Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to banning Facebook and other online platforms if they are found to harm young people or fail to address violence and disinformation, Malacañang said Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center floated proposals to ban Facebook following the deadly violence at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
“Sa lahat ng maaaring gaming apps, lahat ng pwedeng masabing makakasira sa ating mga kabataan at sa bansa natin, open po ang pangulo na matanggal ang lahat ng iyan,” Castro said.
[Translation: When it comes to gaming apps and anything that could be considered harmful to our youth and our country, the president is open to removing all of them.]
Castro said any potential ban would have to be studied, particularly whether social media companies are doing enough to address harmful content and false information.
“Kung hindi magkakaroon ng accountability ang anumang social media platform at parang nababalewala ang ating mga hiling para maproteksyunan ang ating mga kababayan laban sa karahasan, laban sa fake news, kung mabagal ang pagtugon, magandang pag-isipan at pag-aralan kung dapat silang manatili na parte ng ating sistema,” Castro said.
[Translation: If social media platforms are not held accountable and our requests to protect Filipinos from violence and fake news are being disregarded, or if their response is slow, it would be worth considering and studying whether they should remain part of our system.]
The Palace has expressed concern over the potential impact of an outright Facebook ban on freedom of expression and access to information in a country where the platform is widely used for communication, news and government information.
Castro maintained that criticism and personal opinions would not be targeted by the administration.
“Iba naman po kasi iyong fake news; iba naman po kasi iyong ikaw ay naglalahad lamang ng inyong opinion, kritiko ka, hindi po iyan pinagbabawalan,” she said.
[Translation: Fake news is different from simply expressing your opinion or being a critic. Those are not prohibited.]
“Wala pong pinagbabawalang kritiko lalung-lalo na sa panahon ngayon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr.,” Castro added.
[Translation: No critic is restricted, especially under President Marcos Jr.]
Castro said the administration’s concern centers on the spread of false information and its possible impact on young people.
She, however, did not provide details on how a Facebook ban could be implemented, what legal authority could be invoked or what standards would be used to determine whether a platform should be blocked.
NewsWatch Plus is reaching out to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over the issue.
