IGINIIT ng mga mambabatas ang pangangailangan na balansehin ang regulasyon sa mga social media content upang hindi maapakan ang karapatan sa malayang pagpapahayag.

Ito ang sinabi ng mga mambabatas bilang tugon sa tanong kaugnay ng hiling ng Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcaster ng Pilipinas sa Kongreso na i-regulate ang social media content upang mapigilan ang pagkalat ng fake news.

“I think it is a very delicate balancing act of ensuring regulation and the freedom of expression and the freedom of information,” sabi ni House Deputy Majority Leader at Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre.

Sa halip na i-regulate, iminungkahi ni Acidre na maglagay na lamang ng mga safeguard upang mapigilan ang pagkalat ng mga maling impormasyon gaya ng pagkakaroon ng verification process upang matiyak ang pagkakakilanlan ng nag-post.

“In most cases, cybercrime, cyber libel or any of these, they thrive because of anonymity, kasi hindi sila kilala,” paliwanag ni Acidre.

“Kailangan din natin papanagutin, there are already existing laws in relation to cyber libel. I think it’s good to enforce the law especially in instances when the pronouncements made are already bordering on what the law prohibits,” dagdag pa nito.

Sinabi ni Acidre na kailangan ding mamuhunan ng gobyerno sa digital citizenship upang maipaalam sa mga user ang responsableng paggamit ng social media.

“Social media is only as strong, is only as discerning as the users, na they are trained, they are capable of discerning whether totoo nga ‘yun nandiyan sa social media or hindi,” saad pa nito.

“Kasi sa totoo lang, the fact that some people can speak freely or express their opinions freely on social media is an indicator that there is freedom of expression in the country,” wika pa ni Acidre. “But that freedom is not absolute, and we have enough laws.”

Tinitimbang din ni Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario ang pangangailangan na i-regulate ang social media content at nagbabala sa posibleng paglabag sa freedom of information at speech kung gagawin ito.

“This is not a new request,” ani Almario. “Many governments and entities worldwide have attempted to regulate social media, but it raises the question: How far are you willing to regulate freedom of information and freedom of speech?”

Iginiit naman ni Almario ang kahalagahan ng pagberepika sa mga impormasyon lalo at dumarami ang mga fakes news at deep fakes.

Sinabi ng kongresista na maaaring gawing modelo ang SIM Card Registration Act sa paggawa ng regulasyon upang matukoy kung sino ang nagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon.

“Maybe one of the good ways to move forward is to have verified accounts on social media,” mungkahi ni Almario.

“This may require cooperation from various national agencies such as the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), cyber security agencies, and CICC (Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center) to authenticate social media users,” saad pa nito.

“We cannot discount the freedom of information that is a constitutional right of any Filipino person,” babala ng kongresista.

Para naman kay Lanao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo dapat ay mabalanse ang karapatan ng malayang pamamahayag at ang kaligtasan ng publiko.

“That’s a topic that I hope will be treated urgently and seriously in this Congress, at least have the discussion about it,” saad ni Dimaporo. “On my part, I would like to see how Congress would delineate the line between free speech and public safety.”

Sinabi ni Dimaporo na mayroong panganib sa publiko ang pagkalat ng maling impormasyon.

“Free speech or disinformation or fake news can be bad for the general public if it causes fear,” sabi pa ng kinatawan mula sa Lanao del Norte na nakaranas ng pagkalat ng fake news sa kanilang lugar.

Maaari umanong gamitin ang social media upang magtanim ng takot sa pubiko.

Kamakailan ay nanawagan ang Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc. (KSMBPI) sa Kongreso na magpasa ng batas upang ma-regulate ang social media content.

Habang wala pang batas, hiniling ng KSMBPI kay Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin na maglabas ng executive order na bubuo sa isang “national social media regulatory board.”