Seems I have missed out on the biggest controversy to hit the Philippine blogging scene this year.
Seems an Australian expat was divested of 70k Australian dollars by a filipino. Now, he's striking back by airing the dirty linen of this person and all his high society friends.
I just started reading the blog now after tons of posts and hundreds of comments have been made. It truly is rivetting. More so with the comments. Took me the whole night just reading them.
They sure aren't Paris Hilton caliber when it comes to riches but here in the Philippines, these people could pass off as the same in perceived stature.
I mean I owe a bunch of people some money but heck, i do intend to pay em all. But I feel sorry for this australian. I mean, that's his life savings we're talking about here.
Anyway, Philippine newspapers and other well known sites have written about em.
Here's a few:
"...AN Australian expat who was forced to flee the Philippines after having been caught in a nasty lover’s quarrel with his Filipino boyfriend and his circle of high society party crowd has struck back from overseas in the best way he could.
Brian Gorell started a blog, dissing out dirt not only against his ex-lover, ex-restaurateur Delfin Justiniano “DJ” Ocampo Montano II, but also against Montano’s friends Celine Lopez (daughter of Albertito and Emily Lopez), L’Oreal’s Tina Tinio, Wendy Puyat, and Marcel Crespo. ..."
Victor Agustin
Manila Standard
...Naming (big pop society) names and tagging them as cocaine users, freeloaders and wild clubbers, it makes "Gossip Girl" look like a Disney musical.
The cyber sensation, which logged over 40,000 hits in its first four days, chronicles alleged shenanigans of local sosi peeps -personalities that may be of little interest to those who worship at the altar of Entertainment.
Then again, a major character in this online telenovela claims to be the scion of a clan with major interests in media and show business....
Rushes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
"...The latest Manila society drama rolled out last week, not in Forbes Park salons, but on computer monitors across cyberspace. It has threatened to shatter dozens of names and reputations. The drama is that artifact of our times: a blog. An online confessional, although in this case, it’s more accusational.."
Zhou Zhiyal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
It has it's own Wikipedia post:
"The Gucci Gang controversy is a series of events that involved an Australian blogger Brian Gorrell who published his accusation against his former boyfriend, whom he identified as Filipino socialite and lifestyle columnist DJ Montano, of swindling him of money totaling US$70,000.[1] Gorrell's blog, which was first published on March 4, 2008, has also accused Montano's well-to-do friends, whom he identified as "Gucci Gang", of attempting to cover up the deed and striking back at him.[2] The blog has since become a major gossip topic in Philippines' capital city Manila, exposing its high-society youths' alleged freeloading lifestyle and addiction to cocaine.[3][4] It has also tested Philippine and Australian libel laws, and raised questions about the extent of freedom of speech in blogging..."
I even read that some international news agencies might pick this up. But man, the hits this guy is getting on his blog is phenomenal given that it's less than 2 weeks old.
Wonder if I could get hits like those. hehehe
