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MANILA — A review of videos on YouTube from alternative sources with at least 100,000 views showed that supporters of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. use their platforms both to set narratives in favor of the former senator and to spread disinformation against his opponents.

"Nakakagulat na karamihan ng videos ay from Marcos supporters talaga," Justin Muyot of the Far Eastern University Public Policy Center said Tuesday.

Videos expressing support for Marcos' candidacy make use of three different narratives, his review titled "Narratives and Tactics in Alternative Online Videos" found.

Alternative videos are those uploaded by alternative sources, with no capital and no hierarchical editorial processes. These include videos by vloggers and content creators.

Some alternative videos shame other presidential candidates who openly criticize Marcos or speak out on topics pertaining to him. Clickbait titles and in-video text in thumbnails that set the mind of viewers to the content are being used in these videos.

"This is commonly carried out through clickbait titles using the word 'pahiya,'" the study, presented by Muyot in a forum, read.

Videos also attempt to make Marcos endearing to the viewers by highlighting moments during the campaign season wherein he and his son Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" interact with supporters.

• Election watchdog calls out Marcos for 'disinformation' campaign

The third narrative "sows discord" between Sen. Ping Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III by claiming that the latter now supports Marcos after supposedly being "betrayed" by the former national police chief.

The review referenced a post with a thumbnail that showed a photo of Sotto's daughter Ciara wearing green shirt with the statement "Ciara all". Marcos's running mate is Sara Duterte-Carpio whose campaign color is green and whose supporters use the tagline "Sara all."

The review also found alternative videos discrediting Marcos' opponents and the electoral process itself, setting a narrative that his possible loss in the 2022 polls may be a repeat of his fate in 2016. Marcos had claimed electoral fraud during his bid for the vice presidency six years ago, but the Supreme Court, acting as electoral tribunal junked his protest.

• How PET unanimously junked Marcos’ election protest vs Robredo

His rival in the 2016 elections and also in the upcoming polls, Vice President Leni Robredo, is targeted by these alternative videos by spreading misinformation about her alleged "dirty secrets," Muyot's review showed.

Collaborative fact-checking initiative Tsek.ph presented to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes in February data showing that Robredo remains the top target of disinformation in social media.

• Leni is 'favorite' subject of disinformation, says fact-check group in Senate probe

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso is also discredited in some videos by alleging that he took credit for the construction of the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, which was built by Marcos' mother, Imelda.

Ka Leody De Guzman in these alternative videos was red-tagged, while Sen. Manny Pacquiao's education was highlighted to assert he is unqualified to run for the presidency.

"It is dangerous because they are presented as fact, which puts the burden on viewers to discern if they are fact," Muyot said.

"Wala tayong nakikita na videos na ginagawa ng other camps na tinitira ang other presidential candidates. At the same time, wala tayo nakikitang videos from individuals or other content creators that are sympathetic to other candidates. Meron lang tayong nakikita for Bongbong Marcos," Muyot said.

The review found also that there is an interest in politics among Filipinos accessing YouTube.

Their search activity on the candidates peaked three times this year: when talk show host Boy Abunda uploaded his presidential interviews with the candidates in January; when the national campaign season began in February; and when the local campaign season started in March.

As in the pre-election polls, Marcos leads with the most number of video results after a search of his name on the video streaming platform, with 52,300 items.

Marcos has said he and his family are victims of fake news, and denied involvement in the spread of misinformation.

• Bongbong Marcos wants fact-checkers 'with agenda' removed
• 'Wala kayong naririnig na fake news sa akin': Bongbong Marcos
• Marcoses are 'fake news' victims too, says Bongbong

Meanwhile, in another review, Muyot found that eight textbooks used by different schools show an "imbalance" in discussing Martial Law during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The military rule that was officially imposed from 1972 until 1981 took up only 7-11 percent in Araling Panlipunan textbooks, as opposed to the Philippine-American war and the 1890s Katipunan Revolution that covered around 20 percent of the textbooks' space.

Muyot's review on these textbooks found further that "there was commentary or interpretation that was not supported by appropriate evidence."

Forum panelist and Jose Rizal University President Dr. Vicente Fabella said much can be done about how history is taught.

"A lot of the focus is on rote memorization of facts and figures, and that's always been a problem with the Philippine school system. And we try to move away from it," Fabella said.

"You really have to give space for the students to think, talk through an issue, make mistakes on their opinions, and correct themselves, because they understand the process of how to correct and review information," he added.

Fabella recommended that libraries, instead of just being information gatekeepers, should begin to function the same as journalists and curate content.

"If you're in a school and you want to know if things are legit, your first stop should be the library. And whether it's part of their content curation, libraries don't have to start this from scratch. Get the training and link up with legit organizations and build from there."

As for Muyot, the problem of misinformation and disinformation online can be combatted with the same strategies as the enemy.

"[This] is not something we are totally hopeless against. In fact, the same way communities are built around content creators and vloggers who spread misinformation, we can implement the same strategies for content creators who push out facts, and crowdfund and provide better support for them."

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