Solon seeks to criminalize act of spreading ‘fake news’ during crisis

Photo of Bagong Henerasyon Party List Rep. Bernadette Herrera in her Facebook page during the special session at the House of Representatives.

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Monday sought the inclusion of a provision that would criminalize the act of spreading false information to sow chaos and cause panic among the public during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the House’s special session on House Bill No. 6616 or the “Bayanihan Act of 2020,” which seeks to declare a national emergency due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Bagong Henerasyon Party List Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said that purveyors of false information should be prosecuted, noting that the spread of “fake news” is worse than the spread of the virus.

“I’d like to also propose that we also add a section that orders the arrest and prosecution of individuals or groups creating, perpetuating and spreading false information regarding COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms,” Dy said in her interpellation of the bill.

“Such information (have) no valid or beneficial effect on the population and are clearly geared to promote chaos, panic, anarchy, and fear,” she added.

Dy said that those involved in cybercrime and are taking advantage of the pandemic should likewise be punished.

“Likewise included are those participating in cyber incidents that make or take advantage of the current crisis situation to prey on the public through scams, phishing, fraudulent emails and other similar acts,” she said.

It wasn’t clear Dy wanted additional penalty for cybercrime acts under the pandemic period, but the mentioned acts are already punishable under Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act signed by President Benigno Aquino Jr. on September 2012.

Aside from criminalizing the spread of “fake news,” the Bayanihan bill allows President Rodrigo Duterte to enforce rules such as the implementation of measures to curb the transmission of the disease, hastening medical testing of persons under investigation (PUI) and persons under monitoring (PUM) and “immediate treatment” of COVID-19 patients.

Likewise, the President shall also ensure that local government units (LGUs) are following directives from the national government in line with the pandemic response.

The President can also “reprogram, reallocate, and realign any appropriation” in the 2020 national budget “for whatever purpose the President may deem necessary and desirable to fund measures to address and respond to the COVID-19 emergency.”

The President can also “direct the operation of any privately-owned hospitals and medical and health facilities, hotels, and other similar establishments to house health workers, serve as quarantine areas, quarantine centers, medical relief, and aid distribution locations, or other temporary medical facilities; and public transportation to ferry health, emergency, and frontline personnel and other persons.”

As of posting, there are already 462 people infected with COVID-19 in the Philippines. Of this, 33 has died while 18 managed to recover from the highly-infectious respiratory illness.

EDV