Manipulated Content: Media Discrediting and Distortion of Imagery

Phoebe Julia Marie Lilio
December 23, 2022 (Archived)

“Facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing” a quote by Christian Waltz, that is true beyond words—that it is a no-brainer that due to our culture, upbringing, inadequate/lack of educational system, and difficulty accessing essentials, the Philippines has been more susceptible to disinformation and misinformation. This is why it’s crucial social media platforms are informed about data rights, guidelines, and many other security systems for preventing cyber libel. But with what is still occurring with just a single touch and scroll of our phones false information is still rampant and is still causing havoc within every corner. 

The Philippines is regarded as a component of the authoritarian wave that began to sweep established democracies in the middle of the 2010s; Authoritarian can be described as, "The idea or practice of 'government from above,' the use of power without the permission of the government." Many believe that is needed in the Philippines for discipline and the progression of the state.

Internet misinformation played a role in the election of Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte in the social media capital of the world early in 2016. Academics refer to it as "patient zero" in the weaponization of digital technology for elections. The Philippines has over a 62% internet penetration rate and has been dubbed “the social media capital of the world”.

This led me to wonder: did certain disinformation tactics start with Duterte’s campaign fanbase which made a point of assembling bloggers, online influencers, and phony account operators in order to capitalize on the widespread discontent among the populace and turn it into votes on election day? Or just a culmination of the shadiest media and political tendencies? Quite a mystery, if I say so myself.

Conventional justifications for Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., the late dictator's son, being the front-runner in the race for president last May 2022, included social media misinformation once more. I have come upon this campaign that presents the Marcos dictatorship as the Philippines' "golden age" and makes other outlandish claims, like it was the third-richest economy in the world at the time, still contradicts the implementation of World Bank and IMF structural adjustment measures—that led to the two years of economic catastrophe in 1984 to 1985. Consequently, two decades of development were lost in the early  2000s. 

There have also been several news reports that have false information about the presidential candidates. For example, we have Leni Robredo, then Vice-President of the Philippines who was running for presidency up to par with Marcos. Many accounts have edited and taken bits of the campaign videos to make her seem “lutang” or an airhead and post it on different social media platforms, like Facebook—which caused thousands of people to turn against her and say and I quote from someone “She’s not fit to be a president because she’s making up words”.

The plan appeared to be successful. Back in the lead-up to elections, Bongbong Marcos was in first place with every poll. Eventually, he was elected the 17th and current President of the Philippines. So with that, we can say that the Marcos Dynasty is back in control of Malacanang, the Philippine capital's presidential palace where they hold parties. It is actually not a shock when a movie (Maid in Malacanang) allegedly quotes Ferdinand Marcos Sr. when he had a disagreement with his son, “Anong alam mo sa pagkapanalo? Ano alam mo sa katapatan? Ngayong palagi kang nagpaparty, palagi kang wala, palagi ka nasa club!”. Quite a deja vu experience given the situation of the President’s doings during the first few months of his reign.

Networked propaganda, attacks against the media and the opposition, and platform manipulation, among other methods, have all contributed to the restoration of the Marcos name—this isn’t even half of it. At the same time Philippine history is being devalued as a subject in schools, the Marcos campaign is using social media to spread both disinformation and misinformation. 

Nonetheless, false information operations should be adequately handled despite how difficult it may seem to do so in order for democracy to exist, both in the Philippines and internationally—the truth always prevails.