IRONIC? | Padilla, who has made false claims, wants inter-agency approach against fake news

September 8, 2022 , 11:17 AM

(September 8, 2022) – Sen. Robin Padilla, who has been fact-checked for spreading false or misleading claims in the past, filed a resolution on Wednesday seeking the adoption of an inter-agency approach to combat disinformation.

Padilla, the chairperson of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, stressed the importance of cooperation between public and private sectors to address the problems brought about by false information.

“The spread of fake news through means such as social media, messaging, mobile applications, and SMS (short message service) has considerably widened the social and political divide among Filipinos, resulting in confusion, distrust, and proliferation of hate speech,” said Padilla in Senate Resolution No. 191.

He cited a study by the University of Baltimore and cybersecurity firm CHEQ that reported the loss of $78 billion annually due to disinformation. Published in 2019, the study was also cited by the Philippine Institute of Development Studies in a policy note released in August 2021.

Apart from government agencies, Padilla stressed that the news industry and educational institutions have an important role to play in curbing the spread of false information. He encouraged the media outlets to “take initiatives for the promotion of news literacy and the strengthening of professional journalism.”

“Educational institutions should likewise be proactive in raising awareness on online propaganda, misinformation, and falsehoods as serious educational and social issues in order to empower information recipients to independently identify red flags and to encourage them to question their accuracy,” added Padilla.

Media organizations have flagged some of the claims issued by the action star turned lawmaker in the past. Last February, Padilla said Andres Bonifacio was a victim of extrajudicial killing. A month later, he made false claims about insurgency. Another fact-check report, meanwhile, focused on his plan of setting up a “pambansang gasolinahan.”

In May 2021, Padilla faced criticism for claiming that the Spaniards were the ones who established De La Salle University. History groups corrected him as they urged the people to rely on historical facts. He also defended Sen. Bong Go’s false claim that Lapu-Lapu came from Sulu.

Last February, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that a little over half of Filipinos experience difficulty in spotting disinformation on social media. SWS noted that around 69% of adult Filipinos consider the problem with fake news as a serious matter.

Padilla is hopeful that his resolution would help pave the way for stronger laws against fake news. He also pointed out that the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act may be updated.

Meanwhile, press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles stressed that improving literacy could be an effective tool to combat disinformation. She earlier said her office is planning to set up a fact-checking team.

“Isang panlaban sa mga fake news ay ma-capacitate natin ang ating mga mamamayan. Marunong magbasa, nag-e-encourage ng mga nagsusulat ng libro, mae-encourage ‘yung second round printings na wala nang copyright,” said Cruz-Angeles last Friday.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.