging bite i.e. “We learned from Kellyanne. Internally, we now refer to them as alternative facts. Like the ‘winning’ war on drugs.” (To be continued on Saturday, April 15) (rhickalbay@gmail.com/PN)
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