House committee cites Rogando Sasot, Badoy, Celiz in contempt

A House mega committee investigating online disinformation cited social media personalities Sass Rogando Sasot, Lorraine Badoy, and Jeffrey Celiz in contempt on Tuesday, April 8 for their repeated refusal to attend hearings despite being subpoenaed.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel noted that only eight out of the eleven personalities subpoenaed appeared at the committee's fourth hearing.

The committee also directed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Bureau of Immigration to verify Sasot’s status in Beijing and Celiz’s travel records, as both are believed to have left the country without attending any hearings.

Badoy submitted a letter with her travel schedule indicating she is currently in Hong Kong but was still cited for contempt by Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano for failing to comply with the subpoena.

Lawmakers France Castro and Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas urged Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to take greater responsibility for false content on their platform during a recent hearing.

The lawmakers highlighted that Meta profits from sensationalized content and should implement stronger mechanisms to combat misinformation.

House panel members also called for legislation to hold social media platforms accountable for disinformation and false content.