Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday expressed alarm over claims that troll farms would be weaponized in the 2022 elections, saying that money should instead be spent on agricultural farms and other pro-farmer programs.
Pangilinan made the remark in response to Sen. Panfilo Lacson's claim that an undersecretary was supposedly organizing troll farms to attack government critics and potential candidates in the 2022 polls not aligned with the administration.
"Imbes na troll farm ang kanilang ginagastusan, dapat yung agricultural farms, itong poultry farms, piggery, livestock, vegetable, rice. Yun ang gastusan natin dahil yun ang tulong na kailangan ng ating mga kababayan," Pangilinan told reporters in a virtual interview.
Pangilinan is considering running for senator again next year, hoping to continue championing the rights of farmers and fisherfolk in the country. He said fake news and online trolling should be addressed ahead of the upcoming elections.
Citing a study by the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, he said opposition candidates in the 2019 elections were the most prone to trolling and fake news online.
Lawmaker could look into crafting a measure that could regulate fake news and online trolling, since it some cases, it led to people being killed, he said.
"Hindi rin biro, kapag lumabas sa social media yung paninira, yung red-tagging, kamatayan iyong kasunod nun e. Lalo na kapag paulit-ulit. People are killed," he said.
With less than a year away from the 2022 elections, Pangilinan appealed to the public to be more vigilant and call out fake news.
"Yung paninira na ginagastusan nang napakalaking halaga ay totoo at nangyayari. Kaya tayo bilang mga mamamayan, kinakailangan maging mapagbantay. Huwag basta-basta magpapaniwala," he said.
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