MALACAÑANG blamed the proliferation of fake news to the decline of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s trust and performance rating and the increase of his disapproval rating.
In a press conference on Monday, April 21, 2025, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the result of the recent survey conducted by Pulse Asia reflects the influence of fake news on people’s perception.
“So kung ang mga tao man na ito nagbigay ng kanilang mga opinion, marahil ay bunga ito ng mga fake news,” she said.
(So if these people gave their opinions, perhaps it was because of fake news.)
“At kung ito man ay totoong nagkaroon ng pagsagot, hindi rin naman papabayaan ng gobyerno dahil dapat nating malaman ang mga respondents, saan ang mga respondents, ang mga respondents ba na ito ay nakakatanggap ng totoong news o nai-impluwensyahan ng fake news, ang mga respondents ba na ito ay hindi nakakarating ang tulong ng gobyerno? So dapat din natin malaman ito sa parte ng administrasyon,” she added.
(The survey, which was participated by 2,400 respondents, was conducted from March 23 to 29, a few days following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte (FPRRD) and his turnover to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands amid the ongoing investigation on the crime against humanity during the implementation of his drug war.)
Based on the findings of the survey, Marcos’ approval rating significantly went down by 17 percentage points from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March, while his disapproval rating increased by 21 points at 53 percent.
Meanwhile, an uptrend was recorded on Vice President Sara Duterte's approval rating from 52 percent in February to 59 percent in March, while her disapproval fell from 26 to 16 percent.
However, Castro said the opinion of the 2,400 survey respondents does not reflect the sentiments of the over 100 million Filipino people in the country.
“Hindi po ito ang kabuuang sentimyento ng buong Pilipinas. Magtatrabaho pa rin ang Pangulo kung ano ang tama, kung ano ang nasa batas hindi dahil ito ang idinidikta ng tao na hindi naman naaayon sa batas,” she said.
(This is not the overall sentiment of the entire Philippines. The President will still act according to what is right and what is within the law -- not based on what some people dictate if it goes against the law.)
Marcos earlier admitted allowing government forces to “proceed as discussed” on the arrest of Duterte as part of the country’s commitment to the International Criminal Police Organization Manila (Interpol) and not because the ICC ordered it.
The Philippines has withdrawn its membership to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, effective 2019.
The administration has been under fire since Duterte’s arrest, with the President’s own sister, Senator Imee Marcos, launching a probe that aims to clarify the involvement and the roles of the ICC, the International Criminal Police Organization, and the various government agencies in the arrest of the former President; and to look into the measures taken to ensure that the rights of FPRRD under domestic laws and relevant treaties were properly protected throughout the process.
Senator Marcos earlier cited various “glaring violations” to the rights of FPRRD during his arrest and turnover to the ICC, particularly that of guaranteeing a person’s liberty and due process considering that the arrest was committed without a warrant issued by a Philippine court and not within the exceptions to a warrantless arrest.
Fake news
In a sectoral meeting on Monday, Castro said President Marcos ordered government agencies to strengthen their efforts against fake news especially online.
Castro cited a report from an Israel-based data intelligence and disinformation security firm that says the level of coordinated disinformation seen in the Philippines was far above the typical seven to 10 percent range of online conversations globally about highly sensitive or polarizing issues.
“Dahil kapag ang fake news ay lumaganap, mismong sarili nating pagde-desisyon ay maaari na tayong magkamali dahil ito ay impluwensya lamang ng fake news,” she said.
(Because when fake news spreads, even our own decision-making can be affected -- we might end up making the wrong choices simply because we were influenced by fake news.)
“Hindi na ito biro, dapat na talagang bigyan ng pansin. Hindi ito nakakaganda sa gobyerno, hindi nakakaganda sa ekonomiya at hindi rin nakakaganda sa taong-bayan,” she added.
(This is no longer a joke; it really needs to be given attention. It doesn’t benefit the government, it doesn’t benefit the economy, and it certainly doesn’t benefit the people.)
The Malacañang also lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its decisive move to establish a Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (JAFNAC) in a bid to address the growing menace of misinformation and disinformation that threaten public trust, peace, and national stability.
PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil said the JAFNAC, which will be headed by PNP Deputy Chief PNP for Operations (TDCO) Lieutenant General Robert Rodriguez, is a direct response to these incidents and aims to institutionalize coordination, monitoring, and response strategies to combat disinformation across all platforms.
“Fake news is not harmless -- it can incite fear, panic, and even unrest. Under Bagong Pilipinas, we are taking a firm stand. We will not allow deception to dictate the public narrative,” said Marbil. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)