Who is RJ Nieto, the ex-Duterte blogger appointed as an official under Marcos' admin?

Rey Joseph "RJ" Nieto, better known as the man behind the famous pro-Duterte blog “Thinking Pinoy”, has been appointed as an Assistant Secretary under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary — the agency that directly supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office.

But who is Nieto? And how did he cross from one of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s most vocal defenders to an official in the Marcos administration?

During Duterte’s term, Nieto through his political blog site, Thinking Pinoy, had butted heads with several personalities, including former senator Antonio Trillanes III and Pinoy Ako Blogger Jover Laurio.

Oftentimes, Nieto did not merely defend Duterte, but actively launched verbal attacks against the former president’s critics.

In 2017, Trillanes filed a libel case against Nieto after the former made a Facebook post saying that US President Donald Trump called the former senator a “narco”. Nieto pleaded not guilty.

While a Pasay Court junked Trillanes’ case, this is not the only time that Nieto ran into legal trouble due to his blogging.

Nieto, in 2017, had publicly revealed the private information of Laurio, who was then writing the Pinoy Ako Blog anonymously. The Pinoy Ako Blog had criticized alleged misinformation and disinformation during Duterte’s time.

In return, Laurio filed a data privacy complaint against Nieto. In 2023, a Makati court would rule in her favor, finding Nieto guilty and ordering him to pay P350,0000 in damages and legal fees.

On Nieto’s attacks against photojournalist Jes Aznar, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said there was no place in the government or the media for “barefaced liars.”

Despite these cases, Nieto would go on several media stints, including making appearances on the People’s Television Network and SMNI. He also served as a social media consultant for the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2017.

Nieto also has a column in the Manila Bulletin, which was still published in September 2026.

In a column Manila Bulletin posted on August 21, 2021 called “I'm going back to school”, Nieto said that after being acquitted from the case that Trillanes filed against him, he began to think if he did the right thing.

He then expressed that his stint as an angry blogger was over. Since he dropped out of the University of the Philippines, Nieto said he was going back to a different school to get a degree in data analytics, and he wanted a Ph.D. in Data Science.

Nieto posted his new appointment on his own Facebook page. He also said that the position is likely not in communications anymore.

“I spent the past years studying mathematics in the University of Bristol. That training taught me to look carefully at evidence, systems and complex problems. Sana magamit ko iyon sa trabaho,” Nieto said.

He said that he is also doing a part-time Master of Science in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Public Policy at the University College London.

In the same Facebook post, Nieto said that he has calmed down after years of shouting online.

“To be frank, haggard ang sigawan. For better or worse, my years away changed me in many ways. Mas kalmado na ako ngayon at mas marunong nang pumili kung alin ang dapat patulan. At least, I would like to think so. Baliw pa rin ako as usual, but mas kalmado na,” Nieto said.

(To be frank, it is tiring to keep shouting. For better or worse, my years away changed me in many ways. I am calmer now and I know when I should fight back. At least, I would like to think so. I am still crazy, as usual, but calm now.)

Marcos sees no colors

In the time since Nieto had stepped back from a pro-Duterte blogger, there was a major falling out between Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte.

From Uniteam partners, Sara Duterte is now calling for Marcos’ resignation.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro however, said that Marcos does not see colors.

“Kung kayo po ay makikitang magiging asset sa gobyerno para mas maging maganda ang serbisyo ng isang ahensiya, hindi po mag-aatubili ang Pangulo na kayo ay kunin, provided na ang puso po ninyo, kahit ano'ng inyong kulay, dapat ay sa taumbayan at sa bansa hindi sa isang tao o sa isang dati ninyong tinataguyod,” Castro said in a Press briefing.

(If you are seen as a potential asset to the government for better service in an agency, the President will not hesitate to get you, provided that your heart, no matter what your color, should be for the people and the country, not for one person or your former master.)

Castro has yet to disclose details of Nieto’s role in the office of the Cabinet Secretary. — BAP, GMA News