THE House tri committee yesterday ordered the arrest and detention of social media personalities Lorraine Marie Badoy-Partosa, Jeffrey Celiz, Allan Troy “Sass” Sasot and Mark Lopez after they were cited in contempt for snubbing the joint panel’s hearing on fake news and disinformation, which lawmakers said tend to benefit the camp of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
On the motion of Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), the panel chaired by Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez cited Celiz, Badoy and Sasot in contempt for disregarding the subpoenas without legal excuse.
“Mr. Jeffrey Celiz, Ms. Badoy, and Ms. Sasot violated section 11 paragraph A. May I respectfully move that the three mentioned name be detained until the committee hearing will be terminated and be detained in the premises of the House,” Paduano said.
The panel, which was presided over by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, ordered Lopez to be detained at the Batasan Pambasa for 10 days, while Badoy-Partosa, who is in Hong Kong, Celiz and Sasot will be held there until the termination of the inquiry.
Badoy-Partosa, a former official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) during the Duterte administration, Celiz and Sasot were subpoenaed after the second hearing on February 19 but still did not attend the March 21 hearing.
Sasot had tried to participate via Zoom on March 21 but was later kicked from the online conference after Pimentel informed the joint panel that it was exclusive for House members.
It was the second time for Badoy-Partosa and Celiz to be cited in contempt by the House since the Committee on Legislative Franchises also ordered their detention in 2023.
Celiz was then cited in contempt for refusing to name his source on his allegation that Speaker Martin Romualdez allegedly spent P1.8 billion in travel expenses, a false allegation which was aired at the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) show “Laban Kasama Ang Bayan,” while Badoy was cited in contempt for “acting in a disrespectful manner” and her “conflicting statements” during the panel’s inquiry.
Paduano has also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to confirm Celiz’s travel status.
On the other hand, Lopez was cited in contempt for “undue interference in the conduct of proceedings” after he said in a Facebook post that “it was blatantly obvious that there was a concerted effort to humiliate us and bring us down on our knees.”
“Mr. Chairman, with this blog made by Mr. Mark Lopez, Mr. Chairman, this is in violation of once again section 11 paragraph F of our internal rules, undue interference during the proceedings, Mr. Chairman, or committee investigation,” Paduano said.
The tri committee, which is composed of the Committees on Public Order and Safety, Information and Communications Technology and Public Information, has been looking into the proliferation of fake news to review effectiveness of online platforms in curbing disinformation.
During the March 21 hearing, social media personalities who are known die-hard Duterte supporters (DDS) like newspaper editor Krizette Laureta Chu and bloggers MJ Quiambao Reyes and Lopez apologized to the committee after a dressing down from lawmakers.
Chu and Quiambao even sobbed in front of lawmakers, while Lopez readily admitted that he was a fake news peddler.
Among the vloggers and social media personalities who attended the hearing yesterday were Chu, Manuel Mata, Elijah San Fernando, Elizabeth Joie Cruz, former press secretary lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Ethel Pineda Garcia, Richard Tesoro Mata, George Ahmed Paglinawan, Suzanne Batalla, Claro Ganac, Alven Montero, Jonathan Morales, Vivian Zapata Rodriguez, former Rep. Glenn Chong, Florinda Pebbles Espenilla-Duque and Darwin Salcedo.
‘POLVORON’ VIDEO
Vicente Bencalo “Pebbles” Cunanan, who also attended the hearing, said that the release of a deepfake video last year showing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. allegedly taking illegal drugs was the brainchild of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who is now seeking political asylum in the Netherlands after he was linked to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Cunanan said Roque orchestrated the spread of the “polvoron video” as part of the campaign to topple the Marcos Jr. administration following his falling out with Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Ako ay naniniwalang si Atty. Roque ang orihinal na pinagmulan ng polvoron video at siya ang nagpakalat nito sa publiko upang sirain ang kredibilidad ng Pangulo (I believe that Atty. Roque is the original source of the polvoron video and that he was the one who spread it to the public to destroy the President’s credibility),” he said in his sworn statement.
Cunanan even quoted Roque as saying that, “Magaling ako magpabagsak ng gobyerno (I’m good at bringing down governments).” He said Roque made the statement during a private dinner on July 7, 2024, in Hong Kong, held shortly after a pro-Duterte event called the Maisug Rally.
He said those who attended the gathering were Roque, former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez and DDS vloggers Chong, Cruz-Angeles, Badoy-Partosa, Sasot, Joie de Vivre and Tio Moreno.
