Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Brig. Gen. Remus Medina called on the public to always check the accuracy and truthfulness of all information they read on social media.
Medina made the call on Thursday, May 12, as he denied a social media post alleging that some student-athletes from the University of the Philippines (UP) were harassed by the police.
In a Facebook post on May 10, the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) Student Council claimed that some student-athletes were reportedly stopped by police personnel while on their way to their campus from their respective competitions.
According to the post, the students-athletes were asked by the police if the university-marked vehicles they were riding were used to transport protesters who would join the “academic walkout” organized by different university student councils. The walkout call came amid the imminent win of presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice-presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in the just concluded elections.
In a statement on Thursday, the QCPD denied the harassment allegations.
The QCPD said that based on the report of Anonas Police Station (PS 9), two officers were dispatched to validate the harassment claim with the UP Diliman Police Department.
The UP Diliman Police Department officer-in-charge, SP/Capt. Wilfredo Desierto, declared that the reported incident was untrue.
Medina advised the people to verify the source of a social media post, as well as its credibility, before sharing it online.
He also reminded the public that posting of fake articles or misinformation is punishable under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
"While social media can serve as a perfect avenue to exercise freedom of speech and expression, there is an attached accountability given that we are living in an era of fake news and misinformation. As the famous slogan goes ‘think before you click’”, Medina added.