House conducts fourth hearing on ‘fake news’

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives holds on Tuesday, April 8, its fourth day of inquiry into the proliferation of disinformation online.

Here’s what to expect:

• Blogger and former broadcaster Jay Sonza has been invited by the tri-committee.
• A standing subpoena remains in effect against former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict officials Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celis. They skipped the March 21 hearing, essentially violating the subpoena, and were already due for a contempt citation, but the tri-committee held off on issuing the penalty.
• House tri-committee co-chair Dan Fernandez said the panel has again sought the attendance of subpoenaed pro-Duterte bloggers Krizette Laureta Chu, Mark Lopez, and Mary Jane Quiambao Reyes, and former press secretary Trixie-Cruz Angeles. All of them showed up the last time, and were grilled by lawmakers for supposedly publishing false or misleading content online. Some of the cornered bloggers issued apologies.
• Representatives from tech giants Facebook, TikTok, and Google are also expected to appear before the committee.

The first hearing was held on February 8, the second on February 19, and the third on March 21.

The inquiry stemmed from privilege speeches delivered by Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Ace Barbers regarding online attacks from “trolls and malicious vloggers,” and Chinese propaganda on the West Philippine Sea.

Some watchdogs see the hearings as a double-edged sword, one that blurs the line between holding disinformation peddlers to account and policing what people can say online.

Bookmark this page to watch the livestream of the hearing at 10 am on Wednesday, April 8. – Rappler.com