Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 15) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he wants the Filipino youth to be equipped with the proper tools to combat disinformation and misinformation in the digital world.
The president made the statement as he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and its partner agencies – the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission in Higher Education (CHED), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – to launch the government’s campaign against fake news: \”Media and Information Literacy (MIL).\”
Marcos first mentioned the project in an event last June, where he said “fake news should have no place in modern society.”
In his speech on Monday, the president described the digital world as both limitless and borderless that the public must navigate properly.
Marcos said truth is the first casualty of disinformation and misinformation. He also underscored the importance of verification of sources.
\”The first step that we can do for our people is to say know your source. Tingnan niyo kung saan galing. Kung ano ‘yung kuwento na ‘yan. Baka nag-inuman lang ‘yang mga ‘yan tapos kung ano-ano ang naisip, sinulat sa Internet. Naniwala naman tayo,\” he said.
[Translation: The first step that we can do for our people is to say know your source. Check where it came from. What is that story? Maybe those people were just drinking and then wrote whatever they thought on the Internet. Yet we believe what they said.]
Roles of gov’t agencies
PCO Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the agency will act as lead implementer of the MIL project.
DepEd’s role, meanwhile, includes crafting educator’s and learner’s MIL manual and incorporate it in the country’s basic educational curriculum.
CHED, on the other hand, will perform similar functions in addition to other tasks to promote coordination and collaboration of concerned parties with state universities and colleges.
The DSWD will also incorporate the project in its social protection programs and provide support and assistance to the conduct of training related to the project in targeted communities.
The DILG – with local government units (LGUs) – will have on-the-ground activities in carrying out the anti-disinformation project.
Private partners
The PCO said the campaign also secured private partnerships from social media companies like Google, Meta, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter).
TikTok said PCO’s project resonates with its efforts to enhance Filipinos’ digital literacy, as it welcomed the collaboration to foster more informed and empowered netizens.
Global Government Affairs, Asia and the Pacific of X Monrawee Ampolpittayanant, meanwhile, reaffirmed the company’s commitment in providing a safe, inclusive, entertaining, and informative experience for its users while maintaining free speech.
She added that X will continue to expand their \”Community Notes\” features that combat misinformation and disinformation on their platforms.
Google also vowed to continue to deepen its digital responsibility efforts, which include removing harmful and misleading content across its platforms.
