House tri-committee that probed disinformation urged revived

MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Speaker Janette Garin has called for the revival of the tri-committee, the three House of Representatives panels that investigated social media disinformation, saying the problem persists.

Garin on Sunday confirmed that she had filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1000, urging the committee on public order and safety, the committee on information and communications technology, and the committee on public information to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the recent spate of disinformation and other cyber-enabled attacks.

According to the House official, a wide range of individuals have been targeted by disinformation campaigns, cyberbullying, extortion, and other malicious activities — including government officials, private individuals, and media practitioners.

READ: House working hard, spreading fake news won’t help – Speaker Dy

“With the increasing number of individuals spreading fake news, online attacks, threats, and scams, it is no longer only reputations that are being damaged. Public trust in truth and in our institutions is also slowly being eroded,” Garin said.

“Freedom of speech is fundamental in a democratic society, but it also carries responsibility. The purpose of this resolution is to protect the public from abuse without suppressing legitimate opinion and responsible journalism,” she stressed.

According to the resolution, the probe is not meant to stifle free speech or criticism, but to “distinguish protected expression from criminal coercion, extortion, organized harassment, and other unlawful conduct committed under the guise of online commentary or digital media activity.”

“Social media commentators and digital content creators increasingly influence public opinion in ways traditionally associated with media and journalism, including exposing issues, making accusations, and shaping public judgment, and with such influence comes the responsibility to uphold fairness, truthfulness, and accountability in public discourse,” Garin stated in HR No. 1000.

“The rapid spread of false or misleading information through digital platforms not only harms individuals but also weakens public trust and institutional credibility […] there is a need to determine whether existing laws remain sufficient to address organized online harassment, fake news operations, cyber-enabled coercion, monetized defamatory content, and other abusive practices committed through social media and digital platforms,” she added.

During the 19th Congress, several online vloggers — including former Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles — were summoned by the tri-committee amid their probe on the spread of disinformation online.

READ: 40 socmed users, platform reps invited to House fake news probe 

Former Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers was one of the lawmakers who delivered a privilege speech, after the spread of fake rumors spread about him and the other chairpersons of the House quad committee, which was then probing illegal activities in Philippine offshore gaming operators, the illicit drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the past administration’s drug war.

According to Barbers, there may be a need to establish a regulatory framework for social media use, just like how mainstream media organizations and legitimate news outlets adhere to a set of ethical standards.

Garin said that the tri-committee should invite vloggers, online personalities, content creators, social media operators, platform representatives, complainants, witnesses, law enforcement agencies, and affected parties so that they can help craft the possible laws that the panels may find necessary to curb disinformation.

The following government agencies were also mentioned as possible resources for the probe:

• Department of Justice
• National Bureau of Investigation
• Philippine National Police
• Anti-Cybercrime Group
• Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center
• National Telecommunications Commission
• Securities and Exchange Commission
• Bureau of Internal Revenue

“Resolved, further, that the Committees examine the possible application and adequacy of existing penal, cybercrime, and other relevant laws in addressing alleged extortion, threats, coercion, cyber libel, organized online harassment, disinformation, and other abusive or unlawful conduct committed through social media platforms, digital media entities, livestreaming platforms, and other online networks,” Garin said.

“Resolved, finally, that the Committees recommend appropriate legislative and regulatory measures to address fake news, online harassment, cyber-enabled intimidation, organized disinformation, extortion, and other abusive online activities, while ensuring the continued protection of legitimate journalism, responsible public commentary, and the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and of the press,” she added.

Garin did not mention what exact issue prompted her to file the resolution, but several recent events have been marred by disinformation.  For example, last May 4, when Congress resumed session, House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III urged individuals with ill intentions to stop starting and sharing fake news as it would not help solving the countries’ problems.

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said he supports Dy’s call, adding that the House must start an investigation into the misinformation allegedly from independent channel Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN).

According to Ridon, PGMN engaged in disinformation operations by showing different electric accounts to justify its claims of exorbitant rise in power costs.

The lawmaker said that the viral content from PGMN showed a person claiming that her electric bill rose from around P700 to P7,000 in a span of eight months.  However, the solon noted that the two bills belonged to different accounts.

Before the House voted on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, Ridon also called out pro-Duterte bloggers over their claims that several lawmakers have pulled out their support for the impeachment.  According to Ridon, if the list is accurate, then why was one of the lawmakers mentioned named “Bier Rodriguez.”

Eventually, Duterte was impeached after 257 lawmakers voted in favor of the articles of impeachment, while only 25 voted against, and nine abstained.

READ: Ridon: ‘List’ of solons withdrawing impeachment support bears fake name 

Recently, while gunshots were heard inside the Senate after a confrontation between the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building, Cavite Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga initially claimed that there were casualties inside the Senate. 

Last Friday, Ridon said that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) should look into this matter.

“The DICT-CICC should look into the social media statements of Rep. Kiko Barzaga if these are among the posts which may be subject to criminal proceedings relating to last night’s Senate shooting incident,” he said.

Aside from his claims regarding the Senate shooting incident, Barzaga also said that if Mindanao separates from the rest of the country, they could protect former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa from “foreign courts.”

Duterte is currently detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is headquartered at the Hague, the Netherlands, while dela Rosa is the subject of an arrest order from the same international tribunal.

The arrest orders are for Duterte and dela Rosa’s role in the drug war, the past administration’s anti-drug campaign which human rights advocates believe led to numerous violations and extrajudicial killings. /dl