Asking for the whereabouts of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. might be defined as a national threat, neophyte Senator Robin Padilla said.
Last month, the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trended on Twitter where rumors about Marcos departing for Japan amid the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng became viral.
Padilla said that Marcos was with him in Cotabato during that time.
“Papaano ‘yun, wala ba kayong hakbang dun, Ma’am, sa mga fake news? Kasi lagi kong inaabangan kung ano ang sasabihin ng Office of the President kasi kasama ko si Presidente, nandun kami sa Cotabato noong panahon na ‘yun na ang tsinitsismis nasaan ang Pangulo,” the senator asked during Monday’s Senate hearing on fake news.
“Eh sana tinanong ‘nyo ako kasi kasama ko. Wala po ba kayong hakbang dun? Katulad ng sinabi ng NBI, para sa akin national issue ‘yun.”
Padilla, who also chairs the Senate committee on public information and mass media, was not satisfied with the Office of the Press Secretary’s movements.
“Anong pwede nating gawin? Sinong pwedeng magreklamo dun kasi para sa akin national threat ‘yung ganun eh. Tinatanong mo kung nasaan ‘yung Presidente,” Padilla said.
Padilla added that typhoon victims thought that the president had abandoned them because of fake news.
“Bakit walang aksyong legal galing sa ating gobyerno doon sa nagpakalat ng balita na ‘yun samantalang ‘yung balita na ‘yun, naapektuhan lahat ng nasa BARMM dahil ang akala nila, pinabayaan sila ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas,” the senator shared.
The issue was brought up after Efren Abantao of the NBI Cyber Crime Division said during the hearing that the Revised Penal Code (RPC) already addresses the problem of fake news.
Abantao said Section 154 of the RPC penalizes the spread of false news that endangers public order or causes damage to the interest of the state.
The NBI official, however, admitted that Section 154 of the RPC is limited and that defining what misinformation and disinformation and providing penalties for violators would help improve the law.
— Ronald Espartinez