A proposed bill slapping as much as P5-million fine and five-year prison time for peddlers of fake news will endanger citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, lawmakers warned on Friday. “While the proliferation of fake news and online misinformation has to be addressed decisively, we submit that criminalizing it is not the way forward. The bill’s very broad scope may infringe on the people’s constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of expression,” Zarate, also a former journalist before becoming a public official like Baguilat, said. Instead of penalizing fake news peddlers, Zarate called for speedy passage of the Freedom of Information bill so the public will have available facts, rather than fake news, to consume. “The best way to counter fake news is for the people to be well informed of facts,” he said.

Source: Manila Times June 23, 2017 12:45 UTC