Dwayne Pelagio

The Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks to amend cyber laws amid its fight against misinformation.


DOJ Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla announced in an interview on Monday that they will review possible leeways for amendment in the cyber libel laws and other legislations.

“Fake news is something that should not be tolerated because it is actually a great disservice to the country,” Remulla said.

He believes that making people believe that is false is ‘a sin against the country’ and they have been studying ways to combat fake news.

The justice secretary told the media that there is no specific timeline for filing cases as it requires thorough evaluation to determine the extent of disinformation and determine appropriate penalties.

“Everybody who dabbles in fake news has to be investigated and charged,” Remulla added.

He reminded that fake news peddlers should know that as responsible people, they should be responsible for their own utterances.

‘Support of the Senate’

Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and Senator Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III also expressed their support for the DOJ’s initiative.

Escudero said in a Viber message to the media that he shall wait for the proposal of the DOJ’s amendment to cyber laws.

“No law is perfect, complete, and timeless. I shall eagerly await the proposal of the DOJ to amend existing laws to help combat fake news and will let it go through the ‘legislative grind,” his message stated.

Pimentel said that the Senate can invent and come up with a new crime when fake news is spread, especially with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We can invent or come up with a new crime when fake news is spread since I know that a lot of people are worried about this relatively new phenomenon, especially those using AI,” he said.

The senator stated that he will be open to the proposal but will have to weigh the penal measure with the rights to free speech and information.

The country has no law penalizing ‘fake news’ with the cybercrime provision of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 being the closest.