just because they don't, with me, facing the gun can change your life. people need to know what is happening with gardens of truth, certainly 3rd on t w this is deducted years, asia coming up to date. it is being called the most important election in the history of the philippines. the countries next president is set to be either a dictator, son, or the current vice president. we look at how both candidates back up and how some members of the clergy have been drawn into the election fight. we meet a priest for whom the coming election is a battle between good and evil. ah,

i'm british benji, welcome to the dublin news asia. glad you could join us 2 weeks from today. people in the philippines will go to the polls to vote for a new president. some observers are calling it one of the most important elections in the country's history. a number of candidates are standing, but only to appear to have any chance of winning. the favorite is fed mad, marco's junior. he's the son of the former dictator who was ousted in 1986 after being accused of repression and stealing billions of dollars from the state. latest survey shows marco's junior on 56 percent of the vote. dial is close as dr. lenny robledo is on 24 percent and they say the campaigns are being driven more by personality rather than ideology. but for brenda says she sees it as her task to save democracy in the philippines. we'll have more on the candidates in

a moment, but 1st a report from manila on how catholic priests i'll weighing in on the campaigns. good afternoon, i will this man in pink is actually a priest, but he's not on the streets to evangelize, maybe in the hall. he's here preaching politics, caring posters and stickers instead of a bible father, not baltazar maloney. lin is campaigning for philippines, vice president lenny roberto, ahead of next month's presidential election. she's running a distant 2nd in the polls to ferdinand marco's junior, the son of namesake of the country's late dictator. we have to be wise to seeing the candidate who can promote good to each one of us in the village. this monument near manila commemorates the people power protests in 1986, which drove the marco's family in exile for several years. the family is accused of

stealing as much as $10000000000.00 on the government. while marco senior was in power. almost half of this decade rain was under martial law when thousands of people were tortured, killed, or disappeared. markers junior refuses to address the atrocities and dismisses questions about his own conviction. frank and tax evasion, as well as the almost $4000000000.00 and the state taxes, that it's family as long or the government. and the home baltazar belongs to a group of more than 1200 priests, nuns and missionaries who have abandon neutrality in this race to support roberto. during a recent sunday mass in his church, baltazar referred to an aggressive social media campaign by supporters of marco's junior. he accuses them of trying to rewrite history on goes in a case, it was said that the marshal lawyers was the golden age. baltazar says, adding, maybe only for the cronies, maybe only for the marco's family, the house, i'm gonna me. oh, so me small mama, a medium articles, but in

a country which is 80 percent catholic. there's controversy over where pri should draw the line. an official in the catholic bishops conference told the w priest must speak the truth about human rights violations that happened during martial law . but they should not be campaigning for any particular candidate. this parishioner and bought as arch church was critical of him publicly taking sides. i agree that the priests shouldn't be campaigning, or should it be biased to any candidates? father baltazar plays down those concerns. the role of the gothic church. we have to be the promoters of goodness the gospel. that's why you have to promote the good candidates. and the bud one baltazar has even outfitted a van for his campaigning. he drives around his province, showing solidarity with the robledo faithful and trying to convert supporters of ferdinand marco's junior. i think it was a long he says to this man,

i'm here trying to explain to you if you could reconsider your choice. the response for america. ah, i'm sorry. my decision is final. i am for marcos said to see the are you seeing the swain with the peak box with the you tube with their social media. they are watching and so he keeps on campaigning. will say nursing any luck with as the clock ticks down to election day, hoping that enough votes go his candidates way. oh, the lyla, not again. and joining me now for more from manila is john las jesse good tenga. jesse fredman, marco's junior, is currently leading an opinion polls despite his family's legacy and a conviction for income tax evasion. oh, and what is his offer to filipinos? well, 30 and marcos junior recall him bone bone 1st stop. he steamed up with the daughter of the current president of the legal to therapy. her name is sarah,

good. they're there and they are running in tandem. so the voter base of their, this and of the marco says have kind of joined together. and that is the premise of their bitch to the country, to voters, which is unity. they call themselves the unit team and in their sort east and all of their campaign materials. they have been just promoting this idea of unity, unity about what and unity of whom they don't exactly explain, but they're drawing from this vague idea of the con countries politics be so fraught with conflict and opposing views and the atmosphere being so toxic. so not mark was, is from saying we're going to get rid of all of that. we're going to do or establish unity in the country and with unity, we are going to rise up again. so he gives these a big promise of rising back from whatever crisis the philippines is in arm without saying if he's hearkening back to the style just for the so called good old days of

his father's redeem. of course, you know, no start to make things look rosy and there is this machinery. there is this campaign of this information that have basically white wash the marcus family's history and have highlighted, you know, the fact that they live like royalty they have come to be associated with opulence and big ticket projects and flashy infrastructure development. during the time of the mark assess, of course, without mentioning the fact that the country went into bad debt during those times and all of those things the country plunging into poverty. all of these are hidden behind the screen. this battle cry of unity and a promise of going back to the good old days. more prosperous days. yes. jessie, i do want to talk to her about particularly about the mirror that has been propagated on a social media with before the other just to talk about his challenger, who is currently running. second, in the rest of the opinion, polls vice president, current vice president. lenny wrote bread or what is her pitch to voters?

