SURIGAO del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel has proposed requiring Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to secure a congressional franchise to operate in the Philippines due to its alleged failure to curb fake news and comply with local tax laws.
During a hearing of the House Tri-Comm investigating fake news and online disinformation, Pimentel criticized Meta’s inaction even in cases where the government had officially verified the falsity of viral content.
“Mr. Chair, I totally agree with the observation of Secretary Jay that we are at the mercy of Meta platforms,” said Pimentel, vice chair of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, referring to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz.
“Isipin niyo po, Mr. Chair, ‘yung gobyerno na natin ang nag-request sa Meta platforms to take down the fake news of that memorandum that was issued purportedly by ES [Executive Secretary Lucas] Bersamin, e hindi nga sila nakinig sa info,” Pimentel added, addressing Tri-Comm lead chair Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez.
Pimentel further noted that Meta operates in the country without paying proper taxes and fails to follow regulatory standards.
“Another example is that Meta platforms [are] not even paying taxes to the Philippine government. Ang pinag-request natin sa kanila is self-regulation. However, sabi ko nga, hindi tayo pinapakinggan,” he said.
He continued: “So it’s about time siguro if they cannot have self-regulation, it must be this government, this administration, ang mag-regulate sa kanila. And that is why, Mr. Chair, I think we should really study if it is possible that we should require this Meta to get a franchise from Congress for them to operate here. We can regulate them.”
He emphasized that with over 90 million users, the Philippines is one of Meta’s largest markets in Southeast Asia, yet the platform’s priorities appear to be purely profit-driven.
“Ang problema sa Meta, ang pinag-iisipan lang nila ‘yung kita nila. There are 90 million users sa Pilipinas. I think we are the biggest users of this platform in the entire Southeast Asia. So that is why maybe we can ask help from Secretary Jay, Secretary [Henry] Aguda [of the Department of Information and Communications Technology] to find a way that we can regulate this platform,” Pimentel said.
Earlier in the hearing, Ruiz recounted how Meta refused to take down a fake memo falsely attributed to the Office of the Executive Secretary, despite certification from the DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) that it was fake.
“Alam mo, sir, hindi nila tinanggal. Ang reason ng mga platforms is that ito is freedom of expression, may community standards kami. Ang bawat isang user, siya ang accountable to his or her account,” Ruiz said.
“So ano ito? Are we at the mercy of the platforms? Sabi namin hindi kayo dito naka-base, hindi pa kayo nagbabayad ng buwis, and yet you don’t regulate or stop fake news here in the Philippines,” he added.
Ruiz pointed to Singapore’s model, where platforms face fines of up to 6 percent of their profits for spreading disinformation.
“May penalties against social media platforms na kapag nagpapalabas ka ng fake news, you will be penalized. Ang tinitira nila ang penalties mataas—6 percent of profit ang ginagawa nila,” he said.
Ruiz also warned of the long-term consequences of unchecked fake news on Philippine democracy, particularly during election periods.
“E paano kung ang tao binabase niya ang decision niya sa mga fake news o kasinungalingan? Isipin mo kung ang mga botante natin ba boto base sa impormasyon ng kasinungalingan, anong klaseng generation, anong klaseng democracy meron tayo?” he said.
“Eventually our people will no longer decide based on informed decisions, but based on lies. We agree that there is a right to information, but that right should be accurate information,” he stressed.
Fernandez, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, supported Pimentel’s call and urged swift executive action.
“I think the President must certify urgent ang bills that the 20th Congress will be filing. Kasi kailangan dito na intervention ng Presidente na mapabilis ang batas na ‘yan. And I think one year din ‘yan,” Fernandez said.
The House Tri-Comm is expected to consolidate legislative proposals to strengthen the government’s regulatory powers over social media platforms operating in the country, especially in the fight against disinformation.
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