In pursuit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s campaign against fake news, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Thursday called for stronger government regulation of social media platforms, a revision of community standards, and a national media literacy campaign to fight the growing problem of online disinformation.
At a joint House hearing conducted by the committees on public order and safety, information and communications technology, and public information, PCO Secretary Jay Ruiz emphasized that digital platforms must be held accountable for the content they spread.
“Una po, ang kailangan media and information literacy. Tapos ‘pag nasabihan na po sila na… pina-flag namin ito, fake news at galing ito sa isang government agency agad-agad dapat itake-down,” Ruiz said.
He expressed concern over the delays by social media companies in removing flagged disinformation, noting that such lapses can allow harmful content to spread widely before appropriate action is taken.
“Hindi pupwede na parang nagmamakaawa ka sa kanila na i-take down ‘yung post na alam naman ng lahat na fake news na. Bakit n’yo pinapabayaan na magviral pa ‘yan?” Ruiz said.
Ruiz also questioned the effectiveness of relying solely on fact-checking in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
“Kahit pinafact-check mo na, magkakaroon pa rin ng doubt ‘yung mga tao… Lunod na lunod ‘yung katotohanan. Ang pinaniniwalaan na ng tao, ‘yung fake news,” he said.
Ruiz said government intervention is necessary to set standards and regulations, comparing it to how radio and television stations follow standards set by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.
“If it’s just an opinion, if it’s not fake news, there’s no lie, it’s okay. But once it is proven it’s a lie, they have to be accountable for that,” he stressed. | PND
