Robredo top victim of disinformation; Marcos being promoted by misleading content - group

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) — Vice President Leni Robredo is the "biggest victim" of disinformation on social media while her fellow presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos benefitted the most from false or misleading content online, according to a fact-checking initiative.

"Majority of those are directed against presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo. So marami po talaga (There's really a lot). Every week, she is the biggest victim of disinformation or negative messaging, whether it has to do with the typhoon, with all sorts," UP Journalism professor Yvonne Chua told a Senate hearing, citing their recent report from Tsek.ph.

"We also see a substantial significant volume of false or misleading claims about presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in which case, these are largely positive favor, seeking to promote him," she added.

Chua also said Facebook is still the number one driver of disinformation this election season.

"Misinformation and disinformation can be both positive messaging or negative messaging," she said. "Unfortunately, the trend persists despite efforts into stemming disinformation. A lot has come out ahead of the May elections based on our initial analysis."

Robredo's running mate, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, said social media platforms should be held accountable "for what they are allowed to spread."

"Traditional media platforms may be held liable when they allow this or hate speech, defamatory content to be aired or printed. Ganyan din dapat online (It should be the same online)," Pangilinan stressed.