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Tagged as the “Social Media Capital of the World," disinformation’s adverse effects have long been felt
in my country, the Philippines. This is most noticeable during the 2016 Philippine National Elections

when false news such as endorsements of presidential aspirant, now President Rodrigo Duterte from
prominent figures like the Pope surfaced (Lim, 2017). In the paper written by Sinpeng, A., Gueorguiev,
D., & Arugay, A. A. (2020), inconsistencies between the levels of engagement of then presidential

candidate Rodrigo Duterte himself and his social media engagement raised the prospect that the “online
prominance was fabricated by paid trolls and fake accounts.” The toxicity and proliferation of

disinformation were loudly protested by different organizations and members of the Philippine society.
This incredible weaponization of social media has been a topic of several authors and journalists around
the world (Ong & Cabanes, 2018; Ressa, 2016; Posetti & Matthews, 2018). This strongly proves that

disinformation has a real-world impact.

Now that humanity is again standing at a fork in the road where information and data-driven decisions
are badly needed, it seems that disinformation resurfaces more often and stronger. In the Philippines, the

situation is much worse because information regarding COVID-19 is being mixed with and affected by
political hues and propaganda, which are worsened by the reactions reaped from social media. These add
fuel to the panic felt by the citizens during the pandemic as discussed by C. J. C. Nicomedes and R. M.

A. Avila (2020) in their paper.

If what is happening in the Philippines is being multiplied by billions of people around the world, it will
cause drastic effects on everyone. Disinformation can be used as a loophole to justify some actions that

are going against the pillars of what is right and just. This will also be a way to oppress minorities who
have different ideals, mislead those who are easily swayed, conceal the truth behind intricately fabricated
lies, and kill our right to access and be informed of the truth.

Technological advancements create a highway where the horizon-sight distance between people and
information becomes closer than ever, but people being blinded by these innovations and quickness can
often miss the goal of being accurate, valid, and critical. Since this scenario is happening around the

world, the collective participation and inclusive effort of everybody is needed.

Humanity has survived the call of the times by adapting to changes and by working together. After all,
we are a social species. With the use of technology to spread it even more, disinformation has become a
plague that threatens humanity now more than ever. Combating this other pandemic is not a job just for

a selected few. This calls for universal cooperation because it is our civic obligation and duty as
responsible human beings.

Having the gift of discernment and understanding, thinking critically, and having the freedom to choose
can help us become media and information-literate. If disinformation is the piercing poison, media and
information literacy is our antidote. We already know what the problem is. Unfortunately, some of us

don't realize that the antidote is within our grasp all along.

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