The Presidential Communications Office believes it is high time a regulatory body is established for social media, PCO executives said Monday.

In a press briefing, Palace press officer, Undersecretary Claire Castro, said the PCO should collaborate with lawmakers in creating an agency to regulate social media.

“We should coordinate and cooperate with legislators in Congress because they are the ones who create laws. That’s what we mean when we talk about having a regulatory body,” she said.

Castro noted that mainstream media already have regulatory bodies, such as the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for television and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) for radio.

Castro emphasized that a regulatory body for social media would help prevent vloggers and content creators from abusing the platform.

“We will not suppress opinions that are expressed within legal bounds — legitimate opinions, including criticism, should be respected,” she said.

She said that if a troll army is used to spread accurate news, it would not be restricted. However, if a troll army is used to spread false information that could cause harm, it should be regulated.

“Our goal is to prevent the abuse of social media because when it is misused, it can harm individuals, organizations, and agencies through baseless defamation. This has a significant impact, especially if people believe the misinformation,” she said.