Malacañang reassured the public that the government will not be declaring a "total lockdown" to contain the current surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nogrlaes made the statement after yet another voice clip indicated that the country will be placed under a total lockdown. In the audio clip, a male speaker advised the public to stock up on essential supplies as the government was supposedly considering placing the country under a total lockdown.
Nograles said that there was no truth to the claim made by the person in the clip, which is being circulated in social media.
"This is a false and baseless statement," he said.
"We reiterate our appeal to the public to dismiss these unfounded and malicious rumors and to refrain from sharing these with our family and friends," he added.
The acting Palace spokesman reiterated that sharing unverified rumors do not help as the threat of COVID-19 directly concerns every Filipino.
"Spreading these unverified rumors contributes to unnecessary anxiety and needless panic," he said.
"Hindi po ito nakakatulong (This is not helping)," he added.
Meanwhile, Nograles--citing the Department of Agriculture (DA)--assured the public that the country's inventory for basic food commodities, particularly rice, is enough to last for more than three months, enough until the next harvest season in April.
According to the DA, there are also enough supplies of lowland and highland vegetables, which are at 85 percent and 107 percent sufficiency levels, respectively.
Nograles reiterated Malacañang's call to the public to only get their information from reliable sources.
"While we encourage the public to keep informed about the latest developments in our battle against COVID, we urge everyone to obtain their news and information from credible sources, dismiss disinformation, and contribute positively in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID," he said.
" minimum public health standards and vaccinated in order to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities," he added.