The House of Representatives granted final approval to the measure designed to curb organized disinformation, troll farm operations and other malicious falsehoods online, and at the same time protect freedom of expression.

Passed on third and final reading in plenary before the House adjourned sine die on Wednesday night, June 3 was House Bill (HB) No. 9465, or the proposed Digital Media Anti-False Information Act.

The nominal vote result, 286-3-7 (yes-no-abstain), showed that the Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III-led House overwhelmingly favored the approval of the bill.

HB No. 9465, listed as a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measure, was earlier sponsored by House Committee on Public Information Chairman Cagayan de Oro 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan.

Speaker Dy said the bill responds to the growing threat posed by deliberate disinformation campaigns that undermine public trust, distort public discourse and threaten democratic institutions.

“Disinformation has evolved into a powerful weapon capable of misleading communities, destroying reputations, disrupting democratic processes and threatening national security. Government cannot simply stand by while malicious actors exploit digital platforms to spread deliberate falsehoods and cause real harm,” Dy said.

The bill imposes penalties of six to 12 years imprisonment and fines ranging from P500,000 to P2 million on persons found guilty of knowingly and willfully spreading false information with intent to cause verifiable public harm or threaten national security.

It targets coordinated troll farms, bot networks, fake account syndicates and foreign-backed influence operations designed to manipulate public discourse and deceive the public.

The measure also covers artificial intelligence-generated or manipulated images, videos and audio released without proper disclosure and intended to mislead the public.

Dy stressed that the proposal was carefully crafted to protect constitutional freedoms.

“It does not punish criticism, dissent, political opposition, journalism or honest mistakes. What it targets are deliberate and coordinated efforts to deceive the public and inflict harm,” explained the Speaker from the 6th Isabela of Isabela.

Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos is a principal author of Digital Media Anti-False Information Act.

In justifying the HB No. 9465, Marcos said fake news must never be used as a weapon to deceive, destroy, or sow fear and disorder.

"Kasabay ng pagprotekta sa freedom of expression ay ang pagtitiyak na may pananagutan ang mga sadyang nagpapakalat ng mapanirang kasinungalingan," he said.

(Alongside protecting freedom of expression is the assurance that those who deliberately spread destructive lies are held responsible.)

The bill expressly protects political opinions, criticism of government, criticism of public officials or candidates, satire, journalistic inquiry, investigative reporting, editorial judgment, whistleblowing, public interest advocacy, commentary, opinion, academic discourse, artistic expression and religious expression.

The bill sets a high threshold for criminal liability and expressly protects political opinions, criticism of government and public officials, satire, journalism, whistleblowing, academic discourse, artistic expression and religious expression.

It also makes clear that merely liking, sharing, forwarding or reposting content is not punishable unless prosecutors prove beyond reasonable doubt that a person knowingly and materially participated in prohibited disinformation activities.

The measure further requires digital platforms operating in the Philippines to establish a legal presence in the country and comply with transparency, disclosure and user protection standards.

It also strengthens media and digital literacy education through the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) while directing government agencies to improve public access to information and promptly correct inaccurate public statements.

Digital platforms operating in the Philippines will be required to establish a legal entity or permanent representative office in the country, where they may be served summons, notices and other official communications by competent Philippine authorities.

Platforms must also disclose sponsored content, political advertisements and paid campaigns, submit annual transparency reports, maintain notice-and-action mechanisms for unlawful content, provide explanations for restrictions or takedowns and give users access to appeal and redress systems.