MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has raised the alarm over what he described as a growing “disinformation crisis,” warning that the unchecked spread of false narratives is now distorting public understanding and weakening the country’s policymaking process.
In a candid address before the Malacañang Press Corps, Marcos said disinformation has evolved from harmless online noise into a force capable of undermining credible journalism and confusing national conversations.
“Your writings, your opinions, built on years of experience, are suddenly seen as equal to crazy conspiracy theories with no basis in fact,” he said, calling the trend “very, very concerning.”
He added that fabricated content has gained the ability to compete with — and often overshadow — factual, professionally vetted reporting. This shift, he noted, has contributed to a fractured public discourse.
“In the beginning we thought it was funny… But now it has become damaging,” Marcos said. “People are being led into a crazy mind game without any connection to reality.”
Media monitoring groups have previously identified Marcos as the top beneficiary of election-period disinformation during the 2022 presidential race — a point critics have resurfaced as the administration now pushes for stronger defenses against falsehoods online.
The President acknowledged that the government is still struggling to find effective strategies to curb the rapid spread of deceptive content. There is no single fix, he said, and any sustainable solution must be rooted in journalism itself.
“The government needs the help of all media,” Marcos said. “People must know what is happening, accurately.”
He urged reporters to guide the public toward more critical news consumption, especially amid increasingly sophisticated digital manipulation tools. The partnership between the Palace and the press, he stressed, will be vital in reestablishing fact-based, rational discourse.
“Let’s make it even stronger,” Marcos told the MPC. “We now face a challenge we have to work together to address.”/PN
