the people making it go africa joined them as they set out to save the environment, learned from one another and worked together for a better future. ah, many thoughts do you all for choosing it africa. on d. w. 50 dublin years, asia coming up to date. it has been 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 deck 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 energy, welcome to the dublin, use 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 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 to spread man 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 macos junior on 56 percent of the vote. diet 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 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 about this man and pink is actually a priest, but he's not on the streets to evangelize new people 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, a name sake 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 families accused of stealing as much as $10000000000.00 on the government. while marco senior was in power, almost half of this decade reign 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 $4000000.00 in a state taxes that his family as long or the government in 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 call me. oh, some small on up on medium articles, but in a country which is 80 percent catholic. there's controversy over where pre should draw the line and 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 ours church was critical of him publicly taking sides. i agree that the priests shouldn't be complaining 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 good news, the gospel. that's what i've had to promote the good candidates and not 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 he was of lung. he says, to this man, i'm here trying to explain to you, if you could reconsider your choice. the response or marcus la, i'm sorry, my decision is final. i am for marcos said to see the are you see the swain with the peak box with the you tube with their social media. they are watching. and so he keeps on campaigning. we'll say yes, in a meeting with as the clock ticks down to election day, hoping that enough votes go his candidates way. oh, the lyla, not a thing. and joining me now for more from manila is john liz 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,

ferdinand mark was junior. we call him bonbons 1st up. he's teamed up with the daughter of the current president or good therapist. 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 pitch to the country, to voters, which is unity. they call themselves the unit team and in their sort of east and all of their campaign materials, they have been just promoting this idea of unity. unity about what is unity of who they don't exactly explain, but they're drawing from just a vague idea of the con countries politics be so fraught with conflict and opposing views and the atmosphere being so toxic. so now mark was his promising. we're going to get rid of all of that, we are going to do or establish unity in the country and with unity, we are going to rise up again. so he gives these big promise of rising back from whatever crisis the philippines is in, on without seeing it,

he's hearkening back to the star 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 washed 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. jesse, i do want to talk to her, particularly about the mirror that has been propagated on social media. but before that, i just want to talk about his challenger, who is currently running 2nd in the rest of the opinion, polls vice president,

current vice president, lenny real bread or what is her pitch to voters? well, her promise is the exact opposite of what michael says it. 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 hat, which basically translates do with the 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, if we want to 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 a viewer is also making about the 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 mark of family was, was tossed out of the philippines by a people power revolt for denmark was junior. bob. bob mark was right now has is running for president. so, you know, in 2019 rattler actually exposed the networks of disinformation that had been created to chip away at history to really or yet history. and i can share that i can share the links with you. but you know, this is going to be a battle for facts, and we're going to have to make sure the facts way. and in order to do that, these american social media platforms are gonna have to put gar grills and prioritize that. just call me, i was referring to facebook particularly,

which is so popular in the philippines. but the question remains, have god drains been put up across social media, so facts can be shared and not missing information. well, the short answer is no more no than yes, there have been some efforts to combat misinformation on social media, particularly facebook. facebook has employed or has collaborated with journalists on fat check initiative. so there are, there are journalists to fact check this information on the internet and counter them with facts. 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 the law 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. it's 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 about yours and you were told you were talking to us about there's only one earlier has been particularly when it comes to the mom course. and that is this whole or been, you know, this, this information of the bloated is, if you like, of the dictatorship or what is driving this. i mean, is this from the mark or 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 to with their talk down some $300.00 accounts on their platform that were spreading. promoting this information favorable to marcos

junior. so whether those were fueled back ruled by the mark, assess, it's for anyone to guess what we do know that efforts like these require a lot of money. there have been asking you said they've, there have been discovered troll armies on our it's called market that this information and organized the way of spreading are fake news 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 these bits of this information like wildfire and social media to reach to go on to the electron on election. been thrown, re speaking again, john? mr. secretary in manila, thanks so much and that's it for today. we leave you now with the images from election season currently underway in the philippines. i for now, and we will see you tomorrow. thank

sheesh her again that i think that tags and in the end is a me you, i'm not allowed to see you anymore. we will send you back. are you familiar with this with the smugglers, with lions as of the what's your story. ready ready i feel like i'm as women, especially as victims of vine and seen

a lot of them take part and send us your story. the chain always to understand this new culture. so you are not a visitor, not the guests. you want to become a citizen. in phil migrants, your platform for reliable information ah, a 2nd term secured. now what's to come up and manner out across 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, for the 1st time countries are spending more than 2 trillion dollars a year on weapons, even before the start of the ukraine war, 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 1st cobra and berlin, 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. europe 2nd 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 protests 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. good to have you back on the show clemens. let's

take a look at the french economy.