TACLOBAN CITY – The Police Regional Office (PRO)-8 on Tuesday, Aug. 30, belied reports that a teenage girl was kidnapped by men onboard a white van in Naval, Biliran Saturday, Aug. 20 and said the girl admitted she lied about the incident which circulated on social media that day.
“Upon checking our police stations, we found out that there is no such thing as kidnapping or abduction based on the submitted certifications of our police stations," Police Col. Michael Palermo, acting city police director, said.
The Tacloban police station was tied to the incident because although the purveyor was from Biliran, she mentioned San Jose District, located here.
Biliran Police Provincial Office director Police Col. Dionesio Apas Jr. said there were a lot of inconsistencies in the statement of the girl which she later admitted was false.
She told police that she boarded a yellow tricycle from her boarding house to go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Naval to seek educational financial assistance. Instead, she said she was brought to a different place and was threatened with a knife.
She claimed that she was tied and brought to a secluded place where a van with three bonnet-clad men waited and talked to the driver for about five minutes. The girl told police the distraction gave her the chance to free herself and run for safety.
Aside from inconsistencies in her story, police said she did not indicate struggle and her appearance did not show exhaustion from running. No eyewitness and closed circuit television footage corroborated her story.
Police said it was also impossible for the kidnappers to talk before she was transferred to the van. Nevertheless, Naval police are still investigating the incident.
The next day, through police coordination, the girl went to the office of the Naval mayor to issue a public apology.
Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU)-8 deputy chief Police Lt. Col. Christopher Paciteng warned those spreading disinformation or misinformation that they could be liable under Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code (Unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012).
RA 10175 provides penalties for crimes committed by, through, and with the use of information and communications technologies shall be one degree higher.