Robredo calls on Duterte admin to “take concrete steps” vs fake news

(Eagle News)–Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday, Aug. 10, called on the government to “take concrete steps” to combat the spread of fake news.

“We urge the administration to take concrete steps…guided by the (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Framework and Joint Declaration to Minimize the Harmful Effects of Fake News, which was crafted at the 14th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) in May 2018,” she said in a statement.

Since the Philippines, as then-chair of AMRI last year, helped pave the way for the framework, Robredo said it “should be at the forefront of efforts to implement the Declaration as a guide in combating the proliferation of fake news, and improving media and information literacy.”

“In the Philippines in particular, she said we continue to see fake news proliferate, impairing public discourse and contributing to the spread of false and inaccurate information among our people,” she said.

“This calls on all of us to stand against misinformation and fight to ensure that truth will always have space in our country’s conversations,” she added.