THE House of Representatives has invited at least 40 social media personalities as resource persons for its joint inquiry on the spread of fake news and disinformation.
House tripartite committee head Rep. Dan Fernandez of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, who chairs the public order and safety panel, said the inquiry would look into how disinformation spreads online, its impact on public perception and national security, and the measures needed to combat it.
The invited vloggers were composed of prominent Duterte-aligned content creators and bloggers who were noticeably absent from the joint committee hearing in Congress on Tuesday, February 5.
Hours later, social media personalities went to the Supreme Court and urged the higher authority to issue a restraining order against the invitation issued by the House of Representatives for a congressional hearing on disinformation and misinformation.
While we do agree with the lawmakers that there is a need to stop the spread of disinformation, which some of the summoned personalities are accused of, the point of the inquiry is highly questionable.
The problem of fake news is a real social problem that tarnishes democracy and public trust.
But the tripartite committee, composed of the House committees on public order and safety, on public information, as well as on information and communications technology, is nothing but a monopoly of opinion.
If these lawmakers are serious about addressing disinformation, why are they singling out those allied with the previous administration? How about those loyal to the Marcos administration? Aren't they also spreading disinformation?
Also, inviting 40 personalities is already an excess. In addition, where are the academe, the media, and other experts in the hearing?
If the lawmakers are serious about addressing the problem, it should be a multisectoral approach.
What happened was these lawmakers are just centering the discussion on themselves being the victims of these vloggers.
This creates an impression that these lawmakers are power-tripping. It's censorship masked in the so-called House inquiry.
Instead of wasting taxpayers' money in this teledrama committee hearing, affected lawmakers should file cases against these vloggers. There are already existing provisions under libel and cyber libel laws for that.
Why use Congress to silence the current administration's critics?
If the government is serious about addressing fake news, why are they singling out these content creators? How about the troll farms, which are being used to disseminate disinformation, especially during elections?
Article 3, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution protects freedom of speech, expression, and the press. No law should be passed that limits its freedom.
Yes, even freedom of speech has its limits, but it is the higher court that determines its limits, not these lawmakers who are politicizing the inquiry.
Censorship will never be a solution to the problem of fake news.
Amid the diversity of political views, it is still our role to unitedly protect our freedom of speech.
Disinformation is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, but it must be tackled fairly and comprehensively. Singling out certain personalities while ignoring others raises questions about the true intent of the inquiry. Instead of political grandstanding, Congress should work with experts, media organizations, and digital platforms to develop real solutions. After all, democracy thrives not through censorship, but through open discourse, accountability, and the responsible use of free speech.
