Truth Under Fire: Davao’s Battle Against a Forged Future

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — April 11, 2025

IN A chaotic Davao City market, Luz, a vendor balancing baskets of mangoes, pauses to check her phone. A post blares across her screen: a “Pulse Asia survey” claiming Rodrigo Duterte, locked away in The Hague, commands an 83% lead for mayor. Nearby, a tricycle driver forwards it, muttering, “The Dutertes are unstoppable.” Luz, whose barangay battles blackouts and floods, feels a pang of confusion. Is this real? Or another election-season lie? Her doubt mirrors a city teetering on the edge of democratic betrayal.

This fake survey, exposed by Pulse Asia on May 9, 2025, isn’t just a fib—it’s electoral sabotage, a calculated assault on Davao’s soul. Designed to prop up Rodrigo Duterte, his sons Sebastian and Paolo, grandson Omar, and ally Isidro Ungab, it manipulates the poor and frays trust in institutions. As Citizen Barok, I’ve seen lies devastate communities—from the typhoon-ravaged barangays of Tacloban to the conflict-scarred streets of Marawi. In Davao, the stakes are stark: a dynasty’s grip tightens, and the marginalized pay the price.

Unmasking the Puppet Masters: How Deception Fuels a Dynasty

The fake survey’s design is diabolically precise. Spread through the “Maisug Mindanao” Facebook page, it boasted Rodrigo Duterte at 83% for mayor, Sebastian at 75% for vice mayor, Paolo at 57% for congressman, and Omar at 52%—numbers so brazen they scream fraud. Pulse Asia’s Ronald Holmes debunked it, confirming no survey ran from April 26 to May 6, 2025 (Manila Bulletin, 2025). The post, garnering over 1,500 shares, exploited social media’s reach, where 90% of Filipinos encounter fake news (GMA News, 2022). Timed just before the May 12, 2025, elections and amid Duterte’s ICC detention for crimes against humanity, it’s a desperate ploy to project dominance.

Who profits? The Duterte dynasty. With Rodrigo detained, cracks appear: legitimate polls show rivals like Karlo Nograles gaining (SunStar, 2025). This lie aims to crush opposition morale, rally loyalists, and sway voters like Luz into believing the Dutertes are inevitable. Who’s behind it? Likely political operatives—campaign strategists or hired “trolls,” a tactic perfected in 2022 elections (BBC, 2022). “Maisug Mindanao,” with its 2,000 followers but massive impact, mirrors propaganda accounts from past campaigns. Financial motives—clicks for ad revenue—may factor in, but the core goal is power.

Who suffers? Davao’s poor, the city’s heartbeat. The survey distracts from their struggles—16% poverty rates, crumbling infrastructure, and the drug war’s bloody legacy. It erodes trust in institutions like Pulse Asia, leaving voters cynical. Worst, it fuels fears of an unaccountable Duterte dynasty, deepening despair among those yearning for change.

The Human Toll: Davao’s Poor Robbed of Hope

Picture a Davao barangay, shanties leaning against muddy alleys, kids dodging puddles. Here, the fake survey steals more than trust—it robs agency. For Luz, who relies on polls to gauge candidates, this lie sows confusion. “If surveys lie, how do I vote?” she might whisper. This distrust spreads: local journalists, already under Duterte pressure, face threats for exposing hoaxes. One, anonymously to Rappler, described harassment after debunking fakes (Rappler, 2025). Their silence mutes entire communities.

The survey also buries Davao’s crises. Poverty, a top concern for 72% of Filipinos (Pulse Asia, February 2025), demands action, yet campaigns fixate on dynastic feuds. Violence lingers: Duterte’s “death squad” era still haunts, but the survey glorifies him, sidelining justice. For the urban poor, this lie deepens abandonment, as elites scheme while needs—jobs, healthcare, safety—fester.

Yet, defiance flickers. Barangay leaders like Sister Teresa, a nun aiding settlers, run voter education drives. “Check sources, question everything,” she urges. Fact-checkers, like Rappler’s #FactsFirstPH, battle online hate to expose lies. Opposition candidates, like Nograles, seize the narrative, painting the Dutertes as desperate. These sparks of resistance—gritty, relentless—challenge the dynasty’s myth of invincibility.

No Mercy for Liars: Naming the Crime

This isn’t “misinformation”—it’s a deliberate attack on democracy. The irony burns: a family that once decried fake news—Duterte’s 2016 campaign slammed media lies—now profits from it. Their silence on this hoax screams complicity or opportunism. The Dutertes thrive on fear and loyalty, but this overreach exposes their cracks.

The moral line is sharp: democracy dies when truth is butchered. Davao’s poor, battered by hardship and intimidation, deserve leaders who uplift, not deceive. The survey’s architects—operatives, loyalists, or paid propagandists—betray voters and the very idea of free elections. This echoes global plagues, from Russian disinformation to U.S. election denialism, but in Davao, the pain is raw: a vendor’s doubt, a journalist’s fear, a community’s stifled voice.

Fighting Back: Actions to Crush the Lies

To slay this beast, Davao needs bold, unrelenting action:

Hunt the Culprits: NAMFREL and COMELEC must probe under the Anti-Fake News Act, with fines up to P5 million and five years’ jail (Manila Bulletin, 2021). Track “Maisug Mindanao’s” admins and prosecute. The PNP’s recent vlogger lawsuit sets a model (PNA, 2025).
Cripple the Platforms: Facebook must suspend accounts like “Maisug Mindanao” for misinformation. With 68% of Filipinos citing social media as a fake news hub (GMA News, 2022), COMELEC should enforce real-time hoax-flagging, as tested in 2022.
Arm the Grassroots: Launch barangay voter education campaigns via radio, flyers, and forums, led by groups like the Parish Pastoral Council. Teach residents to verify surveys on Pulse Asia’s site (Pulse Asia). Empower leaders like Sister Teresa to shield the poor from propaganda.
Shield the Truth-Tellers: Protect journalists and fact-checkers from threats. Fund Rappler’s #FactsFirstPH and seek international support, like the National Endowment for Democracy, to fortify Davao’s press.

Davao’s Defiant Dawn

Luz stands in her market stall, mango juice on her hands, eyes searching her phone for truth. She embodies Davao’s unyielding spirit—worn but fierce. The fake survey tried to chain her to a dynasty’s ambition. But Luz, and thousands like her, can break free. They can demand justice, reject lies, and vote for a city that serves its poorest, not its powerful. The Duterte myth is crumbling; now is Davao’s moment to shatter it. Rise, not in a family’s shadow, but in truth’s unyielding light.