President Marcos says ‘fake news should have no place in modern society’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said this week that “fake news should have no place in modern society.”

The kicker? He reportedly benefited the most from disinformation during the last presidential election.

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During his keynote speech at the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) held in Pasay City, where the Philippines hosted the event for the first time, President Marcos announced an upcoming “media and information literacy campaign” that will primarily focus on digital platforms and cater to the youth.

The Philippines, along with Chile, the United States, Albania, Bermuda, Kenya, and South Africa, is a member of the ICIC executive committee. The ICIC aims to serve as a global forum for information commissioners, or in the case of Manila, a secretary, to safeguard and advance access to information laws, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability for the benefit of all.

Addressing the gathering of information commissioners, accompanied by his communications chief, Secretary Cheloy Garafil, President Marcos emphasized the significance of transparency and access to information. He highlighted the existing Freedom of Information (FOI) Program, which currently only covers the executive branch of the government.

Despite numerous attempts to pass legislation on freedom of information (FOI), such efforts have consistently faltered in Congress. President Marcos has not included FOI legislation in his list of priority bills.

Nonetheless, President Marcos affirmed that access to information and good governance lie at the “core” of his government’s development plan.

The details of the upcoming media and information literacy campaign have not been released by the Marcos administration. It remains unclear if this campaign is connected to the previous plan announced by Marcos’ former communications chief, Trixie Cruz-Angeles, who later resigned, or if it will be funded through the upcoming 2024 budget.

Various studies have demonstrated that Marcos benefited the most from years of misinformation and disinformation leading up to and during the 2022 presidential campaign. Independent news organization Vera Files found that Marcos Jr. was the primary beneficiary of election-related disinformation in 2021, while Vice President Leni Robredo was the “favorite target.” 

Fact-checking coalition Tsek.PH also reported that Marcos profited the most from disinformation in January 2022 alone, with Robredo being the primary victim.

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