well, her promises the exact opposite of what michael says is that what marcus junior is promising, and that is a, a government free of corruption, a government that works properly in service of the country. so her tagline, her to the country is it's called a which basically translates do with a government that's honest every once lives is going to improve. so for her are her basic her, although she does have many programs that she wants to put forward. her main page is that you're going to fix this government. we're going to lead out corruption. and if we do that, it will just make things, make the bureaucracy work properly, then you will see that everyone's lives is going to improve. wow, i'd like to go back to the point about misinformation that you were making earlier that also the report that you played for viewers is also making about social media misinformation during this election. in fact, late last year,

i had spoken to nobel prize winning journalist and rep. let's see you maria, research about this, and i just like to play for our viewers. what she said to us then. 35 years after the marcus family list was tossed out of the philippines by a people power revolt. it's pretty that marcos junior bone, bone marcus right now has, is running for president. so, you know, in 2019 rattler actually exposed the networks of this information that had been created to chip away at history to read or yet history. and i can share that i can share the links with, but you know, this is going to be a battle for facts. and we're going to have to make sure that facts way. and in order to do that, these are better than social media platforms are going to have to put gar, grills and prioritize fact. just of course media was referring to facebook, particularly, which is so popular in the philippines. but the question remains,

have god dreams been put up across social media? so facts can be shared and not misinformation. well, the short answer is no more. no, then yes, there have been some efforts to combat misinformation on social media, particularly facebook. facebook has employed or has collaborated with journalists on fact check initiatives. so there are, there are journalists to fact check this information on the internet and counter them with fact. however, the brother reality is there still are no rules or laws regulating the posting of this information. on the internet, besides what's inherent in facebook, a mechanism to report upcoming report messages or posts that violate community standards. but beyond that, there isn't anything. even the philippines has not made any effort to come up with a lot to regulate social media in general. there are laws governing political advertising on all media platforms except social media because the technology is so

new and even the government is having a hard time keeping up with it. just not been the priority. so yes, any efforts do that is a, is a drop in the bucket. honestly. i mean, maria was also told you and you were told you were talking to us about. there's a reason why it has been particularly when it comes to the ma course can for him. and that is this whole, or via this, this information of the board is if you like, of the dictatorship or what is driving this. i mean, is this from the mar course campaign, or is it just ordinary voters who believe what they believe? that is the big question, isn't it? so let's start with in january 23rd, took down some 300 accounts on their platform that were spreading, promoting this information favorable to mark was the junior. so whether those were see you will back ruled by the mark, assess it's for anyone to guess what we do and all that efforts like these require

a lot of money. there have been asking, are you sad the there have been discovered troll armies on it's called market that this information and organized the way of spreading or painting. it was basically favorable to the mark process. but there has been, you know, the public has picked up on this. the average filipino many ordinary filipinos have taken to this message again, are themselves spreading east bits of this information like wildfire and social media. 2 weeks to go on to the election on election day. we're trying to be speaking again, john, mr. secret anger. in manila, thanks so much and that's it for today relieve you now with the images from election season currently underway in the philippines partner and we will see you tomorrow i did

with a tourist 100 german street on d. w. ah devastated houses soft to her. we can with course carry no money. defects of climate change, i mean, felt worldwide before a station in the rain forest continued, carbon dioxide emissions have risen again. young people over the world are committed to climate protection. what impact willing

because change doesn't happen on its own. make up your room, mind d. w. need for mines. mm mm hm. ah, a 2nd term secured. now what's the come up? emmanuel crohn will remain francis president for 5 more years. we take a look at his economic agenda and its impact on europe and the war. also the show for the 1st time country. so spending more than 2 trillion dollars a year on weapons even to for the start of the ukraine war and talk to an expert on whether the next global arms race is on. and we'll show you a couple of the bikes that are not only fun to ride,

but which also have to make us keep their business spirit intact amid the war and ukraine. i'm frisk over at the length, welcome to the program. there is a huge sigh of relief in europe and the west following french president emanuel microns victory over the far right candidate marine la pen policy makers. and investors can now count on a continuation of francis work was in the global community with europe. second largest economy still has major challenges. president, crohn's previous economic reforms, attempts, changes to frances labor law and official retirement age were met with violent attests by the so called yellow vest movement. all right, let's get some reactions. so here from germany from clemens foose, he is the head of germany's e for economic research institute. they got to have you back on the show clemens. let's take a look at the french icon.