MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday that the government’s anti-fake news campaign should give more focus and attention to the youth, who he said are most vulnerable to wrong and malicious information from the internet.

Speaking during the launching of the Media Information Literacy Campaign (MIL) in a hotel in Pasay City, Marcos said that while the internet has become a “great equalizer” in terms of empowering people in sharing their opinions and comments, it is also a platform where proliferation of “pure, raw, unedited, uncurated and unexamined information” is seen.

“What we are attempting to do here is specifically, as [PCO] Sec. Cheloy [Garafil] mentioned, we also direct our attention to young people. Because they are the most involved, because they are the ones we consider being online, being on the internet as part of their life. It is like breathing to young people. But we must give them the tools to be able to look and see what are these things that we are reading,” he said.

“Maybe it is time we give our kids, not only our kids, but our citizenry… the tools for them to be able to tell what is important, what is not. What is relevant,” he added.

Marcos said disinformation has become “an important tool in the political realm” and part of propaganda during the elections.

“We all hear that the entire campaign, I’ve heard this in reference to somebody I know, that their entire campaign was based on fake news. Everything they said on the internet is fake news,” Marcos said without giving further details on who he was referring to.

Marcos advised those who consume information online to always “know the source” to avoid being victims of disinformation.

• Marcos administration to launch literacy campaign vs fake news next week

“We have all heard the phrase, ‘know your source.' So that is perhaps the first step that we can do for our people, to say ‘know your source,' tingnan niyo kung saan galing, kung ano 'yung kwento na 'yan,” he said.

“Baka mamaya nag-inuman lang 'yan at nagsulat ng kung anu-ano sa internet at naniwala naman tayo,” he said.

• Justice secretary admits falling for ‘fake news’ in case of missing inmate

The president also said that government has to learn how to deal with artificial intelligence (AI).

“With the advent of AI, we can see that the tools that are available are becoming more and more powerful, and we are very grateful when there are machines that are doing a bit of thinking for us,” he said.

“But it is also disconcerting for us when we are confronted by pure AI. Hindi na tao ang kausap mo, kung ano na ang pwede sabihin,” he also said.

For her part, Garafil stressed the need for the society to be more vigilant against disinformation.

“Sa panahon po natin ngayon, napakadali na po ang pagkuha ng impormasyon gamit ang mga bagong teknolohiya, online news, at social media. Ngunit kasabay din nito ang mabilis na pagkalat ng maling impormasyon. False narratives and fake news have the power to mislead, divide and even cause harm or damage,” she said.

During the event, Marcos also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

In a statement on Facebook, PCO said that DepEd’s role includes developing an educator’s and learner’s manual, through the MIL project, to be incorporated in country’s basic educational curriculum.

CHED, on the other hand will “foster coordination and collaboration of concerned parties with state universities and colleges (SUCs).”

The DSWD shall also include the MIL in its social protection programs, and provide support to the conduct of trainings to targeted communities.

DILG, for its part, will also coordinate and collaborate with Sangguniang Kabataan of each local government unit and with the National Youth Commission to advance the project.

The MIL also has private partners, Garafil said.

“Our reach extends further with our partners: META, Google, Tiktok and X. Reputable giants in the digital scheme. Their support strengthens our causes,” she said.

“Our formidable alliance is committed to ensuring the truth and accuracy prevail in a society where every voice contributes to the chorus of truth,” she added.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

Watch more News on iWantTFC