LIVESTREAM: House holds third hearing on ‘fake news,’ first after Duterte arrest
Bookmark this page for the livestream of the hearing on Friday, March 21, at 10 am
MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives conducts on Friday, March 21, its third hearing on the proliferation of disinformation online.
The so-called tri-committee, composed of the panels on public order and safety, information and communications technology, and public information, is expecting the appearance of vloggers and content creators mostly associated with the Dutertes. Failure to show up may result in a contempt citation and subsequent detention at the Batasang Pambansa.
Among those who have already missed previous hearings and are required to show up on Friday are:
- former Presidential Communications Office secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles
- former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Lorraine Badoy
- former NTF-ELCAC staff member Jeffrey Celiz
- Aeron Peña
- Sass Sasot
- Elizabeth Joie Cruz
- Dr. Ethel Pineda Garcia
- Krizette Laureta Chu
- Mark Anthony Lopez
- Mary Jean Quiambao Reyes
- Richard Tesoro Mata
Some of the vloggers invited by the House already went to the Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the congressional hearing.
The timing of Friday’s probe is interesting, as it comes more than a week after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte over an International Criminal Court warrant. Watchdogs have noticed an uptick in misleading and false content online since then, with posts sympathetic of the Dutertes framing the patriarch’s arrest as kidnapping, and targeting the ICC and the Supreme Court.
Friday’s hearing, according to a House press release, will feature testimonies from civil society groups; social media platforms Google, Meta, and Tiktok; and various government agencies. – Rappler.com