TWITTER suspended hundreds of accounts allegedly linked to supporters of Philippine presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr, which the social media giant said have violated rules on manipulation and spam.

The son and namesake of the former dictator is drawing support from a massive social media campaign seeking to get him elected in May, which critics said is attempting to rewrite the history of the family.

Twitter said it has reviewed the accounts and hashtags identified in a recent article by Philippine news site Rappler.

More than 300 accounts have been removed “for violating our platform manipulation and spam policy”, said the platform in a statement today.

It said most have been taken down before the article was published on Tuesday and an investigation is ongoing.

Filipinos are among the heaviest users of social media in the world, and the Philippines has become a key battleground for fake news.

Twitter said: “With the elections taking place this May, we remain vigilant about identifying and eliminating suspected information campaigns targeting election conversations.”

Marcos Jr’s spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, said there is “no certainty” that all the suspended accounts belonged to supporters of the presidential hopeful.

Election victory for Marcos Jr will mark the ultimate political comeback for the family, which was chased into exile in the United States after its patriarch’s humiliating downfall in 1986.

Marcos Sr and wife Imelda are accused of massive corruption while in power.

Recent voter surveys show Marcos Jr holding a huge lead over his nearest rival and nemesis Leni Robredo, who is the incumbent vice-president.

Rappler said Marcos Jr supporters are “looking to dominate Twitter” and that many of the accounts it investigated are created around the time he announced his bid for the presidency in October.

The accounts pushed the narrative that the Marcoses are “victims” of the revolt in 1986 and their return to Malacanang presidential palace is “long overdue”, it added.

Twitter said sharing political content on an account or rallying people do so via hashtags is allowed “unless the accounts are inauthentic, compensated or automated, which we see no clear evidence of in this case”.

The social media giant said it is expanding a test feature that will allow users in Brazil, Spain and the Philippines to report misleading content. – AFP, January 22, 2022.