House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Despite the ongoing election campaign period and congressional recess, the so-called House tri-committee (tri-comm) has scheduled its second hearing on the spread of disinformation and fake news online on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

To be tackled are the responses to the cause orders (SCOs) issued to several social media personalities and vloggers who failed to appear during the first hearing on Feb. 4.

The Committees on Public Order and Safety, Information and Communications Technology, and Public Information have warned that non-compliance with the SCOs could result in stronger legal action, including subpoenas and contempt charges.

Among those who were issued SCOs are Atty. Glenn Chong, former Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) chief-turned-social media commentator Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Allan Troy “Sass” Rogando Sasot, Mark Anthony Lopez, Lorraine Marie Tablang Badoy-Partosa, Jeffrey Almendras Çeliz, Mary Catherine Binag, Elizabeth Joie Cruz, Elmer Jugalbot, Ernesto Abines Jr., Ethel Pineda Garcia, George Ahmed Paglinawan, Mary Jean Quiambao Reyes, Richard Tesoro Mata, Suzanne Batalla, Vivian Zapata Rodriguez, Aeron Pena, Alex Destor, Alven L. Montero, Claire Eden Contreras, Claro Ganac, Darwin Salceda, Jeffrey G. Cruz, Jonathan Morales, Julius Melanosi Maui, Kester Ramon John Balibalos Tan, Manuel Mata Jr., and others. 

Some of them including Cruz-Angeles, Cruz, Lopez, Batalla, and Pineda have responded via email

The tri-comm has indicated that further action may be taken against those who fail to comply.

A good number of the vloggers who were previously invited snubbed the Feb. 4 hearing and instead trooped to the Supreme Court (SC) to challenge the legality of the House inquiry.

Who else have been invited?

To broaden the scope of the probe, the tri-comm has summoned representatives from government agencies, major social media platforms, legal experts, and media organizations.

The agency officials expected to testify include Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Chairperson Eli Remolona Jr., Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy, and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil.

Executives from ByteDance (TikTok), Google Philippines, and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) have also been invited to provide insight into their handling of misinformation.

Legal and media professionals, including University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law Professor Joan De Venecia-Fabul, representatives from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, VERA Files President Ellen Tordesillas, and other media entities are also expected to present their views on potential regulatory measures.

The tri-comm is weighing potential policy responses to digital misinformation, including stricter accountability measures for social media influencers, improved regulation of online content, and stronger enforcement against foreign-backed disinformation campaigns.

“We have to determine whether existing laws are enough to address this growing problem or if new measures are necessary,” said tri-comm overall chairman Sta. Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez.

Fernandez reiterated that the special three-way panel isn't out to curtail Filipinos' freedom of speech.

“We are not suppressing free speech. We are investigating whether social media is being used to mislead the public, undermine institutions, or facilitate foreign disinformation,” he said.