Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he supports the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) move to investigate vloggers and online trolls disseminating fake news on social media platforms.

Gatchalian said it is high time for authorities to seriously look into the impact of their actions to society as it is a “serious threat to public trust.”

“Due to increasing propensity of our people to rely on social media for information, the proliferation of fake news has increased over the years, necessitating the need for government intervention,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“I fully support the NBI’s decision to probe vloggers peddling fake news. This is a serious threat to public trust, and the NBI should not hesitate to file appropriate charges against those who deliberately cause disinformation,” he said.

The senator also urged the agency to file the appropriate charges against such fake news peddlers.

“Hindi tayo papayag na basta na lang naghahasik ng kasinungalingan at pagmamanipula ang ilang indibidwal lalo na kung ito ay nakakaapekto sa ating pagkakabuklod-buklod at pag-unlad (We will not allow some individuals to simply spread lies and manipulation, especially if it affects our unity and progress),” he said.

“Fake and malicious news that tend to polarize public opinion on certain issues should never be tolerated as they only undermine trust in democratic processes and cause divisiveness,” added the lawmaker.

Last week, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the agency is now keeping an eye on 20 vloggers who are allegedly spreading fake news online. Two of them are already facing arrest warrants. One of vlogger on the list is based in the United States.

Santiago said these vloggers can be charged with cyber libel or inciting to sedition.