House Bill No. 4786 seeks to require Facebook, TikTok, and other major social media platforms to secure a congressional franchise before they can legally operate in the Philippines, a measure that has drawn fresh attention following the fatal school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato.
Quezon Rep. David “Jayjay” Suarez filed the bill in September 2025, but it has gained renewed traction as lawmakers, educators, and police examine whether online spaces contributed to a string of campus attacks, including the Sept. 18 shooting at Banga National High School.
The bill would amend Commonwealth Act No. 146, the Public Service Act, to classify social media platforms as “public services of significant public consequence,” placing them under a regulatory framework similar to broadcast stations and utilities.
The Philippines had 90.8 million social media user identities as of January 2025, or 78 percent of the population, with Facebook alone accounting for an estimated 86.75 million local users and TikTok reaching 62.3 million by February of that year, according to the bill’s explanatory note.
Under the proposal, platforms exceeding a user threshold – to be defined later in the implementing rules – would need to obtain a congressional franchise, register a legal entity or branch office in the Philippines, and designate a local representative accountable for regulatory compliance. The bill also requires platforms to set up a grievance redress system accessible to Filipino users.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology, working with the National Telecommunications Commission, would serve as primary regulator, with implementing rules due within 90 days of the law’s passage and a 12-month compliance window for platforms already operating in the country.
Suarez said the bill responds to gaps in accountability among foreign-based platforms. “Social media is no longer just entertainment,” he said, adding that recent school violence has made oversight more urgent. “Accountability is overdue,” he said, referencing shootings in Tacloban, Zamboanga, and Banga.
The bill does not classify social media platforms as public utilities, meaning it would not trigger constitutional foreign equity restrictions unless later specified by law.
The measure remains pending before the House in the 20th Congress. Its implementing rules, once drafted, will determine which platforms fall under the franchise requirement and what user threshold applies – details that will shape how the law affects Philippine-based Facebook pages, TikTok creators, and other platforms operating locally.
