At least 40 social media personalities have been summoned to a public hearing in Congress to discuss the spread of fake news and disinformation in the country.
The “Tri-Com” leading the probe invited former Presidential Communications Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Lorraine Badoy, Jay Sonza, Sass Sasot, Banat By, Malou Tiquia, Krizette Lauretta Chu, and Pebbles Duque.
Representatives from Google, Meta, and ByteDance were also called, along with officials from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Justice.
House Committee on Public Order and Safety Chair Dan Fernandez emphasized that Filipinos have the right to the truth and must be protected from false information that incites fear and division.
The investigation will be led by the Committees on Public Order and Safety, Public Information, and Information and Communications Technology.
Fernandez stressed the need to identify weaknesses in current laws, strengthen digital platform regulations, and ensure accountability for those spreading misinformation.
The hearing is also expected to explore stricter policies to hold individuals and platforms accountable for spreading false information.
