Palace pins blame on fake news for BBM’s low trust, approval ratings

National

MALACAÑANG attributed the drop in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s approval and trust ratings to the spread of fake news.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said disinformation likely influenced the results of the recent Pulse Asia survey.

Castro cited a Reuters report, which noted that the level of coordinated disinformation in the Philippines was significantly higher than the global average for polarizing issues, typically 7 to 10 percent.

She downplayed the survey findings, saying the opinions of 2,400 respondents did not reflect the sentiments of over 100 million Filipinos.

Asked if the President was alarmed by the results, Castro said Marcos would continue to implement what is in the law and what is right, regardless of survey outcomes.

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from March 23 to 29, showed Marcos’ approval rating dropped from 42 percent in February to 25 percent. His trust rating also declined from 43 percent to 25 percent.

The survey followed the Marcos administration’s surrender of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court. A Reuters report found that nearly one-third of social media accounts discussing Duterte’s arrest were fake.

Since Secretary Jay Ruiz took charge of the Presidential Communications Office in February, Castro said the primary directive has been to fight fake news.

“From day one, our role has been to spread the truth, not fake news,” she said.

Castro added that the administration is coordinating with various agencies, including the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to strengthen efforts against misinformation, especially during the campaign season.(MyTVCebu)