Lawmakers denounced the “weaponization of disinformation” through fake pro-Duterte social media accounts, warning that the coordinated digital campaign is undermining Philippine democracy ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
“This is digital warfare, plain and simple. And the battlefield is not just the internet—it’s the hearts and minds of millions of Filipinos,” Deputy Speaker David Suarez said.
The House leader was reacting to a wire agency report alleging that inauthentic accounts flooded social media with praise for former President Rodrigo Duterte and are now actively shaping the online conversation about the upcoming polls.
The report, citing research by Israeli tech firm Cyabra, found that about a third of the accounts posting about Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) were fake.
It also warned that up to 45 percent of discussions related to the 2025 elections are being driven by inauthentic actors such as bots, sock puppets, and paid influencers, potentially reaching tens of millions of users.
“This is a wake-up call. The weaponization of disinformation to mislead, misinform and manipulate voters is one of the gravest threats to our democracy today,” said Suarez, who represents the second district of Quezon province.
Suarez said the sheer scale and sophistication of the disinformation networks are drowning out legitimate voices online and eroding public trust in democratic institutions.
“Fake praise, fake news, fake accounts—this is how digital warfare is being waged today. And the most dangerous part is, ordinary people might not even know they’re being influenced,” Suarez said.
For his part, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales, Jr., called for a nationwide effort to protect Filipino voters from digital deception, citing a report that fake social media accounts were used to defend Duterte and are now being deployed to manipulate online discourse ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
“We must defend the Filipino people not just from guns and goons, but from ghost accounts flooding their social media feeds with propaganda and deception,” he said.
The Israel-based tech firm said that the same tactics are now being used in a “deliberate, organized” campaign to shape public perception around the midterm polls.
Gonzales warned that the growing sophistication of digital manipulation poses a serious threat to the integrity of the country’s electoral process.
“When bots, trolls, and fake profiles can reach millions of Filipinos and alter the truth with just a few clicks, democracy itself is under attack,” he stressed.
Gonzales urged the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to launch a joint national digital literacy program to help students and the public identify and resist coordinated disinformation campaigns.
For his part, Suarez urged major social media platforms like Meta, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube to take stronger, more proactive action to detect and remove coordinated fake accounts.
“They have the resources and the algorithms to detect inauthentic behavior. They can’t just turn a blind eye while democracy is under attack,” he said.
At the same time, Suarez urged stronger digital literacy campaigns to equip Filipinos with the tools to spot and resist online manipulation.
As this developed, Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union on Sunday said some falsehoods come directly from the mouths of politicians, citing how impeached Vice President Sara Duterte has decided to back senatorial candidates despite earlier pronouncements that she would stay out of the endorsements game.
“It is not surprising that the position of our Vice President has changed [her stance] when it comes to the endorsement of Senate candidates,” he pointed out.
“We know that the impeachment trial is nearing, so it is natural that he is looking for allies,” the solon noted.
This comes after Duterte publicly endorsed two senatorial hopefuls. According to Ortega, the shift in strategy reflects political pragmatism.