MANILA — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) on Tuesday urged Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to fast track efforts against misinformation and disinformation that can "undermine institutions or disrupt elections".

The two agencies held talks with Meta last Friday, May 2, to discuss possible ways to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and improve response timelines with regard to false content.

Meta's representative Genixon David emphasized the company has already taken down thousands of fake accounts and pages for coordinated inauthentic behavior and disinformation. Some of these even originated outside the country.

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DICT welcomed the update, saying it is "a step in the right direction".

“We’ve seen progress, and now, we’re working together to strengthen what’s already in place, with an emphasis on faster, more responsive action,” said DICT Renato Paraiso.

The agency however still expressed concerns on "delays in takedown response" that can cause public confusion.

“Speed matters, especially when misinformation can undermine institutions or disrupt elections,” Paraiso added.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda highlighted Meta's responsibility to ensure "its platforms are not used to undermine democracy".

"Slow response times are not acceptable, especially during an election period,” he said.

Aguda also mentioned that Meta should invest in "localized moderation", as regional understanding is important in content moderation.

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 “Filipino content carries cultural nuance—humor, sarcasm, regional dialects. Without deeper engagement from Meta’s moderation teams, critical context is missed, and legitimate content may be wrongly removed or harmful content can slip through,” he explained.

The DICT said major social media platforms in the country have adopted 24 to 48-hour review and take down protocols on misinformation and disinformation, coupled with communication lines during crisis period.

Meta responded saying it is checking its coordination structure.

In a release, DICT and CICC said Meta is expected to follow up with its global policy teams and look on steps to improve its responsiveness.

“We’re aligned on the goals,” said Aguda. “But we expect Meta to step up—quickly, clearly, and consistently. The safety of Filipinos in the digital space depends on it.”

In recent House Tri-Committee's fourth hearing on false content, legislators zeroed in on the accountability of social media channels over content with misinformation and disinformation. Meta, while stressing it aims to remain as "neutral platform" working with third party fact-checkers, said it takes content moderation "very seriously" by balancing between "a voice and safety."

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Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman pointed out that the Philippines does not have a law on the duty of social media platforms.