MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives begins on Tuesday, February 4, its investigation into the spread of online disinformation in the Philippines.
Taking off from the online success of the quad and quinta committees, the House formed a tri committee — composed of the panels on public order, public information, and information and communications technology — to lead the inquiry.
Around 40 resource persons invited to attend Tuesday’s hearing are vloggers with a considerable level of clout online, many of whom are known supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
They include former broadcaster Jay Sonza, bloggers Sass Rogando Sasot, Mark Anthony Lopez, Lord Byron Cristobal (Banat By), and Krizette Lauretta Chu, actress-turned-blogger Vivian Zapata Rodriguez (Vivian Velez), former press secretary-turned-blogger Trixie Cruz-Angeles, and red-tagger Lorraine Marie Tablang Badoy-Partosa.
The mega panel also invited representatives from tech giants Google, Meta (Facebook), and ByteDance (TikTok), and concerned government agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, and the Department of Justice.
Bookmark this page to watch the livestream of the hearing at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 4. – Rappler.com