In the dim, pixelated hush of a high-resolution screen, an image surfaces that captivates the heart with an almost unbearable tenderness. It is a black-and-white photograph, starkly beautiful, depicting an orangutan cradling a litter of leopard cubs. The soft texture of the ape’s fur against the spotted coats of the cubs evokes a sense of cross-species maternal warmth, a silent, Eden-like fantasy of the natural world as a place of universal benevolence. We see it, we share it, and we sigh at the supposed beauty of nature. But the image is a mirage—a flawlessly crafted piece of software-generated fiction. It…

In the bustling, hyper-connected digital landscape of the Philippines, where social media serves as both a town square and a battlefield, a single, easily digestible post can ignite a firestorm of public discourse. Recently, a viral Facebook post from the satirical page “Makata ng Bayan” has captured the attention of netizens, skillfully weaving a narrative that pits the country’s two highest-ranking officials against each other in a starkly ironic tug-of-war. The post claims that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. allocated his confidential funds to purchase illegal drugs—colloquially phrased as “binili ng bawal na gamot”—while Vice President Sara Duterte, amid her…