House impeach spox urges united fight vs fake news

MANILA, Philippines — House impeachment spokesman and Lanao 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong has called for a “whole-of-nation” approach against fake news ahead of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying disinformation and propaganda may distort public understanding of the proceedings.

Adiong admitted the prosecution panel expects intensified online attacks, misleading narratives and propaganda once the trial proceedings begin, tentatively on July 6.

“We will really engage in any platform that we can actually use in order to reach a wider audience to combat fake news,” he said in a news forum yesterday.

Adiong said protecting the integrity of the impeachment process should not rest solely on the House prosecutors or the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, but also on ordinary Filipinos who believe in constitutional accountability, noting that every Filipino is a stakeholder.

“This should be a whole-nation approach if you are really standing on the principle of accountability. If we are actually in favor of making sure that our Constitution is alive and well, all of us should also help in preserving the sanctity of the impeachment court, meaning we need to combat fake news,” the lawmaker noted.

As part of efforts to combat fake news, the prosecution team intends to hold regular briefings and maximize multiple communication platforms to provide the public with accurate information on the impeachment proceedings, Adiong said.

He urged Filipinos to become more active in fact-checking and identifying narratives that may attempt to manipulate public opinion.

House Deputy Speaker and Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun warned the public against statements or rumors meant to deflect from the impeachment trial.

In particular, he slammed the rumors being floated by Sen. Imee Marcos an ally of Duterte who claimed that there are efforts to amend the Constitution to extend the terms of incumbent lawmakers and President Marcos, cancel the 2028 elections or raise the presidential age requirement to prevent Duterte from running.

“People’s fear of a term extension (for politicians) is being used to destroy trust in government and derail the conversation away from the evidence,” Khonghun said in a statement.