Palace: Marcos wants 'balanced' measure in fight vs. 'fake news'

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday called for a “balanced” approach to combating fake news and digital disinformation, emphasizing that such measures should not undermine freedom of expression.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this during a press briefing following a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting, where 21 measures were approved.

“Ang sabi lamang po ng Pangulo noong nabanggit po ito ay dapat pong balansehin. Iyon po ang ating nadinig sa Pangulo, dapat balansehin nga po dahil baka po masagasaan ang freedom of expression.

(The President wants a balanced version of this bill. That’s what we heard from him: it must be balanced so it won’t affect freedom of expression.)

"Dapat mai-define mabuti kung ano po ang sinasabi nating fake news at disinformation (There is a need to clearly define what constitutes fake news and disinformation),” Castro said.

She gave assurance that the President wants to ensure that citizens’ rights are protected.

“Hindi po hahayaan ng Pangulo na masagasaan ang anumang freedom of expression/freedom of speech ng ating mga kababayan,” she added.

(The President will not allow the measure to infringe on freedom of expression or speech.)

Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III pushed for the inclusion of an anti-disinformation measure during the LEDAC meeting, warning that the unchecked spread of digital falsehoods poses a serious threat to democratic institutions, national security, and the well-being of Filipino youth.

“At this juncture, we believe it is necessary to highlight the importance of passing a law against fake news and digital disinformation. Ang fake news o digital disinformation ay matinding banta sa ating demokrasya,” Dy said in a press release.

Dy stressed the urgency of adopting a dedicated legal framework to confront what he described as an “organized and increasingly dangerous phenomenon,” warning that fake news is deliberately weaponized to erode public trust, manipulate electoral outcomes, and undermine national security.

The Speaker expressed the House of Representatives’ support for House Bill No. 2697, authored by House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos.

The bill seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework to combat fake news and digital disinformation while upholding constitutional guarantees on free expression.

The proposed measure is part of a broader legislative effort to address gaps in existing laws, including the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and provisions of the Revised Penal Code, which lawmakers say do not fully address the scale, coordination, and societal harm caused by modern digital disinformation campaigns.—MCG, GMA Integrated News