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.
He 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, the military spokesman assured.
“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.”
These comments, purportedly posted by trolls, are viewed as attempts to persuade soldiers to defy constitutionally mandated authorities.
Meanwhile, the AFP leadership quickly brushed aside ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s latest tirade, in which he urged the military to intervene in political affairs.
“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.
On Wednesday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also exposed the use of trolls to undermine the House Quad Committee’s ongoing probe into extrajudicial killings, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and drug trafficking.
The Quad Comm’s lead chair said POGOs and illegal drug syndicates were funding the smear campaign to discredit members of the investigating panel and intimidate whistleblowers.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “AFP disables Facebook comments section to restrain trolls”
