By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Friday said it would create an inter-agency task force to combat online misinformation and disinformation, especially on social media.
PCO Sec. Jay Ruiz said they are working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), and the Department of Justice to form a framework to compel social media platforms to fight disinformation.
“I hope this forum will be done on a regular basis so that we can work together. Kasi when you say you’re running different horses o iba-iba ang sagwan natin ay walang mangyayari,” Ruiz said at “The War on Truth: A Consultative Forum,” coinciding with the launch of the Joint Anti-Fake News Action Committee (JAFNAC) of the PNP at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
He said fake news is a national security concern.
“Pero sa pagkakaisa ng bawat ahensiya ng gobyerno tungo sa paglaban sa fake news, sigurado po may mangyayari kasi this is the clear and present danger we have now to address,” Ruiz said.
“It is not the question of freedom of speech; ngayon po ay national security concern na po itong fake news,” he added.
The PCO chief said social media platforms can be compelled to take down materials that generate and spread wrong and malicious information.
This includes the creation of a regulatory body for social media, similar to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board which regulates the entertainment industry.
“Papaano kung ’yong pinakalat mong information, nagdulot na ng matinding kasamaan sa lipunan? Hindi ba puwedeng tawagin na itong mga cyber-terrorist? It’s a perception game. So, we have to win that perception. We have to have that legal basis na, kapag sinabing fake ’yan, agad susunod ’yong mga platforms,” he stressed.
For his part, PNP Chief PGEN. Rommel Francisco Marbil “declared war” against the spread of fake news as he officially launched the police’s JAFNAC.
Marbil said the JAFNAC, led by PNP Deputy Chief for Operations PLTGEN. Robert Rodriguez, is working with the ACG for a focused and thorough probe to identify and hold accountable those responsible for spreading baseless and malicious information.
The agencies included in the task force are the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation, the PCO, the Philippine Information Agency, the DICT, the National Youth Commission, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and the PNP Press Corps.
“We want to stop lahat ang nagpapa-spread ng fake news. This is a war we must fight and win not with weapons but with vigilance, individual responsibility and collective will because in defending truth, we defend what is right. In protecting truth, we protect our people,” Marbil said.
“If we allow this (disinformation) to persist, we will wake up to a nation where lies travel faster than facts, where distrust overtakes unity, and where good is thrown in noise. That is why today we declare war not against people but against lies,” he added.
After the forum, Marbil, Ruiz, and representatives of various government agencies signed the pledge of commitment for a whole-of-government approach anchored on legal offensive, technological innovation, and public education in the fight against fake news.
Marbil reaffirmed the PNP’s commitment to defend the truth, not by silencing voices but by safeguarding freedom of expression from abuse.
“We are not curbing freedom of speech. We are protecting it from lies,” he said. “The right to speak must never be mistaken as the right to lie or deceive.”
