Philippine critics targeted in anti-communist misinformation war
By Cecil Morella
and Jake Soriano / AFP, MANILA
Philippine Representative Sarah Elago faces a daily barrage of Facebook posts linking her to communist rebels trying to overthrow the government. The lawmaker says the claims are false, but they could get her killed anyway.
A torrent of misinformation on the social media platform has put activists, journalists, politicians and lawyers in the firing line as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and military out alleged supporters of a decades-old Maoist insurgency.
Facebook’s reach into the smartphones used by millions of Filipinos has made it a powerful weapon in amplifying the accusations known locally as “red-tagging” which critics say are part of a broader effort to silence dissent.
A video has been viewed thousands of times on YouTube and shared in multiple Facebook and blog posts that claim it shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte survived an "ambush" in December 2020. The claim is false; the video shows unrelated clips, including an old Duterte speech. In response to the social media posts, the Philippine military refuted the false claim. There