MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur — The military has asked Facebook Philippines to take down at least 63 accounts that it claimed were being operated by supporters and sympathizers of the Maute Group.
Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesperson of the army’s 1st Infantry Division, said these Facebook accounts — which were mostly dummy accounts — post or share disinformation that affected the military operation.
“We would like also to appeal to Facebook Philippines for an investigation … and undertake necessary measures to investigate the 63 Facebook accounts that are being utilized by the Maute and their sympathizers because these 63 accounts are spreading malicious and misleading information and disinformation that affect the information landscape and the mind-set of people,” he told reporters here.
Herrera said the coordination with Facebook and government agencies such as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to combat such “disinformation” was being conducted by the military’s central command in Manila.