VERA Files stands by its Fact Check that Communications Assistant Secretary Maria Rafael-Banaag contradicted official government data on drug war when she denied that tens of thousands have been killed in the Duterte administration’s controversial anti-illegal-drug campaign.
The thread of disinformation dates back to May.
Shortly after self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas pinned then Davao City mayor now president Rodrigo Duterte as mastermind of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), Communications Secretary Martin Andanar belied this claim.
The newly-crafted social media policy that seeks to grant bloggers access to cover Malacanang events drew mixed reactions from bloggers, lawyers, internet rights advocates and the academe for its implications on Internet freedom.
