With the election season creating a buzz, political issues and various electoral
candidates seem to be hot topics in every Filipino household as well as in social
media. Along with this, it is perceived that the proliferation of fake news and
misinformation on election and political topics could potentially jeopardize the
ability of an individual to vote for worthy
candidates. Thus, the main concern lies on the primary motivation of the voters in electing their candidates.
The Filipino family is directly involved in
these affairs. Every Filipino is part of the
vote as they are also the decision-makers of the society that will choose the Philippines’
next leaders. Many people have even proudly advocated for their chosen candidates,
encouraged people to vote, and shared facts
about each one as a way of convincing those who are unsure to vote for that candidate as
well. Some of them have even volunteered to
do house-to-house campaigning and gave out campaign materials out of their own will.
Furthermore, there is an inner aspiration among all of them to experience good
governance and to be led by worthy and
qualified leaders in order for them to secure a better future for their children and their 17
families.
But at the same time, there are also other people who have shared misinformation
and fake news by spreading hate and lies
towards those who disagree with them like black propaganda and false negativity. There has been a rise in the number of
paid trolls which have exacerbated the spread of false information to the
advantage of unworthy candidates.
According to Rappler (2022), the Meta platform has already taken down 400
facebook accounts, pages, and groups that were involved in disinformation and hate speech ahead of the Philippine elections.
Along with this, although some politicians vehemently deny cases of vote buying,
actual videos and some witnesses certify that this act is still prevalent with the giving of envelopes and bags full of goodies.
"... there is an inner aspiration among all of them to experience good governance..." One of the reasons why some people
accept the small amount of money from
their involvement in these unscrupulous deeds is for their family—to provide for their basic needs even for a very short while.
