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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Netizen 'Marites' faces raps for allegedly spreading fake news about Baguio City kidnapping

Netizen 'Marites' faces raps for allegedly spreading fake news about Baguio City kidnapping

Published Sep 24, 2022 08:02 am

What began as a "public service" announcement to warn her Facebook followers of a supposed kidnapping involving a white and a green van ended with a netizen facing a criminal case for spreading fake news.

But what prompted the Philippine National Police (PNP) to file a case of violations of Article 154 (Unlawful Use of Means of Publication and Unlawful Utterances) in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) against Cherry Ann Matias Pineda was that the information she posted on her Facebook account was allegedly based on rumors.

A member of the PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group files two cases against a a woman in Baguio City for allegedly spreading fake news about kidnapping involving vans. (photo: PNP-ACG)

Police Brig. Gen. Joel Doria, director of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), said they filed the case against Pineda before the Office of the Prosecutor in Baguio City on Sept. 23.

It all started when Pineda, using one of her two Facebook accounts, posted on Aug. 19 this year that there was a kidnapping that occurred in Barangay Trancoville in Baguio City involving a green van with license plate XMM 507 and white van with license plate VXM 351.

She then proceeded to warn her followers about the kidnapping and even advised them that they should be accompanied by as many people whenever they go out at night.

Pineda also encouraged her followers to spread the information, which she claimed came from a police station.

What further pinned down Pineda, according to Doria, was when the chairman of Barangay Trancoville and the local police station issued certifications that there was no kidnapping that occurred in the area as claimed by Pineda on her post.

Police Lt. Col. Ma Theresa Guinto-Pucay, chief of the ACG unit in Cordillera Administrative Region, said they were able to identify Pineda through matching with her real Facebook account.

The PNP has been running after spreaders of fake news in the past weeks that stemmed from what it claimed to be a suspicious recycling of old photos and videos of crime incidents and an increase of social media posts that allegedly made it appear that there is a breakdown of peace and order in the country.

Doria has directed all ACG Commanders to intensify the conduct of cyber-patrolling and social media exploitation to validate and monitor all videos and posts that are circulating in social media with regard to the spreading of unvalidated reports.

“Information sabotage or unvalidated reports posted in social media should not be tolerated as it creates a feeling of panic in the community,” said Doria.

“Let this be a warning to all spreaders of fake news. Remember this, we are watching you," he added.

Related Tags

PNP ACG KIDNAPPING
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