Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco called out fake news peddlers, describing their actions as a form of “corruption” that robs Filipinos of their right to access truthful and accurate information.
In a Facebook post, Tiangco said some corrupt private individuals and social media personalities have been spreading false information against him in an effort to destroy his reputation.
“May pribadong tao o mga social media personalities din na corrupt. Sila yung nagkakalat ng fake news para kumita ng pera. Sila yung mga magnanakaw ng katotohanan,” Rep. Tiangco stated.
(There are private and social media personalities who are also corrupt. They are the ones who spread fake news in order to eat money. They are the ones who steal the truth.)
According to Tiangco, these fake news peddlers earn money through social media engagements. He urged netizens to refrain from visiting, following, reacting to, viewing, or sharing content from pages that spread misinformation, saying such interactions only help fuel the spread of lies.
“Pakiusap po: huwag na po kayong mag-maritess at puntahan pa ang mga pages ng mga nagkakalat ng fake news laban saakin, lalo na’t mag-follow sa kanila, react (maski galit na emoji), mag view, lalo na’t mag-share ng kanilang posts kasi sa bawat click niyo, pumapaldo ang mga yan at habang kumikita sila, lalo pa silang magpapakalat ng kasinungalingan,” he explained.
(Please: stop engaging in gossips and visiting the pages of those spreading fake news against me, especially following them, reacting (even with an angry emoji), viewing, and most especially sharing their posts, because with every click you make, they earn money, and while they are earning, they will spread more lies.)
Tiangco also encouraged the youth to unite in fighting corruption using modern technology and digital tools such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
As part of his anti-corruption efforts, Tiangco is pushing for House Bill No. 5699, which he said would make investigations by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the filing of appropriate cases faster and more effective.
Under the proposed measure, the ICI would be transformed into the Independent Commission Against Infrastructure Corruption (ICAIC), granting it the authority to file cases, issue subpoenas and departure orders, and conduct broader investigations.
Tiangco earlier flagged the presence of alleged insertions in the 2025 National Budget following a meeting in Malacañang on March 24, where he was asked to present a list of projects reportedly endorsed by lawmakers.
After cross-checking the proponents with the districts where the projects were to be implemented, Tiangco revealed that then Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co made the single largest insertion, amounting to P13.8 billion worth of Department of Public Works and Highways projects across various parts of the country.