MANILA – Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the newly formed House of Representatives tri-committee will begin its investigation on troll farms and disinformation peddlers next month.

"Itong investigation na gagawin ng tri comm, ang layunin nito ay magkaroon ng panukalang batas na magkaroon ng regulatory framework yung paggamit ng social media," he told reporters on Tuesday after the House Quad Committee's first hearing for the year.

"Wala po tayong pinipigilan gumamit ng social media. Anybody can express what they want to say, say what they want to express and vice versa. Wala pong curtailment ng freedom of speech. Ang gusto lang natin yung gagamit ng digital space ay dapat maging responsable parin," Barbers added.

The congressman likened it to journalists having practices for writing stories.

"We should have responsible blogging. Hindi naman pwede yung magkalat tayo ng fake news para lang ikasira ng ano… May kumikita eh," he said.

"We were given the information na may nagpopondong sindikato sa POGO at sindikato ng droga na mula sa China. They are only after the engagements eh. The more engagements they get, the bigger the money they make," Barbers added.

Last December 2024, Barbers in a privilege speech slammed "narco trolls and vloggers" supposedly paid by drug and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) money to post online to spread lies and attack personalities.

The lawmaker also sent a letter to the National Bureau of Investigation to look into "narco vloggers" allegedly connected to POGOs. He asked the NBI to identify, investigate and file charges against the perpetrators.

Barbers claimed that the vloggers aim to spread misinformation and earn from it.

He said the first hearing's schedule will either be on February 3 or 4.