Chapter 107: The Paid Trolls
The backlash started subtly—random anonymous accounts posting vague criticisms under Matthew's endorsement statement. But within 24 hours, it had evolved into a full-fledged smear campaign.
Angel sat in Matthew's office, scrolling through an avalanche of posts on multiple social media platforms. The sheer volume was absurd.
"Matthew," she sighed, rubbing her temples, "you might want to take a look at this."
He glanced up from his tablet, where he had been reviewing projections for Sentinel's next product launch. With a flick of his fingers, he expanded a live feed of social media activity onto his holographic display.
What he saw made him smirk.
It was a digital circus.
The paid trolls had been mobilized in full force, and their messages ranged from laughably absurd to outright slanderous.
"Borja is a secret foreign agent! His tech empire is just a front for foreign interference!"
Matthew chuckled. "Right, because investing billions in the country I was born in makes me a foreign agent?"
"He just wants Velasco in power so he can have a puppet government!"
Angel scoffed. "Because supporting innovation and transparency means controlling the government?"
"Matthew Borja's company doesn't pay taxes! He's just using this endorsement to cover up his corruption!"
Matthew nearly choked on his coffee. "Angel, didn't we pay over 300 million dollars in taxes last fiscal year?" Angel deadpanned, "Yes, and it's public record."
"Sentinel Systems is a monopoly! He's no different from the oligarchs he claims to be against!"
Matthew smirked. "Sure, because creating an industry from scratch and leading innovation is exactly the same as being born into generational wealth."
"Borja has offshore accounts! Look at these unverified documents!"
Angel tapped her screen. "These 'documents' are laughably fake. They misspelled 'Philippines' on one of them." Matthew snorted, "At least hire competent trolls."
And then came the completely unhinged takes:
"Borja is actually a robot created by Sentinel AI, and he's taking over the country!"
Matthew leaned back. "I guess I should thank them for calling me too smart to be human."
"He is the antichrist! His technology is leading us to the end times!"
Angel rubbed her temples. "Matthew, you've officially reached biblical villain status." Matthew sighed. "I always knew I was destined for great things."
"Borja is using holograms to manipulate people's minds into voting for Velasco!"
Matthew chuckled, "If I had mind-control technology, I wouldn't be wasting it on elections."
Angel let out a long sigh. "This is beyond stupidity. I can feel my IQ dropping just reading these."
Matthew took a sip of his coffee, completely unfazed. "Welcome to election season."
The opposition's propaganda machine had gone into overdrive.
A doctored video of Matthew was making the rounds, where they had spliced together unrelated clips to make it sound like he was saying, "I will control the government, and Filipinos will have no choice but to obey."
The original footage? A speech he gave about AI automation in business.
"They didn't even try," Angel muttered, shaking her head.
But the most ridiculous attack came from an obviously fake news website, which ran an "exposé" claiming Matthew was part of a secret global elite trying to enslave Filipinos through technology.
The headline?
"Borja's Plan: Turn the Philippines into a Digital Prison!"
Matthew almost spit out his coffee.
"This is satire, right?" he asked.
Angel rolled her eyes. "Nope. They're actually serious."
The article claimed:
Sentinel OS wasn't actually an operating system, but a mass surveillance tool designed to spy on Filipinos 24/7.
Matthew had built a secret underground lab where he was creating cyborg soldiers to enforce a "New World Order."
5G towers were being used to "implant microchips into Filipinos' brains" to turn them into "digital slaves of Sentinel AI."
He was planning to sell the country to aliens. Yes. Actual extraterrestrials.
Angel burst out laughing. "They're not even trying to make it sound believable."
Matthew chuckled. "If I had alien connections, don't you think I'd be running a galactic empire by now?"
It wasn't just anonymous troll accounts—paid influencers had also jumped on the anti-Borja bandwagon.
Several YouTube personalities and Facebook vloggers—all suspiciously aligned with Vargas' camp—began posting outrage bait videos:
"EXPOSED: The Dark Truth Behind Borja's Empire!" Contains zero actual evidence.
"Why Matthew Borja is the Real Threat to Our Freedom!" Cue dramatic background music and completely baseless accusations.
"Borja is an Elitist Trying to Control the Poor!" Featuring stock footage of random people looking sad.
Angel played one of the worst offenders—a livestream where a known pro-Vargas vlogger went on an hour-long rant.
"He's a billionaire! He doesn't know what it's like to suffer! These rich people don't care about us! He's just using his money to brainwash people!"
Matthew leaned forward, unimpressed. "Angel, didn't I come from a middle-class family?"
Angel smirked. "Yep. And you built Sentinel from scratch."
"Right," Matthew said. "Meanwhile, Vargas was literally born into power and wealth, but somehow I'm the elitist?"
Angel shook her head. "The mental gymnastics are astounding."
Matthew finally leaned back in his chair. "This is hilarious. But we need to respond."
Angel nodded. "How do you want to handle this? We could debunk everything, but honestly, this garbage doesn't even deserve a response."
Matthew smirked. "We don't dignify stupidity with serious answers. We mock it."
Angel grinned. "I love where this is going."
Matthew pulled up his social media feed and began typing.
Matthew Borja – Official Post
"I've been accused of many things before, but I must say, today's conspiracy theories are truly something special. Let's review:
I'm a secret agent? Cool, where's my spy gear?
I don't pay taxes? Strange, my accountant says otherwise.
I have a secret underground lab? Please tell me where, I'd love to see it.
I'm working with aliens? Great! When's the spaceship ride?
"The truth is simple: I support a leader who values innovation and transparency. But if believing in progress makes me a villain, then I accept my role as the 'Tech Overlord' of the Philippines."
#BorjaForGalacticEmperor
#SentinelMindControl2022
#AliensForBorja
Within minutes, the post went viral.
"LMAO, Borja just ended the trolls with sarcasm!"
"The man didn't even get mad. He just clapped back with humor. Respect!"
"Borja for Galactic Emperor when?"
"Bro just turned their smear campaign into a meme!"
Angel grinned. "That was perfect."
Matthew smirked. "You don't fight stupidity with logic. You fight it with ridicule."
And just like that, the trolls lost control of the narrative.
Because when the public is laughing at you, you've already lost the argument.
What do you think?
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