Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz warned that online disinformation, misinformation, and fake news are dividing the nation.
“What is happening to us right now is we are being polarized, being divided online. Filipinos are being pitted against Filipinos,” Ruiz told the House Tri-Committee hearing on malicious and fake online content.
He compared the current division in the Philippines to the discord seen in the United States.
The PCO chief supported the Tri-Comm’s inquiry into fake news and proposed a collaboration between the PCO, Department of Justice (DOJ), and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to combat disinformation.
“Lies, repeated a thousand times, becomes the truth. We have to fight lies with truth. The voice of truth should be louder than lies,” he said.
Ruiz warned of the risks of division caused by fake news and raised concerns about the dangers of deepfakes. The PCO has received complaints from overseas Filipino workers targeted by deepfake scams using celebrities.
He also called for better online content moderation and regulation of social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. However, he noted that these platforms are not based in the Philippines.IMT
