“It is no secret that the Duterte regime has weaponized social media to spread false information about the government’s so-called achievements and subsequently malign rights defenders and critics. These days, the attacks have reached a new level of filth, with activists not only branded as “terrorists” but also even capitalizing on utterly false and malicious rumors. A woman human rights defender from the Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) has been falsely and maliciously accused as a “mistress of a local politician” while another environmental advocate was tagged “kotong Lord of Ilocos.” These foul attacks are being done in a desperate attempt to malign the work of the defenders and lay the predicate for worse attacks against them,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay.