The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) warned the public on Monday, Oct. 25, against a bogus Facebook page posing as DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista’s account that supposedly showed the latter’s bid to run for governor in La Union.
“The Secretary has no Facebook account, and that he will not run for any position in the upcoming elections,” the DSWD said in a statement on Monday.
The bogus FB page with account name “Sec. Rolando Bautista for La Union Provincial Governor” showed Bautista’s photo clad in his military uniform. In the photo, he was attending an event with Senator Bong Go and President Duterte.
The DSWD said the FB page which is now being investigated has posted a status on ending anarchy and dynasty in the country.
“The Department is currently taking appropriate action and investigation regarding the incident.”
It advised the public not to patronize the fake Facebook page, after some netizens used it as a channel to request for inclusion in the department’s social protection programs.
The DSWD reminded the public to only refer to DSWD’s official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/dswdserves or @dswdserves, for announcements and updates regarding various services and programs of the Department.
The DSWD Facebook page has over 1.1 million followers.
“For any similar incident, the public is advised to report it to the DSWD Agency Operations Center through the 8888 hotline,” the DSWD said.