MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso wants social media companies to be held accountable for allowing their platforms as vehicles for the proliferation of false information and fake news that victimize both public figures and ordinary citizens.
According to Moreno, charges should be filed against these social media outlets who he said "have done so little to police digital media posts that are malicious and damaging to users, and at times sow confusion because of misinformation and disinformation that threaten the welfare of the general public."
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“I'll make the owners of social media companies answer for it,” Moreno, who claimed to be the target of election-related digital disinformation himself, said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday.
“No one is trying to go after them. They allow their system to become an outlet for misinformation...Even the owners of those big companies must be held accountable by the state,” Moreno said.
Moreno pointed to Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, signed by then President Benigno Aquino III addressing crimes committed against and through computer systems, as well as penal substantive rules, procedural rules and rules on international cooperation.
Facebook announced in September 2020 that it had removed over a thousand fake accounts in the Philippines due to what it described as “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”
The domestic network, which Facebook said had links to the police and the military, had 276,000 followers on Facebook and 55,000 on Instagram.
Isko says he'll attend media interviews
In a separate statement, Moreno also expressed his readiness to attend as many presidential interviews as possible to reach more people to let them know his plans and where he stands on different issues.
The Manila chief said his main focus is the vaccination drives being carried out in the capital city. He also disclosed that he has an interview scheduled with ABS-CBN's Boy Abunda this week.
“As many as possible, as long as my schedule permits. But for me, my priority is still the health of our people...if it fits in my schedule, then so be it. We must be open as much as possible,” Moreno said.
Moreno issued the statement after Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late ousted dictator, rejected his invitation to the Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews.
His camp claimed this was because Soho, an award-winning veteran broadcast journalist, was biased. When asked for their definition of biased, Marcos said: "Anti-Marcos."
Moreno said if his schedule permits, he intends to attend the presidential interviews organized by the mainstream media.
“We submit ourselves to regular interviews since we're applicants of the people after all. I think it's the people's right to really see us and hear from each candidate,” Moreno said.
"It is the right of the Filipino people to know what each and every candidate brings to the table as they seek the highest position in the land.
— Franco Luna
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