The anger of supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte following his arrest is a natural reaction, but Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero believes that this does not justify creating false stories online.

During a press briefing on Monday, Escudero urged the public to be clear in sharing their opinions, rather than claiming it as factual.

"Normal siguro dahil syempre maraming nalungkot, maraming nagalit, maraming nainis na kapanalig, kakampi ng pamilya Duterte, rason para maglabas sila ng kanilang hinanakit at sama ng loob," said Escudero.

"Pero hindi pa rin lisensya yun para sa akin na gumawa ng mga kwentong imbentong pinapasa nila bilang katotohanan," he reiterated.

Citing Article 3, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution, Escudero said everyone has the right to express themselves as long as it's an opinion and not presented as a fact.

Regarding reports that the administration is targeting fake news peddlers against the government, noting that it would be unfair for other fake news issues spreading online, the Senate President said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) only acts on complaints.

"So kung may nagreklamo sa kabilang banda, dapat with equal fervor, dapat imbestigahan din ng NBI 'yan," he said.

It can be recalled that several pro-Duterte vloggers were compelled to attend the House tri-committee hearings concerning the proliferation of fake news and disinformation across various media platforms. These efforts are driven by concerns over the impact of misleading information on public perception.

In a report by RH 29's Boy Gonzales, it was stated that NBI Director Jaime Santiago met with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to stop the spread of fake news.

Santiago also mentioned that they are investigating whether funds are being funneled to the vloggers and fake news peddlers involved.