House Quad Committee Chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers slammed the POGO and drug syndicates-funded “narco trolls” for their relentless attacks on public officials.
During his privilege speech on Wednesday, Barbers called on all agencies in charge of investigating cybercrimes, to be more active and make their presence felt so that trolls won’t have the upper hand in ensuing chaos in society. The lawmaker said that cybercrimes are committed every single minute.
“Cybercrimes are committed every single minute, unabated and seemingly unstoppable. The lack of visible active prevention, intervention, suppression, and prosecution of the perpetrators is felt by the aggrieved citizenry,” he said.
Despite the powers that agencies have, these criminals continue to be at their prime on the internet. Several trolls, which are probably paid by POGO and drug money, relentlessly attack personalities with total impunity. Barbers said that it has been happening for years, but continues to get away with it.
Moreover, Barbers noted how it might have become a profitable business, without paying taxes, having no liability, and having the power to ruin the reputations of people without having to worry about getting caught or banished.
“The ultimate goal of the trolls is to create chaos and disorder by showing false information, confusion, fear, and slander their subjects,” he said.
“We must not let them win. Law and order must be preserved to ensure peace and stability in our society. Trolling is the means to destroy this peace and create chaos,” he added.
According to Barbers, these trolls get paid to put out false information online. He questioned whether trolls laugh out loud at the information being disseminated and how much money they earn from doing so.
While it is evident that the ones funding these trolls have access to a vast range of financial resources, Barbers suspects that with that amount of money, it’s clear that the funds come from illegal businesses that continue to operate in the country.
“I call to action all our agencies in charge of investigating these crimes to be more active and make their presence felt, so that our people may be protected by the civil servants who draw salaries from their taxes,” he said.
The lawmaker announced that he will be filing a complaint on the matter, adding that he is also awaiting the actions made by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
“To all you trolls and malicious vloggers, let me say this; It is alright to criticize us politicians. Kasama sa trabaho at sa hazards ng public service ‘yan. Pwede niyo kaming icriticize hanggang magsawa kayo because we cannot be onion-skinned,” he said.
“You can criticize us all you want, as long as your criticisms are anchored on the discharge of official duties and functions. But when you cross the line and impute malice on what we do and attack our persons, you cease to be protected by your Constitutional rights,” he added.
The Supreme Court ruled that when statements are done with malice, they will be held liable under the law. With that, Barbers challenged the trolls to uphold the malicious content they were spreading and face the consequences of their actions.
“Paninirang puri na ang mga ginagawa niyo, hindi na ‘yan protektado ng batas. Ang batas ay para sa lahat, hindi lang para sa illan. Kung may nalalaman kayo na freedom of speech, eh wala naman freedom to defame, freedom to insult, or freedom to slander,” he stressed.
“Lahat ng freedom at karapatan ay hindi absolute o walang katapusan. Kahit nga ang pinaka una at ang pinaka-importanteng right to life at liberty ay puwedeng alisin ng estado upang pangalagaan ang buong lipunan at mga mamamayan nito,” he added.
He assured that they will do whatever it takes until the people behind such actions are brought to their senses and banished for their abuses and disregard for the law. Barbers wished the trolls and vloggers the best of luck as they ventured into another dimension he referred to as reality.
Earlier this week, Barbers urged the NBI to conduct a probe on the vloggers maligning the Quad Comm.
