A government platform for reporting disinformation is in the works, the Presidential Communications Office announced Friday, as Malacañang moves to take a more aggressive stance against the spread of false information targeting the Marcos administration.
PCO Press Officer Claire Castro said the agency intends to act on every report received through the platform. “The PCO will create a website or platform where you can report all fake news being spread, and we will not ignore it—each case will be acted upon, and those responsible will face charges,” Castro said in Filipino at a briefing.
The announcement follows a complaint request filed by PCO Secretary Dave Gomez, who on April 8 asked the Department of Justice to take action against those behind a Facebook page disseminating false information about the country’s energy situation. Gomez identified three specific types of fabricated content the page had published: a fictitious energy lockdown warning designed to push people toward purchasing solar panels; a manufactured account of a fuel shortage intended to trigger panic-buying of gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas; and a fabricated emergency lockdown purportedly triggered by a COVID-19 Zika variant.
Castro pointed to disinformation about the government’s response to the Middle East crisis as one example of the false narratives the PCO is contending with. “We all know the fake news that’s been circulating—almost all of it is against the president and this administration. They say the government is doing nothing, especially about the crisis in the Middle East—that is all lies,” she said.
The PCO’s announcement comes as the Palace has faced scrutiny over its own communications practices. Netizens recently flagged the blurring of portions of an official photo taken during a Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport meeting. The office defended the editing as standard procedure before releasing an unblurred version of the image.
Broader concerns about disinformation have also centered on the health of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with allegations circulating that his social media accounts had been using recycled photographs — claims the administration has not publicly addressed in detail.
