By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Just a few days after hitting back at what certain sectors called the “narco vloggers,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Wednesday (4 December 2024) pounced on the alleged “narco trolls” reportedly employed by displaced and displeased POGO operators and drug lords to make deliberately offensive, provocative posts in various social media platforms in order to spread lies, cause conflict and manipulate or change public opinion.
Barbers, lead chair of the Lower House’s Quad Committee and chair of the Dangerous Drugs panel, emphasized that he and his panel members welcome any criticism related to the performance of their job at Quadcom, but not personally maligning, defaming or slandering their person and integrity with outright lies or baseless accusations.
“Wala tayong problema sa kritisismo, kasama yan sa trabaho ko at mga kasama ko bilang isang lingkod bayan. Pero hindi katanggap-tanggap ay yung paninirang puri na walang basehan at katotohanan,” he said.
“Pwede nyo (trolls and vloggers) kami i-criticize hanggang mag-sawa kayo basta tungkol ito sa aming trabaho, sa aming nagawa o sa aming mga kakulangan. Pero pag and inyong inisyu ay pag-yurak na sa pangalan at dangal ng isang tao, yan ay may pananagutan na ayon sa ating mga batas,” he added.
The lawmaker from Surigao del Norte said he hopes and prays that those pseudo-journalists, the self-proclaimed and self-righteous political analysts won’t experience what it is to be the subject of defamation and slander “so they would know how to be in that situation.”
In a privilege speech, Barbers said to state the obvious, dozens or hundreds of trolls, almost all of whom are adopting similar destructive and malicious propaganda lines, and probably paid by POGO and drug money, relentlessly attack personalities with total impunity.
“This has been happening for years without let up. They get away with it that is why they continue to thrive. It is a business that has become so profitable, without having to pay taxes, no liability, and with the pleasure of being able to ruin people’s reputation without having to worry about getting caught and punished,” he said.
Barbers said the government, the law enforcement sector, the public and the maligned concerned individuals should not let these professional benders of truth win.
“These particular group of trolls, hindi ko naman nilalahat dahil marami rin namang matitinong trolls, are getting paid “and we all know that.”
“The sheer number of trolls and the amount of false information that they flood the Internet with will give you an idea on the value or amount of money needed to pay them. Who is the innocent person who is bound to benefit from these trolling?. Obviously, the ones funding these malicious campaigns are the ones hurting most in our continuing Quadcom hearings,” he explained.
Barbers earlier requested the National Bureau of Investigation to identify, investigate and file charges against reportedly illegal drugs and POGO-funded vloggers for spreading lies, malicious and libelous vlogs they post in the social media.
In a letter dated Nov. 25, 2024, the solon wrote and told NBI chief Atty. Jaime B. Santiago that the deliberate disinformation drive by the seemingly organized vloggers not only damages the integrity of public service, but also foster an environment of confusion, distrust and deception of public perception.
In his speech, Barbers called to action the government agencies in charge of investigating cybercrimes to be more active and make their presence felt “so that our people may be protected by the civil servants who draw salaries from their taxes.”
“Do not be passive and wait for complaints to be filed before you act on the obvious transgressions of the law.” he said.
Once the identity of the subject trolls and vloggers and their respective vlogs have been established, Barbers said the concerned law enforcement agencies should pursue appropriate criminal charges against the responsible party in accordance with Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
“Subject to your office’s investigation, these charges may include the crimes of Libel (Art. 353 RPC), Sedition (Art. 139 RPC), Conspiracy to Commit Sedition (Art. 142 of RPC). Incriminating Innocent Person Act (Art. 363 RPC) and Intriguing Against Honor (Art. 364 RPC) – all in relation to Sec. 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act,” Barbers of said.
Despite these provisions, he said cybercrimes are being committed every single minute, unabated and seemingly unstoppable partly because there is lack of visible active prevention, intervention, suppression and prosecution of the perpetrators.
“With the powers given to the concerned agencies, cybercriminals are having a heyday in the Web and the public all seem to be helpless. I now rise to represent the aggrieved parties which include the President, government officials including myself, and ordinary citizens who have been victims of these cybercriminals,” Barbers said.
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