President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said Monday his administration will launch a youth-oriented media and information campaign and an expanded Freedom of Information (FOI) program to combat fake news.

A survey by the Social Weather Station (SWS) in 2021 showed how 51 percent of Filipino adults find it difficult to determine fake news from television, radio, and social media.

"We too recognize as a matter of principle that fake news should have no place in modern society," Marcos said at the 14th International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) in Pasay City.

"And as part of our efforts, we will undertake a Media and Information Literacy Campaign, which shall be digital, multimedia, and youth-oriented," he added.

In his video message posted in his Facebook page for Filipino Youth Day on Monday, Marcos assured the government will continue to support the youth.

"That is why I urge you (youth) to continue enriching your knowledge and talents because in the future, we expect you to help in forming a better, prosperous and stronger Philippines," Marcos said in Filipino.

Also part of the government's anti-fake news initiatives, Marcos said, is the expansion of its FOI program through their E-Governance initiative.

"The initiative advocates for the streamlining and digitalization of the key services of various government offices and local government units, and this seeks to consolidate the access to information by our citizenry," Marcos said at the 14th International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC)

"We have placed these principles at the very core of our Philippine Development Plan for the next six years," he added.

The implementation of the FOI initiative since it was created in 2016 through Executive Order No. 2 ensured the country's "robust democracy," according to the President. DMS