Rufus Rodriguez files bill to criminalize spread of false information
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez
MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has filed a bill criminalizing the spread of false information, especially those that threaten public order or national security.
Rodriguez recognized that, by filing House Bill No. 11506, the right to freedom of speech, press, and expression is protected, as it is enshrined under Section 4, Article III of the 1987 Constitution.
However, Rodriguez noted that the rights are not absolute under a Supreme Court ruling, emphasizing that “[c]ertain categories of speech – such as obscenity, defamation, incitement to violence, false advertising, and speech that poses a clear and present danger to public order or national security – are not entitled to constitutional protection.”
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The lawmaker underscored that as the bill criminalizes false information that puts public order and national security at risk, it is crafted to “withstand constitutional scrutiny by defining fake news [precisely] requiring proof of both malicious intent and actual or probable public harm.”
He also said that existing measures such as the Revised Penal Code and Cybercrime Prevention Act are not enough to address the impact of the dissemination of malicious information, particularly in the digital spaces, throughout the years.
“These falsehoods, often disseminated at scale through social media or synthetic content like deepfakes, have the power to incite confusion, manipulate public perception, and provoke civil disorder,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
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Under the bill, the following acts are prohibited:
- Malicious publication or dissemination, on any platform, including print, broadcast, digital, and social media, any false information or disinformation
- Dissemination of false information that triggers violence, promotes hate speech, discredits democratic institutions, and causes public panic
- Operating troll farms, bot networks that aim to spread false information
- Using social media platforms to engage in hate, violence, and the promotion of hate speech
Any person who will be found guilty of the prohibited acts will face imprisonment of six years to 12 years and a fine of P500,000 to P2 million.
The House of Representatives is set to resume its session on Monday before it adjourns the 19th Congress in two weeks./mr
