Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

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

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17400291967911738640827997Gi6Ov_8aUAAtybG.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="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"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The House Tri-Comm begins public hearing regarding the spread of fake news and disinformation in the country on Feb. 4, 2025. <em>Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News</em> </span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">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</p><p>MANILA — PDP Laban, the party of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies, on Thursday called out House committees conducting hearings on online disinformation for what it said was harassment of vloggers and content creators identified with the Dutertes.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/13/pdp-laban-senate-candidates-hit-back-at-marcos-jr-2223">PDP-Laban Senate candidates hit back at Marcos Jr.</a></div><p>PDP Laban said the House mega panel&#x27;s &quot;insistence&quot; on summoning vloggers and social media influencers &quot;perceived to be pro-Duterte&quot; was a &quot;form of harassment and a violation of the right of free speech and expression.&quot;</p><p>Congress has the power to issue invitations and subpoenas to resource speakers at its hearings, which can be done as an exercise of its oversight function and in aid of legislation.</p><p>The party, whose chairperson was hostile to the press when he was president, said it &quot;decries any direct or subtle attempt to curtail or derail free speech.&quot;</p><p>It said that &quot;now more than ever, this right is critical in demanding accountability for the massive graft and corruption and other abuses and irregularities in government.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/18/house-mega-panel-to-subpoena-social-media-personalities-who-snubbed-fake-news-probe-1452">House mega panel to subpoena social media personalities who snubbed &#x27;fake news&#x27; probe</a></div><p>The House Tri-Comm — composed of the Public Order and Safety, Information and Communications Technology, and Public Information committees — on Tuesday approved a motion to subpoena the social media personalities who again failed to appear at its hearing.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/4/house-issues-show-cause-orders-vs-vloggers-who-skipped-fake-news-probe-1200">House issues show cause orders vs vloggers who skipped &#x27;fake news&#x27; probe</a></div><p>Among the content creators to be issued subpoenas are former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Krizette Laureta Chu, Sass Rogando Sasot, and Lorraine Marie Badoy-Partosa.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/01/20/21/meme-accounts-could-be-disinformation-actors-warns-prof">Meme accounts could be &#x27;disinformation actors,&#x27; warns prof</a></div><p>PDP Laban said the House lawmakers&#x27; time and resources would be &quot;better spent in improving the lives of the ordinary Filipino.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/19/-we-re-friends-already-tarriela-says-after-word-war-with-marcoleta-0809">‘Nothing personal’: Tarriela says he’s ‘friends already’ with Marcoleta after heated West PH Sea exchange</a></div><p>Among the lawmakers who took time to participate in the tri-comm probe was SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who is gunning for a Senate seat under the PDP Laban slate and who actively participated in the two hearings.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/18/confronted-by-marcoleta-tarriela-retorts-why-would-i-defend-you-when-you-re-calling-me-g-go-1611">Confronted by Marcoleta, Tarriela retorts: &#x27;Why would I defend you when you&#x27;re calling me g*go?&#x27;</a></div><p>The Duterte party said the House summoning the content creators identified with it is &quot;a type of harassment against ordinary Filipinos [that] must stop.&quot; </p><p>It said the House, which is on recess, should spend its time on more important matters.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/17/comelec-coordinating-with-social-media-firms-vs-ai-deepfakes-1611">Commission on Elections</a> and the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/30/dict-warns-vs-fake-ai-content-this-election-1416">Department of Information and Communications Technology</a> have identified disinformation — especially those using AI and deepfakes — as a threat to the integrity of the May elections.</p><p>“The Filipinos are always online. Filipinos are used mostly online media and Filipinos use social media across the globe, that they are very much exposed to digital threat and misinformation and disinformation,&quot; Tharindu Damith Abeyrathna, senior program officer and campaign advocacy of ANFER (Asian Network for Free Elections) said in May 2024.</p><p>ANFER said then that disinformation would be the biggest challenge for the Philippines, which will elect new national and local officials in May.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tclq7_mWQ5s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jTfndnyzgNs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>PDP Laban said the House "insistence" to summon vloggers and social media influencers "perceived to be pro-Duterte" is a "form of harassment."</p>

PDP Laban said the House "insistence" to summon vloggers and social media influencers "perceived to be pro-Duterte" is a "form of harassment."

PDP Laban says House harassing pro-Duterte vloggers by summoning them to 'fake news' probe

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PDP Laban says House harassing pro-Duterte vloggers by summoning them to 'fake news' probe

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 20, 2025 02:12 PM PHT

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