Philippine President Duterte blasts Facebook after military, police pages taken down

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte criticized Facebook Inc. for taking down accounts supposedly linked to the military and police, and questioned if it should continue operations in one of its biggest markets in Asia.

Duterte said the social media giant should not bar pages critical of the Communist insurgency, saying it’s part of the government’s advocacy to protect the people. He sought talks with Facebook officials to address the issue.

“Facebook, listen to me. We allow you to operate here hoping that you could help us also,” Duterte said in a televised address late Monday. “If government cannot espouse or advocate something which is for the good of the people, then what is your purpose here in my country?”