24/7 disinformation war room launched ahead of midterm polls
By Jel Santos
To safeguard the integrity of the upcoming midterm elections, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have launched a 24/7 digital command center tasked with monitoring and combating online misinformation and disinformation.
The Threat Monitoring Center, described as a first-of-its-kind facility, was established in coordination with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Katarungan sa Halalan (Task Force KKK sa Halalan).
“This Center is our commitment to the Filipino people. A promise that in a time of digital deception, the government will stand as a guardian of truth and transparency,” DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said in a statement.
Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia also underscored the threat posed by false information, particularly in the final days of the campaign.
“Talagang massive po ang misinformation gamit lang ’yung mga isang salita at pagkatapos ‘yung mga kone-konektang mga information sa internet [at] sa social media na gano’n, makikita po lahat ng mga kababayan po natin (The misinformation is truly massive, just a single word is used, and then all the connected pieces of information on the internet and social media come together in a way that all our fellow Filipinos can see),” he said.
According to the DICT, the center was operationalized in just two days, with Assistant Secretary Renato A. Paraiso and CICC personnel working round-the-clock to make it fully functional in time for the critical pre-election period.
The digital war room brings together representatives from law enforcement agencies, government offices, fact-checkers, civil society organizations, and tech platforms.
It uses real-time surveillance, digital forensics, and rapid-response coordination to track and neutralize false narratives circulating online.
From AI-generated deepfakes to misleading claims like “No National ID, No Vote,” the center is set to address a wide range of online tactics that threaten to mislead the public.
“The stakes are high, and the message is clear,” Paraiso said.
“When disinformation wins, democracy loses. That’s why we cannot—and will not—let falsehoods go unchecked.”
DICT and COMELEC officials also urged Filipinos to be proactive in reporting suspicious online posts through the CICC hotline 1326, calling it a “Digital Bayanihan” to uphold truth in the 2025 elections.