The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disabled the comments section of its official Facebook page to curb “suspicious activities” potentially linked to troll accounts.
“We are temporarily disabling features on our official Facebook page to deny trolls a platform for their suspicious activities,” AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement on Thursday.
“Troll farms are a menace to society and we choose not to empower inauthentic actors in their coordinated attempt to spread disinformation and malinformation,” he added.
The AFP apologized and asked for patience from legitimate followers who will be affected by the move. Statements, releases, and information on AFP activities will still be posted on official channels and legitimate media organizations, according to the military.
“We call on everyone to report malicious activities online and receive information from reputable sources only,” Trinidad said.
Before the features were disabled, the comments section of the AFP Facebook page was flooded with remarks: “#ProtectThePeople” and “#ProtectTheConstitution.”
The AFP on Tuesday said it does not want to be involved in political issues after ex-president Rodrigo Duterte called on the military to protect the Constitution in his latest tirade against President Ferdinand Marcos.
“What we are emphasizing here is that the AFP is a non-partisan organization. As our [Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr.] has already stated, our Armed Forces is united and professional,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said earlier.
“So, with all of these things, we respectfully request that we are shunned away from political issues,” she added.
