Malacañang on Tuesday urged Meta to respond to lawmakers’ demands for stronger safeguards on Facebook amid concerns over violent online content and its possible influence on young users.

The call followed the deadly shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato and other recent school shootings that have prompted authorities to examine the role of online communities and violent content in the behavior of the young perpetrators.

Investigators in the South Cotabato case have said the teenage gunman was active in an online “true crime” community. Authorities, however, have not established online content or gaming as the sole cause of the attack. 

Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Meta should heed concerns raised by lawmakers and the public over child safety on its platforms.

“Hindi lamang po ng ating mga kababayan, pati na po ang mga mambabatas ay nadidinig po nila kung ano po ang nais na mangyari sa kanilang serbisyo dahil kapag hindi po talaga natugunan ang mga pagkukulang, nakakaapekto po ito sa ating lahat lalung-lalo na sa mga kabataan,” Castro said.

The House earlier summoned Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg to appear before lawmakers as scrutiny intensified over child safety, online sexual abuse and harmful content on Meta platforms. The House also deferred action on the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s proposed 2027 budget amid the issue. 

Castro said the Palace expects Meta to act promptly on the lawmakers’ summons.

Franchise proposal

Malacañang also expressed openness to a proposal by Quezon Rep. Jay-jay Suarez requiring social media platforms to secure congressional franchises before operating in the Philippines.

Castro said such a mechanism could give Philippine authorities greater regulatory jurisdiction over large technology platforms.

“Iyan din po ang nais ng DICT at iyan din po ang pinu-propose para hangga’t maaari ay magkaroon tayo ng jurisdiction at authority over these social media platforms. So, maganda pong panukala iyan,” she said.

“Tingnan po natin, definitely, kapag nabasa po siguro ng Pangulo kung ano ang nilalaman ng mga version na iyan, kapag nakitang maganda at nakakabuti sa ating mga kababayan, hindi naman ito maghahadlang,” Castro added.

Suarez earlier floated the franchise requirement as lawmakers debated whether existing rules were sufficient to hold social media companies accountable for content and child-safety concerns. 

At present, major platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok operate in the Philippines through corporate and commercial registrations rather than congressional franchises of the kind traditionally required for broadcast operations.

The Palace had already signaled in August that it was open to broader restrictions on digital platforms if authorities found that harmful content posed serious risks to the public.