House poises contempt citation, detention of 11 vloggers

MANILA, Philippines — Former communications secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and 10 other social media personalities could be cited in contempt and detained at the House of Representatives if they continue to ignore Congress’ summons, particularly during the tri-committee’s third public hearing tomorrow to address the growing threat of disinformation and fake news online.

The committees on public order and safety, information and communications technology and public information, which make up the tri-comm, had earlier issued show-cause orders to individuals linked to the spread of misleading online content.

Despite multiple summonses, several vloggers failed to appear before the panel, prompting the committee to escalate legal measures, including the issuance of subpoenas to be served against the 11 vloggers.

Alongside Cruz-Angeles, those facing contempt citations are Aeron Peña, Sass Rogando Sasot, Elizabeth Joie Cruz, Ethel Pineda Garcia, Jeffrey Almendras Celiz, Krizette Laureta Chu, Lorraine Marie Tablang Badoy-Partosa, Mark Anthony Lopez, Mary Jean Quiambao Reyes and Richard Tesoro Mata.

“Disinformation is a national security issue. It erodes public trust, destabilizes institutions and manipulates democratic discourse. We cannot allow social media to become a free-for-all platform for deception and propaganda,” House committee on public order and safety chair and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez said in a statement.

Fernandez, the overall tri-comm chair, said that the committee is enforcing contempt citations to uphold the integrity of congressional investigations.

“Congress has the authority to summon individuals to testify on matters of public interest. Ignoring lawful orders is a direct challenge to our institution and the democratic principles we protect,” he noted.

Earlier, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead chairman of the House quad committee, said the House tri-comm inquiry on the dissemination of fake news and malicious content on social media platforms is not intended to suppress the freedom of expression or of speech.

Barbers said he and his colleagues want certain rules or best practices to govern the dissemination of information on social media.

The scheduled hearing tomorrow will also feature testimony from key government agencies, social media platforms, media organizations and civil society groups.

Officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Commission on Elections, Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, National Telecommunications Commission and the Philippine National Police have been invited to provide insight into regulatory and enforcement measures against disinformation.

Representatives from Google Philippines, Meta (Facebook) and ByteDance (TikTok) are also expected to address concerns over the role of their platforms in spreading misinformation.

The tri-comm investigating the proliferation of fake news has issued show cause orders to the Philippine offices of Facebook and TikTok for their non-attendance at the recent hearing on disinformation.

Media organizations, including the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Manila Broadcasting Co., PressOne.PH and VERA Files, will present findings on the extent of fake news proliferation.

Social media figures, including Jay Sonza, Vivian Velez, Enzo Recto and George Ahmed Paglinawan, have also been summoned to testify.