To fight for fair and pro-people elections in 2022, members of the academic community from various public and private institutions on Wednesday, Nov. 17, launched an anti-disinformation and anti-fraud group.
Dubbed ABKD or “Akademya at Bayan Laban sa Disimpormasyon at Dayaan,” the group aims to fight discrimination and electoral fraud, among others, especially with the rise of disinformation on social media and the persistence of voter intimidation tactics on the ground.
“The 2022 elections are a turning point in our nation’s political history,” the group said in a statement.
“We are not just facing an unprecedented amount of misleading and malicious propaganda, but the continued threat of corruption and human rights violations, and the possible return of dictatorship,” it added.
Along with other groups and sectors, ABKD aims to defend the welfare and democratic rights of the Filipino people.
ABKD will focus on fact-checking the claims of candidates and their supporters and countering disinformation in social media and other platforms.
The group also aims to hold webinars, meetings, and other activities for voters’ education and empowerment and provided information to electoral watchdogs on incidents of fraud, intimidation, harassment, and other forms of electoral violations.
ABKD also vowed that it will work “towards ensuring the protection of the people’s capacity to make free and informed decisions for the coming elections.”