Comelec official bats for task force vs ‘fake news’

Video courtesy of PTV 
     

An official of the Commission on Elections on Monday proposed forming a task force that would combat disinformation, ahead of the May 9 polls. 

Comelec Commissioner George Erwin Garcia said false information that he encountered included supposedly pre-shaded ballots and polling centers that have already allegedly tallied a 100-percent voter turnout. 

“Iyang mga ganyan pong fake news, syempre po sa mga kababayan natin na maaaring hindi gaanong nauunawaan, paniniwalaan po ‘yan. It will create or destroy the integrity of our electoral process. We will never allow that,” Garcia said in a televised public briefing. 

(Fake news like that may be believed by our compatriots who do not understand them well.) 
 
“Ang Commission on Elections, iyong mga tao namin dito wala nang pahingahan—sisirain lang ng mga ganoong klaseng fake news. Hindi po natin papayagan. We will go after them, we will prosecute them, and we will put a stop to these illegal activities.” 
 
(At the Commission on Elections, our personnel here are working with almost no rest—and fake news like these will just destroy our efforts. We will not allow that.) 

But Garcia said the mandate of the task force he would propose to the en bank would be limited to disinformation about the Comelec and the “entire electoral process.” 

“Iyong fake news para sa mga kandidato, napakadami po nun, baka hindi namin kayanin na po ‘yon. Dapat talaga isang buong departamento ng pamahalaan ‘yon,” said Garcia. 



“Iyon pong fake news patungkol sa mga kandidato, mga kandidato na po ang bahala doon kung paano nila proprotektahan ang sarili nila,” he added. 

(There are too many fake news about candidates, we might not be able to cover that. An entire government agency should focus on that. It is up to candidates to protect themselves from fake news about them.) 

• Why it's a challenge to go after fake-news purveyors
• Marcos heir wins Philippine election misinformation race