The Twitter account of social media personality “Professional Heckler” was suspended on Saturday after he shared a blog post that satirized Duterte’s “anti-tambay” directive.
His supporters called out Twitter for the suspension, claiming that the social media personality’s account was reported by trolls and members of the DDS or “die-hard Duterte supporters.”
The Batangas-born blogger posted a statement on Facebook following the suspension. It has been shared by his supporters on Facebook and Twitter.
“When you’re vocal about the abuses of this government, you’ll be the target of government-funded trolls and keyboard warriors, and their sympathizers online,” Professional Heckler said.
“Today, after posting the link to my latest blog (Ang Pulis at Ang Tambay), Twitter suspended my account (@HecklerForever). No warning whatsoever,” he said.
“Ang Pulis at Ang Tambay” is a satirical post that portrays scenarios that might happen under Duterte’s “Oplan Tambay” directive which has been highly criticized.
In his statement, “Professional Heckler” added that he has never tagged anyone in his tweets before and has been critical of previous administrations as well, not just Duterte.
Some of his supporters who have lambasted the suspension were actress Agot Isidro and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay.
A vocal political critic on social media
“Professional Heckler” is known for his critical tweets against the government, pointing out its flaws and shortcomings.
In his statement, he noted that he has been critical of previous presidents, citing Aquino, Arroyo, Estrada, Ramos and “practically every politician in this country.”
Some of his most recent tweets against the current administration are about:
The proposed drug testing of grade 4 students and above
Duterte’s contradicting statements on ‘tambays’
The ‘Norwegia’ error of PCOO
Supporters of “Professional Heckler” suspected that supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte have reported his account.
This is not a surprise since pro-Duterte bloggers have emerged on social media ever since Duterte took office. They are keen on calling everything (or anyone) that is critical of the administration as “fake news.”
Some of the most famous ones in social media are RJ Nieto (Thinking Pinoy), Sass Sassot, Carlos Munda (MindaNation) and Mocha Uson, among others.
Duterte supporters call for mass reporting
A Twitter account calling itself “United DDS” openly thanked Twitter for suspending the account of “Professional Heckler,” saying that the latter is a “purveyor of fake news.”
When the account of “Professional Heckler” was restored, the “United DDS” account called for a renewed “mass report” of “Professional Heckler’s” account.
“United DDS” describes itself as the collective voice of Filipinos who fully support the Duterte administration. It was created in July 2016, the first month after Duterte became the president.
Under Twitter’s guidelines, an account may be suspended for the following reasons:
- Spam — If the user shares “spammy posts” or is a fake account;
- Account security at risk — If the user’s account was hacked by someone else;
- Abusive tweets or behavior — If the user’s account was reported due to it being “abusive.” According to Twitter, they may suspend it temporarily or permanently if it sends threats or impersonates other accounts. — Art by Uela Badayos