Any social media platform that fails to shield Filipinos from violent content and disinformation could face removal from the country, Malacañang indicated this week, framing the matter as one of accountability rather than censorship.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro laid out the administration’s position at a Tuesday press briefing, responding to questions about whether the government backed calls to ban Facebook. The issue gained traction after the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center confirmed it was reviewing proposals targeting Facebook or its parent company Meta.
According to Castro, the President’s willingness to act extends across the digital landscape. “When it comes to everything — possible gaming apps, everything that can be said to harm our youth and our country — the President is open to removing all of it,” she said in Filipino.
That openness, she clarified, hinges on evidence and on how platforms respond to government appeals. “If any social media platform lacks accountability and our requests to protect our citizens against violence and fake news seem to be ignored, or if their response is slow, then it is worth considering and studying whether they should remain a part of our system,” Castro said.
The scrutiny of Meta follows a fatal shooting at a junior high school in Zamboanga, where two students were killed in an incident authorities have connected to social media use. Castro noted the administration wants to examine not only the violent material circulating online but also the role such platforms may play in spreading falsehoods.
“If necessary and if that is what the studies show. Because not only are we seeing violence on various types of social platforms and social media, we also need to study whether this contributes to the spread of fake news in our country,” she said.
Castro drew a firm line between disinformation and protected speech, insisting that any restriction would not touch the public’s right to criticize or express opinions. Under the current administration, she argued, dissent remains welcome. “Critics are not barred from speaking out, especially now under the administration of President Marcos Jr. What we cannot accept, and what the President especially cannot tolerate, is the spread of fake news,” she said.
For Castro, the stakes reach beyond policy debates and into the nation’s trajectory. “Because if fake news prevails and we end up living in a world of fake news, what will happen to the future of our youth and the future of our country itself if we live on nothing but lies?” she said.
