Philippines' Duterte calls out Facebook after accounts taken down

MANILA, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte said on Monday that Facebook FB.O could not stop him
from promoting the objectives of his government, telling the
social media giant that they should talk about its purpose in
his country.
"Facebook, listen to me," Duterte said in a late-night
televised address. "We allow you to operate here hoping that you
could help us. Now, if government cannot espouse or advocate
something which is for the good of the people, then what is your
purpose here in my country?"
His remarks follow Facebook's move on Sept. 22 to dismantle
a network of fake accounts that originated in China and the
Philippines, including some that criticised the Communist Party
of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army
(NPA).
Facebook linked some of the fake accounts in the Philippines
to the military and the police, although they denied being the
account holders.
But the military later said it regretted the decision of
Facebook to remove a page that belonged to a group of parents
that raised awareness about the recruitment machinery of the
communists. The conflict between the government and the NPA has
raged since 1968 and has killed tens of thousands.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines had inquired if
Facebook could restore the page called "Hands off Our Children",
its spokesman said last week, because its advocacy was something
the military "shares and advances".
"What would be the point of allowing you to continue if you
can't help us? We are not advocating mass destruction, we are
not advocating massacre. It's a fight of ideas," Duterte said.
"If you are promoting the cause of the rebellion..., if you
cannot reconcile the idea of what your purpose is or was, then
we have to talk."
Facebook said the fake accounts were dismantled because they
had engaged in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour". Platforms like Facebook have become political battlegrounds
and have helped strengthen Duterte's support base, having been
instrumental in his election victory in 2016.
"Is there life after Facebook? I don't know," Duterte said.