Marcos' decline in trust, performance ratings due to fake news —Palace

Malacañang on Monday said the decline in the trust and performance rating of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. could be influenced by the proliferation of fake news.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro also said during a press briefing that the respondents in the survey do not reflect the entirety of Filipinos.

''Nalaman po natin ang respondents dito ay 2,400.  So, sa 2,400 hindi naman po ito nagre-reflect ng sentimyento ng kabuuang more than 100 million people or Filipinos in the country. Dahil nga nakita at nabanggit natin itong mga fake news, sumasalamin din po ito sa impluwensya ng mga fake news na nagkakalat,'' Castro said.

(We've learned that there were 2,400 respondents. These respondents do not reflect the sentiments of the entire Filipinos in the country.  Since we've mentioned fake news, this reflects the influence of fake news spreading in society.)

''Katulad ng sinabi, mayroon ngang findings na nabanggit ang Reuters at ito ay galing sa isang Israel-based, data intelligence firm of disinformation security firm 'the level of coordinated disinformation seen in the Philippines was far above the typical 7% to 10% range of online conversation globally about highly sensitive or polarizing issues,''' she added.

(There's a finding from an Israel-based, data intelligence firm of disinformation security firm 'the level of coordinated disinformation seen in the Philippines was far above the typical 7% to 10% range of online conversation globally about highly sensitive or polarizing issues.')

Castro also acknowledged that the administration should know if the respondents are not receiving aid from the government. She ensured that the government would look into the survey results.

''So, ang mga respondents ba na mga ito ay hindi nakakarating ang tulong ng gobyerno. So, dapat din po nating malaman ito sa parte ng administrasyon,'' she said.

(So, do these respondents failed to receive the government's aid? We need to know this.)

''At kung anuman po ang nagiging desisyon ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon at ito ay nagrereflect sa isang survey, nanaisin pa rin po at ipapatupad pa rin ng Pangulo, kung ano ang nasa batas at kung ano ang tama at hindi kung ano po ang sasabihin sa isang survey,'' she added.

(Whatever the decision of the President and the administration and if this reflects in the survey, the President will continue to enforce what's right and not with what the survey dictates.)

Marcos will continue to do his job and serve the public despite the decline, Castro said.

A recent Pulse Asia survey showed that the President's trust and performance ratings declined significantly in March after it fell by 17 percentage points from 42% in February to 25% in March.

Marcos' disapproval rating, on the other hand, rose by 21 points to 53%.

On the other hand, Vice President Sara Duterte's trust and performance ratings improved, with her approval rating increasing from 52% to 59%; and her disapproval rating dipping from 26% to 16%.

The survey showed that she was the only top government official in the country whose performance ratings got better. 

Castro also said the President wants the proliferation of fake news to stop.

''Basta ang direktiba po ng Pangulo sawatain, tigilan ang fake news. Marami na po hindi lamang po ang Pilipinas ang nagsasabi kahit po iyong ibang mga firms mula sa ibang bansa nagsasabi na po na dumadami po talaga ang fake news dito sa Pilipinas,'' she during the press briefing.

(The directive of the President is to curtail fake news. Even firms from other countries say that fake news is really rampant in the Philippines.)

''So, hindi na po ito biro dapat po talaga itong bigyan ng pansin (This is not a joke and this should be given attention),'' Castro added.

Castro said the President had a sectoral meeting with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to discuss measures to eradicate fake news.

She, however, refused to divulge more details about the meeting.

Marcos earlier called on the public to be wary of fake news, disinformation, and misinformation being used by candidates as the campaign season is in full gear ahead of the upcoming national and local elections in May.

Marcos said Filipinos should be able to distinguish whether or not the information they receive are factual, especially content being consumed online.—AOL, GMA Integrated News