The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc ruled on Thursday that the free speech rights of vloggers invited as resource persons to the House Tri-Committee’s inquiry on fake news were not violated.

“The SC En Banc dismissed the petition filed by Ernesto S. Abines, Jr. et. al. asking the SC to prohibit the House of Representatives from requiring them to attend legislative inquiries involving their social media posts,” the SC’s Office of the Spokesperson said in a statement.

The SC asserted that inviting the vloggers to the House hearings did not violate their freedom of speech, as these did not regulate their expression. The inquiries were also held in aid of legislation, meaning that information gathered from them would only be used to devise laws, not punish resource persons.

“The invitation did not regulate what they said or how they expressed themselves. Congress, as part of its functions, only wanted to gather information for crafting laws, not to punish anyone for spreading ‘fake news,’” the statement read.

“It (House Tri-Committee) also sought to identify gaps in existing laws to address issues arising from new technologies and harmful online content,” it also said.

The High Court noted that while former Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers' privilege speeches only addressed the “serious social problem” of the “deliberate spread” of harmful disinformation, other lawmakers were “unduly harsh” and “demeaning” in their questioning.

Vloggers and petitioners Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles, Ernesto Abines, Jr., Glenn Chong, Mark Anthony Lopez, Mary Jean Reyes, Dr. Richard Mata, Mary Catherine Binag, Ethel Garcia, Krizette Laureta-Chu, Jonathan Morales, Lorraine Marie Badoy-Partosa, Aeron Peña, among others, were invited to attend the House hearing on February 5, 2025.