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House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, a candidate for senator in the May 9 polls, claimed that media giant ABS-CBN Corp. “hid” the “right amount” of taxes it should pay through its subsidiary, Big Dipper. This is false.
Campaigning for the upcoming May 9 elections will be like no other in the country's history because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Filipinos will vote for a new set of national and local leaders amid a raging pandemic that has claimed more than 50,000 lives, nearly crippled the economy, and challenged the competence of incumbent officials in addressing the public health crisis.
Publishers of disinformation were at full throttle this year in their production of inaccurate election-related posts — most of which circulated to either prop up or attack certain political aspirants even before the official start of the campaign period for next year’s national polls.
Humor is ingrained in the psyche of many Filipinos. It helps diffuse tension when discussing controversial topics such as politics or social issues. But others see it as an opportunity to sublimely ridicule a person or a group for a matter involving them; taking offense is unwise because “talo ang pikon (sore loser),” so they say.
This year, a worrisome trend in local disinformation from YouTube channels became more prominent. It takes only one YouTube video uploaded across social media channels to be a super-spreader of misinformation.
With only six months left before he steps down as the country’s 16th president, Rodrigo Duterte and his key officials continue to leave a trail of inconsistencies blurring major policy issues.
President Rodrigo Duterte himself said in a speech in August that public officials are “mandated [by their oath of office] to tell the truth … even if the truth leaves [them] in ruins.” But what happens when the president says one thing today and then another, and then another the next time?
The types of Marcos propaganda circulating on social media mostly exaggerated myths on Marcos Sr. and his regime, featured denials of graft and corruption charges against the family, and vilified the administrations that came after 1986.
As the Philippines ramped up coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in 2021, VERA Files fact-checked more than double of online disinformation about the vaccines, targeting safety and side effects.
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