House defers PCOO budget over fake news, red-tagging concerns

The House of Representatives on Thursday deferred the deliberation on the Presidential Communications Operations Office's (PCOO) proposed 2022 budget after a lawmaker raised concerns that its funds could be used to spread disinformation.

Gabriela party-list Representative Arlene Brosas expressed the concern that the budget being proposed by the PCOO would only be used to spread fake news and to red-tag certain individuals.

She also questioned PCOO about the more than 300 contract of service (COS) personnel it hired last year. The PCOO previously reasoned that the hiring was “due to the exigency of the need to hire additional personnel in order to augment the lack of manpower of the agency.”

"Maaaring gastusin na naman ito ng PCOO sa COS hired personnel na hindi natin alam kung nag-e-exist ba talaga and specifically po, mayroon pang pinapatayong Visayas Media Hub. Nangangamba po kami sa usapin na ito dahil bakit sa panahon ng pandemya, ito ang inaasikaso ng PCOO?" Brosas said.

"Walang kasiguraduhan na ang budget na hinihingi ng PCOO mula sa kaban ng bayan ay hindi ilalaan sa pagpapakalat ng fake news at red-tagging," she added.

The PCOO has a proposed budget of P2.089 billion, including the budgetary support from two attached GOCCs.

Brosas then moved to defer the budget, which the chamber approved. She stressed that it could also be utilized to support President Rodrigo Duterte in the next elections. Duterte had said he will run for vice president under the PDP-Laban.

"From spreading fake news to hiring suspected internet trolls, we are afraid that this budget will only be used to spread misinformation to favor Duterte in the upcoming 2022 national elections. With that, I move to defer the budget of PCOO," Brosas said. — BM, GMA News