Image Source: Rappler
Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have turned against one another. As both camps sling disinformation against each other, the polarization ultimately sows distrust in democratic institutions.
Disinformation—the deliberate spread of false information with the intention to propagate a certain narrative—has become a powerful tool in Philippine politics beyond being a buzzword. We have seen how disinformation wields great power as the Marcos-Duterte tandem rose to power on the back of a relentless disinformation campaign. Promising a so-called “new society,” their ascent was propelled by the very propaganda machinery Rodrigo Duterte had perfected. Disinformation has turned the same nation that once ousted a dictator to be the same nation to bring his son back into power.
The Top Peddler of Disinformation
Instead of fighting against disinformation, the state has actually been one of the primary propagators of disinformation mainly because of the nature of disinformation – it helps the state shift narratives in their favor to complement the status quo. With the rise of the digital age, disinformation has now become much more complex. Disinformation can be spread faster than before and with some guise of anonymity. One of the earliest large-scale cases of digital disinformation was the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where social media manipulation influenced elections worldwide. Reports allege that Marcos Jr.’s camp is also involved in this as they consulted with Cambridge Analytica affiliates to rebrand his family’s image.
In the case of the Philippines, it was during the 2016 elections and under Rodrigo Duterte’s regime that disinformation became so widespread. Duterte tactically planned his assault of disinformation. He first took out mainstream media outlets, particularly those critical of his policies, by eroding their credibility and labeling journalists as “biased”. This pushed people to think of journalists as fake news peddlers. Duterte eventually boxed the mainstream media out as exemplified in the cases of the shutdown of ABS-CBN and the charges against Rappler. With mainstream media out of the picture, the state now had a certain degree of monopoly of information.
With the conditions ripe and perfected by Rodrigo Duterte – mainstream media outlets deemed unreliable, social media influencers being the new “reliable” sources of information, Marcos Jr. only had to adapt this system of disinformation and echo rhetorics to feed social media influencers. These false rhetorics of a “new society” and cleansing the family name of their crimes against humanity under Marcos Sr.’s regime would eventually be picked up by troll farms, social media influences, and vloggers.
The State Fighting Disinformation?
Over recent months as the Philippines witnessed the falling out of the Marcos-Duterte alliance, we have seen Marcos Jr. and the Malacanang Palace seemingly leaning towards combating disinformation – the very same machinery that once catapulted them back in power. In February of 2025, the House of Representatives started probing into the proliferation of fake news by establishing a tri-committee to investigate social media influencers and bloggers; most of the personalities invited however were known to be Pro-Duterte bloggers and influencers.
After the International Criminal Court’s arrest of Former President Rodrigo Duterte, social media platforms were once again swarmed with a flurry of fake news and disinformation. Disinformation ranged from portraying the mass murderer as the victim of an unlawful arrest to faking videos of supposed rallies of support and even outright attacking legal institutions such as the International Criminal Court. Troll accounts were also seen to be echoing the exact same string of text implying the arrest as a kidnapping in the hours leading up to Duterte’s arrest. In response to the hurricane of disinformation, the Malacanang Palace strengthened the need to combat disinformation.
While these instances may seem to paint the Philippine government to be fighting against disinformation, the context of their actions speak louder. The government is only problematizing disinformation now that the Marcos-Duterte alliance is in shambles and Marcos Jr. could easily be targeted by disinformation from the camp of Dutertes, the primary architects of disinformation. The Malacanang Palace and the House of Representatives’ reactive response to disinformation tell us that they are not really combating disinformation as a whole – Instead, they only combat disinformation that threatens their political legitimacy. Their fight against discrimination would not target narratives that don’t go against their agenda no matter how distorted the truth in those is.
The Power is Among Us
As the state combats disinformation for its own agenda and media outlets are still continuously being undermined, it is now upon us to fight against disinformation. We must echo fact-checking campaigns by media outlets and institutions such as VERA Files and Agence France Presse that call out disinformation campaigns.
Troll armies are hard to dismantle hence we must organize from the grassroots and target those who fall victim to disinformation and spread it themselves. Disinformation victims and propagators are less likely to see fact-checking news articles because social media algorithms prioritize content that aligns with users’ existing beliefs and engagement patterns. Since disinformation often generates high interaction through shares and comments, platforms amplify misleading content while deprioritizing corrective information that receives less engagement. As a result, those who frequently spread falsehoods become trapped in echo chambers where fact-checks are either absent or dismissed as biased. Hence, we must penetrate these echo chambers and continuously engage them with facts and corrective information while keeping in mind our objective of changing their minds and not attacking them directly. Apart from this, fact-checking drives must also be brought beyond the digital screens as the typical marites are still prevalent and are often trusted by locals to be sources of information.
