Former senator and senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan condemned the “orchestrated” and “well-funded” disinformation campaign against him that targeted a recent food blog where he ate rice and carabao milk on a pot cover.
In a Facebook Live on Saturday, April 12, the former senator appealed to those behind the disinformation campaign to fight fair.
“So, kapansin-pansin at maliwanag na recently, more so viciously, we have been subjected to trolling, bashing, and organized and orchestrated way na clearly hindi ito online organic audiences kung hindi most likely base sa ating nakikita, orchestrated, well-funded machinery para siraan ang ating kampanya,” he said.
“Ang appeal natin, unang-una sa mga kandidato na nasa likod nito, sana gastusan na lang ninyo (na) ipakilala ang sarili niyo at ipakilala ang inyong mga nagawa, inyong mga resibo,” he added.
Calling such moves “desperate,” Pangilinan lamented that some candidates can resort to spending millions to defame another candidate.
“Yun ba ang dapat ihalal?,” he asked.
In a food blog collaboration with social media personality Romeo Catacutan, the former senator was seen joining a boodle feast in Pampanga province.
In one video, Catacutan was heard asking someone to hand Pangilinan a pot cover so he could eat the rice and carabao milk properly.
The former senator, who said that the native dish was a “core memory” for him since his father was a Kapampangan, bemoaned how his simple food blog became an issue.
“Bakit ganon yung kumakain sa kaldero malaking issue pero yung kandidatong kurakot hindi ginagawang issue?,” he quoted a comment from a netizen.
Pangilinan explained that the circulation of the video on social media was clearly inorganic because they were uploaded on various pages using the same content and same material at the same time.
Another proof that there is an active attempt to destroy his campaign, Pangilinan furthered, is the use of social media accounts with Vietnamese-sounding names to leave laughing reactions on the post. ‘Dapat dito hilingin ng Comelec sa FB o Google na i deactivate o suspendihin ang mga troll accounts na ito hanggang matapos ang election’.
He then appealed to his supporters to “spread the truth” about his advocacies instead of attacking the pages that post such content.
“Don’t attack them. Ikalat natin katotohonan tungkol sa atin, tungkol sa atin kandidatura, tungkol sa nagawa natin,” the former senator said.
“To our voters and our supporters, be vigilant. Let us not share right away itong paninira,” he added.
He also called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to look into coordinating and cooperating with Meta (Facebook), TikTok, and other social media giants to address the widespread and massive disinformation, trolling, and bashing.
“Anong gagawin ng Comelec dito? Sana may magawa, tawagin sa isang public na pagpupulong ang Meta, Google, atbp. para mabigyan ng warning o kaya umapela sa Facebook at TikTok na umaksyon at kumilos dito sa paninira na nangyayari,” Pangilinan said.