PCO Sec Ruiz pushes for social media regulation to fight fake news

Newly appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz is exploring the creation of a regulatory body for social media to combat fake news.

Ruiz and PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro emphasized the need for a separate regulatory agency during a press conference on Monday, citing severe impacts of false information on individuals and organizations and urging Congress to pass relevant legislation.

Castro highlighted that the proposed body would hold vloggers and other online personalities accountable for their content, while also addressing troll armies operating via dummy accounts.

The House Bill No. 1177 seeks to impose jail terms and fines for those operating online troll farms and aims to create a task force dedicated to investigating and prosecuting them.

Social media companies would face penalties if they fail to remove deceptive content within a day, according to the bill, which also protects whistleblowers under the 2021 Whistleblower Protection Law.