Palace firm on combatting fake news vs. PBBM’s health, admin

By Brian Campued

Malacañang on Friday reiterated that rumors circulating online about the alleged deteriorating health of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. are “fake news.”

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro also dismissed social media posts claiming that visuals showing Marcos’ attendance at the 84th Day of Valor commemoration in Bataan on Thursday were artificial intelligence or AI-generated.

“Alam naman natin kung ano yung mga fake news na naglalabasan; ito’y halos lahat laban sa Pangulo at sa administrasyon na ito—patungkol sa kalusugan, wala raw ginagawa ang gobyerno, lalong-lalo na patungkol sa krisis sa Middle East. Iyan lahat ay kasinungalingan,” Castro stressed.

She added that Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Sec. Dave Gomez has already submitted a report to the Department of Justice for the investigation on the individuals spreading fake news about the President’s health on social media.

This as the PCO’s Anti-Fake News Desk has detected a “sudden and coordinated surge” of false information across social media platforms.

To further advance the government’s efforts in combatting the proliferation of fake news, Castro said the PCO will launch a website where the public may report misinformation and disinformation they encounter online.

“Gagawa po ang PCO ng isang website o isang platform kung saan niyo isusumbong lahat ng fake news na nagkakalat. At iyan po ay hindi namin tutulugan at lahat po iyan ay dapat na sampahan ng kaso,” she noted.

She also slammed Vice President Sara Duterte’s “irresponsible” response to false claims about Marcos’ allegedly worsening health condition.

“Nung tinanong ito, na masasabi nating irresponsible, isang iresponsableng tanong dahil walang pinanghuhugutan, walang batayan… Kaya ang nakuha rin natin sa Bise Presidente ay isang iresponsableng sagot—‘good luck’ with a smile, at lahat ng nasa paligid niya ay nagtatawanan,” Castro said.

“Bilang isang Pilipino, hindi natin gawi ang mangutya, pagtawanan ang sinumang may sakit lalong-lalo na kung ito ay ginagawa lamang—ginagawang sakit para masira ang Pangulo,” she added.

The Palace official assured that despite the spread of misinformation and disinformation aimed at discrediting Marcos and his administration, the President remains focused on his work, especially amid the energy emergency in the country.

“Ginagampanan lamang ng Pangulo ang kanyang obligasyon para sa taumbayan at para sa bayang ito. Kung merong mga naninira, alam natin kung saan parte ito nanggagaling. At suportahan natin mismo ang gobyerno at labanan natin ang fake news,” Castro said.

Marcos earlier shrugged off the rumors about his health, saying that he has been back to his regular routine for months now since recovering from diverticulitis in January.

-jpv