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READ: Part 1 | Bicol’s machines of deceit: Exploiting poverty, manufacturing truth
ALBAY, Philippines – Amid a deluge of digital falsehoods, ordinary Filipinos consume their daily dose of lies with little awareness, while some local media outlets frame the news in ways that quietly shape public perception and distort the reality of people’s struggles. In this landscape of manipulation, the quality of information available to the public is both a weapon and a casualty.
Campus journalists Ashley Quinones and Zhinny Lao, both from Sorsogon, paint an unsettling picture of their province’s informational landscape. Despite pressing social issues, many residents remain woefully uninformed about their struggles.
Quinones and Lao attributed this to a persistent digital divide that leaves communities vulnerable to a steady stream of misinformation — a reflection of the superficial and inadequate coverage of social issues in Sorsogon’s media ecosystem.
“Most residents in our province are still misinformed about what’s happening in their communities. They often believe the curated news they see online, which is filtered and mixed with political advertisements,” Quinones said.
Those in power control the flow of information, focusing media narratives on tourism and economic developments, while the real struggles of marginalized groups are largely ignored by both traditional and online media outlets.
“You only see reports about Sorsogon’s beautiful attractions or its development progress, while issues faced by farmers, fishermen, and other marginalized groups are often left unreported on both TV and Facebook,” Lao added.
They also pointed out that local media often portray political figures as heroes or saviors, prioritizing public relations over factual, in-depth reporting. This practice undermines the accountability of public officials to the very people they are supposed to serve.
More troubling is how these media practices reinforce patronage politics, especially with social media now being the dominant platform for distributing news — where both supporters and critics can engage directly with journalists.
Attacks on journalists
While Sorsogon struggles with limited access to reliable information, Masbate faces an even greater challenge: journalists under attack.
When Reynard Magtoto, a community journalist and editor of Baretang Bikolnon, the regional outlet of the AlterMidya Network in Bicol, reported on underreported human rights violations in Masbate, he was falsely labeled as a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) in various online posts.
Several months later, the 93rd Civil Military Operations (CMO) Company of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) attempted to summon him through the local government of Daraga, where Magtoto resides.
Magtoto claimed he was illegally surveilled while continuing to report on issues often neglected by other news outlets.
Such abuse of power, alongside the social media vilification of journalists like Magtoto, threatens press freedom and undermines truthful reporting, according to AlterMidya Network.
Magtoto’s case is only one example of the widespread red-tagging on social media, which misleads the public into believing state-sponsored black propaganda and discourages them from questioning the abuses occurring right before their eyes.
“From 2023 to October 2024, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Albay Chapter recorded over 17 cases of cyber libel filed against community journalists who report on critical issues in Bicol, two murder charges, and countless intimidation, harassment, and red-tagging attempts,” Magtoto said.
Aggravating the situation, Masbate lacks private media outlets that report on human rights issues and other concerns with editorial independence.
“One of the major problems in Masbate is the absence of private media companies that publish news about the real conditions of the people. Even social media news outlets are directly or indirectly controlled by those in power and those who work for them,” said Limuel Epino, a campus journalist and youth leader based in Masbate.
Government data shows that radio stations are the most active sources of information in the province, including the Masbate Community Broadcasting Company, Brigada Mass Media Corporation, Prime Broadcasting Network, Presidential Broadcast Services, Nutriskwela Community Radio, Radyo Natin Network, and the Catholic Media Network.
Unfortunately, some of these stations are state-controlled, and many lack editorial independence, according to Epino.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines’ Ethical Guide emphasizes that when this happens, journalists are often limited in what they can report and how deeply they can delve into issues.
Epino also explained that the lack of private media institutions in the province can be attributed to attacks on and impunity against media practitioners, including campus journalists.
In 2020, for instance, community journalist Ronnie Villamor was reportedly gunned down by soldiers. The police claimed Villamor was armed, but the Committee to Protect Journalists said that Villamor was merely covering a land-grabbing case.
Villamor’s death was not an isolated incident — continued vilification, harassment, and even detention of journalists occur in Masbate whenever they publish critical reports on local issues.
This situation allows social media disinformation to thrive, especially during election periods.
“The polarization of information through government-owned or politician-sponsored media outlets in Masbate only leads to the normalization of many social issues and the over-glorification of politicians,” Epino said.
The issue extends beyond journalists’ safety concerns. Many media consumers, especially online, believe state-backed propaganda that discredits community journalists reporting on democracy and human rights violations. This creates a toxic mix of disinformation and impunity against journalists.
Karapatan-Bicol, a regional human rights group, reported 97 human rights violation cases in Masbate since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office. Despite the widespread violations, many of these incidents have been labeled with false narratives such as “nanlaban” (they fought back), “pusher,” and “terrorist.”
Freedom at risk
Karapatan also reported 456 cases of threats, harassment, red-tagging, and media repression in Camarines Sur from 2022 to 2024. Similar problems are evident in neighboring Camarines Norte.
Kabataan Partylist-Bicol spokesperson Danica de Jesus explained how media repression contributes to worsening human rights violations in both Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur: “The majority of media in the province is controlled by politicians. That’s why there’s almost no one reporting on the real state and struggles of the masses.”
As a result, these provinces face the consequences of black propaganda that hides crimes against humanity, similar to how the Duterte administration used social media to justify extrajudicial killings with falsified reports, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“The level of black propaganda is alarming, especially red-tagging. Even an innocent civilian, just 17 years old and searching for food, was killed mercilessly. The reports painted him as a member of the New People’s Army without sufficient evidence,” De Jesus said.
Amnesty International said black propaganda is often used to mislead the public and conceal human rights abuses. Both Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur have long suffered from this, with truth being the first casualty.
The NUJP-Albay chapter has urged Bicolanos to practice critical thinking, especially when consuming content on social media, to combat disinformation in the region.
“It’s not just about verifying sources and legitimacy, but also understanding how information is being used and what intentions lie behind it. A higher level of vigilance is required, as disinformation can easily deceive us,” said NUJP-Albay chairperson Mavic Conde.
The group also urged journalists to go beyond truth-telling and focus on safeguarding the facts.
“Regional journalists should provide context, engage with their community, and freely share reliable information,” Conde continued. This, she said, will help fight disinformation, enhance journalism, protect democracy, and serve all Bicolanos. – Rappler.com
Reinnard Balonzo is a senior journalism student at Bicol University-College of Arts and Letters. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024, he is also chairperson of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines-Bicol.