BREAKING: House set to defer DICT budget over lawmakers’ concerns on harmful Facebook content

The House of Representatives is set to defer deliberations on the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s proposed 2027 budget after lawmakers raised concerns about the government’s failure to remove harmful content from Facebook, according to insider information obtained by TechWatch PH.

Lawmakers questioned DICT on what concrete action the government can take when harmful posts remain online despite repeated complaints and coordination with Meta, the source said.

The deferment puts DICT’s handling of online safety under scrutiny, particularly its ability to secure timely takedowns rather than rely solely on meetings, commitments and technical working groups.

DICT and Meta recently agreed to strengthen coordination on harmful content, online threats, deepfakes and other cybercrime-related requests. Lawmakers are now questioning whether those commitments are resulting in actual removals.

The DICT budget was scheduled for plenary deliberation in the House on September 16 as part of discussions on the proposed 2027 national budget.

As of writing, TechWatchPH is seeking comment from DICT.