Sta. Maria, Bulacan Mayor Russel Pleyto has issued an order prohibiting the use of the municipal government's official seals in social media and for personal or business communications, among other avenues.
Pleyto issued Executive Order No. 2021-012 to strengthen "the use of the official seal of the municipality of Sta. Maria, Bulacan and its offices and instrumentalities."
The mayor made the move after the use of the seal "has become more rampant and it’s being used to spread unverified and false information to the damage and detriment both of the local government and its constituents."
Under Pleyto's order, prohibited acts are the following:
• the use of any person or entity of the town's official seal in any document,
• the use of any person or entity of the town's official seal for personal and business communications aside from the municipal government,
• the use of any person or entity of the town's official seal in the internet for whatever purpose, and
• the use of the town's official seal to deceive the public using it
Aside from the municipal government's seal, the use of its departments' seals are also not allowed.
Pleyto in his order said that any person or entity who would make a fictitious seal representing the municipal government or a non-existent office as well as any person or entity who would defame or edit the seal will be punished accordingly.
He cited Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code, which will punish with prision correccional anyone who shall knowingly and falsely represent himself to be an officer of any department of the Philippine government.