THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has formed its own team of “keyboard warriors” to counter the spread of fake news, misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, Elections chairman George Garcia announced yesterday.
Garcia said the unit’s sole task is to monitor and correct wrong or malicious information about the conduct of the May 12 midterm elections
“More or less, we have 30 personnel tasked to give the right information to the public,” Garcia said.
“If these people have keyboard warriors, we can say we also have our own keyboard warriors who will tell the truth,” he said, as he underscored the importance of protecting the integrity of the elections.
“If we don’t answer back on these false allegations or comments, it is our electoral process that will suffer,” Garcia said.
The Comelec has recently been a victim of misinformation, among them social media posts saying that Election Day has been moved to May 10 allegedly due to the forecast extreme danger heat index on May 12.
There were likewise false information that circulated online the national ID needs to be presented before one will be allowed to cast his/her votes.
In a recent Senate hearing, Sen. Francis Tolentino exposed that the Chinese Embassy has tapped InfinitUs Marketing Solutions Inc. to work as its public relations (PR) firm. The company supposedly operates as a “troll farm” and hired keyboard warriors to spread disinformation, attack government officials, and promote pro-China narratives under fake social media profiles.
In a related development, the Comelec vehemently denied allegations online that one of its automated counting machines (ACMs) in Davao City counted the votes in a ballot despite the voter deliberately overvoting senatorial candidates.
According to Garcia, there is no truth that an ACM at the Davao City National High School counted votes for senator despite 14 ovals being marked during the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) process.
“The question is why were the votes counted despite having 14 marks for senator? This is because the two others were not considered votes, but merely marks,” Garcia explained.
He said that in the particular instance, there were two marks that were made outside the ovals beside the names of candidates.
“The ovals were unmarked as the squares were made outside the ovals. In such cases, they won’t be considered as votes,” he said.
On the other hand, Garcia said the dots inside the ovals were still counted since it met the shading threshold.
“Our shading threshold is at 15 percent. Therefore, the small dot was still counted,” he said, adding: “The voting machines counted correctly.”
Under the rule, overvotes will render the votes for the concerned positions as stray, while undervotes will still be counted by the ACMs.
A maximum of 12 candidates for senator are allowed to be voted in the official ballots.
Palace press officer Claire Castro yesterday urge voters to be more discerning, more observant and not to sell out their dignity and the country amid the spread of fake news and disinformation.
“Maging mapanuri – unang-una po ay maging mapagmatyag; at huwag ninyo pong ibenta ang inyong dignidad; huwag ibenta ang bansa sa ibang mga bansa na maaaring may interes dito sa ating teritoryo, sa ating soberanya (Be discerning – first of all be observant; and do not sell your dignity; do not sell our country to other nations that are interested in our territory, our sovereignty),” she said.
“Huwag ibenta ang bansa sa pamamagitan ng pagiging keyboard warrior at ang tanging maging trabaho o goal ay gumawa ng fake news para sirain at maging negatibo ang taumbayan sa ating Pangulo at sa pamahalaan (Do not sell out the country by becoming keyboard warriors whose only job is to create fake news to destroy and make the people go against the President and the government),” she added.
ALL SYSTEM GO
As this developed, Castro said different government agencies involved in the conduct of elections have already prepared the necessary contingencies to ensure the conduct of a smooth, orderly and clean elections on Monday.
She said the Department of Education has set up the “DepEd Election Task Force,” that would be activated on May 11, to ensure the real time monitoring, provision of immediate assistance and response whenever an incident arises.
She said DepEd has partnered with the Comelec, the PNP and the AFP to ensure the safety of teachers and election personnel, as well as with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Public Attorney’s Office to assist in legal issues, including harassment and legal threats.
Castro said the Department of Energy (DOE) and other government agencies and private sector partners are also taking proactive steps to guarantee uninterrupted electricity throughout the electoral process.
She said the DOE has already directed the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), National Electrification Administration (NEA), electric cooperatives, and private distribution utilities to clear any structures obstructing power lines promptly; and is also coordinating closely with local government units (LGUs) and the Comelec Special Task Force Baklas to swiftly and safely remove such obstructions. – With Jocelyn Montemayor
