Drilon hopes for ‘more enlightened, beyond troll farms’ Eleksyon 2022 after Noynoy Aquino’s death

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday hoped that the 2022 national and local elections will be “more enlightened” and will “go beyond troll farms” following the death of former President Benigno Aquino III.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual forum, Drilon underscored the need to contend misinformation, especially in the “age of trolls.”

“We do hope that the death of President PNoy will challenge people to look inward and ask themselves ‘Ano ba ang nangyayari sa atin? Bakit nangyayari ang ganito? (What is happening to us? Why is this happening?) Why are we satisfied with swallowing what this dredge of society feed to us— the troll farms?’” Drilon asked.

“That is the challenge that people will realize with the death of President Pnoy and so that is my wish that this election will be more enlightened and will go beyond troll farms,” he added.

Drilon said he has been “cracking his head [on a] daily basis” to address this problem of internet trolls.

“The development of the trolls starting in the 2016 elections and continuing today at a very intense level is something that is a challenge. I am cracking my head in the daily basis how can we overcome this because it is totally unfair,” he said.

“It creates a wrong impression, the viciousness of the trolls is something that is regrettable to put in mildest term, but condemnable is the more appropriate description,” he added.

Drilon lamented that the troll managers have “lost all their conscience,” citing the recent lies and malicious statements spread on social media platforms about Aquino’s death.

“Can you imagine, kamamatay lang ng President PNoy sasabihin bakit iiwanan mamatay ‘yan (President Pnoy just died, then they will ask why he was left there to die)? Why did you leave him to die? That is what is  propagated [on]  social media when we know that is totally untrue but maliciously false. So this is the kind of environment that we are operating in,” he said.

Drilon’s ally, opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan, earlier urged social media platforms to stop trolls from demonizing candidates in next year’s polls.

He cited the case of Liberal Party candidates, former Senators Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, who were their top contenders for the 2019 senatorial race but lost as they were the main targets of trolls.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III also urged  social media giant Facebook should act on the alleged troll farms being created for the 2022 elections.

Senator Panfilo Lacson previously disclosed that  a government undersecretary was allegedly organizing at least two troll farms in each province to attack critics and even possible candidates in the 2022 elections not aligned with the administration. — RSJ, GMA News