House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has weighed in on Facebook and its possible impact on the Constitutional freedom of Filipinos.
“I join the many who believe that Social Networks, Facebook in particular, have made the Philippines a much more democratic country. It has given ordinary Filipinos a platform to communicate, and allows the Government to effectively disseminate information that let citizens directly participate in governance,” Cayetano said.
The house leader also recognized the social media platform and its valuable contribution to Filipinos in sharing information to the public.
“No less than the House of Representatives, via its Facebook account, broadcasts to the public most of its proceedings and hearings, not only to inform all Filipinos, but also to gain direct feedback and comments to help make us the true House of the Filipino People. In fact, for the first time in history our kababayans from all over the country can ask questions about the budget directed to the President’s alter egos. And we thank Facebook for this,” he said.
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Cayetano, however, raised concerns that Facebook is getting political and partisan.
He sided with President Rodrigo Duterte who during his daily televised Cabinet meeting questioned the government accounts shut down by Facebook for inauthentic behavior.
“However, we note with grave concern the recent reports that Facebook is being partisan by allegedly deactivating verified accounts of Filipinos who have voiced their support for our soldiers and police officers, as well as their respective organizations and advocacies.
“Yet at the same time continue to allow the proliferation of Facebook accounts, pages and communities that directly call for the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government, or altogether support outright terrorism in our country and among our people.
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“Let me reiterate that Dissent and Protest are always welcome – but we should and will never tolerate violence and terrorism,” Cayetano said.
The house speaker said that the priority of the lower chamber is to pass the 2021 national budget but as soon as they finished, they will open an inquiry to determine if the social media platform interfered in the country’s affairs.
“Upon passage of the 2021 Budget in the House of Representatives, rest assured that we shall initiate the appropriate proceedings in aid of legislation to truly determine if the reported actions of Facebook are detrimental to the Constitutional freedom of expression guaranteed to all Filipinos, regardless of political color, rich or poor, left or right.” he said.
