The House Tri-Comm begins public hearing regarding the spread of fake news and disinformation in the country on Feb. 4, 2025. Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — The House committees investigating fake news and disinformation in the country on Tuesday issued show cause orders against resource persons who skipped its first hearing over various excuses. 

READ: House to begin probe on fake news, disinformation; at least 40 social media personalities invited

Only three of the 41 invited social media personalities showed up on Tuesday for the first joint public hearing of three House committees or the so-called Tri-Comm regarding the spread of fake news and disinformation in the country.

Some of those who skipped the hearing sent excuse letters, claiming that the inquiry is an attempt to curtail people's right to free speech, and questioned its legality.

But lawmakers find these reasons invalid, prompting the Tri-Comm to issue show cause orders against nine resource persons. Among them are Atty. Trixie Angeles, Mark Anthony Lopez, Krizette Chu, Aaron Peña, Elizabeth Cruz, Jun Abines, Richard Mata, Suzanne Batalla, and Ethel Pineda.

"I respectfully move that we consult the legal department of this House for a possible disbarment case against Atty. Trixie Angeles…To study if ever there is a relation, because she is an officer of the court, and she should respect the Constitutional duty of Congress," ABANGLINGKOD Party List Representative Joseph Stephen Paduan said. His motion was approved by the joint panel.

The absence of one particular vlogger angered House Committee on Human Rights Chairperson Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.

"Ang tatapang sa pagmumura, nang wala tayong kalaban-laban. Ngayon hindi makaharap dito! Mga takot din pala 'yang mga 'yan eh… Humarap ka rito!" he said.

SC PETITION

Some vloggers went to the Supreme Court on Tuesday instead, and filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition against the Tri-comm's invitation.

"Maliwanag para sa amin na ito ay paraan para ma-limit 'yung democratic space para makapagsalita at makapagpahayag. Pati 'yung pagdinig ay hindi Constitutional," Angeles said.

"Nakakatakot 'yung pagka-arogante ng mga kongresistang ito. They are weaponizing our respected institutions against ordinary citizens, who are just practicing their God-given right to free expression," Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, who was also invited to the Tri-comm hearing, added.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers has denied these allegations, asserting that the Tri-Comm seeks to craft a policy to ensure discipline and code of ethics in the use of social media platforms.

"Itong hearing na ito ay hindi para kitilin o i-suppress ang freedom of speech nila. Wala kaming ganoong layunin. Ang layunin dito ay gawan ng polisiya ang paggamit ng social media platforms. Dapat mayroon tayong disiplina, mayroon tayong code of conduct, mayroon tayong ethics sa paggamit nitong social media. Hindi yung pagbukas mo ng social media magmumura ka," he said.

"Just as traditional media operates under legal and ethical standards, vloggers and online influencers must also be subject to similar regulations to prevent the reckless dissemination of falsehoods," Barbers asserted.

ORGANIZED TROLLS?

Several lawmakers expressed serious concern over the supposed rise of organized troll networks and the alleged "weaponization of digital platforms" to spread disinformation and attack public figures.

Barbers warned that sources of funding for alleged troll operations are possibly linked to illicit activities, such as POGO operations or criminal syndicates.

"The reality is that these networks of trolls are not simply expressing opinions; they are engaged in a well-orchestrated, well-funded campaign to spread disinformation, manipulate public perception, and destabilize institutions. The sources of funding for these operations remain in the shadows—possibly linked to illicit activities such as POGO operations or criminal syndicates. These financial resources are weaponized to create chaos, erode trust in government, undermine the media, and weaken our democratic foundations. Ironically but not surprisingly, none of these actors speak out against China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea, proving our suspicion of illegal foreign funding," he said.

"Ayon sa isang survey, 86% ng mga Pilipino ay naniniwala na isang malaking problema ang fake news. Ngunit mas making problema ang trolls na sadyang nagpapalaganap ng pekeng balita. Ang disimpormasyon na ikinakalat nila ay maituturing na weaponization of social media, kapag ito ay nagdulat ng karahasan o naghasik ng pagkabitak-bitak ng ating lipunan," House Tri-Comm Lead Chairperson Rep. Dan Fernandez added.

PressONE.PH told the joint panel that it monitored a network of foreign-linked social media accounts that spread "questionable" content against the Philippines and its incumbent President.

"Mayroon po kaming nahukay na pro-China na network of X accounts na nagsspread ng anti-Philippine sentiment, habang nagpu-push ng content related po kay Vice President Sara Duterte," PressONE.PH's Niceforo Balbedina said.

"Mayroon po kaming na-identify na 107 accounts as of 11am this morning na nagpapakalat ng anti-Philippine sentiment on Twitter. 'Yung accounts na ito, 'yung iba sa kanila, Chinese ang pangalan. Karamihan sa kanila sabay-sabay ginawa, at 'yung mga posting activity nila ay very questionable," he added.

ETHICAL STANDARDS

Journalist Ellen Tordesillas and political consultant Malou Tiquia agree that there should be a code of conduct for social media users.

"Mayroong mga journalist na nagBa-vlog. But vlogging does not make you a journalist. As journalists kasi, we adhere to the core values of journalism, which are truthfulness, fairness," Tordesillas said.

"Ikaw ba ay naniniwala na tama lang na tayo ay gumawa ng batas para magkaroon ng disiplina, magkaroon ng regulatory framework ang ating bansa sa paggamit ng social media?" Barbers asked Tiquia.

"Yes… The decency of the space has been crossed so much," Tiquia replied.

Some experts, meanwhile, warned about the risks of top-down government legislation against fake news. They said that combating misinformation should be balanced carefully with protecting free speech.

"We should consider different kinds of legislations, hindi lang po imprisonment and fines penalizing social media users. Pwede rin po ay legislation, focused at big tech corporation, na focused siya on content corrections, mandating big tech to implement corrections, or administrative compliance measures for participating in transparency mechanisms with independent researchers," Tech Policy Expert Jonathan Ong said.

"Balancing the need to combat fake news with protecting fundamental rights is a complex challenge that requires extensive evaluation and flexibility and adjustment. Hindi ito black and white issue. The bottomline is still the protection of our freedom of expression, freedom of the press, especially the right of people to information," University of the Philippines Journalism Professor Dr. Rachel Khan added.

The Philippines currently ranks second in social media usage, with 86.7 million users, according to data from the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

"Ang disimpormasyon na ikinakalat nila ay maituturing na weaponization of social media, kapag ito ay nagdulot ng karahasan o naghasik ng pagkabitak-bitak ng ating lipunan," Fernandez said.

The probe was a joint effort by the House Committees on Public Order and Safety, Public Information, and Information and Communications Technology. 

READ: House, social media platforms, gov't agencies to tackle 'fake news', trolls