House Tri-Comm investigating disinformation and fake news. Screen grab from House of Representatives hearing

MANILA, Philippines – The House Tri-Committee looking into legislating regulations on disinformation on social media platforms amid spread of disinformation has issued show cause orders to vloggers and social media personalities who skipped its first hearing on Tuesday, February 4. 

During its hearing, 41 vloggers and content creators were invited to discuss establishment of regulations and a code of ethics for posting content on social media. 

However only three out of the 41 were present including political strategist Malou Tiquia previously fact-checked for claiming that the P 51 billion allocation sought by Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte was not included in the General Appropriations Act for 2020 to 2022.

Majority gave excuse letters justifying their absence while others offered no excuse at all. Other excuses were deemed valid like travel out of the country. Excuses like beliefs that attending the hearing is violative of the Constitution and a curtailment of right to expression were considered invalid to the issuance of a show cause order.  

A show cause order demands resource persons to justify why they should not be sanctioned. 

Among those ordered to explain were: 

• Elizabeth Joie Cruz, known as Joie De Vivre
• Ernesto Abines Jr., known as Jun Abines
• Mark Anthony Lopez
• Trixie Cruz-Angeles, former Malacañang press secretary and now social media strategist 
• Richard Mata
• Aaron Peña, known as Old School Pinoy
• Krizette Lauretta Chu

Some of the personalities invited denied spreading disinformation much less having been funded by offshore scam hubs. 

Several resource persons were openly supportive of the Duterte family. 

Marcoleta looks for mainstream media 

SAGIP party-list representative Rodante Marcoleta looked for the presence of mainstream media particularly the Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star. 

The committee secretary said the two broadsheets weren’t invited but other mainstream entities such as the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas were present in the probe. 

Marcoleta looked for the two in particular for supposedly having been “victimized” by the two top newspapers. 

“I am personally victimized by these two popular newspapers, broadsheets. May I cite a particular example just to dramatize?” Marcoleta said. 

Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano moved to invite the two broadsheets in the next hearing, a motion approved by the committee.