MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A bill aiming to punish the act of deliberately spreading false information to mislead the public has been filed at the House of Representatives.

Section 4 of House Bill 3799, which was filed last Aug. 18, 2025 prohibits "[k]nowingly and maliciously" publishing or disseminating, "through any medium including print, broadcast, or digital and social media, any fake news or disinformation as defined in Section 3." The bill's Section 3 defines fake news as "false or misleading information presented as fact or news, deliberately and maliciously disseminated to mislead the public, that may sow confusion, incite hatred or violence, or disrupt public order." "The bill explicitly excludes satire, parody, personal opinions, honest mistakes, and good-faith reporting from its scope to avoid infringing upon legitimate speech," the bill's explanatory note read.

The same Section 4 prohibits:

-creating, running, or funding "troll farms, bot networks, or coordinated campaigns specifically aimed at spreading fake news;"

-spreading fake news or disinformation "that incites violence, promotes hate speech, discredits democratic institutions, or may cause public panic or disorder" and

-facilitating or allowing "the use of social media platforms or accounts to repeatedly and systematically engage in the conduct described above."

Under the bill, the penalty for violating Section 4 is six up to 12 years in jail or a fine of at least P500,000 but not over P2 million or both at the court's discretion., This news data comes from:http://771bg.com

The maximum penalty would be imposed if an aggravating circumstance listed under the bill is present. Among the aggravating circumstances enumerated in the bill were:

-"The offense endangers or undermines national security, public safety, or diplomatic relations;"

-"The fake news relates to or interferes with elections, public health emergencies, disaster response, or peace negotiations;"

-"The offender is a public officer, elected official, journalist, or social media influencer with 50,000 or more followers or subscribers, who knowingly leverages their platform to spread disinformation;"

-automated or coordinated digital systems were used and -the fake news was spread with the aid of a foreign government, foreign entity, or foreigner.

Anti-fake news bill filed anew in House

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez—who was among the lawmakers who filed anti-fake news bills in the 19th Congress—and ABAMIN Rep. Maximo Rodriguez Jr. filed HB 3799 under the 20th Congress.