November 14, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has junked the petition filed by several vloggers assailing the validity of the House inquiry into the alleged role of paid trolls and content creators in the proliferation of fake news.
Lawmakers did not violate petitioners’ right to free speech and expression in its tri-committee hearings in February, the high court maintained.
Inviting the vloggers as resource persons was not tantamount to a violation of their freedom of expression, the SC said.
“The invitation did not regulate what they said or how they expressed themselves. Congress, as part of its functions, only wanted to gather information for crafting laws, not to punish anyone for spreading ‘fake news’ or to suppress speech,” the SC asserted.
In their petition, vloggers claimed that the House inquiry aimed to silence them and regulate their social media content, “creating a chilling effect on free expression.”
In its decision penned by Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, the SC said the House “acted within its power when it conducted an inquiry to find ways to address the spread of false or misleading information, which can undermine public trust and threaten social stability.”
“The dangers of the proliferation of false information and narratives are not difficult to imagine and the need to address this issue most promptly is truly imperative,” it added.
Allowing unregulated dissemination of erroneous facts will “ultimately degrade trust among the people and threaten the stability and reliability of day-to-day transactions,” the high court pointed out.
Some lawmakers’ questioning during the inquiry, however, was “unduly harsh” or “demeaning,” the SC noted.
Resource speakers should be treated with courtesy and respect during legislative inquiries, the Court reminded congressmen.
The SC released yesterday its 31-page decision, promulgated on July 8.
Petitioners include Ernesto Abines Jr., Glenn Chong, Mark Anthony Lopez, Mary Jean Reyes, Richard Mata, Mary Catherine Binag, Ethel Garcia, Krizette Chu, Jonathan Morales, Elizabeth Cruz, Aeron Peña, Lorraine Badoy and Trixie Cruz-Angeles.