AN administration lawmaker yesterday warned irresponsible content creators that peddling fake news and disinformation in cyberspace has serious legal consequences, citing the arrest of a female vlogger from Oslob, Cebu last week.
“This case is a stark reminder that freedom of expression is not freedom to deceive,” Taguig City Rep. Pammy Zamora of Taguig. “May hangganan ang pagiging content creator, lalo na kung ginagawa mo ito para manira, magpakalat ng kasinungalingan, at kumita mula sa panloloko. Kung pipiliin mong magkalat ng fake news, may kapalit iyan (Being a content creator has limits, especially when you do it to destroy someone, spread lies and to earn money by duping others. If you choose to spread fake news, it has consequences),” Zamora said.
Zamora lauded the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for swiftly apprehending 30-year-old Wendelyn Magalso for spreading false information against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., claiming that illegal drugs has now been legalized under his leadership.
Megalso was arrested for violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. She is facing a penalty of about six years imprisonment and fines of around P200,000.
Megalso was arrested after TV5 complained that she allegedly altered its news content post to make it appear that the president is for the legalization of the use of illegal drugs. She also reportedly edited a video of the president to mislead viewers.
Zamora said TV5’s prompt action “shows that when media and law enforcement work together, we can fight back against the spread of dangerous disinformation.”
She stressed the need to boost digital literacy, especially among the youth, so step up the fight against fake news and disinformation, which is being used as a tool for political propaganda by scrupulous people.
Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (PL, Abang Lingkod), one of the co-chairs of the House tri committee which is investigating the spread of fake news, warned vloggers who did not attend last Friday’s hearing not to test lawmakers’ patience because they will be cited in contempt and ordered arrested.
“Just to remind everyone… resource persons and that include all those resource persons who are present in (Friday’s) hearing and maybe they’re monitoring this hearing, let me remind everyone that please don’t force us to cite you in contempt,” Paduano said.
The next hearing is tentatively set for April 8.
The Committees on Public Information, on Public Order and Safety and on Information and Communications Technology will subpoenas 24 personalities who did not attend the hearing despite having received show-cause orders to explain their previous absences.
Among those who are now facing subpoenas are prominent pro-Duterte influencers and bloggers Lorraine Marie Tablang Badoy-Partosa, Jeffrey Almendras Çeliz and Allan Troy “Sass” Rogando Sasot.
The joint panel will also subpoena Alex Distor, Alvin L. Mortero, Claire Eden Contreras, Claro Ganac, Cyrus Priglo, Darwin Salceda, Edwin Jamora, Elmer Jugalbot, Ernesto S. Abines Jr., lawyer Glen Chong, Jeffrey G. Cruz, Joe Smith Medina, Jonathan Morales, Julius Melanosi Maui, Kester Ramon John Balibalos Tan, Lord Byron Cristobal, Ma. Florinda Espenilla-Duque, Maricar Serrano, Suzanne Batalla, Mary Catherine Binag, and Vivian Zapata Rodriguez.
Out of the 11 social media personalities previously issued subpoenas, only eight attended the House hearing last Friday.
Former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles informed the committee that while Sasot was in China, she still tried to join the hearing via Zoom but she was booted out of the meeting. It turned out that the Zoom link is exclusively for House members joining the hearing.
Paduano also cautioned the vloggers against attacking the committee: “Just to remind you – Section 11 of our internal rules, Paragraph F – we will not allow discussions or attacking, insulting this committee hearing after the suspension of this hearing because you will be in violation… we will be forced to cite you in contempt (undue interference).”
“We have already done that in my committee when a block timer from Cagayan, Bombo Radyo Cagayan, was cited in contempt because after the hearing he attacks the results of the committee hearing. Please be reminded po,” he said.
During Friday’s hearing, social media personalities who are known die-hard Duerte supporters (DDS) like newspaper editor Krizette Laureta Chu and bloggers MJ Quiambao Reyes and Mark 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.
Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday reminded social media practitioners to be more responsible about the information that they upload and post to avoid misleading the people especially with fictitious or invented facts, which he said could contribute to an anarchic information system and disorderly society.
Enrile, in his Facebook pages, said he prefers to believe that the social media practitioners are intelligent and rational to exercise utmost care and caution when disseminating information to the public.
He also said he would like to believe that social media practitioners only upload “well confirmed information so as not to mislead the unknowing people with fictitious or invented facts.”
He said the right to guaranteed freedom of free expression under the Bill of Rights is “underpinned with truthful information” so as to help, guide or make people aware of the events or happenings that are developing and eventually enable them to make the right decisions on matters that affect them and avoid being manipulated to serve the interest of others.”
“Social media practitioners in our country should not consider their new–found tool kit as a license to disseminate made up or invented information. Otherwise, we develop an anarchic information system and disorderly society,” he said.
The Presidential Communications Office is pushing for the regulation of social media content amid the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation and fake news in the country. – With Jocelyn Montemayor
