Troll farms, vloggers now on Congress’ crosshairs

The House of Representatives has formed a tri-committee to investigate troll farms and disinformation peddlers allegedly maligning and spreading malicious false content against the Quad Committee probing the Duterte administration’s drug war and the criminal activities linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

In an interview on Sunday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, the lead chair of the Quad Committee, said the tri-committee was established as early as December, before Congress went on a holiday break.

“There needs to be a regulatory framework so these vloggers stop abusing their free speech. These vloggers have done nothing but defame members of the quad committee,” Barbers stated in Filipino.

Members of the Quad Committee filed a resolution last month to investigate the proliferation of “false and malicious content” targeting them.

Barbers and Quad Committee co-chair Dan Fernandez of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, suspect that troll farms are being financed by a POGO boss to attack, discredit, and undermine the panel’s ongoing probe into the illegal industry.

Fernandez previously alleged that the funds for these troll farms came from POGO firms’ proceeds, purportedly linked to Duterte’s former economic adviser, Michael Yang. Yang’s name continues to surface in both House and Senate investigations.

Yang has been tied to various criminal activities, including illegal drug trafficking and POGOs. He is also reportedly one of the incorporators of Empire 999 Realty Corporation, which owns the warehouse in Mexico, Pampanga, where P3.5 billion worth of shabu was seized in September last year.

The trolls, lawmakers said, not only attack panel members but also intimidate and discourage witnesses exposing the links between illegal drugs and corruption.

Barbers claimed that since the investigation began in August last year, he and his family have been targeted by cyberbullying, with false accusations labeling him a high-value drug lord and alleging his relatives’ involvement in narcotics operations.

While acknowledging that criticism is part of his duty, Barbers emphasized that freedom of speech is not absolute.

“No less than the Supreme Court has ruled that there is a limitation: as long as a statement does not have malicious intent, it is not libelous. But when it goes overboard and indicates malice, then we have a responsibility to the law. Vloggers should be enlightened on that,” he said.

Barbers explained that the tri-committee, composed of three House committees, will streamline efforts, saving government resources and time.

Earlier, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) warned that it is ready to file criminal cases against vloggers inciting sedition or causing excessive defamation without basis.

Public officials subjected to defamatory attacks are encouraged to file cyber libel complaints against these vloggers, the NBI added.