Andanar: Don’t believe ‘fake’ news on social media

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Thursday reminded netizens to verify the information from social media to avoid spread of “fake” news.

Andanar said everyone should be skeptical about suspicious reports that intend to taint the reputation of the government.

“Kailangan talaga na hindi tayo [magkaroon ng] knee-jerk reaction sa lahat nang nakikita, lalung-lalo na ngayong panahon na ito (We should avoid having knee-jerk reaction to what we see, especially nowadays),” Andanar said on the sidelines of the launching of the Youth for Truth Caravan in Las Piñas City.

‘Kailangan i-verify natin ng husto ‘yung mga balita na natatanggap natin (We have to first verify the news we are receiving),” he added.

Andanar made the call, as he lambasted the opposition for politicizing the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee, led by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, earlier decried the supposedly pattern of fake news carried by several news outfits ahead of the formal opening of the biennial sports meet on November 30.

The alleged “kikiam,” which was actually chicken sausage, that was served to the Philippine women’s football for breakfast was among the false news reported by some media.

It was also found that the viral photo of the Biñan Sports Complex and the supposed makeshift press center that was photographed by local and international media, which both turned out to be misrepresentation of truth.

Andanar lamented that instead of supporting the country’s hosting of SEA Games, critics opted to purvey ““malicious” and “fake” information.

“Napaka-malisyoso ng mga ginagawa, lalo na ng mga kalaban natin sa politika, na i-politicize itong SEA Games at nagpakalat ng fake news (Other people, including our political enemies, are making malicious move to politicize SEA Games. They are spreading fake news),” Andanar said.

“SEA Games is supposed to be friendship games for our nation and other Southeast Asian nations. And it’s supposed to be an opportunity for the country to showcase itself worldwide,” he added.

Andanar cautioned that propagating false news could yield grave repercussions for the country’s progress.

He stressed the need for media literacy as he warned that disinformation can ignite “animosity.”

“Kapag nagpa-pakalat po tayo ng maling impormasyon, ng maling balita (If we are spreading false information, false news), this actually ignites animosity. Pwedeng mag-away… dahil sa maling balita (False reports could sow tension),” he said.

“This affects the relationship [between] people. ‘Pag naapektuhan yung relationship, syempre yung ating pag unlad ay naaapektuhan din (If it affects relationship, of course, it also affects our development),” he added.

Andanar urged the public, especially the youth, to take part in fighting the spread of fake news that are propagated to discredit the government’s efforts in nation-building.

For the PCOO’s part, it would continue raising public awareness against false news by providing platforms of media education, the PCOO chief said.

On Tuesday, Andanar said his office is pushing for media literacy initiatives to make the Duterte government’s policies and programs more transparent to the public.