‘Beware of intensified resurgence of fake news’

MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Margarita Nograles yesterday issued a warning to the general public to be more aware of what she called an “intensified resurgence of fake news” in the coming months.

“Let us be more discerning by not believing what we see and read online. We have to check the veracity of all these information and screen them thoroughly because for all we know, all of these may just be fake news,” Nograles cautioned.

She urged everyone to be careful when consuming information, as she noted a resurgence of fake news peddled by so-called internet “influencers” and buoyed by troll farms all over social media.

She observed that troll farms seem to be targeting those who have raised concerns over the alleged mismanagement of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte, as well as those who helped the quad committee ferret out the truth on Philippine offshore gaming operators, extrajudicial killings and illegal drug syndicates.

According to her, the troll farm strategy is to “enlist influencers” to propagate misinformation and have trolls comment that they believe the lies and spread this to gain traction on social media.

She pointed out that this is a coordinated effort to discredit those who are holding public officials accountable, most specifically the quad committee of the House as well as the House committee on good government and public accountability headed by Manila Rep. Joel Chua.

“If there are questions about irregularities and mismanagement of public funds, they should be answered in the proper forum, not on social media,” she asserted.

Nograles urged all sectors to work together to combat the spread of false information. “The spread of fake news undermines our democracy. We must unite to fight it and protect our institutions,” she said.

Several lawmakers who have been critical of the OVP and DepEd, as well as those vocal in quad comm hearings, have also fallen victim to relentless trolling such as Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante.