Self-regulatory body urged for vloggers after House grilling
Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman. —Photo from the House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — As the House of Representatives tri-committee studies how best to combat fake news, a ranking member has proposed the creation of a self-regulatory body for online content creators like vloggers and influencers.
During the panel’s hearing on Friday, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman suggested the setup of the Digital Council of the Philippines (DCP), which will be composed of content creators and influencers, advertisers and public relations practitioners, academics and representatives from the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).
Roman, who has a master’s degree in journalism earned in Spain, said the council could function like the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Ad Standards Council.
READ: Vloggers apologize in House under intense grilling in ‘fake news’ probe
Driven to tears
She made the proposal after three vloggers—Manila Bulletin lifestyle editor Krizette Laureta Chu, MJ Quiambao Reyes and Mark Lopez—were forced to apologize to lawmakers during the hearing.
The three “resource persons” came under intense questioning—with Chu and Reyes breaking into tears—for making controversial posts on social media about the recent arrest of ex-President Duterte, the West Philippine Sea dispute and the lifestyle of government officials, among others, for which they could not cite any concrete basis when asked.
Roman said: “We want to level up content creation, and that maybe, and definitely, this kind of content creation should not be tolerated and not sustainable and detrimental to our country.”
She reminded the vloggers that the constitutional right to free speech was not absolute, while reiterating the need for self-regulation among content creators.
Under Roman’s proposal, the council would allow content creators to organize and draw up their own standards and regulations.
For ‘respectability’
“(The regulations) come from you, not from us (the government),” she said. “Once you have your code of conduct and code of ethics, you will apply it to your members.”
“I don’t want to use the word self-policing, but … leveling up, professionalization. (It) is to the interest of everybody para maging kagalang-galang ang sektor na ito (so this sector could earn respectability),” Roman added.
