MANILA — Several House leaders on Thursday dismissed concerns about civil unrest following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, saying there are misleading photos and images circulating online which allegedly aim to "exaggerate" the situation.

House Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said there is no justification yet to raise a national alert level.

PNP ensures peace and order with heightened alert after Duterte’s arrest

This comes after supporters of Duterte held protests and prayer assemblies in some parts of the country, as they criticize the Marcos Jr. government and call for the former Philippine leader's release from the International Criminal Court detention facility in The Hague in Netherlands.

“I don’t think there should be any reason for us to say that this would lead to something massive because it is not happening. All these pockets of rallies are just a mere sentiment for their supporters expressing their views,” Adiong said in a press conference.

“Nakikinig ako sa interview nung spokesperson ng PNP, sabi naman niya hindi naman naka-high alert. Ibig sabihin, normal naman yung advisory nila,” he continued.

Duterte supporters hold peace protests in Leyte, parts of Mindanao

He said the misleading posts circulating online are the greater concern.

“Kailangan talaga nating i-counter yung fake news, baka kasi naman yung ibang tao akala nila, even outside, nagko-cause talaga nang civil unrest,” Adiong explained.

Recently, there were reports of disinformation and spamming against ICC judges, which a lawyer said can even potentially put Duterte in more risks.

There were also recent instances of usage of fictional characters calling for Duterte's release.

For House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V, he found some images of supposed Duterte supporters' rallies "questionable".

“Kailangan talagang maging discerning lalo sa paglaganap ng fake news. Nakita ko ‘yung mga demonstrations saka rally, puro pink naman ‘yung ilaw. Parang wala naman akong nakita na rally na ganyan. Dun pa lang, questionable na,” he said.

ABS-CBN Fact Check recently observed that several videos completely unrelated to Duterte were used and tagged as pro-Duterte rally footages online. Another case monitored was a usage of artificial intelligence to a photo for the same purpose.

Ortega said this concern has already reached lawmakers.

“Nagiging problema na iyan, nagiging concern na. Kaya nga po nandyan ang House of Representatives, ang Tri-Com hearing na iyan para ma-preserve nga po ang freedom of speech,” he stressed.

He said hearings aim to balance the free speech protection while ensuring that social media is not supposedly being "weaponized" to mislead the audience.

“At dito natin makikita kung paano rin nila sinisira ‘yang freedom of speech natin,” he added.

On Wednesday, the House Tri Committee investigating the spread of misinformation and disinformation issued a warning on 11 social media personalities and vloggers who could face contempt and detention if they continued skipping its hearings.

These include former Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Marie Badoy-Partosa Aeron Peña, and Allan Troy “Sass” Rogando Sasot.

The other social media personalities are Elizabeth Joie Cruz, Dr. Ethel Pineda Garcia, Jeffrey Almendras Celiz, Krizette Laureta Chu, Mark Anthony Lopez, Mary Jean Quiambao Reyes, and Richard Tesoro Mata.

Vloggers risk detention if they continue snubbing House probe on disinformation

ATTACKS AGAINST JOURNALISTS

As disinformation campaign against media agencies surface recently, Adiong underscored the importance of the ethical process that journalists uphold.

“Kasi may ethical standards po ang mga journalists. They have their own internal policing. So, in terms of facts that they need to provide to the public, may editorial processes ‘yan before they can come out with this information,” he said.

Meanwhile, he claimed that some vloggers may have been "blurring the line" between facts and opinion.

“They tend to act as if they are there to provide information when in fact, if you look at it, it’s more of their own opinion backed up by unverified references,” he said.

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Ortega echoed a similar sentiment.

“We have to delineate which one is opinion and which one is really the facts,” he said.

He also encouraged the public to be more critical on information they see online.

Duterte was arrested last March 11 after returning home from a trip from Hong Kong in the face of rumors an ICC warrant had been issued.

The ICC warrant for his arrest says that as president, Duterte created, funded and armed death squads that carried out murders of purported drug users and dealers.

He was brought to The Hague in the Netherlands on the same day to face charges of alleged crimes against humanity for his deadly drug war.

Duterte on March 14 appeared via video link before ICC judges in a hearing branded by the Palace as a "fair trial." He is set to attend a September 23 hearing to confirm the charges against him.