Palace calls out Bato, Baste for sharing ‘fake news’
Government officials should avoid sharing fake news online as it further erodes public trust in the government and they must also admit to making a mistake when they do so, a Palace official said on Monday.
This was Palace Press Officer Claire Castro’s reply when asked to react to the sharing on Facebook of what appeared to be an artificial intelligence or AI-generated video by Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
“The sharing of things like that, again, disinformation, fake news should not be done by government officials. It creates doubts, and further erodes trust when disinformation and fake news come from high-ranking officials themselves,” Castro said in a briefing.
“So now that they’ve done it and there’s nothing we can do about it, the least they can do is acknowledge that the video they shared is false and not authentic,” she added.
According to Castro, public officials should be responsible for what they repost online, especially because they have the power to influence people due to their position.
“This is their responsibility, because every word they say to the people—as leaders—is perceived as truth in the ears and eyes of everyone. So, they must be responsible for any information they share with our fellow citizens,” she further said.
Over the weekend, Dela Rosa and Duterte were criticized after sharing what seemed to be an AI-generated video. It featured an “interview” with two male students explaining why they do not support the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. The caption was marked with the hashtag #AI.
Despite this, Dela Rosa, an avid supporter of the Vice President, reposted the video with a caption reading: “Even though they’re kids, they understand what’s happening. Listen up, you yellows and communists!”
Baste Duterte, on the other hand, has already deleted the shared video from his Facebook profile.
In a related development, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Laban said that Baste Duterte will serve as its acting head as party president Sen. Robinhood Padilla goes on leave to focus on his duties in the 20th Congress. —WITH A REPORT FROM DIANNE SAMPANG
