HALALAN 2022: The Failed Activism and the Striving Populism

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HALALAN 2022:
The Failed Activism and the Striving Populism

by Ronald Michael Quijano

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The 2022 Philippine National Election will go down in history as one of the most important yet controversial. Especially now that the Marcos family has returned to Malacanang after the ousting of former President and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The same president who was removed from power in February 1986 following allegations of mass cheating, political turmoil, and human rights violations, which led to the People Power Revolution.

Other controversial outcomes are (1) the leading of the senatorial race of Robin Padilla, a Filipino action star, producer, politician, and who was convicted for illegal possession of firearms in 1994. The triumph of Jinggoy Estrada who faced plunder and graft charges in connection with their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam that defrauded the government of P183.79 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

As technology progresses, the way Filipinos approach politics has deteriorated in recent decades. In this essay, I will attempt to enumerate the lessons we should learn from the past years, including how populism poisoned intellectual democracy, the critical role of journalism and the free press, and how people's decisions are unconsciously exploited, and manipulated by powerful political puppeteers.

The Role of Patriotic Trolls and Fake News in the Philippine Election

The introduction of technology has caused progress in many facets of society. Consequently, it also caused a regress in the development of faculties. Buffoonery has been an effective way to attack an individual or position. This is done by gathering the favor of the masses by making derogatory and witty remarks toward the target. The power of quantity will then become the basis for other people to justify their position or why they join such a crowd.

The Philippines is widely termed "Patient Zero" by analysts following the spread of false news as a staging ground for disinformation tactics. Trolls emerged even before the May 2010 elections, according to Armand Dean Nocum, a former newspaper reporter. Nocum, now a veteran political strategist, detailed how he built his network of fake social media accounts over six years, likely unaware that they would all be branded trolls one day. He used social media to promote his candidates' causes. He currently uses 50 "false" social media sites for his public relations firm. He oversees a squad of trolls whose job it is to enter online conversations, particularly on Facebook, to push causes or candidates, and he was successful in utilizing this organization to discredit political competitors, among others, during the last elections. He believes that such a plan would be effective.

The case of Leila De Lima is a good illustration of how a powerful person may be brought down by fake news. The former Justice Secretary of the Philippines and the chair of the Human Rights Commission became a prisoner. The same woman who used to go against drug lords is now accused of collecting money from them. This should come as no surprise during the Duterte administration. This is disturbing as to how the government perceives criticism as hostile to their reign. Duterte has been very clear about his intentions for the woman who is only carrying out her role of monitoring abuses of power and illegal operations in the drug war.

“Obama Calls Leila De Lima Abnormal”, “Leila De Lima Resigns as Senator”, “Detained Sen. Leila De Lima Hospitalized after Attempting Secret Suicide.”, “De Lima’s Son Arrested at Airport with 50kg of Drugs.”, “De Lima’s sister Caroline De Lima arrested in China for drug trafficking.”. Even the news that she was having an affair with her driver, which was true, caused the public to believe all other accusations. This set of fake news has conditioned the minds of ordinary people to think that the former senator is guilty of all the accusations. Another strategy of these political persuaders and trolls is the demonizing and shutting down of traditional and credible media outlets.

Going back to the 2022 elections, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. won a landslide victory. According to fact-checkers in the Philippines, the triumph was based on a misinformed voter and a successful propaganda operation. “Even in the months before the filing of candidacies had taken place, we were already flagging bits of election-related misinformation and disinformation,” said Meeko Angela Camba, head of a fact-checking campaign centered on public figures at VERA Files, Philippine journalism and fact-checking site. "One of the patterns we've noticed, particularly with regard to online disinformation, is that disinformation and misinformation favors one candidate over others." Smaller claims have popped up around that story, such as that the Philippine peso to dollar exchange rate was extremely low or that the Philippines was Asia's richest country, or second only to Japan, during that Marcos Sr. era.

