House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

With the 2025 mid-term elections just four months away, the House of Representatives is set to begin on Monday, Jan. 27, an investigation on the unabated spread of fake news and disinformation online.

Tapped to carry out the probe is a new body dubbed the tri-comm to be led by overall chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez.

The tri-comm, composed of the Committees on Public Order, Public Information, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), is out to expose the people behind the massive disinformation machinery, among other things.

“Ang mga Pilipino ay may karapatan sa katotohanan. Dapat protektahan natin ang ating mga kababayan laban sa mga maling impormasyong nagdudulot ng takot, kalituhan at pagkakawatak-watak ng ating lipunan,” Fernandez said. (Filipinos have the right to the truth. We must protect our countrymen from false information that sow fear, confusion, and division in our nation.)

The briefing will bring together representatives from major social media platforms to shed light on their policies and accountability measures in combating fake news, cyberbullying and harmful content.

House lawmakers aim to scrutinize the effectiveness of these platforms in curbing disinformation and to identify legislative gaps that need to be addressed.

With the May 12 polls just around the corner, it's expected that unscrupulous content creators will step up their fake content in the name of online engagement and profit.

Fernandez stressed that those who spread lies and manipulate information for personal or political gain will be held accountable.

“Hindi natin hahayaang magpatuloy ang sistemang ito kung saan nalilinlang ang ating mga kababayan. Panahon na upang malaman natin ang mga nagpapakalat ng kasinungalingan para sa pansariling interes,” he said. (We will not allow this system of deception to persist. It's about time that we unmask those who are spreading lies for their personal interests.)

Among the key issues to be tackled in the briefing are the transparency of social media platforms in identifying and removing false information, the enforcement of accountability measures against repeat offenders such as irresponsible vloggers and influencers and the broader impact of disinformation on national security, particularly in relation to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute.

The tri-comm inquiry will also focus on the dangers fake news poses to ordinary Filipinos, especially the youth and marginalized sectors who are most vulnerable to cyberbullying and online harassment.

Congressmen are expected to push for stronger policies that will ensure social media platforms implement stricter safeguards and penalties against violators.

“Sa mga nagpapalaganap ng kasinungalingan, binabalaan namin kayo. Sisiguraduhin natin na may pananagutan ang mga nagkakalat ng fake news,” he declared. (To the spreaders of lies, let this serve as your warning. We will make sure to hold spreaders of fake news accountable.)