No Summon for Mark Zuckerberg House and DICT Clear Up Reports
MARK ZUCKERBERG – A report involving Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a House hearing on social media safety has drawn attention, but lawmakers have now clarified what actually happened.
The House of Representatives has denied reports that it formally summoned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear before Congress in connection with discussions on social media safety.
The clarification was made during the House’s deliberations on the proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Thursday, September 24, 2026. FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Representative Brian Poe Llamanzares, who sponsored the DICT budget, responded to the reports and clarified that the House had not issued any invitation or directive for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear before the plenary.
“The House did not call upon Mark Zuckerberg or Meta to appear before plenary, just to clarify,” Llamanzares said.
The issue stemmed from an earlier post published by the DICT on September 17, which stated that the House had called on Zuckerberg to face the agency during a hearing concerning social media safety.
“The House of Representatives of the Philippines has called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to face the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) during a House hearing on social media safety,” said DICT.
The agency also said the discussions were expected to focus on harmful online content, accountability of technology platforms, and measures aimed at improving online safety for Filipino users.
“The hearing is expected to tackle concerns related to harmful online content, platform accountability, and measures to strengthen online safety for Filipino users.”
However, Llamanzares explained that DICT Secretary Henry Aguda had already apologized for the confusion surrounding the original post. He also noted that the agency promptly removed the post after it was published.
“Secretary Aguda apologizes for any misunderstanding or miscommunication regardless of what the DICT has first posted. In fact, immediately after, the DICT took down that post,” he said.
Llamanzares subsequently read the DICT’s updated statement during the budget hearing, officially clarifying the matter.
“The DICT confirms that no House resolution was issued directing or inviting Meta or its Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to appear before the House in relation to the hearing,” the statement read.
The DICT also urged the public and media to rely on official congressional records, proceedings, and statements when reporting on the issue.
“The DICT encourages the public and the media to refer to official records, proceedings, and statements from the House of the Representatives to ensure accurate reporting and avoid misinformation regarding the budget deliberation,” the statement concluded.
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