Other misleading posts served to protect the Marcos dynasty's reputation, such as deflecting or denying that the family's riches were "ill-gotten," or stating that Bongbong Marcos has a bachelor's degree from Oxford when he merely has a "special diploma."

Facebook was the most popular social media network in the Philippines in the third quarter of 2021, with 96.2 percent of internet users accessing the platform. Filipinos spent nearly four hours on social media within the same period. It’s hard for Filipinos to determine truths from fakes since, in terms of average broadband internet speeds, the Philippines ranks towards the bottom of the world index, according to Ookla Speedtest in 2021. Also, the internet is very expensive. Meaning, that every day, as we are bombarded with articles, news, and posts from different sources, we have no time and resources to fact-check. More sites to open means more money to spend.

Poverty and age also played a crucial role in disinformation. Researchers suggest that over-65s may lack skills to determine the veracity of online news. This means that older people are more likely to share fake news on Facebook. On the other hand, the low-income population has no time to verify the things they read online. It’s hard to blame them for preferring to watch 2-minute videos on TikTok and short documentaries on Youtube which have no reliable source or lack context over pages of peer-reviewed articles by academics and professionals written in the English language.

Understanding Free Speech and Free Press

Bloggers are not journalists. The fact that Mocha Uson, who was appointed assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), was also crowned fake news queen in the Philippines, favors the administration. Rappler identified Mocha Uson Blog as the anchor account of most Pro-Duterte pages for the propaganda machine. She has been rebuked for distributing false and misleading content on her Facebook page, as well as for misusing her supposedly personal blog for government purposes. Uson continued to perform with the Mocha Girls at the Resorts World Manila Casino in 2017, despite Malacanang's Memorandum Circular No. 6 prohibiting officials and employees from being seen inside casinos. A separate case for Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, who faces at least 11 complaints about red-tagging activists, human rights defenders, and a journalist.

According to University of the Philippines (UP) scholars, hyperpartisan channels posing as legitimate "news" channels are using online video sharing and the social media platform YouTube to influence the elections in the Philippines. Various Youtube channels are being patronized by people who lack the skill of verifying the content. These are the same people who believe historical conspiracy theories and myths in the Philippines are being posted on Youtube. From Tallinn Golds and the Kingdom of Maharlika, Father Jose Antonio Diaz and Jose Rizal as one person, the friendship of Marcos and Rizal, and countless more. Truly, the mentality of gossip peddling and a craving for controversies has led our minds into misguided evaluation, especially in historical, political, and scientific terms. If Filipinos can no longer identify the difference between news, commentaries, opinions, journalists, bloggers, academics, and experts—especially their motives and roles—we are surely doomed as a country.

In 2016, after spotting a network of paid followers and dummy accounts on Facebook spreading fake news praising Duterte, Rappler began to criticize the Duterte-led government of the Philippines, which had just taken office that same year. Maria Ressa and her team conducted research which they called “The Weaponization of the Internet” and tracked the bulk of the pro-Duterte online campaigns to three core accounts that, together, reached millions of followers. Once it was published, Ressa received rape threats, death threats, and lots of intimidation. Her criticism led to a series of accusations such as libel, fraud, tax evasion, and receiving money from the Central Intelligence Agency. The conviction of Ms. Ressa is a serious blow to press freedoms in the country. Despite these attacks, Maria Ressa has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 for her fearless advocacy of independent journalism and freedom of expression in the Philippines, particularly for her efforts to expose authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte's human rights violations.

In 2020, during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, ABS-CBN, the Philippines' main TV network and a key news provider for 25 years, was forced to shut down after being threatened repeatedly by Duterte over some coverage he didn't like. Critics believe ABS-CBN was the most prominent victim of Duterte's crackdown on dissent. Duterte’s allies in the House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected the license for the next 25 years. We can remember the same threatening strategy of silencing freedom of the press in 1972, when the same network was forced to close due to accusations of criminal conspiracy against the Philippine government. This tactic is prevalent among populist and authoritarian strongmen who fear citizens' voices and aim to minimize what they hear about the government's wrongdoings.

