In the ever-deepening circus of Philippine news media, it seems the clowns have taken over the stage, with vlogger Maharlika as their ringmaster. With news sourced from the mother of fake news, it’s no surprise that trust in new media is plummeting faster than a lead balloon. But fear not, for in this circus of deceit, we have designated “fact checkers” like Rappler and Vera Files, diligently fact-checking the color of celebrities’ socks while the big top burns with blatant fakery. Perhaps they’ve discovered that truth doesn’t sell as well as scandal, or maybe they’re simply too busy chasing likes and retweets to bother with the inconvenient truth. Meanwhile, audiences are left scratching their heads, wondering if they’ve stumbled into a reality TV show gone horribly wrong. Welcome to the Philippine media circus, where the only thing real is the absurdity.