Sen. Pacquiao: Bloggers should have license
MANILA — Bloggers should be required to obtain government licenses so they would not hide behind the screen, Sen. Manny Pacquiao said during the second hearing into the proliferation of fake news.
“Do you agree na lahat ng bloggers kailangan kumuha ng permit o license para ma-control natin lahat ng mga —syempre magtatago ka sa ibang anyo, magtatago ka sa ibang mukha tapos magpo-post ka ng below the belt. Unfair naman ‘yun sa iba,” Pacquiao said Tuesday.
He said that bloggers should be licensed so they would be held accountable.
“Kasi paghindi na-register ‘yan, madadamay ‘yung mga may mabubuting intensyon... Para sa akin, mabuti pa i-register lahat ng bloggers,” the boxer turned senator said.
He also asked the resource speakers if the media should be controlled, saying it is a problem in today’s society.
Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas Chairman Ruperto Nicdao Jr. said there are already enough laws to address fake news. He, however, said that the implementation of such laws is problematic.
“There has been attempt to pass a similar law in the past to license bloggers and journalists... But for us, ‘yung freedom of expression nalilimitahan. There should be no license to be able to exercise your freedom of expression,” Nicdao said.
Nicdao added the attempt to license bloggers is “practically impossible” since blogs operate in a “borderless internet.”
Professor JJ Disini of the UP College of Law likewise noted that such a move would be struck down by the Supreme Court because “it restricts the right to free speech.”