Since taking office in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte and his powerful allies in the Philippine government have been in the middle of countless controversies. This includes what the United Nations deems as “widespread human rights violations” against drug suspects, activists, journalists and Indigenous peoples.
Apart from threats and violence, Duterte’s camp has also consistently weaponized social media through the years seemingly to gain — and keep — control, and to silence detractors.
In 2020, Facebook removed over a hundred “fake accounts” and pages linked to the Philippine police and military. These pages were not only said to be spreading false information about controversial issues in the country, but several accounts from police were also reportedly investigated for “red-tagging” political opposition and activists in the country.