The first claim that journalism can do for democracy is to inform the public. In practice, a relatively successful democracy requires both the equal division of the constitutional framework and the participation of the citizens, which is the ultimate democratic authority. By delivering political information to the citizens, journalism enables citizens with knowledge to vote with sense and to be involved in the process of self-government (Schudson, 2008). The power of the media stems from the fact that news informs us of things that we would not otherwise be aware of. The dynamic of democratic citizenship will only operate if journalism delivers information in an accurate, balanced, and transparent manner. Journalists have a responsibility to accurately perceive the news and pursue the integrity of the truth. We must remember that a journalist’s role is to not just broadcast the promising news, but also the sinister news coming from all facets of society. We must recall that freedom of the press is protected by the constitution for a reason. Bill of Rights, Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances. If the people of a democratic country are guided by their biases and only refer to commentators and bloggers who repeatedly satisfy their desire to comfort the biases, it may be democratic, but never intellectual. It is just a country being run by people who have nothing between their ears.

The media should be independent of the state. The appointment of lawyer Trixie Angeles as press secretary has caused some consternation, particularly among journalists. Angeles advocated for the accreditation of bloggers and vloggers into the Palace press office as a consultant for the outgoing Presidential Communications Operations Office. It’s ironic how Filipino people disregard credible and multi-awarded media and TV networks because their president, whom they worship, says they are bias. At the same time, uphold state-controlled media that give comfort and agree to their biases and bigotries.

The Marcos regime demonstrated the power of government media to promote progress and its so-called achievements. However, the regime misused its position by creating a Marcos personality cult and spending a large percentage of the government's limited resources on propaganda. Facebook has begun labeling government media organizations' Facebook and Instagram pages as "state-controlled media." Pages such as PTV, IBC TV 13, Radyo Pilipinas, Philippine News Agency (PNA), and Radio Television Malacaang (RTVM) now have the label "Philippines state-controlled media" on their posts and in the Page Transparency section. "Facebook has designated this publisher because it believes it may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of a state," Facebook states in the Page Transparency section. This is determined by a number of factors, including funding, structure, and journalistic standards, among others, "Facebook explains.

How Modern Populism Poisons Intellectual Democracy

Many democratic countries around the world demonize political opponents, mock institutions, and claim the people's mantle. These leaders are fascist and authoritarian, weaving a web of deception by playing on and exploiting ordinary people's emotions. This political style is undoubtedly democratic, but it is debatable if it is ethical. The term "populism" comes from the Latin word "Populus," which means "people." Populism's goals are frequently illogical and sometimes contradictory.

Following World War II, most countries moved away from authoritarian ideas and sought alternative ways to build their governments. They examine a long-established style of government known as "Liberal Democracy." Individual and social rights were prioritized, a political consensus was sought, and the rule of law was upheld, all of which are three key components of democracy.

(1) Liberal democracies accept that society is full of many, often cross-cutting divisions that generate conflict. The Filipino people lack an understanding of this component. They do not understand the essence of why political opposition exists. The false justification of thinking that an idea or interest is superior through justification by the number of people holding it. They label the left as communists without an understanding of the gray areas in the political spectrum.

(2) It requires that society’s many factions seek common ground across those divisions. This component is hindered by the discrimination and demonization of party lists and representatives. Try asking ordinary people about their opinions on party lists such as Gabriela, Kabataan, Akbayan, Bayan-Muna, and others. Countless red-tagging and negative comments, as perceived by the rallies and protests implemented by these groups. Try asking them why party lists or representatives exist; they do not know the answer. This kind of selfish thinking unconsciously developed into discrimination against minorities. These people think the world only revolves around them, and are not aware of other problems and inequalities that the minority experience.

(3) Liberal democracies rely on the rule of law and the protection of minority rights, as specified in constitutions and legal statutes. Taken together, these ideas propose that tolerance and institutions that protect us from intolerance, are the bedrock of a functional and diverse democratic society.

