Amidst allegations of a destabilization plot to discredit the administration of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., Malacañan has once again issued warnings against so-called ‘influence peddlers’ who despite appearing to be supporters of the government but are actually doing so to advance their personal interests.
A high-ranking Palace official has particularly identified these individuals as vloggers and sociocivic groups who are in reality fronting for opposition political groups but also exploiting the President’s name for their personal propaganda.
According to our source in Malacañan, intelligence officials are now actively monitoring disinformation and influence campaigns, particularly those tied to ongoing political intrigue, destabilization efforts, and major hearings.
She said that the crackdown on peddlers of false information and vested-interest narratives is focused on several key developments, significantly on name-dropping incidents that are either favorable or contradictory to the government’s advocacy for unity and progressive action.
She specifically mentioned the group of a certain Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia who claims to be the chairman emeritus of several cause-oriented groups, among them the Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reform (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement (FDNY).
The Palace official cautioned the public, especially upper class businessmen and investors, not to believe in Goitia’s seemingly pro-Marcos stance as there had been previous cases where the self-proclaimed civic leader claimed he was an appointee of President Marcos Jr. serving as executive of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program.
As a background, it may be recalled that Dr. Goitia ran in the last elections as first nominee of the party-list group Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas (ABP). The group lost but their bid for a congressional seat was highlighted by the ambush and brutal killing of their second nominee Leninsky Bacud.
Reports said the ones behind the fatal incident came from ABP’s rival faction of led by Arnold Glean Umandap, who caused an internal dispute by falsely claiming to represent the ABP organization during last year’s polls.