Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday urged social technology company Meta to respond more swiftly to complaints about fake news to curb the spread of disinformation on social media.
He cited his own experiences in reporting misleading content on Facebook, describing the process as slow and unreliable.
“Why do we have to figure out a way and work hard ourselves just to have these taken down? It’s not just frustrating, it’s truly damaging,” Marcoleta said.
The senator called on Meta’s designated fact-checkers in the Philippines, Rappler and Vera Files, to improve their response to user complaints.
He highlighted four recent instances of fake news targeting him, noting that he successfully had two posts removed on his own initiative. In a third case, the post was only demoted through Meta’s fact-checking system, reducing its visibility but not removing it entirely.
Marcoleta stressed the importance of fact-checkers being objective and free from political bias when handling misleading content.
Sen. Robin Padilla supported Marcoleta’s concern, emphasizing the need for rapid removal of fake news before it goes viral.
Vera Files president Ellen Tordesillas said her organization cannot monitor all fake news posts on Facebook and that users must also share the responsibility.
She then commended Marcoleta for his proactive efforts in identifying and addressing false content online.
Gemma Mendoza, Rappler’s lead researcher on disinformation, called for greater transparency in Meta’s system to allow third parties to access data on fake news sources.
Mendoza suggested that platforms should be required to share information enabling audits by fact-checkers and other independent parties.
No representatives from Meta attended the committee hearing.
To ensure Meta’s participation, Marcoleta filed a motion to subpoena the company for the committee’s next session, which Padilla approved.
