After expressing her thoughts about the 31st anniversary of EDSA People Power Revolution, Kapamilya host Bianca Gonzalez has a new tweet that will surely make some people feel guilty.
On February 27, Gonzalez expressed her disappointment about Filipinos who are gullible to fake news.
She wrote on her Twitter: “This culture of fake news being shared without verifying and of believing random posts on social media right away will be our downfall.”
Bashers of Gonzalez were quick to react and obviously didn’t understand what her tweet was all about.
Prior to 2016 Presidential Election, fake news and memes became ‘alternative facts’ for some Filipinos. Hundreds of propaganda were launch each week to make sure that someone will surely get the coveted presidential position.
However, as time goes by, supporters of President Duterte became blinded by these fake news. Upon checking their Facebook profile, they are mostly OFWs and users from provinces, mostly adults and old ones.
These are the events that happened last year involving fake news:
The murdered rape victim from Brazil
Duterte’s campaign spokesman Peter Tiu Laviña uploaded a photo on his Facebook of a dead kid who was raped and killed. He then used this photo to denounce human rights, bishops and media outfits that are critical of the Duterte administration.
It was later debunked by a journalist, claiming that the photo was not taken in the Philippines. The rape and murder of the child actually occurred in Brazil in December 2014. The victim’s name was Evelin Nicole da Silva Sousa. Unfortunately, it was too late for the journalist, since the photo was shared by many netizens in their respective accounts. Laviña didn’t apologize for misinforming the public.
The spreadability of the fake news
Mocha Uson, a controversial sexy star and a known supporter of Duterte also shared the photo, but eventually deleted it after learning that it was fake. She admitted her mistake, but didn’t issue a public apology.
Using fake news to discredit others
Even the former senatorial bet Rafael Alunan III, another Duterte ally, posted an article about Laviña’s remarks and hit critics for their “selective reasoning, cognitive dissonance at work.”
Not until he learned that what he shared was fake. Like Laviña, Alunan didn’t apologize and had just move on to another issue.
The ‘Best President in the Solar System’ post
A satire news had circulated in social media, claiming that Duterte was hailed by NASA as the ‘Best President in the Solar System.’
Many of Duterte followers expressed their happiness and congratulated the president for his ‘milestone.’
The ‘Best President in the Solar System’ news
To make the situation even face-palming, another critical page of Duterte, Juan Nationalist, had tested Duterte supporters’ gullibility by making satire news about Duterte’s ‘NASA recognition.’
Again, the president was praised by most of his supporters, without realizing it was the second version of the first viral meme.
The ‘most gullible country’ news
Another one was a news claiming that Philippines is the most gullible country according to research. Many netizens laughed on this news, pointing fingers to their fellow Filipinos for being gullible.
What they didn’t know was the article was all made-up and those who didn’t read the disclaimer became its victims.
Thanks to Meme Buster, we are able to verify whether the news is fake or not. However, due to its few followers, many are blinded by these fake news.
Sadly, most of Filipinos are glad to read fake news instead of reading the truths just to feed their egos.
