A digital ethics advocate raised concerns over an apparent coordinated troll attack on an online news report over the weekend about the imminent replacement of ICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda. Suspicious accounts appeared in the comments within an hour, dismissing the article as 'fake news'. Aguda responded that he does not know the critic and his mandate is to clean the internet of harmful content.
In Manila, Philippines, artificial intelligence researcher Dominic Ligot raised concerns over apparent coordinated inauthentic behavior in the comments section of a Bilyonaryo.com report published on March 13, 2026, about the imminent replacement of ICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda with former presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda. Within an hour of publication, Ligot noted suspicious accounts dismissing the article as “fake news” in varied ways and seconds apart, showing red flags like identical creation dates and content associated with troll farms. In his social media post titled “Politics of Perception,” Ligot observed these accounts were sympathetic to Aguda’s retention and critical of any replacement move. “Our research shows that harm happens when narratives are boosted through coordinated networks or influence campaigns. A few posts can suddenly look like a mass movement. That can distort public debate. What we’re seeing here looks like a textbook example,” Ligot said. He added, “A news article appears. Then coordinated voices flood the conversation to reshape the narrative. Maybe it’s organic support. Maybe it’s not. But if amplification is happening to protect a government official, we have to ask a bigger question – where is the ethics?” Asked by The STAR, Aguda replied: “I don’t know him. My mandate is to clean the internet of harmful and misleading content.” He did not directly address Ligot’s concerns. Ligot said this raises serious concerns on the ethical uses of amplifying or distorting online conversations.
