Lawmakers threatened on Friday, March 21, 2025, a blogger with contempt after he claimed during a House hearing that Philippine forces use water cannons the same way Chinese vessels did in the West Philippine Sea. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers threatened on Friday a blogger with contempt after he claimed during a House hearing that Philippine forces conduct water cannon attacks like what China’s vessels did in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In the end, blogger Mark Lopez apologized to the House tri-committee holding an inquiry into fake news in social media for making that statement.
This all started after Deputy Speaker David Suarez asked Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela at the hearing if he had been on the receiving end of social media attacks due to his ardent defense of the country’s territories.
When Tarriela said one of the bloggers who attacked him was present — Lopez — Suarez asked the latter several questions related to the territorial dispute over the WPS, such as the incident when PCG vessels were being water-cannoned by Chinese Coast Guard ships.
“Kunyari, no’ng tinitira ng water cannons masakit sa akin ‘yon. ‘Pag binabangga ‘yong mga Coast Guard vessels natin ng mga dambuhalang Chinese vessels masakit sa akin ‘yon,” Suarez told Lopez.
(For example, we are being attacked by water cannons; that’s painful to me. If our Coast Guard vessels get hit by the vast Chinese vessels, that’s painful.)
“Masakit po ‘yon ‘pag ginagawa ng (ibang bansa at) Malaysia, pero ‘yon po ang nature ng base sa South China Sea eh. Tayo rin po sir, tayo rin po nagwo-water cannon Mr. Chair,” Lopez replied.
(That’s painful if done by other countries like Malaysia, but that’s the nature of the base at the South China Sea. We, sir, also do water cannon attacks.)
Lopez’s statements prompted Suarez, committee presiding officer and Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel, and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano to demand that the blogger clarify his statements.
“Mr. Lopez may I ask, where did you get that information, because from what I know, I haven’t heard of any news that the Philippines water cannoned China,” Pimentel said.
“That’s fake news Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman that’s fake news,” Suarez said.
“Yes, that is why, just a point of clarification, you mentioned earlier that the Pilipinas water cannoned China. May we know where did you get that information, was it in the news?” Pimentel asked.
“Mr. Chair, I did not know anything about water cannon attacks against China,” Lopez replied.
Paduano said that while it is true that Lopez did not mention anything about water cannon attacks against China, the blogger said something about the Philippines doing water cannon attacks — which the lawmaker said were spoken in the context of WPS discussions.
“He talked about water cannons only, but Mr. Lopez listened closely because the issue as of now is the West Philippines Sea, the problem with China. Now when DS Suarez mentioned the water cannons, you replied by saying that we were also doing water cannon attacks. Where did that come from? Because we are talking about the West Philippines Sea,” Paduano said.
“Now, you are correct that you did not say anything about water cannon attacks against China but we are talking about the West Philippines Sea. Now, what is that water cannon attack you are speaking of?” he asked.
“Mr. Chair I premised my statement because I have been saying that the South China Sea issue is a complex issue,” Lopez replied.
But Paduano warned Lopez not to evade his question or he will be cited for contempt for lying.
“Wait please answer my question, what do you mean that the Philippines is using water cannons […] Do not be evasive, I warn you, you’re under oath, answer me as to where (did) you refer to that water cannon (statement),” Paduano said.
“Mr. Chair, I did not say anything about the Philippines doing water cannons against an opposing state,” Lopez said.
“Wait but we’re talking about the West Philippines Sea, this will be your last warning or else I will cite you in contempt. This is your last warning, you’re under oath, eh what do you mean that the Philippines is using water cannons,” Paduano noted.
“Mr. Chair, what I said is that the Philippines can do water cannon attacks also,” Lopez reiterated.
Suarez said since the meeting is on record, House stenographers can be asked to check the transcript of the meeting to confirm if Lopez really meant that the Philippines had done water cannon attacks.
In the end, Lopez admitted to spreading ‘fake news.’ Suarez on the other hand said such statements are “absolutely reckless.”
“Mr. Chair I will apologize, I am wrong, I am spreading fake news. What I am saying is that we can do the water cannon regarding the South China Sea issue. I am spreading fake news,” Lopez said.
“What you said nag-water cannon, Mr. Chair, if you want we can ask the secretariat to refer to our stenographers in the back to the statements issued by Mr. Lopez regarding that issue. So we have never taken, I don’t think, that’s reckless, absolutely reckless,” Suarez countered.
Lopez is one of the bloggers invited by the tri-committee to the hearing, which seeks to look into the spread of disinformation online after several resolutions were filed and different privileged speeches about the issue were delivered.
The tri-committee is composed of the House committee on public order and safety, the committee on public information, and the committee on information and communication technology.
Aside from Lopez, other vloggers and social media personalities — including former Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles — appeared before the tri-committee after they skipped the first two hearings. The other social media personalities at the hearing were Elizabeth Joie Cruz, MJ Quiambao-Reyes, Krizette Laureta Chu, Dr. Richard Mata, Dr. Ethel Pineda Garcia, and Aeron Peña.
READ: 40 socmed users, platform reps invited to House fake news probe
Filipinos have long been considered to be one of the, if not, the most — prevalent social media and internet users across the globe.
However, heavy social media use also means that Filipinos are susceptible to misinformation and disinformation, with lawmakers urging last year the public to exercise discretion amid the spread of videos where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s voice is being mimicked to announce that the Philippines is getting ready for war against China.
READ: ‘Deepfake’:PCO disowns clip of Marcos ‘attack order’ vs China
The Presidential Communications Office has already disowned the video, saying that the video was made to sound like the President — stressing that Marcos has not made such an order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.