Plato, in Book VI of The Republic, recounts a conversation between Socrates and a character named Adeimentus. Socrates attempted to explain democracy's inherent weaknesses by comparing society to a ship. Socrates wondered. "If you're going on a journey by sea, who would you want to decide who is in control of the vessel?" People who are educated in the principles and requirements of seafaring? Or simply anyone? The answer is obvious. So why do we think that anyone is qualified to decide who will run the country? Socrates emphasizes that voting in an election is a skill, not a spontaneous intuition, and like any ability, must be systematically taught to people.

Socrates saw how easily populists might take advantage of our yearning for simple answers. He challenged us to imagine a debate between two candidates, one of them a doctor and the other a candy store owner. "Look, this man has given you pain, he has hurt you, he has made you drink a potion and has prevented you from eating anything you wanted. He will never serve you sweet treats as I would," the candy shop owner would argue to his rival. The audience will be upset since the doctor goes against their wishes to heal them. Only when our teeth have decayed will we recognize our mistake.

The endorsing of politicians by religious institutions poisons democracy. This kind of authoritarian dictatorship in its members points out that it is a cult rather than a religion. The cults that promote these kinds of methods are covering their personal and political goals as “the will of God,” which persuades followers into thinking that what they are doing is righteous. If a conclusion can be drawn from this kind of practice, it is that religious or cult leaders think that their members are stupid enough to not be able to decide for their best interests and need to be dictated to. Dictatorship and control are covered by the word "Unity."

We have been bombarded by populist politicians for decades. Even advisers, spokespeople, and celebrities who have no respect for reality surround the Duterte administration. Six years later, we have the same assortment of red-taggers, trolls, bloggers, fake news peddlers, expert mockers, journalist haters, and history revisionists with the incoming new regime. Is there any hope for our generation? We do not think for ourselves anymore, instead, we surf the crowds with their popular prejudices that affect our view of society. Personally, I hate associating myself with any political party. I have never attended rallies and concerts of politicians to show my support. I do not want my mental faculties to be affected by the chants of crowds and swayed by popular opinion. The popularity of an idea doesn’t make it true, critical evaluation and scientific evidence do.

The Youth is the Hope of our Futur

One thing that makes the 2022 Philippine Election historic is the engagement of the youth and showcasing their interest and care in politics and governance. The contributions of their critical minds have changed the way we look at minorities, social classes, technology, and communication. There’s no other hope but the youth themselves. They are the future leaders of this nation. The way they understand and promote being vocal is crucial to future leaders.

The liberation from traditional and fanatical thinking that older Filipinos have grasped for the past decades was a keynote of this event. The discrimination they received from their parents, and older acquaintance strengthen their belief in the importance of critical thinking and reason. The bombardment of fake news did not stop them from allowing these devilish acts to occupy their scientific process. Parents asked them to study hard. They did, and this was it. Maybe parents are expecting a lamb who conforms and does not ask questions as a result of quality education. Nope, that’s the product of ignorance and stupidity.

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Sources and references:

(Fake News) Barack Obama: De Lima Must Be Abnormal

http://thepinoypost.blogspot.com/2016/10/barack-obama-de-lima-must-be-abnormal.html

(Fake News) BREAKING: ANAK NI DE LIMA’S ARESTADO SA AIRPORT NA MAY 50KGS NA SHABU

https://m.facebook.com/hatawpinoy/posts/breaking-anak-ni-de-limas-arestado-sa-airport-na-may-50kgs-na-shabusalot-tlagaph/949338835199987/

De Lima on reported suicide: Fake news to condition public’s mind

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/877426/de-lima-on-reported-suicide-fake-news-to-condition-publics-mind

(Fake News) De Lima's sister Caroline De Lima arrested in China for drug trafficking

http://viralnews-ph.blogspot.com/2016/12/de-limas-sister-caroline-de-lima.html

Facebook starts labeling state-controlled media in PH

https://www.rappler.com/technology/social-media/facebook-labels-state-controlled-media-philippines/