MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The next House Tri-Comm hearing set for Tuesday is expected to further clarify the extent and impact of the growing problem of fake news and disinformation in the country, a lawmaker said on Saturday.
鈥淎lam ko may pagdinig po sa April 8. Asahan ho natin na mas lalo pong lilinaw itong phenomenon ng fake news. Mas lalo pong lilinaw ang overall na konteksto kung bakit kailangan nating sugpuin itong disinformation,鈥� House Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list said, as quoted in a press release on Saturday.
(I know there is a hearing on April 8. Let鈥檚 expect that this phenomenon of fake news will become even clearer. The overall context of why we need to combat this disinformation will also become clearer.)
He also highlighted that combating fake news is a shared responsibility.
READ: House to cite vloggers for contempt if they skip next fake news hearing
鈥淭ungkulin ho natin lahat, lalong-lalo na kasama na ho doon ang ating mga kaibigan sa media, na talagang patatagin natin, palakasin natin ang kabuuan ng ating lipunan sa pagsugpo,鈥� he said.
(It is our duty, especially including our friends in the media, to truly strengthen and empower the entirety of our society in combating this.)
But he also expressed reservations about using the term 鈥渇ake news,鈥� pointing out that it could not be used to describe information that clearly lacks a factual basis.
鈥淎yaw ko pong gamitin ang word na fake news. Kasi sa totoo lang, dapat ang news lang na ating ituturing ay yung news na galing sa solido at totoong mga sources,鈥� Acidre said.
(I don鈥檛 want to use the term fake news. Because in truth, the news we should consider are those coming from solid and real sources.)
鈥淲e need to isolate all these purveyors of fake news or disinformation or misinformation. We need to make sure that the people are aware kung ano talaga 鈥榩ag sinabing hindi niya kayang panindigan 鈥榶ung kanyang sinabi,鈥� he added.
鈥淧ag sinabing galing lang din sa TikTok ang kanyang source. 鈥淧ag sinabing opinyon lang niya at wala siyang pakialam kung ano ang consequences ng kanyang sinasabi, eh mag-isip-isip na ho tayo,鈥� Acidre also said.
(When it鈥檚 said that the source is just from TikTok, or if it鈥檚 just someone鈥檚 opinion and they don鈥檛 care about the consequences of what they鈥檙e saying, then we should start thinking critically.)
Meanwhile, Committee on Public Accounts Chairman Joseph Stephen Paduano previously warned social media personalities who were absent from last March鈥檚 inquiry that they may be cited for contempt if they skip the upcoming hearing.
鈥淛ust to remind everyone鈥� resource persons and that includes all those resource personnel who are present in today鈥檚 hearing and maybe they鈥檙e monitoring this hearing, let me remind everyone that please don鈥檛 force us to cite you for contempt,鈥� he said in a statement last March 23.