Angela V.

Pike May 18, 2019

POS 135 – A

Long Test #2: The Role of Social Media in Philippine Foreign Policy

The media, or public opinion in general, has constantly proved its increasing potential to
influence the foreign policy process. Eytan Gilboa’s “CNN Effect”1 and Matthew Baum’s “soft news
phenomenon”2 are only a few of the many concrete examples of this. In these two articles, Gilboa
and Baum demonstrate how increased public attentiveness, especially criticism, to international
crises and American foreign policy can pressure international organizations and political leaders
to pursue the course of action most favored by the people. Although, it is also important to realize
that other than traditional news media (television, newspapers, radio, etc.), social media has
managed to surge over most, if not all, aspects of politics—specifically foreign policy. Additionally,
it has become clear that not only is this the case in the United States, but in the Philippines as
well. In fact, the case of the Philippines might even be more apparent, considering that Filipinos
spend the most time on social media worldwide despite the country being among the lowest
ranked countries in internet speed.3,4
Like traditional media, social media provides more avenues for ordinary citizens to expose
themselves to foreign policy issues. Especially now, as we move along the Age of Information, it
is much easier for news and opinions to be spread throughout many social networking websites
and applications such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media can therefore bring the general
public into political conversations and consequently give them a voice in certain foreign policy
decisions. On that account, with the expansion of public consciousness in international affairs,
social media may also be among the many factors which help shape Philippine foreign policy.
This role was particularly illustrated by two instances, namely: the issue on Canadian waste being
illegally sent to the country and the development of Mary Jane Veloso’s case.

1
Eytan Gilboa, “The CNN Effect: The Search for a Communication Theory in International
Relations”, Political Communication, 22 (2005): 27–44,
https://doi.org/10.1080/10584600590908429.
2
Matthew Baum, “Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive
Public”, American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (March 2002),
https://doi.org/ 121.58.232.35.
3
Miguel R. Camus, “PH is world leader in social media usage”, Inquirer, February 15, 2018,
https://business.inquirer.net/246015/ph-world-leader-social-media-usage.
4
Ver Marcelo, “Report: PH among lowest ranked countries in internet speed, availability”, CNN
Philippines, May 10, 2018, http://nine.cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/11/03/philippines-lowest-
rank-internet-speed-availability.html.
 First, despite having started in 2013, the issue only gained significant attention from the
Filipinos in 2015 after the incumbent Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the
Philippines for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Starting off with Trudeau getting
a great deal of attention on social media for his charm and charisma5, reports on the country’s
misdeed started to surface only a few months after, emphasizing on the government’s inaction on
the issue. The people’s fixation on Trudeau, therefore, made way for an extensive political
discussion on social media about the Philippines’ response to the issue. It was because of this
widespread dialogue between the Filipino people and the government—mainly through social
media platforms—that Canada was able to finally acknowledge to the situation. Recently,
however, Ottawa failed to comply with the deadline for its waste to be shipped back to Canada;
ultimately resulting in the recall of Philippine Ambassador Petronilla Garcia along with some
consuls. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced through Twitter that there shall
be a “diminished diplomatic presence” until the shipments are on their way to Canada. The
public’s eyes are now on Canada more than ever.
Second, the case of Mary Jane Veloso is one of great importance to Philippine foreign
policy since one of its three pillars is ensuring the “protection of the rights and promotion of the
welfare of overseas Filipinos”.6 At its peak, Mary Jane’s family, friends, and supporters were using
social media platforms to share her story in the hopes of her acquittal. Generating compassionate
images of Mary Jane—one of a struggling OFW in death row or a victim of human trafficking—
appealed to a wider audience of ordinary Filipinos, which only pressured the governments of both
the Philippines and Indonesia. On the side of the latter, there was constant pressure from family
members, OFW activists, human rights organizations, and other non-governmental groups to
release and allow her to be sent back to the Philippines. As for the former, decisions made with
regard to her case were being intensely scrutinized by the public, only further pushing the
Philippine government to arrive at an agreement with Indonesia in favor of her return. Without
attention from social media spaces, the countries might not have found a compromise which
satisfied both parties while avoiding weakened diplomatic relations at the same time.

