Parañaque Second District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan called for increased funding for the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) to help the government win the ‘war’ against fake news.
As the lead communications agency of the government, Yamsuan stated that the PCO should be at the forefront of providing the public with accurate information and correcting the falsehoods and disinformation being spread on social media about the government.
The lawmaker said the PCO should provide more resources for its programs on digital media, which most people now rely on for news and information.
“You have to inform Congress of all the things that you need to be effective, to effectively communicate with the people. How can we combat fake news if we do not have ammunition?” Yamsuan told representatives of the PCO during a House Committee on Public Information briefing.
He said being critical of government forms part of one’s freedoms of speech and expression, but deliberately and maliciously spreading lies and disinformation threatens these very freedoms that are protected under the Constitution.
During the briefing, PCO Assistant Secretary Jose Maria Villarama II told congressmen that the office “makes do with the funding” it was given under the national budget.
The PCO’s allocation for its digital media initiatives under Malacañang’s proposed spending plan for 2026 currently stands at P16 million.
Yamsuan, who is a co-vice chairperson of the committee, asked if this amount is enough for the PCO to counter the onslaught of fake news and disinformation about the government on social media.
He said the Congress is ready to support any request of the PCO for additional funding that would help boost its capability to carry out its mandate.
