1 
 Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. 9422 
Introduced by Representatives ERIC GO YAP and PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Fake news is defined by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), in 
citing Roy Schulman and David Siman-Tov, as either (1) misinformation or “the 
dissemination of false information, even if not deliberate or malicious, based on 
unsubstantiated conjecture and in light of various considerations” and (2) 
disinformation or “false information that is spread deliberately and maliciously for 
personal gain or to cause damage to another party. The PIDS further states that while 
fake news existed even in the old times, there is ease in producing, spreading, and 
multiplying fake news today given the prevalence of communication tools in the 
height of digital transformation, particularly through social media.  
In the case of the Philippines, based on the Pulse Asia Survey conducted in 2022, 
eighty-six percent (86%) or nearly nine (9) out of ten (10) Filipinos believe that fake 
news is a problem in the country, attributing fifty-eight percent (58%) to social media 
influencers, bloggers and vloggers as peddlers of fake news about government and 
politics, followed by journalists at forty percent (40%), national politicians at thirty-
seven percent (37%), and local politicians at thirty percent (30%). 
Given the potential hazards of spreading fake news, it is imperative to penalized those 
who seek to create and disseminate fake news, most especially through the use of 
social media. It is in this regard that this bill seeks to include in the Republic Act No. 
10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 the creation and dissemination of fake 
news as one of the content-related offenses, thereby combatting the unwanted 
proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. ERIC GO YAP 
HON. PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
October 24, 2023
2:19 pm


1 
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. 9422
Introduced by Representatives ERIC GO YAP and PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
AN ACT 
CRIMINALIZING THE CREATION AND DISSEMINATION OF "FAKE NEWS" 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 3 AND 4 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
10175, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT OF 
2012 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 10175, otherwise known as the 
"Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012", is hereby amended to include:  
(M) FAKE NEWS REFERS TO ANY INFORMATION, STORY, NEWS, OR
FACT, 
DELIBERATELY 
DISTORTED, 
ALTERED, 
CHANGED, 
OR
MANIPULATED BY ANY PERSON WITH MALICIOUS INTENT WHICH IS
PRESENTED AS A FACT, THE VERACITY OF WHICH CANNOT BE
CONFIRMED, WITH THE INTENT OF DISTORTING A FACT OR
PROLIFERATING 
FALSE 
INFORMATION 
AND 
MISLEADING 
ITS
AUDIENCE.
SEC. 2. All succeeding subsections under Section 3 of Republic Act No. 10175 
shall be renumbered accordingly. 
   SEC. 3. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10175, otherwise known as the 
"Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012", is hereby amended to include: 
(c) Content-related Offenses:
xxx 
(5) FAKE NEWS - THE CREATION AND DISSEMINATION OF FAKE NEWS
AS DEFINED IN SECTION 3 HEREOF, COMMITTED THROUGH A


 
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COMPUTER SYSTEM OR ANY OTHER SIMILAR MEANS WHICH MAY BE 
DEVISED IN THE FUTURE. 
 
ANY ONLINE PLATFORM, SUCH AS WEBSITES, USING A COMPUTER 
SYSTEM OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIUM THAT FAIL TO ACT OR 
CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ON REPORTS OF FAKE NEWS WITHIN 
THEIR RESPECTIVE PLATFORMS SHALL BE HELD LIABLE FOR A FINE 
EQUIVALENT 
TO 
A 
MAXIMUM 
OF 
TWO 
MILLION 
PESOS 
(PHP2,000,000.00). 
 
          SEC. 4. Separability Clause. - If any of the sections or provisions of this Act is 
held invalid, all other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid. 
 
           SEC. 5. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, issuances, rules and regulations 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
            
           SEC. 6. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,