Their masks have fallen- when fake news churners stand exposed
For years, the architects of deception ruled the digital sphere with impunity. They fashioned themselves as truth-tellers, as champions of the people, as warriors against the so-called “biased media.” They manufactured their lies, spread them like a plague, and drowned the truth beneath a flood of distortion. They were useful instruments of a regime that thrived on falsehoods, the civilian foot soldiers of psychological warfare.
Now, dragged before the House of Representatives- facing the Tri Committee lead by heads representing matters on Public Order and Safety, on Information and Communications Technology, and on Public Information, their masquerade has crumbled. The solons—unyielding, relentless—exposed them in broad daylight. Their lies, their distortions, their fabrications were laid bare. With trembling voices and downcast eyes, they issued their meager apologies, hoping for absolution.
Facing the music
The influencers had initially declined to participate, asserting that the inquiry infringed upon their right to free speech. In their petition to the Supreme Court weeks past, they argued that the congressional investigation was both unconstitutional and unjustly singled out individuals who expressed political views in support of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The influencers had initially declined to participate, asserting that the inquiry infringed upon their right to free speech. In their petition to the Supreme Court weeks past, they argued that the congressional investigation was both unconstitutional and unjustly singled out individuals who expressed political views in support of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
But to see vloggers like Krizette Laureta Chu and Mary Jane "MJ" Quiambao-Reyes, once fierce defenders of the Duterte regime, wept before the tri-committee, claiming their outrageous falsehoods were merely “opinions.” A pitiful spectacle! What they once spewed with confidence, they now disown with cowardice. Where was their bravado when they slandered the dead, when they twisted reality to shield their master?
Others spoke of regulation. Richard Mata, a so-called health vlogger, suggested a “neutral body” to oversee vloggers, an idea akin to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). How rich! They speak now of ethics and accountability, yet they never followed any such principles when they gleefully joined the machinery of deceit.
But among them were those who would not dare appear—those too arrogant, too exposed to even face their reckoning. Sass Rogando Sasot, one of the most virulent propagandists of the past administration, chose to flee rather than answer for her crimes against truth. She dismissed the hearings as a “kangaroo court.” What else could she say? Confronted with the weight of her own fabrications, what defense remained but to slither away and hurl insults from a distance?
Nevertheless, these vloggers, particularly Cruz-Angeles and Chu, defended their online content, maintaining that their posts remained within the bounds of free speech. Similarly, Lopez and Mata asserted that their platforms were intended as spaces for political discourse, not as vehicles for spreading misinformation.
However, their assertions do not negate the troubling reality of their actions straying far from their purported purpose. “If lies dominate the feed, even well-intentioned citizens may find themselves misled, manipulated, or misinformed,” Rep. Jude Acidre warned, expressing deep concern over the widespread presence of false information on social media. He pointed out that blatant lies and fake news now overshadow the truth in the social media feeds of many Filipinos.
Acidre also highlighted the psychological consequences of repeated falsehoods, stating, “Modern psychologists call it the ‘illusion of truth’ effect: when people hear something over and over again—whether it’s true or not—they begin to believe it.”
Why changing the tune? Cry after facing evidence?
Under the unrelenting scrutiny of the solons, their bravado crumbled into pathetic whimpers.
When amongst the solons in the Tri Committee, Manila 6th District Representative Benny Abante struck at the heart of their lies, exposing them for what they truly are—agents of deception, peddlers of misinformation, with Chu and Quiambao-Reyes as examples.
Krizette Laureta Chu, once a loud and proud defender of the past administration, was forced to admit that she had no proof when questioned about her post claiming that police and military personnel were resigning en masse following the hypothetical arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC). She had based her claims on nothing but whispers from the cesspool of social media.
Abante then pressed further. What about her claim that lawmakers were sending their children to Europe for schooling? Who were these lawmakers? Where was her evidence? Chu had none. Confronted with her own lies, she was left stammering. The legislator, feeling insulted, demanded an apology. And Chu promptly complied—like a frightened child caught in the act.
But the spectacle was not over. Abante turned his focus to vlogger MJ Quiambao-Reyes, who had claimed that reports of deaths in Duterte’s drug war were a “massive hoax.” The lawmaker did not let this disgraceful falsehood stand. He reminded her that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the House Quad Committee had records proving the extent of the killings—records that no amount of vlogger spin could erase.
The weight of the truth crushed her. Reyes broke down in tears. Like Chu, she, too, was forced to apologize. But were these apologies sincere? No—they were the sobs of cornered liars, not of remorseful souls.
Not surprised that with the grilling people like Sasot, Celiz, and Badoy didn't join in and downplay the entire proceedings as a "kangaroo court".
The Civilianization of Psychological Warfare
What the house inquiry exposes was not just individual deception but an example of what may call a civilianization of psychological warfare- a deliberate and systematic effort to manufacture reality. These so-called "influencers" were not innocent actors caught in the chaos of social media; they served as one of the contributors, if not vanguards of a disinformation campaign, working to blur the lines between truth and fiction, turning into viral content.
Make no mistake—these individuals were not mere “content creators.” They were combatants in a war of the mind, waging psychological operations against their own people. For years they attacked mainstream media outlets, journalists, human rights defenders, and dismissed the victims of state violence as fabricated statistics. They turned lies into national narratives, justifying the past administration's rule by flooding the digital space with distortions and denials. Their mission was clear: to turn the state’s crimes into virtue, to make truth indistinguishable from lies, to condition the masses into submission. They attacked journalists, demonized dissenters, and wove grand myths to justify the bloodstained legacy of their patron.
Now, when they stand exposed, faced with evidence, they scramble to redefine themselves. They beg for understanding, claiming ignorance, pretending they, too, were misled. Lies! They knew exactly what they were doing. Every slander they uttered, every falsehood they shared, was a deliberate weapon—and they wielded it without remorse.
Should they be forgiven for the lies? Tears will not save them
But now the tide has turned. Their dominion is collapsing, their influence eroding. No more shall they reign unchallenged. No more shall they twist the narrative without resistance. They weep, they beg, they run—but their time has come.
Tears will not wash away their crimes. Apologies will not undo the damage they have done. Their defense of the past administration was never about truth, only about power—copium for those who cannot accept that the world has moved forward without them.
But history will remember them not as truth-tellers, not as brave warriors, but as conspirators in the greatest deceit of our time. Their names shall be written in shame, and their cowardice shall be their epitaph.
The masquerade is over. The people see them for what they truly are. And there shall be no redemption.