Gov’t agencies hati ang opinyon sa panukalang kriminalisasyon ng fake news 

Gov’t agencies hati ang opinyon sa panukalang kriminalisasyon ng fake news 

February 17, 2023 @ 8:52 AM 1 month ago


MANILA, Philippines- Ilang ahensya ng gobyerno ang nagpahayag ng kanilang hindi pagsuporta sa isinusulong na panukalang batas sa Kamara na nagtatakda na i-criminizalize ang fake news.

Sa pagdinig na isinagawa ng House Committee on Information and Communications Technology sinabi ng Department of Justice-Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) na pigil sila sa pagsuporta sa ilang probisyon na nakapaloob sa House Bills No 2971,5479 at House Resolution 270 dahil hindi malinaw ang “parameters” na magkaklasipika sa isang news bilang “disinformation o misinformation.”

“Firstly, the definition of fake news lacks the proper parameters on which we can refer or cross-reference the news. It would be very dangerous, especially to our law enforcement partners,” paliwanag ni  DOJ-OOC Director Angela Marie De Gracia.

Nilinaw ni De Gracia na kaisa ng Kamara ang DOJ sa pagsasabi na laganap ang false information at may malaking pangangailangan na maitama ito. Aniya, sapat na ang Republic Act 10175 o the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 para tugunan ito.

“We would like to manifest that even in the absence of a  special amendatory bill on fake news, we have sufficient laws that can address this specific problem…if we can work out a better definition of fake news, maybe we can work on it. But as it is currently written, we cannot support it for now,” paliwanag ni De Gracia.

Gayundin ang posisyon ng Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), giit ng ahensya, walang sapat na guidelines para tukuyin kung ano ba ang fake news.

“We would like to ask what kind of speech is being targeted?… Another point is who will check the veracity of the subject information. Who’s the competent authority? There are no guidelines with regards to that,” ayon sa CICC.

Sa panig ng GMA Network Inc.  sinabi nito na maaaring magdulot ng  “chilling effect” sa news gathering at reporting ang hindi malinaw na depinisyon ng fake news.

“We welcome the intention of this House in passing a law that would possibly penalize the spread of disinformation, but we’re concerned about the possible chilling effect that it could have on the gathering of news and free discussion of matters that could be of interest to the public,” sinabi ni GMA Assistant Vice President for Litigation Legal Affairs Department Atty. Jose Vener Ibarra.

Una nang sinabi ng Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas na ang panukala para sa anti-fake news measure ay maaaring pagkitil din sa freedom of expression at sa balidong political views. Gail Mendoza