President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to a measure requiring social media platforms to secure congressional franchises before operating in the Philippines if the proposal is deemed beneficial for the safety of the public, according to Palace press officer Claire Castro.
The idea was raised anew by Quezon Rep. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez as authorities grapple with concerns over online content, school security, and youth violence.
Castro, during a briefing on Tuesday, said the Department of Information and Communications Technology is also pushing for a similar proposal that would give the country a greater jurisdiction and authority over social media platforms.
‘Maganda pong panukala iyan. 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,’ she said when asked for a comment on Suarez’s proposal.
(That is a good proposal. Let us see; once the President reads the contents of those versions and sees that they are beneficial to our fellow citizens, he certainly won’t stand in the way.)
House Bill No. 4786, which Suarez filed in September 2025, seeks to classify social media as ‘public services of significant public consequence,’ subjecting major platforms to congressional oversight similar to broadcasting stations and public utilities.
The lawmaker said social media is not just entertainment but also shapes democracy, the economy, and the safety of the children. He said the measure would make platforms more accountable for content moderation failures.
Suarez’s renewed call followed a series of shooting incidents in three different schools, resulting in deaths.
The most recent was in Banga National High School in South Cotabato, which claimed the lives of three students and injured six others.