NARRATIVES pertaining to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, his subsequent detention and trial at the International Criminal Court and are circulating online, and all of them are portraying the erstwhile strongman as a victim.
There is the yarn that the arrest was illegal (it was not), that the Supreme Court had issued a temporary restraining order on the arrest (it had not), that he was deprived of his rights and grossly disrespected (he was not; in fact, he was given utmost deference), that he was barely fed (he was flown out of the Philippines in a private jet, with all the amenities including a bed). His own lawyer, the former executive secretary, said that Duterte was kidnapped (he was not) and that for a time after his arrival in The Hague, he went missing (he was there all along). Videos of large crowds rallying in the European city purportedly showed the gathering of numerous Duterte supporters (the video was taken at a different time and place).
Easily shared quote cards are also making the rounds of social media, and they involve real persons like Pope Francis and King Charles, as well as fictional lawyers or politicians in television series. All the quote cards say the same thing: that the trial of Duterte is a grave mistake. None of them is true.
Here at home, supporters have been gathering in various permutations, with some urging taking to the streets even as their leader supposedly told them to relax because there will be reckoning soon. And of course, the accounts of known personalities in the legal battle, including the ICC judge who presided in the pre-trial conference and the assistant to counsel to the ICC are seeing a flurry of comments on their feeds. The comments are neither sober nor logical.
These narratives are easily lapped up and pushed by Duterte supporters, who think of the former leader as their father and the father of the nation, one who is misunderstood and persecuted, one who may have a filthy mouth and maverick ways but who has a heart of gold that wants only the best for the people.
Tragically, disinformation has been proven to be a powerful tool to capture the people’s hearts and minds and sway public opinion. It has also been shown to affect voter sentiment and help install certain personalities in office.
It is perplexing, really, how this supposed father of the nation could be as ruthless as to order the killing of thousands, feel entitled to his power over life and death, and admit to his own culpability could still be hailed as a much-maligned hero.
It is the right of individuals to express their feelings, support whomever they want, and argue what they believe is right. We must, however, be aware that more than articulating support or hatred for someone or for a cause, the more important step is deciding to support or hate based on the information that we receive. Vested interests pounce upon the people’s inability – worse, refusal – to exercise critical thinking in this emotionally charged issue, such that they feed the public things which they know to be false, manipulating them to achieve their own end.
It is up to the people not to reject attempts at manipulation.
The education system is beset with many problems; molding young Filipinos to become critical thinkers is one of the most serious of those problems.
Let’s take back our power by refusing to share anything online without thoroughly, personally verifying it. This will see us through not only during this ugly period in our history, but in all our days as a nation and through all the challenges that we have yet to encounter.
