House of Representatives Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chair, Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao de Sur, on Friday warned that deepfakes, trolls, and fake news could proliferate online anew as the House moves forward with impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In an ambush interview, Adiong said he had already expected disinformation efforts to surface as public attention intensifies on the proceedings.
“Ako ine-expect ko na ’yan. In fact, ako ay binibiro ng mga kasamahan ko, sabi ko sige na lang, at least nakakatulong din tayo dun sa mga walang trabaho kasi nabibigyan sila ng pera para maging trolls (I expect it. In fact, I am being teased by my colleagues, I said let them go ahead, at least we can help those unemployed because they earn to become trolls),” he said in response to a reporter’s question.
The House Committee on Justice has begun tackling the impeachment complaints against Duterte after finding them sufficient in form and substance, setting the stage for the next phases of the process.
Adiong said the spread of manipulated content and false narratives online has become part of the current political landscape, but stressed that the public must remain vigilant in evaluating what they see on social media.
“Ganyan talaga ang kalakaran ngayon. Pero ang atin lang, tayo din sa publiko kailangan maging discerning tayo, maging mas mapanuri, maging mas maingat at mas masusi ang ating pag-appreciate sa ating mga nakikita online kasi karamihan po diyan ay hindi tama at hindi totoo (That’s the trend now. But for me, the public should be more discerning, more critical, more careful, and be thorough in our appreciation of what we see online because most of them are not right and untrue),” he said.
He also noted that he was surprised by the level of support for the proceedings at the committee level, where the panel recorded 54 votes.
“I was really surprised. But it’s a good indication. It’s a positive indication that the required number might possibly (be) within the reach,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adiong appealed to government security agencies to ensure the safety of Ramil Madriaga, a key personality whose affidavit forms part of the impeachment complaints against Duterte.
“I think we really have to appeal to our security agencies, especially the one that is handling in custody the person of Madriaga to make sure na safe naman siya, na (that he is safe, that) nothing would ever happen to him, especially now that the impeachment complaint against the Vice President is proceeding,” he told reporters.
He underscored that Madriaga’s testimony could play a crucial role once the committee reaches the stage where witnesses may be called to corroborate the allegations raised in the complaints.
According to Adiong, parts of the impeachment in the two complaints cite Madriaga’s affidavit, making his availability important to the proceedings.
“The allegations are very serious, so we just have to make sure that Madriaga will be available once we reach the stage that the committee will be needing his presence in order to corroborate his testimony and his affidavit that he has made against the Vice President,” he said.
“Because portions of the impeachment, under complaint number three and number four, are the affidavit of Madriaga.”
He also noted that the seriousness of the claims raised by Madriaga could explain reports that individuals have allegedly tried to approach him.
“Well, it only speaks how serious the allegation of Madriaga. It only proves to say that those who are actually approaching him are fearful of what may happen or what the information that may be revealed once Madriaga will testify in the committee,” he said.
At the same time, Adiong emphasized that the Vice President retains full access to legal remedies as she prepares her defense.
“All legal remedies are available to her. So, I myself would expect that she would definitely do everything at her disposal, all the possible legal remedies in order also to come up with her defense,” he said. (PNA)