EDITORIAL: Truth Defended

At long last, a legislator is calling out the monster that has long plagued our democracy: fake news, troll farms, and bot networks. House Bill 11506, filed by Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, deserves nothing less than thunderous support from all corners of society.

This is not merely a policy proposal. It is a long-overdue battle cry—a decisive move to reclaim truth in the digital age.

The bill seeks to criminalize the knowing and malicious dissemination of fake news, as well as the operation of troll farms and bot networks—an arsenal of digital deception that has infected public discourse, manipulated elections, incited violence, and weakened democratic institutions from within.

For far too long, purveyors of disinformation have operated with impunity, hiding behind the shield of “free speech” while willfully poisoning the well of public trust.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression—but it does not protect lies crafted with malicious intent. It does not protect synthetic narratives designed to divide, inflame, or destabilize. It does not protect organized deception masquerading as civic participation.

Rep. Rodriguez is right: the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act are no match for the evolving weapons of digital warfare. Deepfakes, coordinated influence campaigns, and algorithmic propaganda now thrive in the shadows, largely unchecked, undermining facts and sowing discord.

We have allowed the internet—once hailed as a democratizing force—to become a free-for-all battleground where truth is often the first casualty.

Opponents will argue that criminalizing fake news is a slippery slope. They will warn of censorship and government overreach.

But such arguments ring hollow when the very essence of public discourse is being hijacked by foreign actors, mercenary troll armies, and unscrupulous political operators. This bill does not punish dissent. It punishes deceit.

The proposed penalties—P500,000 to P2 million in fines, and six to twelve years of imprisonment—may seem harsh to some. But what is the true cost of inaction? Ask the victims of online lynch mobs.

Ask the families torn apart by hoaxes and hate campaigns. Ask the journalists and fact-checkers who receive death threats for doing their jobs. Ask the voters who cast ballots based on lies.

Make no mistake: fake news is not just a nuisance. It is a weapon. And in today’s digitized battlefield, silence is complicity.

We urge Congress to pass HB 11506 without delay. And we urge the public to stand behind this crucial legislation—not as a partisan measure, but as a moral imperative. In a world drowning in disinformation, the defense of truth is not optional. It is survival.