Just as the people power revolution of 1986 was in the hands of the people and grassroot organizing, it is upon the Filipino people now to once again save democracy. Democracy in the Philippines is being buried under an avalanche of lies and fake news, and we all have shovels in our hands. The question is: will we fight to unearth the truth, or will we take part in burying democracy alive?
It is exciting to see a post on an Asian country. I liked how you approached the topic and how you could give detailed information that helps to understand the connection to democratic erosion. In addition, you could connect the ideas and clearly and deeply explain the influencers’ central role in the Marcos-Duterte alliance and their separate actions.
You could also have briefly explained the involvement of bloggers, vloggers and influencers in Marcos’ campaign to reach power some years ago. It would have added another layer to how prejudicial the involvement has been since he ascended to power.
I love your analysis about how disinformation not only aided the rise of authoritarianism in the Philippines, but is now affecting democratic institutions, even as the Marcos and Duterte administrations fight with one another. I think your framing of disinformation as a dimension of the state (rather than just a neutral challenge) is particularly powerful because it highlights that disinformation is both problematic and weaponized, as it can be used selectively for political purposes. Combined with your historical reference to Duterte’s use of media suppression and the shifting nature of the troll network, this post feels timely and urgent. I thought the call to action was also important by reminding readers that regular Filipinos also have work to do around the democratic values of the country.
This article made me remember the first time I learned about the disinformation networks in the Philippines—from marketing and communication experts to influencers to low-level trolls, all are united in the mission of confusing the people and leading them to vote for and support politicians that are only seeking power for their own interests.
During the time of Duterte, I remember one of my teachers telling us that we should not trust news reports from Rappler as this online news website is a peddler of fake news. It turns out Rappler was just a victim of Duterte’s illegitimation campaign against media agencies, and my teacher fell victim to it. Today, it is true that our country has become more vulnerable to disinformation, with the state only cherry-picking disinformation that they will debunk depending on whether it will serve those in power or not.
I hope that there will come a day when all of us will be critical of the information that we consume. But, since we are still far from seeing the light of that day, we should participate in even small steps to address this challenge toward our democracy, which could include sharing verified information with our family and friends, volunteering for anti-disinformation campaigns by fact-checking institutions, and making sure that the very information we take is true and free of any political manipulation. Furthermore, as potential forces against disinformation, we must be aware that disinformation rides on trends; hence, disinformation campaigns must also ride on this wave to penetrate the information bubble of a greater number of people, especially in a media age.
Your article is not just well-organized—it’s urgent, logical, and necessary. I appreciate the manner in which you begin your piece by elucidating the origins of disinformation and its evolution into a contemporary political weapon. I believe that this approach is an effective way to guide readers through the complexity of this issue.
I particularly like your timely analysis of the collapse of the Marcos-Duterte alliance. Your viewpoint on the administration’s current focus on targeting pro-Duterte people is clear and compelling. It is evident that the current campaign is a self-preservation measure—an effort to mitigate any potential threats that may arise, particularly the weaponized disinformation strategies that were previously employed by the Duterte administration so effectively. It’s also a much-needed reminder that you pointed out the importance of fact-checking media sources. I have seen firsthand how disinformation proliferates rapidly, particularly during significant political events. I’ve seen individuals I know, who are generally sensible and smart, share fake news and become caught up in misleading narratives. It is disappointing to see critical thinking submerged in a sea of distorted content, as social media prioritizes virality above veracity.
And your last question really hit me. As someone who uses social media on a daily basis, I’ve realized how profoundly this issue affects all of us. While algorithms may be biased toward deceptive content, it is up to us as a community to break this cycle.
This article was a good read, Hong! Your work offers a compelling analysis of how disinformation has become a central tool in the erosion of democratic institutions in the Philippines. It was also essential to highlight the strategic use of false narratives by dynasties like the Marcoses and Dutertes to manipulate public perception and retain power.
It is indeed ironic how the Marcos administration today makes it seem like they are combating disinformation, a tool they previously utilized to their advantage during the 2022 Presidential Elections. This political move raises questions about the true goal or agenda of such initiatives. Are they doing this to get rid of false information in the Philippines or to further personal interests? And I think we know the answer to that.