‘Isn’t it ironic?’ Netizens react to Marcos gov’t plan to launch campaign vs fake news
The administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. will launch a digital media literacy campaign to combat fake news, a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) official said on Friday.
PCO Undersecretary Cherbett Karen Maralit said the campaign aims to equip the “most vulnerable communities” with the knowledge and resources they need “to be discerning of the truth as they engage in various social media channels and platforms.”
Speaking at a side event to the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) at the UN headquarters in New York, Maralit disclosed that Congress has tasked the PCO to address the growing concern about misinformation and disinformation, especially in the digital landscape.
“Taking a context-based and factual grassroots approach, we intend to reach out to, and equip, these communities with knowledge and skills and tools that will enable them to be discerning of the truth as they engage in various social media channels and platforms,” Maralit added.
The irony was not lost on many netizens who believe that the Marcos family is the main bearer and beneficiary of fake news. They blame the proliferation of fake news for the return to power of the Marcos family. They also fear the latest PCO “initiative” will be used to further whitewash Philippine history, particularly during the turbulent Martial Law years, and quash dissent.
