Jimmy Bondoc’s ‘delete Facebook’ call: Admin critics, supporters agree

April 13, 2018 - 3:56 PM
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Singer Jimmy Bondoc, a loyal supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte and an appointed PAGCOR official, is seen in this undated photo posted on his Facebook page.

A call from Jimmy Bondoc, a musician turned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. official, threatened to start “a nationwide petition to delete Facebook” after the social networking platform announced its partnership with media companies Rappler and Vera Files for a fact-checking program.

PAGCOR AVP Jimmy Bondoc’s call continues to circulate online despite being deleted.

Screenshots of Bondoc’s post on his official Facebook page have been circulated, though his call-to-arms appears to have been deleted since.

Bondoc has shared a link to an online petition calling Rappler, which has been critical of the Duterte administration, an “unreliable fact-checker.” The petition appears to be addressed to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg.

Criticism of Bondoc’s campaign has mounted since he aired his grievances.

But some critics of the administration appear to be keen on seeing Bondoc’s vision bear fruit. While Bondoc’s call-to-arms has won signatures for his petition, the opposition appears to have joined in on the call for the mass exodus from Facebook.

The petition has gained swift traction. As of this writing, there are more than 7,000 pledges on the campaign.

— tOm_md® (@MaculaDensa_) April 13, 2018

Facebook’s presence in the Philippines through a rough patch

Bondoc’s wrath is just the least of the storms battering the social media giant.

Filipino authorities have kept watch over Facebook following last month’s Cambridge Analytica crisis.

Earlier this month, the National Privacy Commission met with Facebook executives over data and privacy concerns following news that data from Filipino users were included in the alleged improper sharing that took place between Facebook and data mining agency Cambridge Analytica.

Last month, Simon Milner and Clair Deevy of Facebook’s Asia Pacific office attended a Senate hearing on public disinformation and Facebook. Milner addressed concerns about the proliferation of “fake news” in Filipino Facebook feeds.

“We do recognize we have not done a good enough job. We should not be a service where you have to rely on the fact that you have a relationship with somebody in Facebook to try and get a problem like this fixed. We have to do better and indeed that is absolutely what we are determined to do,” remarked Milner about concerns surrounding the content that can be found on Facebook.

Facebook chief Zuckerburg of course is facing his own battle in the West, after being called on to appear in front of the US legislature in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.