Masungi: Philippine reserve targeted by online smear campaign

A nature reserve within the Philippines, which has been lauded by high local weather activists and movie stars, has come underneath a concerted disinformation assault on social media because it fights to proceed its work, a BBC investigation has discovered.

A community of almost 100 faux Fb accounts and pages have been discovered to be spreading deceptive claims concerning the Masungi Georeserve and its keepers. Most have been taken down after the BBC requested Meta, Fb’s mother or father firm, about these accounts.

Regardless of gaining worldwide recognition for its reforestation efforts within the battle in opposition to local weather change, the reserve is underneath strain from unlawful loggers, land grabbers, and quarrying corporations.

A spokesperson for the reserve stated it was being “ganged up on” by native politicians, companies and a few officers in authorities. The setting division, which has proposed ending a reforesting contract with the reserve, denied the declare.

It isn’t clear who managed the community, however proof seen by the BBC suggests {that a} public relations marketing consultant who states on his social media profile that he has experience in “popularity administration” was linked to pages concerned within the marketing campaign.

Situated east of Manila, the Masungi reserve is a well-liked eco-tourism vacation spot, recognized for its lush rainforest and gravity-defying limestone formations. Supporters embrace local weather activist Greta Thunberg and Hollywood famous person Leonardo DiCaprio.

The reserve has been making an attempt to fend off unlawful enterprise actions for years, however this explicit smear marketing campaign is known to have began in current months.

“We’ve seen deceptive info, making an attempt to fabricate dissent in opposition to work that we do as setting defenders,” says Billie Dumaliang from the Masungi Georeserve Basis.

These on-line assaults have appeared in opposition to a backdrop of bodily violence in opposition to individuals concerned in defending the setting within the Philippines.

Two forest rangers who work for the Masungi Georeserve have been shot and wounded in 2021. And campaigning group Global Witness says the Philippines ranks as essentially the most harmful place in Asia for environmental defenders, with 298 individuals killed since 2012.

”On-line propaganda may be fairly essential in making a worry issue for the individuals who work in Masungi,” says Regine Cabato, a Filipino journalist with expertise protecting disinformation.

By investigating this propaganda, BBC Confirm recognized a sample of faux accounts and pages seemingly working collectively as a part of the smear marketing campaign.

Suspicious options included profile photos exhibiting Okay-pop stars, cats and fashions, reasonably than actual individuals. Many of those accounts have been created inside hours of one another, and had only a few pals.

However it was the content material that they posted which made them stand out essentially the most: in the previous few months, they repeatedly posted content material essential of the Masungi Georeserve Basis.

“Out of the blue the house owners are making some huge cash,” posted one person, questioning the Masungi Georeserve’s complete operation.

“This protected space is owned by the individuals. Don’t be smug!” wrote one other, together with a picture telling the reserve to “cease masquerading as a protector of nature”.

“That is one thing we’ve seen play out throughout elections in opposition to sure political targets, and generally it’s one thing we’ve additionally seen deployed in opposition to non-public people,” says Ms Cabato.

“There’s a variety of energy and some huge cash that goes into turning the wheels of this machine.”

The marketing campaign seems to have begun this 12 months, across the time the Division of Atmosphere and Pure Assets (DENR) proposed scrapping the 2017 contract that handed the Masungi Georeserve Basis management over the overwhelming majority of the land it holds – some 2,700 hectares – for reforestation functions.

The transfer was criticised by various worldwide celebrities, together with Filipino actress and singer Nadine Lustre, Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio – who, in an Instagram put up, referred to as on the Philippine president to “shield Masungi”.

When information shops posted on Fb about movie star calls to “#SaveMasungi”, their posts drew the eye of the small military of faux accounts recognized by the BBC.

Underneath these posts, they left feedback defending the setting division’s proposal and attacking celebrities like DiCaprio over their intervention.

“Don’t be a loser Leonardo,” wrote one person.

“The DENR noticed sketchy behaviour a very long time in the past,” posted one other.

As well as, a number of of those accounts went on to share content material from the DENR’s personal social media accounts, or from pages supportive of the division’s work.

The DENR denies having any hyperlinks to those accounts and pages.

However the division performs a twin function within the Philippines, which critics say is contradictory: it points mining and quarrying permits, whereas additionally using a whole lot of forest rangers to guard the Sierra Madre, the nation’s longest mountain vary.

Podcast: An (online) storm in a Philippine rainforest

The BBC requested Meta concerning the accounts that gave the impression to be working as an organised community, and the corporate confirmed {that a} cluster of accounts was partaking in inauthentic exercise.

It took down a lot of the accounts and pages recognized as a part of the BBC investigation, saying they “engaged in misleading, spammy exercise, together with amplifying content material utilizing faux accounts to make it seem extra standard than it was”.

However it stopped wanting linking this community to any third get together.

“It looks as if we’re being ganged up on by native politicians along with some individuals from the DENR, along with their cohorts in these damaging industries,” says Ms Dumaliang from the Masungi Geoserve Basis.

The setting division denies this declare.

In an announcement, the DENR informed the BBC it had “no involvement in any social media marketing campaign, exercise, or different on-line techniques aimed toward influencing public opinion in a damaging method”. It additionally described its communication efforts as clear, correct and honest.

Whereas we have no idea who in the end managed the community of accounts and pages, the BBC discovered proof linking one particular person to the marketing campaign.

On social media, Ben Pablo described himself as a public relations marketing consultant who specialised in “popularity administration” and “social media advertising and marketing”.

However he positioned advertisements on behalf of pages that have been a part of the marketing campaign, based on Meta’s advert library, which lists all adverts positioned on Fb.

Mr Pablo didn’t reply to the BBC’s repeated requests for remark.

However since we first approached him, a number of of the pages that we imagine he was linked to have been deleted, together with Mr Pablo’s personal social media accounts.

In current months, Mr Pablo has additionally purchased Fb adverts selling Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of the present president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Though there isn’t a proof linking her to this marketing campaign, the BBC requested the senator’s staff whether or not she had ever employed Mr Pablo, however didn’t get a response. Whether or not Mr Pablo was appearing alone stays unclear.

However, regardless of the influence that on-line disinformation might have on the lives of these taking care of Masungi, Billie Dumaliang appears undeterred.

“Each time we see the panorama, the sundown unobstructed, we’re reminded of the explanation why we’re doing this: it’s to protect this particular place.”