Pro-Duterte personalities snub House hearing on ‘fake news’ spread
MANILA, Philippines – Personalities known for their unwavering support of former president Rodrigo Duterte skipped the first public hearing of the House of Representatives on the spread of online disinformation.
Among those who skipped the inquiry on Tuesday, February 4, despite the invitation sent by the House were former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict officials Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celis, former press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, actress Vivian Velez, former broadcaster Jay Sonza, and bloggers Sass Sasot, Jun Abines, Mark Anthony Lopez, Lord Byron Cristobal (Banat By), and Krizette Chu.
An earlier press release by the House said a total of 40 social media personalities were invited by the so-called tri committee, composed of the panels on public order, public information, and ICT.
Some of the invited resource persons submitted excuse letters to justify their absence.
“I respectfully decline this invitation as I question the legality of the inquiry as well as the proposed legislation for being violative of the constitutional guarantee of free speech,” Angeles said in the letter read by tri committee co-chairperson Dan Fernandez.
Despite the excuses, the committee did not relent, approving motions to issue a show-cause order against them. This means that they will be cited in contempt and ordered arrested should they fail to attend the next scheduled hearing.
The following people who were slapped with show-cause orders are:
- Angeles
- Abines
- Chu
- Lopez
- Elizabeth Joie Cruz (Joie De Vivre)
- Dr. Richard Tesoro Mata (Dr. Richard and Erika Mata)
- Aaron Peña (Old School Pinoy)
- Suzanne Batalla (IamShanwein)
- Ethel Garcia
In social media posts ahead of the hearing, some of the personalities named by the House in their press release such as Badoy, and vloggers MJ Reyes and Alex Destor (Tio Moreno) said they did not receive any formal notice from the House.
Lawmakers say Tuesday’s hearing seeks to identify gaps in legislation to counter the spread of disinformation.
“A bigger problem are the trolls who deliberately spread fake news. The disinformation they disseminate can be considered the weaponization of social media when it leads to violence or sows division within our society,” Representative Fernandez said.
It is notable though that the investigation comes after the congressmen allied with the Marcos Jr. administration became the targets of pro-Duterte influencers.
Duterte-era presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press release later on Tuesday that the vloggers invited by the House went to the Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the House hearing.
The petition for certiorari and prohibition, as per Roque, argued that the inquiry “creates a chilling effect on the exercise of constitutional freedoms.”
“This latest action is part of the political witch hunt to silence the Dutertes and their outspoken allies. The real intent is to muzzle the free speech of these modern-day truth-tellers,” Roque said.
The vloggers who filed the petition include Badoy, Angeles, Lopez, Abines, Garcia, Chu, Cruz, Peña, Jonathan Morales, Nelson Guzmanos, Suzanne Batalla, Kester John Tan, and George Ahmed Paglinawan. – Rappler.com