MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City 5th District Representative Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas took formal legal action on Friday, October 17, by filing cyber libel complaints before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against individuals allegedly operating a disinformation network against him.
Vargas emphasized his commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable for the smear campaign targeting his reputation.
“Suportado natin ang free speech, ngunit hindi natin kailanman papayagan ang paninira at fake news. Lalabanan po natin ito at papanagutin sa batas ang mga umaabuso sa social media platforms para magpakalat ng kasinungalingan,” he stated.
The second-term lawmaker personally delivered the formal complaints and corresponding digital evidence to NBI Director Melvin Matibag at the agency’s main office, requesting a comprehensive probe into Facebook pages supposedly mimicking authentic news organizations to disseminate fabricated claims and artificial intelligence-generated content.
Vargas stated that he intends to exhaust all available legal options to unmask the individuals managing the flagged pages and shut down their networks. The documents and evidence handed over to the NBI Cybercrime Division comprised archived screenshots, URL tracking data, and initial leads on the page administrators.
Matibag assured the congressman that the bureau would perform a rigorous inquiry to track down the content creators, administrators, and financial backers driving the alleged operation.
According to Vargas, the initiative extends beyond defending his personal standing to protecting the general public from online manipulation.
“Hindi lang ito laban para sa ating sarili, kundi para sa bawat ordinaryong mamamayan na nabibiktima ng panlilinlang,” he noted.
“Kailangan nating pigilan ang mga nagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon at mga kasinungalingan. Dapat nilang malaman na hindi sila makaliligtas sa batas,” he added.
Representatives from Vargas’ legal counsel announced plans to file supplemental criminal charges under Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, alongside potential administrative complaints against other persons implicated during the course of the NBI investigation.