The Palace said on Tuesday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to banning Meta platforms like Facebook and other gaming applications that may corrupt Filipino youth.
“Sa lahat ng maaaring … gaming apps, lahat ng puwedeng masabing makakasira sa ating mga kabataan at sa bansa natin, open po ang Pangulo na matanggal ang lahat ng iyan,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a briefing at the Malacañang.
The statement comes in response to talks of the proposed ban on Meta platforms following the fatal school shooting incident in Zamboanga City that resulted in the deaths of two students.
Castro said that aside from shared clips of violent acts and similar activity, the rapid dissemination of fake news and social media platforms’ inaction in addressing the matter warrants a review as to whether social media should retain its place in the country’s system.
The Palace official clarified that fake news or misinformation is distinct from content containing mere opinion, whether critical of any public figure, which is not prohibited.
“Kasi kapag fake news po ang umiral sa atin at ngayon tayo ay nabubuhay sa fake news, papaano na po ang magiging kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan at kinabukasan mismo ng ating bansa kung puro fake news tayo mabubuhay?” she said.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to profile every netizen who has shared footage from the tragic Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Junior High School shooting, particularly the first-person perspective video livestreamed by the student shooter.
NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag said the bureau intends to examine the degree and nature of these individuals’ participation in the incident, and explained that the child in conflict with the law (CICL) who took his own life after shooting a schoolmate dead apparently desired an audience.
This profiling may aid the bureau in identifying the groomers who may have influenced the said student.
“We want to know kung ano ‘yung participation nila, because, from our point of view, kaya ini-live broadcast iyan, mayroong nanonood, e. May gusto siyang audience. Sino do’n? It could be the groomer… That’s why we want to know kung sino, that’s why we will profile everyone,” Matibag said.