“Base sa pagkaintindi ko, at dahil iyon ang isa sa mga pinag-usapan ng gabing iyon, ang pagpapakalat ng video na kung saan gumagamit diumano ng cocaine si PBBM ay parte ng sinasabi ni Atty. Roque na pagpapabagsak ng gobyerno (From my understanding and since it was one of the topics that night, the spread of the video showing PBBM using cocaine is part of what Atty. Roque said was the move to topple the government),” Cunanan said.
Cunanan said that during the dinner, Roque even revealed he had received a screenshot from a relative of a politician which showed a man, who resembled the President, using cocaine.
While Roque did not show them the image, Cunanan, said the group discussed how to leak the video to the public without the risk of exposing themselves to liability.
During a photo session that night, he alleged the group made a hand gesture, an inverted “V” sign to symbolize Marcos Jr.’s downfall since the victory sign has been the Marcos family’s trademark hand sign.
FACEBOOK WASHES HANDS
Antipolo Rep. Romeon Acop said social media platforms should also be held liable for harmful contents after Meta, the company that runs the social media app Facebook, refused to accept liabilities for the spread of fake news and disinformation online, saying individual users are responsible for what they post on the platform.
Rafael Frankel, Meta’s director for public policy in Southeast Asia, told the joint panel that only the person who made the harmful post is accountable for it.
“Sir, every individual user bears the ultimate responsibility for what he or she posts on our platforms. I think that it is important to underline that point. That’s a given. And we very much believe that we have a responsibility to provide a safe platform for our users around the world, including in the Philippines,” he told Acop.
Frankel made the statement after Acop asked him “if you recognize that Meta bears some responsibility for what is shared and posted in Facebook or Instagram?”
The Meta executive said Facebook is trying to balance the right of the account holder to free expression and the need to make social media a free digital space, prompting Acop to repeat his question, saying “I think Mr. Frankel is evading the answer to my question.”
“It seems from our discussion that social media platforms are making some efforts to curb the spread of fake news in this country. However, I disagree with the impression that acting merely as hosts of user-generated content exempts these platforms from any liability for the harmful content they allow to be exhibited,” Acop said.
As part of the House’s legislative duties, Acop said he believes that “it may be time to revisit the current legal framework regarding these social media platforms if only to incentivize them to further crack down on these types of illegal posts.”
Acop also cited the absence of a clearly accountable Meta entity in the Philippines, saying it is a crucial issue. “As we have heard, Facebook Philippines does not control the platform, nor does it handle content regulation and policy enforcement. This makes it difficult for Filipinos to seek timely and effective recourse when harm occurs online,” he said.
“That is why we are exploring the idea of requiring accreditation or registration for social media platforms operating in this country to ensure that there is a readily accessible responsible point of contact that understands and complies with our laws,” Acop said. “It is a matter of accountability, Mr. Chair, not just for regulation but for the protection of the Filipino people.”
Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider), a lawyer like Acop, said the lack of a Meta office has been a stumbling block in the fight against fake news peddling and disinformation.
“We appreciate the responsiveness of Facebook Singapore and Meta Platforms, it doesn’t skirt the issue for us that there is no baseline legal responsibility within the Philippines, there is no Meta-affiliated entity within the Philippines, and that’s what I believe makes it hard,” he said.
DRESSING DOWN
At one part of the hearing, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante gave vlogger Cruz a dressing down for calling him “gago” (stupid) in one of her vlogs and even threatened to slap the congressman.
“That’s part of my freedom of speech,” Cruz told a shocked Abante, who quoted Cruz as saying on one of her vlogs: “You know Cong. Benny Abante, I can find all of these, isasampal ko sa pagmukukha mo (I can find all of these files and I will slap it on your face).”
“Is that still freedom of speech?” Abante asked to which Cruz answered in the affirmative, prompting Abante to say: “Ang galing mo. Magaling ito (You’re good. This one’s good).”
Cruz could not remember when she made the statements but Abante said the vlogger had even warned him that “you’re going to be fucked.” The context of the statements was also unclear although Abante said the attacks against him started at the height of the hearings of the House quad committee on the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
When Abante asked if “using profanities, insults and malicious accusations” are part of what Cruz said was a “peaceful, intelligent discourse,”
she said such statements, including cursing at a politician, is “part of a healthy public discourse.”
“You’re telling us that freedom of expression is absolute, you can say anything you want. When you say it’s not absolute, there are certain things you cannot say,” Abante said, reminding Cruz of the law penalizing libel and slander or oral defamation.
Abante said that by cursing him and threatening to slap him, Cruz violated his “human rights” and committed “unjust vexation” but Cruz insisted that cursing an elected official is not malicious because it pertains to his exercise of public duties.
This prompted Acop to remind Cruz that “frustration won’t give you the right to violate the law because there are avenues provided by law to express your frustrations.” “That’s the reason why freedom of expression is not absolute,” he said.