5
Katerina Francisco, “Frenzy over ‘APEC hottie’ Justin Trudeau at end of APEC meet”, Rappler,
November, 20, 2015, https://www.rappler.com/nation/113410-canada-justin-trudeau-cheers-
philippines-apec
6
Albert F. Del Rosario, “An Independent and Principled Philippine Foreign Policy for Economic
Growth”, Department of Foreign Affairs, October 24, 2013, https://www.dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/dfa-
releasesupdate/1110-an-independent-and-principled-philippine-foreign-policy-for-economic-
growth
 As beneficial as social media may be to the Philippines in shaping its foreign policy, it is
also important to note that such is not always the case. While public opinion has its effects on
some policy decisions, it is still ultimately up to political actors to pursue a specific resolution or
strategy. This was demonstrated by the state’s response to the issue on Filipina comfort women
exploited by Japanese soldiers during World War II. In an attempt to please the Japanese
government, statues dedicated to comfort women have been forcibly put down within the past 13
months despite public criticism through social media. It was within these months that articles on
the issue have been witnessing a spike in engagements through Twitter and Facebook, along
with Google searches as well.7 It is clear that despite there being a conflict of interest between
the government and the citizens, maintaining good relations with Japan takes precedence over
public opinion on the matter. Furthermore, courses of action in Philippine foreign policy may also
be greatly influenced by the personal characteristics of decision makers. This is best illustrated
by the current President’s objective of projecting an unpredictable strongman image to the
international community. While this, to some extent, presents an advantage in interstate
negotiation, its primary purpose is to legitimize Duterte’s war on drugs. So much so that the state
was officially withdrawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this year after
conducting preliminary inquiries on cases against him for genocide. This was acted upon in spite
of acute public dissent expressed through posts on social media websites. With this, it is clear
that Duterte’s personal characteristics tend to have more of an impact on foreign policy decisions
than criticism from the general public. Under the current administration, it is more often than not
that social media’s role is nonfactor in foreign policy or even politics in general.
Nevertheless, it is without a doubt that citizen awareness and participation through social
media play a pivotal role in shaping Philippine foreign policy. With a voice in these decisions,
international affairs become much closer to the average Filipino. This serves as a reminder that
while the country’s foreign policy concerns high-profile political leaders, its very essence is
embedded in securing the welfare of lives on the ground.

7
“Comfort Women”, Google Trends, 2018,
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&geo=PH&q=comfort%20women
 References

Baum, Matthew. “Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive
Public”, American Political Science Review 96, no. 1 (March 2002),
https://doi.org/ 121.58.232.35.

Camus, Miguel R. “PH is world leader in social media usage.” Inquirer, February 15, 2018,
https://business.inquirer.net/246015/ph-world-leader-social-media-usage.

“Comfort Women.” Google Trends, 2018,

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-
y&geo=PH&q=comfort%20women.

Del Rosario, Albert F. “An Independent and Principled Philippine Foreign Policy for Economic
Growth.” Department of Foreign Affairs, October 24, 2013,
https://www.dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/dfa-releasesupdate/1110-an-independent-and-
principled-philippine-foreign-policy-for-economic-.

Francisco, Katerina. “Frenzy over ‘APEC hottie’ Justin Trudeau at end of APEC meet.”
Rappler, November 20, 2015,
https://www.rappler.com/nation/113410-canada-justin-trudeau-cheers-philippines-apec.

Gilboa, Eytan. “The CNN Effect: The Search for a Communication Theory in International
Relations”, Political Communication, 22 (2005): 27–44,
https://doi.org/10.1080/10584600590908429.

Marcelo, Ver. “Report PH among lowest ranked countries in internet speed, availability.”
CNN Philippines, May 10, 2018,
http://nine.cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/11/03/philippines-lowest-rank-internet-speed-
availability.html.