Francis Baraan IV

Francis Martin Beltran Baraan (born December 5, 1982), better known on as Francis Baraan IV or Frank Baraan, is a Filipino human rights activist, political blogger, opinion columnist for The Philippine Business and News, journalist and social media personality.
Early life
Baraan was born and raised in Dagupan City, where he also finished both his elementary and high school years. He attended the first two years of college at the University of Asia and the Pacific, where he studied Liberal Arts.
He graduated from Lyceum-Northwestern University, where he majored in English. He attended University of Western Australia in Manila for his MBA, but dropped out after one semester.
Family
He is the eldest child of former Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III and Felicidad Beltran-Baraan. He has three siblings.
Activism
Baraan is one of the most prominent Opposition activists and political influencers in the Philippines. He is best known for his social media activism and vocal criticism against President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration's policies and decisions, and once remarked that Duterte's Manila Bay Cleanup Project was just a diversion from his government's missteps. He has also called out boxer-turned-Senator Manny Pacquiao, a born again Christian, for supporting death penalty.
He has slammed other prominent supporters of President Duterte. One of them is actor Robin Padilla, a staunch Duterte supporter. Baraan also once had a Twitter war with celebrity lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who said he will give Baraan P200,000 if he could produce a verified list of banned Filipino politicians by the US Embassy under the Magnitsky Act, which bars the entry of proven human rights abusers.
Baraan is also an advocate for free speech and press freedom. He publicly defended Rappler CEO and journalist Maria Ressa, after she was found guilty by a Philippine court of cyberlibel.
Critics
Baraan has earned the ire of pro-Duterte journalists and bloggers, who are mostly active on Facebook. One such critic is YouTuber and journalist Manuel Mejorada, who took to YouTube and joined in on the #NasaanAngTatayMoFrank trending topic on Twitter initiated by Duterte bloggers asking where Baraan's father is. Allegedly, former DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III flew to the States to escape drug-related charges.
Another staunch critic of Baraan is Australia-based benign0, a pro-Marcos blogger and independent journalist, who alluded that Senator Leila de Lima — in jail for charges leveled against her by the Philippine Government — could have access to Internet inside her detention cell at Camp Crame, citing the personal, handwritten letter she wrote to Baraan as proof. He has also publicly called out Baraan for calling Facebook users as "stupid trolls," and asked how Baraan finds time to block 3,900 trolls.
Baraan's tweets always populate the trending boards on Twitter; some even go viral. But one tweet that went viral on social media, was a tweet in which he said Duterte should just be a janitor for prioritizing the cleanup program for Manila Bay, instead of focusing on more important issues. Duterte supporters did not take Baraan's remark well. One of them is a doctor, whose reply to Baraan was shared over 60,000 times, and consequently, went viral, as well.

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