Palace sees need to prosecute fake news peddlers

IT IS time to go after the individuals who are sources of disinformation and misinformation, Malacañang said on Thursday.

In a chance interview with Palace reporters, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin lamented that the impact of fake news is becoming “very devastating,” given its alarming surge on the internet.

“It’s not only the Philippines. It’s the entire world that is suffering the brunt of the deceit that is derived from fake news. Napaka saklap. Dapat talaga maprosecute iyan (It’s very devastating. Those behind it must really be prosecuted),” Bersamin said on the sidelines of an event at Malacañan Palace in Manila.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier tapped the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to track down overseas Filipinos who are peddling false information.

The assistance was sought, as the NBI acknowledged the legal complexities of such initiative, especially in countries such as the United States where libel is treated as a civil case, not a criminal offense.

The NBI is currently investigating at least 20 people suspected of being part of an organized network propagating misinformation and disinformation, particularly targeting government officials and political personalities.

Bersamin said the Palace would let the NBI take the appropriate actions against fake news peddlers.

“‘Yung mga operations na yan (Those operations), we leave that to the people who are on the operating line. Because if we make announcements, then there is a variance from them. It’s not easy to explain. We might be contradicting each other. So, we leave that to NBI if it is going to implement a course of action like that,” he said.

The Presidential Communications Office, the government’s lead communications arm, is ramping up its campaign against fake news, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos)