'Demonized' in 2019, opposition urges crackdown vs. trolls ahead of Eleksyon 2022

Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday urged social media platforms to stop trolls from demonizing candidates in Eleksyon 2022.

The president of the opposition Liberal Party said its top candidates in the last senatorial elections, former Senators Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, were the top targets of trolls.

Not one of the opposition's candidates made it to the Senate.  

Pangilinan cited a study by the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, which indicated that Otso Diretso candidates were the “most demonized” candidates in the 2019 midterm polls.

“The Otso Diretso has the largest demonization. Si Bam and Mar who had the biggest chances of winning, were the most trolled among all opposition candidates,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said Aquino told him that the trolls stopped attacking him after the elections.

“So you can see how orchestrated, well-oiled, well-funded ang demonization campaign against those critical to the administration,” Pangilinan said.

Asked what adjustments the LP should make to avoid a repeat of the 2019 results, Pangilinan said, "We really have to come up with a strong pushback and this will require citizens being vigilant, the social media platforms putting their foot down."

Pangilinan said vilification and red-tagging in the social media are no laughing matter.

"Kamatayan ang kasunod n'un, 'di ba?" Pangilinan said, in apparent reference to the deaths of red-tagged leftist personalities.

Senator Panfilo Lacson has said a government undersecretary had allegedly organized at least two troll farms in each province to attack critics and even possible candidates in the 2022 elections who are not aligned with the administration.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has denied that the administration was engaged in such activity.

Asked about the alleged troll farms, Pangilinan said this matter is a “cause of concern.”

“Sa halip na gastusin yung tulong sa ating mga kababayan na walang hanapbuhay o trabaho e ang pinupuntirya e paninira.  So, I agree that this is a cause for concern,” he said.

[Instead of using these resources to help our countrymen, the resources were being used to demonize their critics. So I agree that his is a cause of concern.]

Pangilinan also appealed to the public to be vigilant with the information they are sharing on social media.

Pangilinan said Congress should look into how the government can flag troll farms and the misinformation being done through these social media platforms.

“We have to look at legislation moving forward. How do we now regulate, siyempre medyo challenge ‘yan dahil may free speech pero meron ding, ito na nga, cybercrime laws," Pangilinan said.

"So how do we, in the legislation, look into the regulatory interventions to address these fake news and trolling,” he added.

Aside from Pangilinan and Lacson, Senate President Vicente Sotto III also raised concern about the misinformation on Facebook, saying this taints the political realm in the country.

Apart from the misinformation and disinformation on social media, Pangilinan said there are some crimes now being committed through the use of these platforms.

He cited child prostitution and child pornography.

“Facebook and other social media platforms have become crime scenes and enabling criminality 'di ba?" Pangilinan said.

"That is done through all these social media platforms, whether it’s YouTube or Twitter or WhatsApp or Facebook, lahat ‘yan, so they also have to shape up,” he added. —NB, GMA News