Philippine protected areas target of online smear campaign

A nature reserve in the Philippines that has been praised by top climate campaigners and movie stars has been met with consistent disinformation on social media in its efforts to continue its work, a BBC investigation has found attack.

A network of nearly 100 fake Facebook accounts and pages has been found to be spreading misleading claims about the Masungi Geological Reserve and its administrators. Most of the accounts were deleted after the BBC asked Facebook parent company Meta about the accounts.

Although the reserve has gained international recognition for its reforestation efforts to combat climate change, it still faces pressure from illegal loggers, land grabbers and quarrying companies.

A spokesman for the reserve said the reserve was “under siege” from local politicians, businesses and some government officials. The environment department has proposed ending reforestation contracts with the reserve, but has denied this.

It’s unclear who controls the network, but the BBC has seen evidence that a public relations consultant claiming expertise in “reputation management” on his social media profile was linked to pages involved in the campaign There is a link.

Masungi Reserve, located east of Manila, is a popular ecotourism destination known for its lush rainforest and gravity-defying limestone formations. Supporters include climate activist Greta Thunberg and Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The reserve has been trying to crack down on illegal business activity for years, but it is understood this particular smear campaign began in recent months.

“We’ve seen misleading messages that try to discredit the work we do as environmental defenders,” said Billie Dumaliang of the Masungi Geological Reserve Foundation.

These online attacks come against the backdrop of physical violence against environmentalists in the Philippines.

In 2021, two rangers working for the Masungi Geological Reserve were shot and injured. global witness organization The Philippines is ranked by environmentalists as the most dangerous place in Asia, with 298 deaths since 2012.

“Online propaganda is very important in creating a fear factor for people working in Masungi,” said Regine Cabato, a Filipino journalist with experience reporting on disinformation.

By investigating this propaganda, BBC verify discovered a pattern of fake accounts and pages that appeared to be part of a smear campaign.

Suspicious features include profile pictures showing K-pop stars, cats and models instead of real people. Many of these accounts were created within a few hours and had few friends.

But what makes them stand out the most is the content they post: Over the past few months, they have repeatedly posted content critical of the Masungi Geological Reserve Foundation.

“Suddenly, the owners are making a lot of money,” one user questioned the entire operation of the Masungi Geological Reserve.

“This reserve belongs to the people. Stop being arrogant,” another post read, accompanied by a picture telling the reserve to “stop pretending to be nature protectors.”

“We see it during elections against certain political targets and sometimes we also see it against private individuals,” Ms Cabato said.

“It takes a lot of muscle and money to turn the wheels of this machine.”

The campaign appears to have begun this year, when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) proposed the abolition of a 2017 contract that gave the Masungi Geological Reserve Foundation control of the vast majority of the land it owns (about 2,700 hectares) for reforestation purposes.

The move was criticized by many international celebrities, including Filipino actress and singer Nadine Luster, Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo DiCaprio), they posted on Instagram calling on the Philippine president to “protect Masungi.”

When news outlets posted on Facebook about celebrities calling for “#SaveMasungi”, their posts attracted the attention of a small group of fake accounts discovered by the BBC.

Underneath these posts, they posted comments defending the environment ministry’s proposals and attacking celebrities such as DiCaprio for intervening.

“Leonardo, don’t be a loser,” one user wrote.

Another posted: “Department of Environment and Natural Resources saw sketchy behavior a long time ago.”

Additionally, some of these accounts shared content from DENR’s own social media accounts or pages supporting the department’s work.

DENR denies any links to these accounts and pages.

But the department plays a dual role in the Philippines that critics say is contradictory: It issues mining and quarrying licenses while also employing hundreds of rangers to protect the Sierra Madre, the country’s longest mountain range.

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The BBC asked Meta about accounts that appeared to be operating as an organized network, and the company confirmed that a group of accounts were engaging in inauthentic activity.

It removed most of the accounts and pages identified in the BBC investigation, saying they “engaged in deceptive spam campaigns, including using fake accounts to amplify content and make it appear more popular than it actually was.”

But it does not connect the network to any third party.

Ms Dumaliang of the Masungi Geoserve Foundation said: “It appears we are under attack from a combination of local politicians, some in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and their associates in these destructive industries.”

The environmental protection department denied this claim.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources told the BBC in a statement that it “is not involved in any social media campaigns, campaigns or other online tactics designed to influence public opinion in a negative way”. It also described its communications efforts as transparent, accurate and fair.

While we don’t know who ultimately controlled the network of accounts and pages, the BBC found evidence linking one individual to the campaign.

On social media, Ben Pablo describes himself as a public relations consultant specializing in “reputation management” and “social media marketing.”

But according to Meta’s ad library, which lists all ads run on Facebook, he ran ads on behalf of pages that were part of the campaign.

Mr Pablo did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the BBC.

But since we first contacted him, several pages we believed to be associated with him, as well as Mr. Pablo’s own social media accounts, have been deleted.

In recent months, Pablo also purchased Facebook ads promoting Sen. Imee Marcos, the sister of current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Although there is no evidence linking her to the campaign, the BBC asked the senator’s team if Mr Pablo had ever been employed but received no response. It is unclear whether Pablo acted alone.

But despite the impact false information online could have on the lives of Masungi’s caregivers, Billie Dumaliang seems undeterred.

“Every time we see the sweeping views, the sunset, we’re reminded why we’re doing this: to protect this special place.”