Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said that the city government discovered an alleged “fake Facebook Page” of the city on Monday, July 8, and urged residents to be vigilant on social media.
According to the city government, the fake page currently has 100,000 followers, who appear to have non-FIlipino names or allegedly troll accounts.
“Meron po tayong nakita noong weekend na bagong page na nung tinignan po yung mga followers, puro mga Vietnamese. So sa madaling salita, 100,000 followers, halos lahat trolls (We discovered over the weekend a new page that, upon checking its followers, consisted mostly of Vietnamese. In short, out of 100,000 followers, nearly all of them were trolls),” he said.
Sotto emphasized the importance of being aware and cautious about the information shared on social media, expressing his concern about individuals who might exploit such platforms for personal gain.
“Ang medyo kailangan pag-ingatan natin ay may mga tao talaga na handang magsinungaling. Ang handang gawin ng kahit ano para lang sa posisyon, para sa kapangyarihan (We need to be cautious because there are people who are willing to lie and do anything for position and power),” he stated.
He warned that the fake page could mislead Pasigueños, potentially spreading disinformation and fake news in the coming months.
It added that the said page contains all the updates and achievements of the city government.
“Pero ang medyo nakaka-alarma, yung mga posts po nito ay puro pabor sa atin. Puro magaganda yung sinasabi tungkol sa atin. So ibig sabihin, siguro yan yung style nila. Para isipin ng mga tao, ay ano yan, totoong page yan, o kaya page ni Vico yan, o page ni mayor yan puro pabor sa atin (But what's somewhat alarming is that all its posts are in our favor. They only say good things about us. So maybe that's their style—making people think it's a genuine page, or maybe Vico's page, or the mayor's page, all of which are in our favor),” he said.
“At ina-anticipate natin na pag medyo, ano, mga few months from now pagkalipas ng ilang buwan, ay yan naman po yung i-weaponize o gagamitin para sa disinformation. Ito po yung gagamitin para magkalat ng faking balita o fake news (And we anticipate that in a few months' time, this will be weaponized or used for disinformation. This will be used to spread fake news or false information),” he added.
Sotto reiterated that the city government welcomes criticism through the Ugnayan sa Pasig platform, but spreading disinformation is unacceptable.
“Bukas po tayo sa kritisismo, tayo nga yung nagtatag ng ugnayan sa pasig para marinig natin yung feedback, positibo man o negatibo. Pero ang ayaw lang natin ay yung pakeng balita at nakikita natin, mayroon mga nagmomobilize para po rito (We are open to criticism. We are the ones who established the Pasig Partnership to hear feedback, whether positive or negative. However, what we don't like is the fake news that we see being mobilized for this purpose),” he said.
Sotto urged residents to verify information to ensure their safety and prevent the spread of misleading information. He reminded the public to stay cautious about everything they see, read, hear, and watch on social media.
“Kaya, hinihikayat ko po ang bawat isa lalo na pagdating sa social media, pag may naririnig tayo ng mga balita i-verify natin. Tingnan natin yung pinagmumulan, para po hindi tayo magulo. Para dire-diretso lang po tayo. Dahil alam po natin, maayos ang ginagawa natin at higit sa maayos ay transparent. Bukas po ang ating pamahalaan at patuloy po na ganito ang gagawin natin (Therefore, I encourage everyone, especially when it comes to social media, to verify the news we hear. Check the sources so that we are not misled. We need to stay on track. We know that we are doing things properly, and above all, we are transparent. Our government is open, and we will continue to operate in this manner),” the mayor said.
“So muli po, mag-ingat lang tayo sa mga nakikita natin. Hindi porket nagpost ng maganda tungkol sa atin ay tunay po yun. Kailangan talaga mag-ingat, mag-ingat, magdoble, triple ingat po tayo sa lahat ng mga nakikita, nababasa, napapanood po natin (So again, let's just be careful about what we see. Just because someone posts something nice about us doesn't mean it's true. We really need to be careful, be cautious, and be extra, triple careful about everything we see, read, and watch),” Sotto added.