The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Wednesday it is actively pursuing legal action against individuals spreading disinformation online, particularly those targeting public figures and institutions with fake news.

In a radio interview, NBI director Jaime Santiago stressed the agency is taking the issue seriously and has begun filing cases against vloggers and bloggers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who disseminate misleading content.

“You can make an opinion — that is our right. But when you twist the context, that’s where we draw the line,” Santiago said.

On Tuesday, the NBI filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DoJ) against four vloggers for allegedly editing and manipulating video clips of public officials, including Santiago himself.

According to Senior Agent Raymond Macorol of the NBI’s Criminal Intelligence Division, one manipulated video falsely claimed Santiago had threatened OFWs with arrest.

Santiago refuted these claims, saying that “they twisted it to say that the NBI is threatening OFWs. That’s not true. There is no political agenda here. No one ordered us. The problem is, fake news has become rampant.”

He confirmed that four vloggers, all of whom are OFWs, have been charged. “We checked their local addresses; some are from Davao, some from Cebu. But immigration records confirm they are currently abroad, working various jobs,” Santiago said.

To avoid disrupting minor cases or overburdening international agencies, Santiago said the NBI is coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration instead of Interpol.