Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo "Jil" Bongalon (Dexter Barro II/MANILA BULLETIN)

House Assistant Majority Leader Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon is calling for stronger media literacy among Filipinos, especially among the youth, in order to help them distinguish credible information from viral disinformation.

“Kapag mahina ang media literacy, mas madaling kumalat ang maling balita (Poor media literacy means the wrong news can spread easily). We need to empower our citizens to verify first, share later,” Bongalon said over the weekend.

The context of the House leader's appeal is the apparent surge of online misinformation that distorts public perception, particularly on the matter of peace and order. 

So strong is this surge according to Bongalon that it has overshadowed the significant drop in major crimes across the country as recently reported by Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil.

“Ang epekto nito ay hindi lang takot kundi pagkawalang-tiwala sa mga institusyong araw-araw na nagtatrabaho para sa ating seguridad (This will lead to not only fear but a loss of trust in the institutions that work everyday for our security),” Bongalon said.

The Bicolano underscored that fake news "is a crime in itself" and that it "steals peace of mind and sows unnecessary fear".

“Let’s be clear: crime is going down. The data is there,” Bongalon said.

“Ang daming nagbabahagi ng videos o kwento na walang buong konteksto. Nangyayari sa ibang bansa, ipapakalat na parang dito nangyari. Ito ang nagpapalaki sa takot ng mga tao, kahit hindi naman ito tugma sa totoong sitwasyon,” said the member of the House “Young Guns” bloc.

(A lot of people share videos or stories without the full context. Events from abroad are being spread like they happened here. This heightens public fear, even if it's far from the true situation.)

As the police continue their crime prevention efforts, Bongalon urged the media to do its part by providing context, accuracy, and balance—not just sensationalism.

“As Gen. Marbil rightly pointed out, public safety is not just about statistics—it’s about how people feel. At kung gusto nating mapanatili ang tiwala at kapayapaan, kailangang sabay tayong kumilos laban sa takot at kasinungalingan (And if we want to maintain public trust and peace, we must act both against fear and the spread of lies),” Bongalon said.